He looked at his feet as his face flushed. Do something, idiot, he thought as she turned to him, a puzzled look on her face. He took in a deep breath and unclenched his hands, opening his arms wide for her.
She turned to Cade and reached for his hand, squeezing it as they shared a smile. Cade held her by both shoulders, turned her around and gave her a little push toward Kyle. She started walking slowly, her smile widening, and then she quickened her pace before breaking out into a run as she moved toward him, throwing her arms around his neck as he wrapped her in his.
“You okay?” he said quietly in her ear as he nuzzled her hair. “You don’t smell all that great.”
She pulled back, laughing. “A little dirt won’t kill you. And yes, I’ve never been better,” she said as she reached up with both of her hands, cradling his face and pulling him in for the most luscious kiss he’d ever remembered getting. The best because it was from her.
“Ahem,” Kyle heard as he sank deeper into the lips of the beautiful woman in his arms.
“Dad?” Jessica said, pulling away quickly from Kyle and taking a step back as she reached for her dad’s hand.
Mr. McNally smiled and reached for Kyle’s hand, giving it a strong shake, before grabbing his daughter into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, darlin’.”
“I didn’t win, Dad. I just couldn’t,” she said as he set her back down on her feet.
“Jessica McNally, we talked about this. I told you it didn’t matter. You just needed to do your best. And you did. You would have won if you hadn’t had to wear that brace.” He pulled at his belt and took his hat off, slapping the dirt off on his thigh.
“Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn’t like that. I really think I could have won with the brace on, but something happened.”
“I knew it,” Cade said as he walked up with four bottles of beer, handing one to his dad, Jessica and Kyle and taking a big swig from his own. “Do tell.”
Jessica led Kyle by the hand over to the tent by the race truck. Pulling back the shade cover, she sat down in one of the chairs, setting her beer beside her in the dirt. “I was coming out of a wash and a truck had stalled on the course. I almost hit it and came close to flipping the quad again. They didn’t have anybody flagging that the accident was there and I didn’t see it.”
“What?” her father said, thudding into a chair beside her as he shoved his hat back on his head.
“It was all okay. Nobody was hurt, including me. But I sat there for a minute and just looked around. It was beautiful out there, and I could smell other things besides gas and exhaust fumes for a minute.”
“Well, you weren’t exactly supposed to be sightseeing, Jess,” Mr. McNally said as he drained his beer and reached for another from the ice chest.
“I know, Dad. It wasn’t quite like that. I just sat there and thought I wanted to do more. See more. Different things, anyway. And I didn’t want to worry about not coming back. For some reason, I was worried about that and I never have been before,” she said, turning to look at Kyle and reaching for his hand again.
Kyle sat silently, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as Jessica spoke. The golden flecks in her eyes sparkled as she spoke, and he thought again he’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“I didn’t think you’d be here, Kyle, but I’m very happy you are. And I have something to say, and you should hear it, too.”
“There’s more?” Mr. McNally said, falling back into his chair as his eyebrows shot up.
“Yes, Dad.” Jessica looked down at her hands as they ripped the label off the beer bottle that she was drinking from. “I want to retire from racing.”
She looked up, first at her father and then to her brother, who were both staring at her in silence. Kyle’s head snapped toward Jessica as he sharply took in a breath. She turned to look at him finally, her face serene and a smile spreading across her lips. “I have things to see. Places to go. A wrist to heal.”
“Well, it’s about time,” Cade said finally, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back in her chair. “Right, Dad?”
“If I’d been paying attention better, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all. But this week has shown me a different side to things, Jessica, and like I said the other day, I will support whatever decision you make. We don’t need to talk about it today, but there’s always McNally Tires. You can work there.”
Jessica wrinkled her nose. “No offense, Dad, but I don’t think that’s for me. I don’t have any idea what I will do, but I’m pretty positive it’s not that.”
Her father laughed, and said, “Well, that’s probably a good thing. I bet Cade wants to run the shop. Good living, there.”
“I sure do, Dad. It’d be an honor, and I think we can have a good time at it. We can still go to the races. Maybe groom somebody else,” he said, glancing at Jessica and wiggling his eyebrows up and down as he laughed.
“Maybe,” she said, laughing at the thought. “At least maybe you’ll have a shot at meeting somebody who’s not in a pit crew. A girl even, maybe,” she said as she stood up and reached her hand out to Kyle. “I’ve been invited to a party at a fancy resort. Care to join me?” she said, pulling him to his feet.
“Absolutely. Can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” Kyle said, pulling her in for another kiss as her father and brother rolled their eyes and left the tent.
Chapter 27
“Over here,” Alex shouted, his arm held high in the air as he waved Jessica over. His sky blue embroidered shirt set off his Latin coloring, and his white linen pants looked perfect on the billionaire resort owner. Cassie stood by his side, her linen skirt sweeping on the floor and her dolphin necklace shining as her blonde hair swept over her shoulders.
Jessica glanced around the outdoor patio of the resort, the tables all set with colorful linen, the dark, carved mahogany chairs covered with colorful Mexican fabrics. She looked up at the beautiful cover of the patio, held up with intricately carved pillars of dark wood, and could see stars starting to sparkle through the palm fronds covering the beams.
Brown curls flittered around her face as the cool sea breeze swept over the patio, the bright magenta bougainvillea leaves fluttering in the breeze and floating over the tables. Jessica stopped and sighed, thinking she’d never seen such a beautiful sight.
Two hands gripped her shoulders from behind, and she smelled Kyle’s musky scent as he nuzzled a kiss on her neck. “What are you waiting for? Let’s head over,” he said, softly brushing her hair from her face.
She turned to face him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Just taking it all in. It’s so beautiful here.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson as he stood back and looked her up and down. “It sure is,” he said, a sly grin appearing. Her head fell back as she laughed and wondered how everything had changed so quickly, and how she’d gotten so lucky.
Kyle grabbed her hand and pulled her over to where Alex and Cassie sat, at the edge of the patio, pouring champagne into glasses. Cassie stood and grabbed both of Jessica’s hands, pulling her closer and kissing her quickly on the cheek. “Look at you. You look gorgeous,” she said, holding her hands toward Jessica. “Far cry from the racing outfit.”
Jessica hadn’t thought she could blush any deeper, but she felt it happening as she said, “I don’t often get dressed up. It was fun, and thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
“Well, you sure did it right,” Alex said, taking her hand and bowing slightly, giving it a light kiss.
Jessica looked quickly at Kyle, sure her face was showing her discomfort, and was met with a smile and a nod of his head. “Yes, you certainly did.”
She looked down at her dress she’d bought from a vendor on the way back from the race. It was the first time she’d been bought a dress in years, and the first time she remembered ever really caring about what she wore. The dress had been easy to find...light pink linen with elastic straps that fell over her shoulders. She felt pretty in it, an
d was happy that it had been received as intended.
“Sit here with us,” Alex said, pulling out one of the beautiful chairs for his wife as Kyle reached to do the same for Jessica. “The race team will be here in a moment, but we wanted to talk to the two of you first.”
Alex reached for a bottle of champagne, filling four glasses and handing them out.
“Cassie and I, as you know, have worked very hard to build a resort here that is light on the land, yet gives people the opportunity to experience the beauty and wonder that is Baja,” Alex began. “While we aren’t open completely yet, we’re gearing up for a full announcement shortly. We’ve hired a fire captain and a horse trainer, Hanna and Colin whom you’ve met, preparing for potential disasters and rides on the beach.”
“That sounds like a wonderful thing to do, the horse trail riding,” Jess said. “There’s so much to see, both in the desert and nearer to the ocean.”
Alex nodded and continued. “We agree completely. One of the things we’ve really wanted to do is focus on eco-tourism, reaching out to tourists who want to know about and care for where we live, our ecology. There are so many things around here to see, from sulfur mines to giant cacti—“
“I saw those,” Jess said. “That’s what stopped me from winning, that darned cactus,” she said, laughing.
“They’re pretty amazing, aren’t they,” Cassie said. “We want to offer four-wheel drive tours here at the resort to see those things, but with as little environmental impact as possible. We’ve been looking for someone to design it and to run it. We just haven’t found the right person — until now.”
Jessica’s hand flew to her chest as she looked from Cassie to Alex, who were both staring at her, silent.
“Do you mean me?” she asked, taking in a deep breath.
Alex laughed first. “Yes, we do. We’ve been talking about it all week, since we first met you. You are a champion racer, an expert mechanic and are interested in all things Baja. We weren’t sure at the very beginning, but we are now. We would like you to be the person to run the eco-tours.”
Jessica took a deep breath, amazed how much her life could have changed in such a short period of time. The thought of actually having a job where she could explore, meet new people and actually ride her beloved four-wheelers was just too good to be true. And to be near Kyle? Even better. Her brows furrowed suddenly as she wondered how Kyle would feel about that. He would be working here, too, and he should be consulted, if he hadn’t been already. She turned to him, trying to read the reaction in his face. “Kyle? Is that all right with you?”
“All right? You’ve got to be kidding. I think it’s a great idea,” he said as he lifted his champagne toward her.
She smiled and looked down at her hands. She inhaled, a calm spreading over her heart and her intuition telling her this was exactly the right thing for her. “I don’t know what to say. I’d be honored, especially since I quit my job today. I retired from racing as soon as I crossed the finish line.”
Cassie and Alex both looked at her, mouths agape. “We thought we’d have to twist your arm. We were—are—willing to offer you quite a substantial salary. What a stroke of luck that you’re available,” he said, winking at her and raising his champagne glass in her direction.
“Um, I’ll still take the substantial salary,” Jessica said, her cheeks flushing red.
“I’m sure we can make a suitable arrangement,” Alex said as he turned to Kyle, who was looking on, smiling as Jessica made her decision. Kyle squeezed Cassie’s hands and fell back into his chair as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Are you okay?” Jessica asked, reaching her arm over his shoulders.
“Yes, I am. I really am. I just had no clue they were going to do that. It seems like a dream come true,” he said, standing to hug both Cassie and Jessica.
“What’s all this hugging for?” Mr. McNally’s voice boomed from the door as he, Cade and the crew walked in to join the party.
“Oh, Dad, I have so much to tell you,” Jessica said as she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him toward the table.
“Dinner will be served soon,” Cassie said. “Clams, enchiladas, barbecued fish — and we’ll have plenty of time to talk. Come in and sit down.”
Alex stood, clearing his throat and holding his champagne high in the air. “First, I’d like to propose a toast to the winner of the day, Jessica. Congratulations on winning the race, Jess. You were a sight to behold.”
“I don’t think I won the race,” Jessica said. She looked around at her newfound friends and the man that made her heart spin out of control. “But I think I won the best prize after all.”
Chapter 28
By the time the next race came around, the resort had come alive with racers coming in to stay in droves. The past weeks had flown by, and Kyle and Jess had both settled into their new jobs, taking whatever spare time they had to explore the sea and desert.
It was the week before the Baja 1000, and as the resort was very close to the course this year, and was fully open and operational, Alex had advertised with the race organizer for casitas for their teams to stay in with full use of the quad maintenance facilities that Jessica had planned and built to service their quads for the eco-tours.
It hadn’t ever been the case with McNally Racing, but some of the teams could get a little rowdy, and Alex had let them all know that if they wanted to party like that, they’d have to go the short distance into town — all with a smile and a farewell wave as he closed the bar at the resort early, hoping to prevent too much revelry.
Jess and Kyle sat on the patio, coffee in hand, as they watched the residents in the other rental casitas come alive, slowly but surely, some of then moving pretty slowly and checking on their gear. Some came out wearing boots and helmets already and hopped right in their vehicles, ready for one last pre-run before the big weekend.
“Hey, look at that one,” Kyle said to Jess, nodding his head in the direction of the casita next door.
Jess turned and saw a helmeted little girl who looked to be about ten years old. She stared as the girl took her father’s hand, walking toward the truck she’d be allowed to ride in today and the truck holding the small quad she’d ride later. “Wow, deja vu,” she said softly, watching the father and daughter drive away.
“You sorry you’re not racing?” Kyle said, his voice quiet as he searched Jessica’s face for any sign of resentment or regret. Not finding any, his breath slowed as she turned to him and smiled.
“No, not even a twinge. I love to ride, but I don’t need to race. You cured me of that. I found something better, something that gives me an even bigger rush.”
Setting her coffee down, she walked to Kyle and took his cup from his hand. She set it next to hers and sat in his lap, nestling her head against his neck as he wrapped his arms around her.
He was grateful for the gesture, as he’d wondered if she could be so close to a race weekend, amongst teams, and not be sorry she wasn’t joining them. “I was worried that this — that I — wouldn’t be enough for you here.”
“Are you kidding? I was afraid that I could never compete with Maggy’s memory, or make you happy. I’ve spent my whole life trying to make other people happy that choosing my own path — well, I wasn’t sure we’d be on that path together.”
“Jessica, I’ve never met anyone as stubborn, aggravating — “
“Hey, hey. This is supposed to be a nice chat,” she said, pushing herself up off his chest, mock horror on her face.
“Or as beautiful, sincere, fun, sneaky...” He laughed as she tugged at his ear, pretending to squeeze.
“Honestly, I’d never met anyone whose heart connected with mine, in spite of our outside differences.” He’d never said that out loud, not quite like that, and his heart felt full as she met his gaze, her eyes wide and soft.
“Nor have I,” she said. She laced her fingers in his and caressed his cheek. “Our first group of eco-tourists are due today. Everyth
ing’s ready to go, but I’d like to take a swim first. Care to join me? We can go swim with the sparkles on the waves,” she said, standing and reaching out to him. “Come on. It’ll be exciting, and I promise, we’ll go slow. Just this once.”
He laughed as he took her hand, trusting that they would be safe together, wanting to find the adventure on the other side. With her.
With his warm hand in hers, he followed her toward the water. He smiled as her dark curls bounced and she turned to him, laughing. His heart was full, and he knew that he’d gotten another chance—to love, to be open, to let his heart feel full.
He pulled to a stop, her hand still gripped in his. “Jess, I have something I need to say.”
She stopped, too, and turned to him, her eyes questioning.
“What, you don’t want to swim? That’s not like you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.
“No, that’s not it. I love swimming with you.” He knew what he needed to say, and that now was the time to say it.
He lifted her chin—the chin that normally jutted up in pride but was now soft in his hand—and lowered his lips to her.
“Before we go in, I need you to know something.”
Jessica cocked her head and opened her eyes wide. She set her heels firmly back in the sand, her eyes questioning.
“You’ve made me live again, breathe again. Not in the scared way I was before, but open, and ready for whatever comes next. And I hope that what comes next is always with you. I love you, Jessica McNally.”
Jessica lowered her eyes and her soft, brown curls swirled around her face. She looked out at the waves sparkling on the water and turned her glistening eyes up to his.
“I love you, too, Kyle. I never knew what I was missing—or that what I was missing most was you.”
Epilogue
As Blue as the Sky Page 12