“I’ve missed you too.” Tears gathered in her eyes, taking her by surprise. When was the last time anyone had said that to her?
“Brace yourself.” Beth stepped ahead to open the door, and then gestured for her friend to go inside first. Jane walked into the entryway without batting an eye. Working at a university that was constantly trying to secure donations for the endowment, she dealt with snobby judgmental types all the time.
“She’s in the living room,” Beth whispered behind her, like they were entering a haunted house and about to confront the ghost.
Putting on her friendly-yet-reserved smile, Jane marched through the foyer and down the small hallway until the house opened up into the cozy living room.
Jane had pictured Grandma B as an intimidating presence, but the woman facing the extensive bookshelf in Beth’s living room couldn’t have stood much over four and a half feet. Her white hair was cut into a bob and styled beautifully, and it seemed everything she was wearing was cashmere. Before Jane could greet her, Bernadette snatched a book off the shelf and held it up. “Fifty Shades of Grey?” The woman whirled, facing her and Beth. “You’ve read this?”
Beth seemed to shrink, so Jane moved in closer to the woman. She might not know much about hair and dresses and what to giggle over at a girls’ night out, but this she could do. “It’s actually a very interesting psychological case study,” Jane said, smiling pleasantly. “Hello, Ms. Wilmer. I’m Jane Harding.”
“Jane taught literature at Cal Poly,” Beth chimed in from behind her. “She’s very smart. And she’s my best friend in the whole world.”
Sneaky tears pricked the corners of Jane’s eyes again. She had to admit, she’d kind of missed being someone’s best friend in the whole world.
“A professor?” Beth’s grandmother gave her a long, silent appraisal. “And you condone reading smut?”
“No one uses the world ‘smut’ to describe romance or erotic novels anymore.” She spoke in her professor voice. “Not only is it a top-selling genre, it’s also a gateway for female empowerment.”
The woman didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Jane sat on the couch and gestured for Bernadette to sit beside her. “What do you enjoy reading?”
“Mystery.” The woman sat beside her, still looking bewildered but also intrigued. “The old mysteries. Mary Higgins Clark. Agatha Christie. The ones without sex or all the vulgar language,” she added.
“I’m a big fan of those writers too,” Jane agreed. “But I do have to say, there are so many talented mystery writers who are taking the genre in wonderful new directions. I mean, there’s a lot more diversity now. And they make the stories relatable.”
“Um, I think I’ll go make us some tea.” Beth backed out of the room and disappeared as though worried an argument was coming.
Jane wasn’t worried at all. “I’m telling you, some of the greatest mysteries I’ve read have been written in the last ten years. These are the can’t-figure-out-who-done-it, keep-you-up-all-night kind of mysteries.” She could list about twenty right now.
Interest lit the woman’s eyes. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind taking some suggestions. Since you’re a literature professor and all. My book club used to have the liveliest discussions, but I’m afraid all my reader friends have moved away.”
Jane felt a twinge of sympathy for the older woman. What would it be like to have no one to share your love of books with?
The doorbell rang.
“Can you get that?” Beth called from the kitchen.
“Sure.” Jane stood, smiling over her shoulder at Bernadette. “I’ll write down some of my favorite authors for you. Maybe you can take some time to read while you’re staying here, and we can meet to discuss the books.”
Bernadette actually smiled. “That would be lovely.”
The doorbell rang again. “Coming,” Jane called. “I’ll be right back.” She walked away and swung open the front door.
Toby stood on the porch. One look at him and her tongue seemed to tie itself in knots. She would much rather discuss books with Grandma B than with Toby right now. “Oh. Um. Huh.” Her thoughts raced. Had he read her book? Did he realize he was the star of the story? Her gaze fixated on his lips. Lips that had seriously tempted her last night…
“Hi.” The man served up one of his eye-catching grins.
“Hey.” Jane couldn’t seem to get out any other words. What was that about being strong and capable again?
“We have a situation,” Toby said quietly. He peered over her shoulder like he wanted to make sure Beth wasn’t around.
“A situation.” Fabulous. He knew. He’d recognized something in her book that gave her away. Had she accidentally used one of his catchphrases? Jane inhaled a deep meditative breath and closed her eyes. “What do you mean we have a situation?”
“It’s probably better if I show you,” he whispered, leaning closer.
Wait, was he wearing cologne? Jane inhaled. Mmmm. He smelled undeniably clean and masculine and sexy. Hey, she should remember that line and write it into her book…
“We have to go to the ranch,” Toby said slowly, as though afraid he’d lost her.
“Huh?” Jane inhaled again. Was that a note of sandalwood in his scent too?
“The ranch.” The beginnings of a grin danced at the corners of his lips. “There’s a situation at the ranch, and I need your help.”
“Oh.” She tried to refocus. “You want me to go to the ranch with you?”
“Yes.” Toby looked past her again. “It has to do with the party.”
Ah, why wasn’t she surprised? “It has to do with the party that’s happening tonight? The party you promised we could deliver in a day?” she asked, letting her amusement show. It would be a little late for her to fix any situations now. She’d made a few quick phone calls to the winery, and it turned out they had the bandwidth to deliver both the wine and some tapas, so her part had been easy.
“It has to do with the party we’re pulling off together.” He said the word with a meaningful raise of his eyebrows. “But if you don’t want to help me, I can always see if we can move the party to the brewery. I’d love to finish that cornhole lesson we started.”
Ha. That hadn’t been a lesson in cornhole as much as it had been a reminder on why she didn’t drink. She definitely would not end up in Toby’s arms again, inspiration or not. “I’ll be right back.” Jane closed the door and stepped into the living room. Beth was just bringing a tray of tea to the coffee table.
“Um, so I need to head over to the ranch,” Jane announced.
“What? Now?” Her friend nearly dropped the tray, bringing it to the table with a clatter.
“Yes.” She calmed her with a squeeze of her shoulder. “Only for a little while. I have to”—save Toby’s amazing butt—“take care of a few last-minute details for the party.”
“Last minute?” Bernadette frowned. “I hope nothing’s wrong. I told Beth having the events at an old run-down ranch wouldn’t do, but of course she didn’t listen.”
“The ranch is beautiful.” Jane did her best not to snap. “Rustic, yes, but you won’t find a more beautiful setting for a wedding or any other event. Besides,” she went on, unable to stop herself. “The most important thing about a wedding is celebrating as a family. Spending time together. Wishing the bride and groom well as they start their new life together. Don’t you think?”
“Well, of course,” the woman said quickly.
“I’ll text Beth some of those authors I was talking about earlier.” Who knew, maybe reading some of her recommendations would help the woman lighten up. Jane pulled out her phone and fired off a few names. “You two can run to the library and check out some books. Maybe we can meet for coffee to discuss one on Monday.”
“I’m not sure I’ll have time to read much. We have so many details to attend to—” the woman started.
“I’ll bet you’ll find some time.” With any luck, she’d spend the entire weekend with her nose in a book, so
she’d leave Beth alone. “Trust me. You won’t be able to put these books down.”
Thank you, Beth mouthed as Jane left the room.
Jane acknowledged her with a nod. “I’ll see you both soon,” she called happily. Once she slipped out the door, the gumption she’d displayed in front of Beth’s grandmother wilted.
Toby waited on the porch.
For once he didn’t seem to be oozing confidence, and she had to admit…she liked seeing past his charming cowboy façade.
“Sorry to drag you away from Beth.” Toby led the way to their cars. “I couldn’t find Wes, and the maintenance staff is swamped today. I’m not sure I can handle this alone.”
Good God. What were they dealing with? “Do you want to prep me?” Jane had never been one for surprises, and judging from Toby’s wariness, she definitely wasn’t going to like this one.
Toby opened her driver-side door for her. “I think you better see for yourself.”
Chapter Eleven
Toby stopped Jane outside the door to the barn. “Hold on.” He’d best prepare her for what they were about to walk into. “So, an hour ago I was finishing up the party preparations”—and by that he meant starting the preparations—“and I heard a weird noise.”
Jane’s eyebrows inched higher. “What kind of noise?”
“A squeaking sound.” Damn…there went that shudder down his spine again. He could still hear the sound, like nails on a chalkboard. There was no way to sugarcoat this situation. “There’re bats in there.”
“Bats?” Jane lurched back a step.
“Afraid so.” He wanted to lurch back too. He could handle many things—a black bear, a moose, hell, he’d even face a mountain lion. But a bat? Nothing was creepier than a flying rodent. “So, what’re we going to do?”
“We?” Jane laughed.
“What’s so funny?” This was a huge problem. They couldn’t have a party in a bat-infested barn.
“You came to get me so I could rescue you.” The woman seemed to find that hilarious.
If it had been anyone else ribbing him, he might’ve let pride take over and figured this out himself, but he couldn’t get enough of Jane’s smile. Even if it came at his expense, he’d take it. “I’m okay with being rescued by a pretty lady. Not a problem for me.”
“Oh please.” She laughed again and then gasped in a breath. “No amount of flirting is going to help you here, mister. What am I supposed to do? Run in there and karate chop them or something?” Shoulders still shaking with laughter, she started to walk away. “That’s good, Toby. Thanks, I needed a laugh. But it was your idea to have the party in this barn, so I’m out.”
“Hold on.” He fell in step beside her. “If we don’t clear the bats out, we can’t have the party in there.”
“We?” Jane turned to face him as though trying to decide if he was serious. “We didn’t want the party in the old barn. I distinctly remember you thinking it was a great idea. We could’ve asked my mom to move around the schedule for the reception hall, but you said it would be fine in the barn.”
Energy lit up her eyes, drawing his gaze to hers. Yeah, he’d definitely be fine with Jane rescuing him. “Like it or not, we’re in this together.” And he definitely wasn’t complaining. “Think about Beth. She’s counting on both of us to pull off this party without a hitch. We promised her it would be perfect.”
Jane’s gloating smile tightened into a scowl. She wasn’t laughing now.
“We can’t let this ruin the party,” he went on, seeing he almost had her. “And I can’t get rid of the bats alone.” That was definitely a two-person job. She was the maid of honor so that automatically roped her into all wedding-related responsibilities. That’s why he’d tracked her down. Well, that and he couldn’t stop thinking about her after he’d dropped her off last night. And she may or may not have been the first thing on his mind when he’d woken up this morning too. They might be partners in this whole wedding business, but he’d never minded mixing business with pleasure.
Jane stared at him, and he could see the wheels in her head spinning. She was trying to think of any way out, but she wouldn’t bail on him because loyalty meant something to her. Might as well add that to the list of things he liked about her.
“So, are you going to help me?” he asked again.
“Of course.” Jane paced away a few steps then whirled back to him. “I know! We’ll call someone. A pest person. I’m sure there’s someone around here who knows exactly how to handle bats.”
There was one problem with her plan though. “I called the pest control guy in town and he’s in Denver for the weekend.”
“Well, call another one.”
Like he hadn’t thought of that. “There isn’t another one. I called every pest control company within three hours of Silverado Lake and none of them can make the trip before tonight.”
“Okay.” Jane seemed to swallow extra hard. “Well you’re a big, bad bull rider. You’ll have to go in there and get the bats. You’ll have to capture them and then set them free outside.”
While he appreciated the vote of confidence, solving this problem wouldn’t be that easy. “They’re up in the rafters. So, one of us is going to have to scare them down and one of us is going to have to capture them in a bag.” He’d already searched YouTube for a solution—and had seen many fails in the process. “The best way to do this is by spraying them with the hose. It won’t kill them, but they’ll have to land on the ground, then you can throw the bag over them.”
Jane visibly shuddered. “Me?”
He rested his hand on her shoulder, feeling her warmth beneath his fingertips. “You can totally do this.” Being the gentleman that he was, he figured bagging the bats would be easier than climbing the ladder. Whoever sprayed them might get dive-bombed.
“Getting the bats in the bag is the hard job,” she informed him. “You have to get close to the bats.”
“Fine. You can climb the ladder and spray the water. I already got the ladder set up, so that’s ready to go. Trash bags are right inside the door.”
Jane’s face seemed to have paled, but she nodded. “You’ll owe me for this one though, Garrett.”
“I’m sure I can think of a way to repay you.” He flashed her his rowdiest grin. He couldn’t resist. Sure, she didn’t fit into his long-term plans—and he likely didn’t fit into hers either, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have any fun while they helped out their friends.
Jane glared back at him, but it was more playful than dangerous. “Unfortunately for you I only accept cash.” Turning away from him, she plowed through the barn door like a woman on a mission.
Smiling to himself, Toby followed her into the dimly lit outbuilding. It only took a few seconds for the squeaks and squawks to start again. Cringing, he edged up against the wall and plugged in the cord for the white globe lights he’d already hung throughout the room. Jane looked above where they stood, her shoulders scrunched with what looked to be disgust. “Do they bite?” she half whispered.
He decided not to answer that. “The hose is right here. It’s already on. You’ll just have to pull the trigger.” He handed her the nozzle and walked her to the ladder. “You don’t have to climb all the way up. Probably about halfway as long as your aim is good.”
She seemed to take the words as a challenge. “My aim is good. Trust me. I never miss.”
“Make sure you don’t, or they’ll start flying around like crazy and we’ll never get them down.” He shuddered again thinking about the bats swooping over their heads.
Seeming to hold her breath, Jane took the hose and started to climb the ladder, slowly moving up one rung and then another.
The bats were hanging out—literally—in the corner where the roofline met the far wall. Calm for now, but he’d seen enough on YouTube to know all hell was about to break loose. “Tell me when you’re going to spray, and I’ll grab the bag.” Even as he said it, he knew there was no way this would all go according to plan.<
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“How much farther should I go?” Jane hissed.
Toby looked up. That was a mistake. They might be on flying rodent patrol, but he couldn’t not admire her ass in those jeans. What had she asked him again?
“Hello?” She turned to peer down at him and he quickly steered his gaze away from her backside. “Can you stop checking out my butt and focus on the mission please?”
Okay, so he hadn’t looked away fast enough. “Don’t blame me. Blame the jeans.” He grinned up at her. “Let’s go with two more steps up and then spray.”
“Right.” Jane crept up two more rungs and then lifted the hose, aiming it in the direction of the bats. “Count of three.”
Keeping one hand on the ladder, Toby reached for the trash bag with the other.
“Three, two, one.” Jane pulled the trigger, shooting the water directly at the bats. They screeched and flew, swooping right at her.
The woman screamed and tried to duck but lost her balance, pitching backward. Toby dropped the bag on the ground and raised his arms just in time to catch her. They both fell to the ground with a thud, but thankfully he took the brunt of the impact.
Jane’s eyes had opened wider. Somehow, she’d ended up on top of him, her lips hovering near his. He dropped his gaze to her mouth.
“Toby!” she squealed. “The bats!”
Bats? What bats? He looked to where her horrified gaze had frozen. A few feet away, the bats were flopping around on the ground, trying to fly but their soaked wings were keeping them grounded. For the moment. “You got ’em.” He carefully rolled her off him and scrambled to his feet, snatching the bag on the way.
“Okay, no big deal.” He eased closer to the animals. “I’m just gonna wrap you up in this bag and then I’ll set you free. I swear.”
Somewhere nearby Jane started to giggle. “You sound like the bat whisperer.”
Even with the tension pumping through him, he laughed too. “Easy now.” He started to open the bag. Damn, they looked like vermin with wings. With those sharp, pointed teeth.
Toby lunged for the bats with the open bag, covering all of them in one fell swoop. He quickly cinched the bag closed and started for the door. Halfway there though the bats must’ve dried off enough to start flying again. The bag jerked up and to the left. Toby pulled it back down, but those buggers weren’t giving in. The bag jolted this way and that as he struggled to get it to the door.
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