by A. D. Ryan
“Yes, ma’am.”
After tethering Starla, I removed her saddle and set it aside. I brushed her down and gave her a small bucket of grain before turning her out to her usual paddock. I cleaned up my mess in the barn and put the saddle away before heading to my dad’s place for lunch.
Having lunch with Dad, Tom, and Jill gave us a chance to discuss what was going on with the ranch and map out the rest of our day. We were all so busy at any given hour that this one hour was crucial to running our business.
The entire way over to Dad’s, I thought about Jensen. Horrible thoughts. Then remorse and regret set in. Soon, everything quickly turned into confusing and dirty thoughts when I remembered the strain of his biceps as he carried that bale of hay earlier and the warmth of his hands over mine.
I tried to shake it off when warmth spread beneath my skin, a dull tingle working its way down my body. It was probably a good thing I had an hour to regroup before I had to see him again.
“Dad? I’m here!” I announced as I untied my boots and left them next to everyone else’s.
“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” he replied.
As I made my way down the narrow hall, I could smell something being cooked. This confused me because I always prepared lunch. When I turned the corner, I stopped as soon as I spotted Jensen standing over the stove.
So much for that hour …
Chapter 3. Been There, Done That
“Have a seat, Madi. Jensen’s offered to make us lunch today,” Dad said, kicking my usual chair out for me.
I sat down, my eyes never leaving Jensen as he stood at the stove and did my job. It was hard to not feel the resentment that slowly started bubbling inside me again. He’d been here all of one day and had already inserted himself into our lives. Sure, he seemed nice enough—most of the time—but I felt like I was being replaced. Was that a ridiculous thought? Absolutely, but I wasn’t exactly known for maintaining rational thought every second of every day.
I liked to think it was just part of my charm.
When Jensen turned to offer me a smile, I returned it awkwardly. He was throwing off the balance of my perfect little world. It was the only explanation for how discombobulated I was all of a sudden.
As I burned holes in the back of his head—while also briefly checking out his ass—I was only vaguely aware of the conversation going on around me. It wasn’t until Dad asked me if I was all right after my recent mishap with Starla that I tore my eyes away from the mess of brown hair and focused.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know, I think I just lost focus is all. She spooked, and I didn’t see it coming until it was too late,” I explained, shifting my gaze from the subject of my irritation-slash-attraction to my father.
I stood up and headed for the sink so I could wash my hands before lunch. As I stood there, letting the water run over my hands, I looked over at Jensen and watched him grill the sandwiches he had made. He lifted his eyes to mine, and I immediately grew flustered and looked back down at my hands.
By the time I had taken my seat again, Jensen had placed the sandwiches on the table and sat in the chair right next to mine. His denim-clad knee brushed mine, and my breath hitched slightly. If men weren’t such assholes, I might have found him remotely attractive. Oh, who was I kidding? I definitely found him attractive, even if he was an asshole. Besides, just because Dane turned out to be Mr. Wrong, doesn’t mean all men are dicks.
The room was silent as we all began to eat, and I had to admit, Jensen was a halfway decent cook. Sure, it was just a grilled cheese sandwich, and anyone could likely make it, but I had to commend him for it. As I ate, Dad and Tom began to talk about their upcoming fishing trip, with Jill chiming in every once in awhile.
“How is it?” Jensen asked, turning his head slightly to face me.
Still not wanting to feed his obvious ego, I shrugged. “It’s all right,” I said flippantly.
He chuckled and picked up his empty plate to put it in the dishwasher. “Yeah, that’s why you haven’t spoken two words since starting lunch.”
“Yes, and my lack of talking had nothing to do with my unwillingness to discuss fishing.” I turned back to the table and stood up, smiling. “I’m going to go get Ransom ready and warmed up. I’ll meet you in the arena in a half hour, Tom?” I tossed the remainder of my lunch, leaving my plate in the sink.
“Sure thing, Madison. Hey, why don’t you take Jensen with you? Show him the ropes,” he suggested.
I forced a smile on my face and looked at Jensen. “It would be my pleasure,” I ground out.
The both of us put our boots back on before I led him to the barn to grab Ransom’s lead. On our way to Ransom’s paddock, I stopped to check on Halley.
“What happened to her?” Jensen asked quietly as I knelt down to feel her leg.
I turned my head toward him and cocked an eyebrow. “What? You mean you don’t actually know everything?” Jensen seemed taken aback, and I instantly regretted my tone. He crossed his arms across his chest, leaning on the fence as he waited for my response. “We were working on her jumping, she landed funny and tore the ligaments in her leg. The vet doesn’t seem to think she’ll ever be the same again, but I think she will be. She’s already been through so much.”
“I’m impressed.” His tone indicated that his sincerity was true, and I thought I was finally catching a glimpse of Jensen’s other side. Until he continued. “Based on your inability to remain in the saddle today, I didn’t peg you as a pro.”
Even though he was probably just teasing me, I was offended. I stood quickly and forced my way past him. “Screw you,” I sniped.
Jensen closed the gate behind me and followed as I gave him the rundown of the barn’s operations. As usual, he was cocky and overly-confident, telling me that we operated as he would have expected.
Never had I wanted to kick a man in the balls as much as I did him. And yet, I still found myself oddly attracted to him. Well, I pondered silently as I took in his striking features again. Maybe not oddly …
I started to wonder if I was PMSing. My hormones were all over the place. Or perhaps I was just a little jaded because of how the last man in my life treated me.
Jensen walked with me out to Ransom’s shared paddock and then came with me to catch the young stallion. Ransom’s dark brown coat gleamed in the afternoon sun, and as soon as he caught sight of me with the lead, he took off running.
“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, and just as I started forward, Jensen grasped my arm, causing fireworks to shoot through my veins again, and held out his other hand.
“May I?” he inquired smoothly.
I laughed at his assuming he would be able to catch Ransom any better than Tom or me and held the lead out to him. “Be my guest, but he’s not going to be easy.”
Jensen gave me a wink, and my heart fluttered. My body was reacting the exact opposite to how my mind figured it should be acting to this arrogant newcomer, and it upset me. He took the blue lead from me and held it behind his back as he clucked and walked slowly toward the bay stallion. Ransom whinnied and then took off at a full gallop. I couldn’t help but laugh as I perched myself on top of the fence so I could watch Jensen try again.
He turned his head to me and smirked again before running his fingers through his messy, sex-hair. He looked back at Ransom and started making the same clucking noise as before, and this time only took two steps before stopping in the middle of the paddock. Confusion swept over me as I wondered what he was doing. How on Earth did he expect to catch a horse from there?
My eyes widened as I watched Ransom calm down and stare at the strange man standing before him. He tilted his head to the side and perked his ears forward as he took several curious steps toward Jensen. I stared in awe as Ransom dropped his head into the halter that Jensen held and allowed a stranger to lead him toward me.
“What? How?” I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Jensen smiled and held his free hand out to me to
help me down. I didn’t take it and jumped to the ground, stumbling in the process and forcing Jensen to rescue me, anyway. It would appear that I was entirely too clumsy today. Okay, every day.
“Now, if you’d have accepted my help in the first place, that wouldn’t have happened,” Jensen teased as he released his firm hold around my waist.
It was comments like that, that made me crazy. While I could admit I was definitely a little touchy, his snarky comments weren’t helping his case. I shot a bitchy smirk at him and snatched Ransom’s lead as I failed to come up with a decent comeback.
As I tacked Ransom up for his training, Jensen and Tom’s son, Jeff, took the ATVs out to the far pasture to check on the horses out there before going to the new barn to check on the last few things to be done. Every once in awhile, I’d catch a glimpse of Jensen as he walked through the yard, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. The white shirt he wore was smudged with dirt, and as if that wasn’t enough to send my libido into overdrive, his tanned muscles glistened with sweat as the hot sun beat down on him while he worked.
“Madison! Pay attention to Ransom!” Tom shouted, and I shook my head to get it back in the game.
“Sorry!” I apologized as I looked down to see that Ransom was leading with the wrong leg, causing him to stumble when he rounded the corner. I was able to right myself for the first time that day and remained seated, and I quickly told Ransom with my legs that he needed to switch leads. He did so perfectly, and Tom and I worked on more of his groundwork for another half hour before he said Ransom had done enough for today.
After brushing Ransom down, I put him out in his paddock before going about my evening chores. I was just helping little Mallory Edwards tack up her pony when my dad found me and pulled me aside.
“Madi, I’ve noticed you watching Jensen today,” he started.
I swallowed thickly, heat blazing like hellfire beneath my cheeks. “Y-you have?” I stammered.
Dad nodded once. “How do you think he’s doing?”
Relief poured out of me as I realized he had seen me watching him … not ogling him. “Oh, well aside from being on the overly-cocky side, he’s been doing an all right job.”
Dad beamed. “Good! I think he’ll be a good addition to our team.” I laughed and shook my head at his enthusiasm. “Um, how would you feel if I asked him to stay on the premises? He just moved into the area and was actually staying with his sister until he found a job and an apartment. I figured this might just be easier than the commute.”
It made sense, I suppose. I clapped Dad on the shoulder and smiled. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“I’m glad you’re on board with this, Madison. Why don’t you call it a day? I’ll finish up with the guys,” Dad offered, and even though I had gotten a late start, I couldn’t help but love the idea of taking a really hot bath and resting my bruising backside.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll be here first thing in the morning,” I promised, stepping up on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Call if you need me, though. Okay?”
“Will do, kiddo. Go, rest. I have a feeling you’ll be hurtin’ tomorrow.” As I walked away, I heard him laugh, and I could only shake my head.
When I stepped through my door, I made sure to turn the deadbolt before I checked my messages. I went into the kitchen and hit the button on my ancient answering machine and listened as a familiar male voice sounded through my house.
“Hey, babe. It’s Dane calling. Again. I don’t know why you won’t return my calls. I said I was sorry. Please, call me back. I want to talk to you. We can work this ou—”
Because that shit wasn’t going to happen in a million years—or longer if I could help it—I deleted the message before it was even finished and headed toward my bathroom. After turning the tap on, I sat on the edge of the over-sized antique claw-foot tub that my grandparents had specially ordered when they built the place and poured in my Epsom salts and some coconut scented bubble bath before I started stripping my jeans and T-shirt off. When I lifted my shirt over my head, I felt all the muscles in my left side tug and pull painfully. It even felt like it might have been deeper than just my muscles.
I stood to survey the damage, and one look in the mirror told me that tomorrow would not be a good riding day for me. The entire left side of my ass and ribs were already bruising. It started dark in the center and lightened as it spread across my body. By tomorrow, it would be completely black and blue. With a sigh, I released my hair of its messy ponytail and slid down into the tub.
I turned off the tap before settling back onto the rounded edge of the tub and closing my eyes. The salts effervesced in the water, making my skin tingle slightly. The heat of the water caused my skin to redden, and the bubbles … well, they just smelled good. They really served no other purpose.
Every time the water would begin to cool, I’d lift the plug, allowing a little to escape and turn the hot water tap on with my foot. I did this several times in the hour I remained in my warm, steamy bathroom, and finally decided it was time to wash my hair and get out once my fingers and toes started to prune.
After drying off my body, I padded to my bedroom naked, using my towel to dry my hair. I rifled through my dresser and found a pair of simple black shorts and a dark purple fitted tank. I pulled them on, and then grabbed my overflowing hamper and hauled it to my laundry room down the hall. With my laundry started, I went to the kitchen in search of something to make myself for dinner.
I found some tomato, lettuce, cheese and bread, so I pulled it all out and made myself a sandwich before heading to the living room to eat. I had just settled into my leather sofa when there was a loud knock at the door. Placing my uneaten sandwich on my glass coffee table, I stood to go and find out who it was.
As I got closer to the door, I feared it might be Dane, coming back to beg forgiveness. I mentally prepared myself, because he had this nasty habit of making me believe he didn’t mean to hurt me. My habit of taking him back was even nastier, and I was trying to change my ways. What I wasn’t expecting when I opened the door was to see Jensen standing there. And I most certainly wasn’t expecting to see him holding bags with what I assumed contained his clothing.
“Hey, roomie,” he said with a crooked smile.
Chapter 4. Maybe I was Wrong
“Excuse me?” I demanded. What the hell was he talking about? He couldn’t possibly think—
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, cutting my own thoughts off as my brain tried (read: hoped) to interpret his words to mean something else entirely.
“Well, I’m just getting back on my feet after …” He paused, looking uncomfortable with the idea of sharing too much. “I had a string of bad luck recently, and your dad has been gracious enough to give me this job, and said I could stay on the ranch. For convenience,” he replied. Nope. His words held no hidden meaning, and meant exactly what I feared they did.
His eyes were mesmerizing, and I wanted to get lost in them. What was it about him that made my knees weak and my heartbeat quicken? He seemed so confident—too confident, actually.
Jerky. Yeah, that’s right. Now I remember …
Giving my head a quick shake in order to clear it, I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms beneath my breasts. “Yeah, and?”
His eyes shifted down momentarily before he cleared his throat and raised them back to mine. Interesting, I thought, smirking slightly.
“He said since his place is just a one bedroom, that I could stay here. He said you had plenty of room,” Jensen continued. “He didn’t tell you?”
My eyes widened and my lips formed a hard line as I inhaled slowly. I threw on my work boots, not even bothering to lace them up in my haste to find out just what the hell was going on. As I raced through the yard with Jensen hot on my trail, I stumbled on a small divot in the road and fell. Pain shot up my side and through my bruised ribcage as I landed, and the gravel tore up the skin on my knees.
“What the hell is wrong with m
y feet?” I shouted as I turned over, brushing the debris from my flesh and inspecting the scrapes.
Jensen laughed as he knelt before me and laced up my worn-out boots. “Maybe if you’d have taken the time to properly lace your boots, this wouldn’t have happened.” Our eyes locked as he finished lacing the second one, and his hand moved up, grazing my calf in the process. I inhaled sharply, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. I was momentarily stunned into silence, and it wasn’t until he broke eye contact with me and spoke again that I found my voice.
“Although, I seriously doubt that.”
“Oh, great. Another safety lecture from the help. Fantastic,” I sniped as I pushed myself to my feet.
Standing right with me, Jensen eyed me carefully. “Madi, I’m only teasing. Why are you fighting this?”
It was unclear exactly what he meant … or maybe it was unclear what I was fighting. All I knew was, me shacking up with some guy—a guy who was drop-dead gorgeous to the millionth degree, who oozed charm and charisma and sexuality—was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. Especially since we worked together. I had both been there and fucking done that. I refused to do it again.
Jensen took a step forward, his eyes burning into mine, causing the flurry of butterflies that still hadn’t left my insides to flutter faster. He was waiting for an answer, but for some reason my brain couldn’t remember what the question was.
Think, brain, think! Oh! Fighting! “Because—”
I was about to explain that he didn’t belong here with his cocky attitude and know-it-all behavior, not wanting him to think I didn’t want him here because all I seemed to be capable of doing when he was around—besides fall off my horse—was ogle his body and imagine doing things I was positive defied the laws of physics. It wasn’t a lie. He was cocky. And a know-it-all, actually. But, just as I was about to speak, Dad interrupted me. “Madi, what the hell are you doing out here … in that?”