by Cindy Stark
He stood, his full height towering over her, and she thrilled in the power he emanated. He leaned close until their faces were only inches apart. “No one deserves what he’s done to you, regardless of their choices.”
She blinked several times as his words burrowed into the deepest part of her heart. “No, they don’t,” she whispered.
“Good.” He straightened. “Get dressed. You’ve got outside chores to do.” He strolled from the room, confident and cocky, carrying the weight of her world away with him. If anyone could protect her, he could.
Chapter Fourteen
Scarlett sized up the large, bay horse standing in front of her. The rain had let up by the time she and Jesse had finished chores, and he’d offered to take her riding with him or let her return to the house if she’d had enough of the rancher’s life.
He had to be joking. She wasn’t about to leave him to all this fun.
The beast was magnificent. No other way to describe the glossy coat and proud way she tossed her black mane. Power and pride radiated off her in the most beautiful way.
“Don’t be afraid of her.” Jesse held out the reins, urging Scarlett to take them.
Fear danced with excitement inside her. “She’s so big.” Leading the horses out of the stalls while Jesse cleaned them was one thing. Feeding them? No problem. Climbing on Lady’s back was in a whole other ballpark.
He shook his head and laughed. “Horses are big. They have to be to haul us around.”
She supposed that made sense. Tentatively, she took the reins and stepped closer, running her hand down Lady’s chest. “Hello there,” she murmured.
“If you’d rather ride on my horse with me, you can,” Jesse offered.
The thought of leaning against Jesse’s strong chest for even a minute was more than her fragile resistance could bear. “No. I can do this.”
She needed to, needed to prove she was strong and growing stronger every day. Jesse had valiantly offered to protect her, but she intended to be able to protect herself as well. At some point, she’d be on her own again, and she needed as much knowledge as possible. Like they said, knowledge was power. If she intended to live in a small town, knowing how to ride a horse could come in handy.
She steeled her nerves, crooned to Lady one more time, and then lifted her foot into the stirrup like Jesse had showed her. She grabbed the horn, as he had called it, and hoisted herself upward. She almost had her leg over the saddle when gravity pulled her in the opposite direction.
Out of nowhere, two firm hands on her bottom shoved her upward, and she sailed into the saddle.
She wanted a moment to process the intimate way Jesse had touched her, but the thrill of being on a horse overrode it. She had a thousand pounds of incredible horseflesh beneath her, all there for her to command.
“You good?”
She nodded and tried to control her grin, but it was pointless.
Watching Jesse mount his horse like it was no harder than climbing a step on his front porch left her envious. But he was taller. With more muscles. Of course, he’d have an easier time of it.
He walked Shadow closer to her until his leg brushed hers. “Lady’s a good horse. Spirited, but in a good way. She’s not going to buck you off, so relax.”
An exhale whooshed from her chest, and she laughed. “Okay.”
“If you get scared or feel too nervous, let me know. You can always climb over here with me.” He’d offered enough times, and she wondered if that was his preference.
It might be hers, except… “This is good. I’m good.”
He tipped his hat to her. “Hold your reins tight and give a little nudge to her girth. She’ll follow me.” He demonstrated what he’d said and his gorgeous black horse headed toward the hills a mile out.
She nudged Lady. When the horse moved forward, she jerked and then gripped the saddle horn as though her life depended on it. Scarlett needed a few steps before she tuned into the rhythm of the horse and allowed her body to sway with it instead of fighting the movement.
Jesse glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “You’re a natural.”
She laughed. “I don’t know about that.” Bits of confidence flowed through her, making her heady, and she nudged Lady again, wanting her to catch up to Jesse.
When the horse took off faster, a little squeal escaped her lips. She quickly clamped her mouth closed, but her heart still thundered with excitement.
Lady slowed when she was neck and neck with Shadow.
Jesse failed at hiding his laughter.
“Don’t laugh,” she warned.
He shook his head. “Not laughing.”
She narrowed her gaze. She knew muffled laughter when she heard it. “Yes, you are.”
He released a full-on laugh then. “Okay, but you’re so darn cute.”
“Cute?” she accused.
“Happy? You’re enjoying it, and I’m enjoying watching you.”
“Oh.” That answer took their conversation to a new level. She remained silent for a moment and then slid a sideways glance toward him. “I do like it.”
His grin grew bigger. “I’m glad.”
They rode for what seemed like forever until they came upon his herd grazing on the hillside ahead of them, but Scarlett didn’t mind the length of time. Besides a few minor aches in her legs, she loved every bit of it.
“This is what you do every day when you leave me?”
“Yep.” He inhaled as he glanced over the yellowed grasses, green trees, and metal-gray sky. “Nothing better than being out in God’s country.”
“Nothing?” she teased, and then immediately regretted it when he lifted a sexy brow that tightened her insides.
An easy smile slid across his lips. “Almost nothing.”
She swallowed and tried to slow her heart rate. She knew better than to keep teasing him, but she craved the adrenaline rush she got every time he looked at her that way. Cows seemed like a much safer subject. “How many cattle do you have?”
“Close to six hundred. Too many for one man with very little help.”
She widened her eyes. “And they’re scattered about the hillside and prairies?”
He laughed. “They’re herd animals. They tend to stick together.”
“How do you find them all?”
“A good rancher knows where his cattle are. I check on them often, watching for any who might be sick, or for fences that always seem to be falling down no matter how many times I fix them.”
She nodded, even though she really couldn’t understand how one man could be responsible for so many animals. “We’re looking for a hurt calf?”
“That’s right. Actually, I’m hoping she’s all healed up.” He seemed pleased at her interest.
She sighed and shook her head. Cleaning, cooking and working with numbers seemed so much easier. “How will you ever find her amongst all these cows and all this space?”
He tilted his head and looked at her from beneath the brim of his hat. “I gotta say, a day with you on the range is so much more pleasant than being alone.”
His words filled her in a way she couldn’t describe. “Only because you like to laugh at me and my inexperience.”
“Nah. Being out here with you makes me see everything with fresh eyes and reminds me why I love it so much. Maybe you’ll come with me again another time.”
“I’d like that very much.” Very much indeed.
“The calf is this way.” He pulled Shadow’s reins to the left. She did the same and all four of them headed right. “Just over the ridge.”
The brown and white calf wasn’t far from where Jesse had thought. She grazed amongst other similarly-colored cows who all paused eating as she and Jesse approached. They took a long look and went back to their business.
Jesse slid from his horse, and she did the same. Except he landed solid on the ground, while somehow, the ride had turned her legs to jelly. She grappled for the saddle horn just as Jesse slipped an arm around her waist.<
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“Sorry,” he said, his mouth far too close to her ear. “Should have warned you. You might be stiff for a day or two.”
Stiff would be preferable to having no substance at all. As seconds passed, her body adjusted to being upright again. “Thanks. I’m good.”
He gave her a knowing wink and released her before striding to the saddlebag draped across the back of his horse. He pulled out a small pair of scissors.
She followed him as he strode to the small cow and watched as he spoke softly to the animal. He patted her back and then knelt next to her to examine her leg.
Several pink welts crossed back and forth one of her front legs, with a dirtied bandage wrapped around a three-inch section. “What happened to her?” Scarlett asked.
“She got tangled in a fence that had fallen. Barbs messed her up.” He carefully snipped at the bandage and pulled it away. “Luckily, I found her not long afterward. Blood was still fairly-fresh. But, look at that. I’d say she’ll be just fine.”
He stood and tucked the used bandage into a pocket of his jeans. When he was kneeling, he didn’t seem so intimidating, but standing next to her, this close to her, was all it took to send her heart racing again. “It can sometimes be a week before I get around to checking on all the cattle. If infection had gone untreated for that long, I might have been too late.”
Scarlett glanced at the happy calf. Or at least she seemed happy. “Sometimes all it takes is for the right person to be at the right place at the right time to save a life.”
He narrowed his gaze, studying her, sending a tingle up her spine. “Like with Lydia’s sister when she found you.”
Moisture evaporated from her mouth as his words took her back to that fateful day. She wondered how much he knew, how much Marie had told Lydia, and how much Lydia had passed along to Jesse. “Lydia told you?”
He nodded, anger hovering at the edges of his features. “If he was here, and I had a gun…” He left the rest of the threat hanging between them.
“You and me both,” she said softly and then released a weighted sigh.
They returned to their horses, but instead of mounting, he took hold of both sets of reins. “Let’s walk for a bit. Stretch out those legs of yours before we climb back on.”
“Yeah, probably should.” The grass beneath her feet was wet from rain, but they weren’t in a particularly muddy area. She wouldn’t mind being out a little longer anyway.
They walked for a while in silence, and Scarlett focused on absorbing as much of the surrounding peace as she could. A hint of winter kissed the brisk air, but it was so fresh, so rejuvenating that she would have endured freezing temperatures just to enjoy it.
“You going to file for divorce?”
His question came out of nowhere and took her by surprise. She lifted her gaze to find him watching her. “I haven’t given it much thought.”
“Why not?” His words carried a tone of disbelief. “I can’t believe you want to stay married to him.”
She knew he wouldn’t understand. “I don’t.”
“Then file.”
She exhaled some of her frustration. “It’s not that easy.”
“It has to be a lot easier than staying married to someone who beat the shit out of you.”
She agreed. On the surface, it made no sense at all. She dropped her gaze back to the yellowed, wet grass to watch where she stepped. “If I file, I have to contact an attorney. That will give Hank a clue as to where I might be. Also, it would be akin to stirring a hornet’s nest. If I just disappear, then I hope with each passing day, he’ll think of me less and less.”
Jesse snorted and stole her attention. “If you stay married, then you’ll still legally be tied to him. He could waltz into your life at any point and try to claim what’s yours.”
It was her turn to snort. “Besides my life, I’m certain I have nothing of interest to him.”
Jesse scowled. “That’s not even remotely funny.”
Her throat tightened. No, it wasn’t funny. It was a nightmare. Her nightmare for the past three years of her life. “You’re right,” she said, wishing she could end this conversation.
“What if you meet someone new?”
His question drew her gaze to him again, but his expression remained neutral. Did he refer to himself? To them? She couldn’t deny the attraction they shared, but to think they might marry… “That’s too much to consider right now.”
“So, you’d rather stay married to him.” The disdain in his voice was a thorn buried deep, drawing blood and pain to the surface.
“No, I don’t want to stay married to him. I also don’t want to invite him into my life again. If I meet someone new…well, no one says I have to be free to marry to have a relationship. Plenty of people don’t.”
He stared at her for a long moment and then turned his dark gaze toward the horizon.
She stopped and placed her hands on her hips and waited for him to glance back. “I don’t expect you to understand. From a man’s point of view, this probably seems like a no-brainer, but you don’t know him, and you don’t know what it’s like to walk in my shoes. I suggest we talk about something else.”
The frustration in his gaze didn’t dissipate, but he didn’t comment again for a long time. When he did, it was only to say they should climb on the horses and ride for home.
Though she wanted to be out of her prison for as long as possible, she couldn’t argue with the dark clouds building overhead, and they still had supper to make. That he had to give her another boost to mount her horse only added to her humiliation.
By the time the big brown barn was in sight, she’d pledged a solemn vow. From that day forward, she’d only get stronger. She’d learn to ride on her own, and she’d learn to protect herself. And one damn day, hopefully not too far in the future, she’d grow strong enough to file for divorce and leave all her demons in the past.
That day wasn’t today.
****
He and Scarlett hadn’t made dinner together after all. The moment they returned home and had cell service again, a message from Lydia popped up, asking him to stop by and pick up the special package that he knew would be arriving from Marie that week. Since he wouldn’t be there to help cook, he’d offered to grab fried chicken-to-go from the diner. She deserved a break, too. She agreed, and he’d headed out the moment he had her safely inside the house.
Anxious anticipation thrummed through him as he parked in front of Merle and Lydia’s house. He found the emotion much better than the flood of irritation he’d experienced toward the end of his ride with Scarlett. He understood that she’d been hurt and was afraid to confront her asshole husband again. But she couldn’t let that hold her back from living a full life.
She needed to realize she wouldn’t be fighting those battles alone any longer. He and his friends would support her, and he could protect her. They were no longer playing on her husband’s home turf where he had the advantage. This was his hometown where people stood up for what was right.
Somehow, he had to convince her of that.
He climbed out of his truck and strode toward the front door. He didn’t bother knocking.
The sight of Lydia sitting on the couch with a large white cat on her lap stopped him, and he laughed. “Sneaking in the hugs while you can, huh?”
Lydia stroked down its back, and the cat purred louder. “She likes me.”
“Of course, she does.” He sat next to her on the couch and let the cat sniff his fingers. “Hey, there. I hear you’ve had a rough time of it, too.”
The kitty rubbed her face against his hand and then allowed Jesse to scratch her chin. “I can’t imagine how excited she’ll be to know her kitty is okay.” Lydia had offered to bring the cat to his house, but he’d insisted he was headed this way and would pick her up.
“She’ll be thrilled.” Lydia slid the cat onto his lap and stood. “Let me grab the carrier from the kitchen so you can be on your way. You’ll have to fill me in o
n her excitement.”
“Will do.”
It might have been selfish on his part, but he wanted to be the one to bring joy into Scarlett’s life. She’d grown on him. If he was brutally honest, he’d have to admit she’d gone way past that and had woven her way into his heart.
He’d never thought he could allow another woman close enough for him to trust. But Scarlett had come through the back door, catching him unaware, and had stealthily stole his affection.
As much as he’d thought he’d fight any such attachment, he found himself craving more and more time with her. And not only in a friendship sort of way. Every time she walked past him and he caught a hint of her shampoo, he wanted to reach out and touch. At night, he dreamed of ways he could recreate a similar scene to the night he’d kissed her in hopes that it would happen again.
He wasn’t sure she felt the same way about him, but he’d gotten an inkling that maybe she did. He’d catch her watching his lips while he spoke or checking out his body when she didn’t think he’d notice.
Fact was, he’d have to man-up and make a move if he wanted to know if she was open to any kind of relationship with him. He’d prefer she ended her sham of a marriage first, but if he waited for that, he might wait forever.
Maybe, just maybe, if he tested the waters and she accepted him, she might be more inclined to become a free woman.
Something to think about.
Lydia strode into the room carrying a cardboard cat carrier. “Here you go. She doesn’t like going in, but she’ll feel safer inside once you’re in the truck.”
Lydia helped him secure Scarlett’s cat inside and walked him to the door. She caught his arm before he could leave. “I’ve been meaning to ask how things have been going with Scarlett. Are you both doing okay together?”
A smile popped onto his face before he could stop it. “Yeah. Things are going great.”
She studied his face for a long moment as her smile grew. “Good.” She opened the door for him. “Give Scarlett my love.”
“I will,” he said as he stepped out. He might give her some of his as well.