Bronco_A Contemporary Cowboy Romance

by H. P. Mallory

  “Well, why don’t you swing by whenever you can escape. The more nights you can be here, the faster you’ll learn, and the more money you’ll make. I’m here every night.”

  I stood up and extended my hand. “Thanks, Sharon. Really... I needed this.”

  She came around the end of the bar and folded me in a quick hug. “Glad to have you, ladybug.”

  Another couple came in and I waved goodbye. Even though Sharon was a close-talker and hadn’t left my personal space since I’d come in, I was oddly at ease with her, which was totally strange for me. First Rue, and now Sharon... I didn’t want to get overly excited about nothing, but I was almost skipping as I pushed open the doors and walked outside. I was surprised to see Jake’s truck parked in front and even more surprised to see him in it.

  I opened the door and climbed up onto the seat as I glanced over at him. “I thought you had stuff to do?” I asked as I faced him.

  He shrugged. “Figured I’d wait for you to see how it went.”

  “Well, it went great!” I responded with a big, happy smile. “She hired me, just like that!”

  He smiled and I felt my knees go weak because he was so handsome. “I’m glad to hear that, Summer.” His warm gaze slid over me and butterflies started popping up inside of my stomach. I suddenly wanted to lean over and grab his face so I could kiss him but I kept myself under control. Jake and I needed to go back to having nothing more than a friendship. Hopefully, the situation in the shower hadn’t ruined our chances.

  Chapter Ten

  Jake

  Brady and Rue were deep in conversation by the time I got to the house. They appeared to be the only two inside, which meant I was probably early for dinner. Screw it because I was hungry. And I was in a mood too which had everything to do with a pair of long legs, big breasts, strawberry blonde hair and the sexiest green eyes I’d ever seen.

  Brady looked up as I walked in. “Did Summer go meet Sharon?” he asked.

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yes.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “Good,” I answered, not sure why I was in such a surly mood but there it was. Well, actually I did know. I was in a funk because Summer had put me in one. Not on purpose, of course, but she was the agent all the same. Why? Because I wanted her but I couldn’t have her. Not because Brady told me I couldn’t, but because I was telling me I couldn’t. With the abrupt way she ended things in the shower just as they were heating up, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t ready for me. And I had a feeling her not being ready had everything to do with her past. The more I wondered about it, the more I figured she’d left a man in Connecticut and even though she was here now, he was still in her heart. It had to be.

  At the thought that Summer’s heart belonged to someone else, I felt nothing but jealous anger which made me even angrier. Since when did Jake Lawson get jealous? Since never.

  “I got it!” I heard Summer’s voice and then the door closing behind her. I turned around as she walked into the room, all smiles. God, but she was all kinds of stunning. And all kinds of sexy. Seeing that body of hers in the shower… I couldn’t get the visuals out of my mind. And touching that silky soft skin… I had to stop myself or I’d start to display what I was thinking in front of everyone and that was a situation I wanted no part of.

  “Congratulations!” Rue said as she smiled broadly and threw her arms around Summer.

  “Glad to hear it,” Brady responded as I heard the sounds of the other ranch hands entering the house. I didn’t bother to look at them because I didn’t want to take my eyes off Summer. With the way she was smiling and how happy she looked, she was radiant. She still had makeup on from her interview with Sharon earlier, which didn’t make her any less beautiful, but announced loudly that she wasn’t from around here. She belonged to another world.

  Not my world.

  Which made dinner insanely awkward because I was all too aware of the distance between our worlds and the fact that whatever feelings were going through me, I had no business feeling them. We might as well have been in different universes because there was no way to breach the gap between us. Brady was right—I needed to keep my distance from her.

  Conversation was stilted and Brady seemed as lost in his own thoughts as I was. Neither of us said much. I did happen to notice, however, that every time I looked over at Summer, who was sitting opposite me, she was looking at me. We would meet each other’s eyes and then immediately look away almost like we were playing some kind of game. It started to piss me off even more than I had been before because I realized how completely futile it was. The sooner I got over whatever the hell this was—a crush, maybe, the better. Maybe I’d head over to the tavern tonight to find whatever woman would have me for the evening.

  I finished dinner quickly and excused myself to the kitchen before everyone was done. I started to clean up because I wanted something to do that didn’t involve making small talk. As I soaped up the pots and pans, I watched Brady excuse himself and retreat to his office—and that’s when I knew something was up because he hated being in the office.

  “Need some help?” Summer asked as she walked into the kitchen.

  “No, I’m just about done.”

  “You two go on an’ get,” Rue said as she approached us both. “Jake, you have no business bein’ in the kitchen, you know that.”

  “Just tryin’ to help,” I said with a sigh.

  “Well, I got it handled,” she answered as she thrust herself in between Summer and me and grabbed the dishcloth out of Summer’s hands while ripping the sponge from mine. “Shoo! Skedaddle!” she yelled at us both with a smile.

  “Okay, okay,” I said as I walked past her, Summer right beside me. “Thanks, Rue,” I added.

  “You got it!” she answered.

  I held the front door open for Summer and she walked through it, thanking me in a small voice. Then neither one of us said anything as we headed in the same direction.

  “When are you supposed to start at Sharon’s?” I asked, feeling the need to make conversation.

  “I think I’m going to head over there tomorrow night,” she answered and then smiled like she was uncomfortable. Make that two of us.

  I nodded and then the uncomfortable silence stretched between us again as we approached the cabin where Summer was staying. I wasn’t sure why but I didn’t want her to go in yet, I didn’t want to stop talking to her even though neither one of us was saying much. We both must have felt awkward because we each blurted out a question at the same time.

  “What’s it like where you’re from?”

  “Have you been at Springhill long?”

  She twittered nervously and I cleared my throat. “You first,” I said, pressing my lips tight and nodding, all the while hoping she would pick a different question. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about cutting this short and heading into town so I could down a few beers but somehow, I didn’t want to.

  “How long have you been here at Springhill?” she asked.

  This was not the conversation I wanted to have, but I was hopeful that I could get us off topic fast. “I came here five years ago.”

  “Have you always been a rancher? What did you do before?”

  “This and that.” I didn’t want her to think that I couldn’t carry on a decent conversation, but she might as well have been throwing loaded grenades at me. It was all I could do to dodge them all and stay in one piece. My past was something I didn’t like to discuss.

  “Okay then.” Her voice was clipped and she took a step toward her door, as if letting me know she was ready to go inside.

  Good going, dumbass.

  I cleared my throat. If I wanted her secrets, I was going to have to give up some of mine. “I never had a good family life growing up and didn’t ever really have a home to speak of. I met Brady at a cattle auction and he offered me the job. It’s been a good fit and came along at a perfect time. I like it here.”

  There was a long pause and I w
asn’t sure if she heard me, but then, very quietly, she said, “I like it here too.”

  “Even though it’s not fancy like what you’re used to?” I asked, not meaning to chide her but I couldn’t help it.

  “Yeah, even though it’s not,” she answered as she frowned up at me. “Anyway, I should probably get to bed since I’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I responded as I took a deep breath, the tension between us ridiculously thick. “Well, have a good night.”

  “Yeah, you too.”

  I turned around and tried to drum up the interest to head to the tavern so I could see what kind of trouble I could get myself into. But all I could manage was a heavy sigh as I escorted myself to my apartment over the barn, figuring Bob was going to be the only lady company I enjoyed this evening.

  Chapter Eleven

  Summer

  Aria’s hay would cost me my last hundred and twelve dollars and I wanted to cry. Thankfully, Jake had dropped me off while he was running his own errands so he wouldn’t be here to see me ready to break down.

  “You’re lucky we even have any of that fancy stuff,” the owner of the feed store said, eyeing me with disinterest. “I’ll have to special order it from here on out.”

  Super.

  While I hesitated and tried to think of any other way I could feed Aria, another customer walked in and I stepped away, pretending to look at some display about ticks and fleas. I did some quick math in my head, and figured out that even if Sharon could give me hours right away, I’d barely have enough to make this kind of payment every week. I blinked away the tears and waited for the customer to finish telling his long, drawn out story about his dog’s chronic diarrhea.

  Finally, he left and it was just me and the store owner and the fact that I couldn’t afford to buy the hay. I cleared my throat and tried to swallow as I realized what I was going to have to do. I couldn’t even meet his eyes.

  “You want me to have them load that hay up or what?” he asked.

  “Um, well...” I took a deep breath and picked my chin up. “Is there any chance you could give me a discount since you know I’ll be in here ordering it every week? Is there like a frequent buyer’s discount you guys offer or some kind of points club?” I looked at him hopefully and he looked at me blankly.

  “A points club?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, you know like those other stores do where all the stuff you buy adds up into points which you can use for discounts?”

  He had no idea what I was talking about and I had to remind myself this wasn’t the big city. This was Podunk USA where points clubs didn’t exist and all that did was overpriced hay that I couldn’t afford.

  “We don’t have a club like that,” he said.

  “Okay,” I started with a sigh. “What about discounts in general? Do you ever give those to your good clients?”

  “No.”

  “Great,” I said and then sighed heavily as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. His eyes widened like no one had ever asked him for a discount before, then he recovered and shook his head. I could tell that I’d offended him.

  “I don’t do discounts. I got bills to pay too.”

  “I get it,” I said as I thought about the fact that Aria was now going to be reduced to eating alfalfa. I’d just have to exercise her that much more.

  “Everything okay?” I looked up to see Jake as he came in through the front doors. Now, I wanted to sink into the floor. I shouldn’t have even asked for a discount in the first place and I was more than sure Mr. Jolly Store Owner was going to tell on me so I could be embarrassed all over again. Crap. I’d have to save face and pay the full price. There was just no way I wanted Jake to know that I was so broke I was asking for favors. Talk about embarrassing.

  “Your girlfriend here doesn’t think she should have to pay full price for the hay,” the man announced, eyes narrowed on me. His voice was much more pointed and his persona more ornery now that there was another guy in the room. I nearly choked when his gaze slid down my body from head to toe. “Doesn’t look to me like she needs no discount.”

  Jake bristled and frowned at the man. “Come on, Peter. Cut her some slack. You know nobody else is going to buy that stuff before it rots. You’ve been bitching about it for weeks.”

  Peter narrowed his eyes at Jake. “I don’t do charity here.”

  “Okay, that’s fine,” Jake said with a shrug. “But do you want to sell that hay or do you want to let it mold and then get nothing for it?” He shrugged again. “Last I checked, something is better than nothing.”

  “Fine. I’ll do it this one time. That’ll be ninety bucks, and that’s my last offer.” He glared at me. “But don’t go thinking you’re going to get a discount every time when I have to order it in special. I gotta pay for shipping, don’t forget.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling two inches tall. “And I won’t get any ideas.” I handed him the cash.

  He grunted and took the money, jamming it in the drawer and ripping the receipt off. As he handed it to me, he swung his glare to Jake. “Pull your truck around and I’ll load it.”

  We walked out and I felt like the weight of the world was riding my shoulders. I was suddenly terrified that this was what my new reality was forever going to be—asking for discounts everywhere I went because I couldn’t afford anything. Oh, how the mighty had fallen…

  “Man, lucky break there, Posh,” Jake said as he climbed in the truck. “I wasn’t sure Peter would have any of that fancy shit of yours.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “Lucky me.” Then I glared at him, irritated that he’d involved himself at all. “Look, I don’t need your help.”

  He frowned. “Uh, kind of looked like you did.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and squeezed them tightly. “I was handling it just fine.”

  “Hmm, didn’t look like it to me.”

  “Well, I was.”

  We were quiet for a few seconds before he glanced over at me. “A thank you would have worked fine, Summer.”

  I glared at him. “A thank you? For what?”

  “Yeah, a thank you for getting involved on your behalf and getting you the hay for the price we did.”

  Even though it was my embarrassment that was making me pissed, now that he was acting like he’d done me a favor, I was even madder. “I didn’t ask for you to get involved on my behalf and I didn’t want you to! I would have been fine to pay full price.”

  He threw his hands up as he frowned at me. “You’re impossible.”

  I shook my head, so furious at how dense he was. I didn’t say anything as he backed up to the dock and we waited for Peter to load the truck. We both sat there in silence and a few minutes later, Jake pulled away.

  I stewed silently and didn’t even want to think about what I was going to do when this hay ran out. I was terrified to even introduce Aria to the alfalfa even though it would cut my feed bill completely. Aria just wasn’t used to alfalfa, though, and who knew how she’d respond to it?

  Jake drove the two blocks to the highway and then it was just a few more minutes until we were back to the ranch. As soon as he parked, he killed the engine and then glanced over at me.

  “I’m sorry about earlier.”

  I was surprised to hear him apologizing when it was clearly me who was in the wrong. “You don’t need to apologize,” I said, finding that I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I did need the discount. I just...” I sighed. I hated having to admit that I was wrong almost as much as I hated needing help. “I’m sorry. I’m still trying to figure all of this out.”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything. Peter’s kind of a dick—er, jerk—sometimes and I didn’t want him taking advantage of you just because you’re new in town.”

  I didn’t really want to get into this because I knew I was wholly in the wrong but there was just something inside of me that didn’t want to admit that to Jake. But I knew I had to so I swallowed the tiny bit of pride I still had
left. “Thank you, Jake. I’m sorry I was acting like a spoiled child earlier.”

  “It’s okay, sexy butt,” he answered with a smile.

  “Sexy butt?” I responded as I faced him quizzically and shook my head as I wondered where he came up with this stuff.

  He shrugged. “Hey, if you got it, flaunt it!”

  I couldn’t keep the laugh from my lips. There was just something about Jake that threw me off guard, something about him that was so boyish, sweet, and innocent somehow. Yet, he was as far from innocent as it was possible to be.

  He held out his hand. “Truce?”

  I took his proffered hand and watched as his fingers closed over mine. He held my hand, his warm eyes nearly hidden beneath the brim of his hat. We didn’t shake, he just held my hand in his and stared at me with an intensity that was more than a little unnerving.

  “Truce,” I answered as I took my hand back and had to force myself not to act like anything about that was strange. My heart was pounding against my ribs and I could barely even think. Jake just did something to me, something that I had a hard time fighting.

  Chapter Twelve

  Summer

  Life at Springhill Ranch quickly began to take on an easy feel, like slipping on a broken-in pair of boots. Rue was letting me cook breakfast more often and the boys were smart enough not to complain.

  One morning, as I was filling the sink with soapy water after breakfast, Jake and Brady stood up from the table and Jake brought a stack of plates over to the sink, giving me a broad smile. I’d made eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy and it hadn’t come out too bad. Well, according to my cooking skills anyway. The eggs had been a bit dry and the sausage was charred on one side but the gravy had been remarkably okay.

  “Thanks.” My hands were already covered in suds, so I pointed with my elbow to the counter. “Just set them there.”

  “Do you want to come out at lunch and work Jenny with me?” he asked. “I noticed you haven’t had lots of riding time lately.”

  “I doubt I’ll have time,” I answered, trying to force myself not to notice his beautiful eyes.