Not wanting to think about the accident that took her father, she leaned against the car with a defeated sigh. This would take at least fifteen minutes. But then again, everything moved slower in Silverado Lake—time, people, the economy. The only thing that moved fast was the latest gossip.
Yes sir, news of a scandal traveled at the speed of light in Silverado Lake. She remembered all too well. For the most part she’d avoided being the target of everyone’s gossip, until that night. The memory rekindled, bringing with it a full-body flush. It was funny how embarrassing moments seared themselves into both the brain and the heart. She remembered every detail about that New Year’s Eve party her mother had at the ranch so she could help Jane “come out of her shell.”
Except Jane hadn’t wanted to come out of her shell so while all her peers played games and partied in the great room, Jane snuck off into the office across the hall to read. That’s where Toby had found her, and, of course, had baited her into an argument about archetypes in The Lord of the Rings—the book she’d happened to pull off the shelf. It had gotten heated, as usual, and they’d gotten in each other’s faces. Then Toby changed everything by kissing her.
She still didn’t know how she’d gotten caught up in the kiss, how it had managed to reach deeply inside of her, bringing her so far outside of reality that she hadn’t heard the voices or the footsteps before half of Toby’s football team plowed through the door. The guys had made such a scene that everyone else had crowded into the office too, and there was Jane, practically sitting in Toby’s lap, their arms still tangled together. The next day at school Toby had made a big spectacle in the hallway—asking Aubrey to the winter dance while Jane looked on as though he wanted to make a point.
Yeah, she definitely should’ve stayed in her shell.
She’d be willing to bet her first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird that at least someone in town would bring it up just like they did every time she came home for a visit. That was the other thing about embarrassing moments—no one else seemed to forget them either.
The loud click of the pump snapped her back to the present. To what mattered. That night had happened years ago. She might have been slightly socially awkward back then, but she was a different person now. She’d worked as a professor at one of the most prestigious universities in the country and she’d had a book published, thank you very much. Not that she wanted to mention the book inside Merle’s General Store and Filling Station. Everyone in the RV park on the other side of the lake would know by noon.
Smiling past the sting of old memories, Jane returned the nozzle to the gas pump and hurried across the parking lot so she could pay Merle. And Patti, no doubt—the husband and wife duo who owned the station made sure to be there every day so they wouldn’t miss out on any of the gossip.
Arming herself with a convincing smile and positive vibes, she trucked through the doors.
“Well, I’ll be!”
She hadn’t even stepped fully inside before Patti darted around the counter where the ancient cash register sat. She must’ve seen Jane coming.
“I wondered who was driving that foreign-made car! Calamity Jane Harding, that’s who!”
The nickname brought on a wince.
“C’mere stranger!” The woman flapped her arms and then brought them around Jane in one of her smothering hugs. Patti Norman might’ve stood all of four foot six, but she had enough strength to suffocate a grizzly bear.
“By God, I can’t believe it.” Merle skirted the counter and came to join his wife. He wasn’t much taller. They’d always reminded her of those miniature statues you found on the top of a wedding cake. “Look at you, kid. It’s been ages since you’ve been home for a visit.”
It hadn’t been that long. She’d been in town last Thanksgiving, but she never stayed more than a few days, and she kept a low profile.
“What’ve you been up to anyway?” Patti asked, ushering her to the counter. The woman eased herself onto a stool and sat gingerly, as though her back hurt. “Your mom hardly says a word about you!”
The revelation wasn’t all that surprising, but it still nicked her heart. Her mother had never seemed to get her. Not the way her father had. Instead of letting her be, Mara had always tried to change Jane, buying her different clothes, prodding her to invite friends over, to be more popular. It had almost seemed like Jane had embarrassed her mother.
That was ancient history though. Things were different now that she’d grown up. Coming home didn’t mean she had to revert back to the shy girl she’d been in high school. She recalibrated her smile. “I completed my doctoral program in literature last year and I just finished a contract as an adjunct professor at Cal Poly.” Of course, she also had that side gig writing sweeping historical western romance novels, but no one could ever know about that. Especially not Patti. Good gravy, that woman would have a million questions for her, and she’d likely be offended by the sex scenes.
“A professor?” Patti gave Jane a good long look up and down, as if she didn’t quite believe her. “Well isn’t that something?” She gave her head a slight shake. “It’s so good to see you again. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it home for the big wedding.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” Besides that, this little time-out at home would hopefully help her find the inspiration she needed to write a brilliant story. Surely being around a wedding—a couple in love—would give her some ideas.
“Cal Poly…” Merle reached over to straighten a row of pork rinds on the shelf next to them. “Never heard of it.”
“It’s in California,” she explained, hoping they wouldn’t ask too many more questions. As of now, the university didn’t have a spot for her to teach in the fall, and she had a book to write if she wanted to continue supporting herself. Anxiety squeezed at her throat. “It was good to see you both, but I’d better get going. According to Beth we have a lot to do.” She and her friend couldn’t be more opposite. Beth loved the thrill of waiting until the last minute to do pretty much everything, while Jane was a planner. She didn’t like to leave anything up to chance.
“Sounds like that wedding is going to be the event of the summer.” Patti stood and rang up Jane’s total at the register. “It’s a good thing Toby is working at the ranch getting everything all spruced up.”
“Toby?” As in Toby Garrett? He’d come home too? Panic swelled beneath her ribs. “What ranch? Where’s he working?” Jane handed over her credit card. Had he come back for the wedding? She couldn’t imagine him leaving the circuit for anything, even with Ethan being one of his best friends. Toby had never been one to walk away from any spotlight.
Patti ran Jane’s card, but the machine was ancient.
Please wait.
“He’s working out there at your family’s ranch,” Merle said. “Didn’t your mama tell you?”
Jane’s lungs grasped for breath, but she ended up gulping back a throatful of shock. “Of course, she told me,” she managed to say without sputtering. “I forgot, that’s all.” She shot a desperate glance at the credit card machine.
Please wait.
“Toby’s always been a good kid,” Merle said. “He’s been a lot of help out there at the ranch since he’s been back. I just ran into him at the hardware store not twenty minutes ago. He had a whole list of things he needed. Sounds like he’s doing your family’s old place a bunch of good. You won’t find a more trustworthy employee.”
Trustworthy? Oh, no. She’d learned the hard way she couldn’t trust Toby.
“You know…” Jane leaned into the counter in a conspiratorial pose, but really her knees had started to buckle. “I’m not clear on why, exactly, Toby came back.” Why on earth was he working at the ranch? And worse yet, why was this news having a physical effect on her?
“Why, he got injured,” Patti said importantly. “Something with his shoulder, I think. Had to have surgery and everything. He hasn’t said much about it to anyone in town since he’s been back, but rumor
has it he’s been seeing specialists in Denver.”
“I coulda told him that would happen,” Merle insisted. “He was such a smart kid and he threw it all away to be a bull rider.” The man gave her a glance. “Wasn’t he valedictorian back when you were in school?”
“We were co-valedictorians, actually.” Toby never let her have any title to herself. He’d even petitioned to be her copresident of the literary society, saying it wasn’t fair that they’d never had a male president. They’d competed for everything in high school and it seemed like she could never beat him no matter what she did.
“Co-valedictorians? Well doesn’t that beat all?” Patti whapped her husband’s shoulder. “Looks like you’ll be buddying up again.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Jane stared hard at the credit card reader, trying to make it think faster.
Please wait.
“Surely you must’ve heard that Toby is Ethan Rockford’s best man! From the sound of things, those two have kept in touch all these years.”
Jane stared at her across the counter. Beth had never mentioned Toby was going to be the best man. She’d probably been worried Jane would’ve refused to come…
“From what I hear, Toby is still single.” Patti nudged Jane’s shoulder with hers. “I don’t see a ring on your finger yet. You two would make an awfully cute couple, if you ask me. Maybe that little kiss back in high school was only the beginning.”
Little kiss? There had been nothing little about that kiss. She’d learned her lesson when it came to Toby Garrett. “Are you sure he’s working at the ranch?” Why would he want a job at her family’s ranch? And why in the world would her mother have hired him?
“Oh, I’m sure honey. I heard he moved into one of the cabins a few days ago.”
Please wait.
The green words on the credit card machine blurred together. Jane was done waiting. “Here.” She dug into her purse and threw two twenties on the counter and snatched her credit card back. “I’ll see you both soon, I’m sure,” she called, heading for the door.
“Wait!” Patti scrambled to follow her. “What about the transaction? And you need change!”
“Keep it.” If Toby was at the hardware store, now would be the perfect time to head to the ranch so she could talk to her mom about unhiring him before he got back.
Chapter Four
We need to replace the gate.” Toby gave the metal barrier a swift kick, but it still stuck. Not surprisingly, the hardware store hadn’t had anything he needed to fix it. He’d put in an order, but they’d be waiting a few days. “Hinges are rusted out. One of these times we’re gonna close it and not be able to open it again.” Besides that, it was the first thing people saw when they drove up to the Silverado Lake Ranch, and it didn’t exactly scream luxury destination, but he was working on that. Mara had done a heck of a job maintaining what she had, but the ranch had weathered over the past few years. Since moving in, he’d re-sided half of the outbuildings and repainted every peeling wall. And he still had energy to burn.
If his most recent appointment with Dr. Petrie was any indication, he had time to do a lot more work. “We should have something custom built and add a big sign. Something that makes a statement.” He could round up a couple of big logs, maybe even add some stone…
“I guess you’re right.” Mara worried her lips. She wasn’t your typical ranch boss, being that she only stood about five feet tall and never left the house without a fresh coat of lipstick, but she’d surprised everyone after her husband had passed away twelve years ago by keeping the ranch afloat. She’d even managed to attract some high-end clientele for weddings. But one of the brides who’d come confessed to him she’d been tempted to turn around and bail on the place when she’d driven up in her luxury SUV and saw the old rusted gate. The pictures on the website highlighted the more modern amenities like the main lodge and the small chapel for indoor wedding ceremonies, but you had to get past the gate to see them.
“It’s definitely time to spring for a new gate.” The older woman chuckled at her pun. “You can price it out and let me know the damage?”
“Sure.” He’d only been working on the ranch less than a week, but already Mara had come to rely on him for making the maintenance and facility decisions. It was almost like she’d forgotten he would be a temporary fixture around here. The second his shoulder healed and he got clearance from the docs, he’d be headed back out to the circuit to make up for lost time. Still, while he was here, he’d do his best to upgrade as much as the budget allowed so she’d be in good shape for a few years at least. “I’ll do some research and get back to you. If I do most of the labor myself, we can keep the costs down.” And he could keep being too busy to notice how out of shape he was getting while he sat on the sidelines of his life.
“You’re the best!” Mara declared. “I don’t know how I lucked out getting you to work here, but I’m sure glad I did.”
“It worked out for me too.” Better than he could’ve hoped for. It had been good to have his own space again, though he had made sure to head back to his parents’ house for dinner the other night.
Mara looked down at the ground and kicked some gravel with her boot. “Since we’re talking about the gate, I suppose it’s also time to address this driveway—”
A car engine hummed behind them. Turning, Toby moved off to the side so the sedan could get past. “Wonder who that is.”
“That would be my long-lost daughter.” Mara’s eyes followed the car as it drove past the aspen trees. “Finally coming home to stay for more than a few days.”
“Jane?” Toby squinted at the car but shadows from the trees blocked out the windows, piquing his curiosity. “She doesn’t come home very often, huh?”
“She’s only come home for a few holidays.” Mara started walking down the drive, following the car’s path. “I’m grateful Beth decided to get married this summer. That means I don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to spend some time with my daughter.”
“Should be a fun wedding.” He thought about Beth’s warning for him to behave. As Ethan’s fiancée Beth probably knew too much about Toby’s personal life—and his lack of committed relationships. But she likely had nothing to worry about with Jane. The woman had never liked him. Sure, there’d been that one hot kiss their senior year, but afterward, Jane had made it pretty clear she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Which shouldn’t have surprised him. She’d never seemed to like him much. Most of their interactions back then had revolved around bickering. He obviously irritated her, and she drove him crazy. But at the New Year’s Eve party things had been different. Mara had hosted the event at the ranch, and everyone was having a blast. Everyone except for Jane, that was. Toby hadn’t even noticed she’d been missing, but on his way back to the great room from the kitchen he’d spotted her lying on a couch in the office reading The Lord of the Rings.
She’d looked more carefree than he’d ever seen her that night, her slippers on, her long dark hair spread around her. To this day, Toby was still a Tolkien fan. Not that he would’ve admitted it to anyone else, especially back in high school, but Jane understood. They must’ve sat there on that couch for an hour arguing about what Gollum symbolized. Jane had been so intense, so passionate, and the next thing he knew, he was kissing her. The bigger shock? She’d kissed him back. The force of it had almost knocked him over. He’d kissed plenty of girls, but not with that much fire raging between them.
Before kissing her, he hadn’t thought Jane was capable of fire. Competitive? Sure. Intense? Definitely. But he’d never seen her show passion for anything besides books and studying. That kiss had been full of passion though. They’d been so into each other, neither one of them had noticed his buddies walk in until the razzing started. It had taken all of two seconds for Jane to bolt out of that room. He’d followed her, finally caught her at the end of the hallway. He told her he liked her. He would’ve kissed her again, but Jane held him off. He rem
embered her exact words. Well, I don’t like you. It was a stupid kiss. It didn’t mean anything.
The kiss had obviously repulsed her, so the next day he did what any self-respecting eighteen-year-old kid would do—he made a very public winter dance proposal to Aubrey, a cheerleader he’d dated on and off, making sure Jane saw the whole thing go down. He’d left Jane alone like she wanted, but he hadn’t stopped noticing her.
Now, anticipation swirled through him at the prospect of seeing her again. Toby followed Mara and watched Jane get out of the car. The sun captured her at the right angle to show her coppery highlights. She’d let it grow longer, that’s the first thing he noticed. It went down past her shoulders to her mid-back. She still wore glasses, but her face had changed. Her cheeks had filled out and seemed to have more color. She’d always been petite, but a fitted sweater showcased curves he hadn’t appreciated all those years ago.
Jane didn’t look in his direction, but she greeted Mara with a hug. “It’s good to see you, Mom.”
Toby didn’t move to catch her attention. He didn’t move at all. He stood stock-still transported back to that night on the couch, their arms tangled around each other, their lips exploring. He still couldn’t understand how the kiss had hit him so hard when it didn’t seem to affect her at all.
“Everything looks the same.” Jane gazed at the lodge farther down the hill.
Great, she was still avoiding him eight years later.
“God, the lake looks gorgeous,” she went on, fully turning away.
Toby couldn’t see her face, but a wistfulness breathed through her tone.
“Everything’s not the same at all!” Mara waved Toby over. “It looks even better since Toby started working here. It’s probably been years since you’ve seen each other.”
First Kiss with a Cowboy: Includes a bonus novella Page 3