by A. J. Pine
Jessa had never had a group of friends like that before, with whom she could say anything she wanted without guarding herself or considering how silly or ignorant or pathetic she might sound. With them she could just be.
So when Darla called an extra meeting, Jessa had hurried right over, expecting to discuss their latest selection. But instead of their normal discussion, it had started to feel like an interrogation. Like always, they were gathered around the coffee table. Red sangria had replaced the mulled wine once the snow had started to melt. Tonight, Darla had made the most addictive chocolate-covered strawberries—white, dark, and cinnamon flavored. Everything had been going wonderfully, until Jessa mentioned Lance’s proposition. That’s when the gasps and questions had started.
“Lance asked you to move in with him?” Naomi demanded, dabbing a smear of chocolate from the corner of her lips.
“Isn’t that a little fast?” Darla chimed in, leaning over to refill her sangria for the fourth time in an hour. Owning a wine bar means you build up quite the tolerance.
“Yeah, you’ve been on only one date,” Cassidy added. Though she had the most somber blue eyes Jessa had ever seen, Cassidy’s grin revealed her dimples. She was the quietest in the group, but also could win the award for the wittiest. Not to mention the most reliable. She covered weekends at the shelter so Jessa could have some time off.
They were teasing, she knew that, but she wished she could fan the blush away from her face. The truth was, she knew it was a bad idea, moving to the ranch, babysitting Lance’s father for the next couple of weeks. Especially with the way Lance affected her. She’d kissed the man after being in his presence for all of an hour. Not that she could let these women ever find out. She’d never hear the end of it. They were already teasing her enough. And that had to stop before she crumbled and told them everything.
Trying to maintain an air of indifference, she leaned back into the couch cushion as if their chatter didn’t faze her. “First of all, he didn’t ask me to move in with him,” she said for at least the fifth time. “He asked me to move in with his father.”
“That’s not weird or anything,” Cassidy quipped, sharing a look with Darla.
Jessa gave the women a look of her own. “Second, we have not been on any dates. This is strictly a business arrangement.” And she intended to keep it that way. All she’d have to do is recall the repulsed stiffening of his upper body when she’d gone to kiss him. That should make it easier.
“He’s already seen you naked,” Naomi pointed out before popping another strawberry into her mouth.
“Bet he wouldn’t mind seeing that again,” Cassidy teased. “Like tonight. In his bedroom.”
Jessa squirmed. Could not let herself go there. Lance was off-limits. So was romance. And sex. Definitely sex because, in her opinion, those two things went together.
She picked up her glass and took a sip to cool herself down. When was the last time she’d broken out in a sweat simply sitting still?
“I’ve always wondered how Lance would be in bed,” Darla said, licking the chocolate covering off a strawberry. She tended to wonder that about everyone. Did a lot of experimenting, too, though she claimed she’d never fall in love again. “I bet he’s rowdy.” She bit into the strawberry with a gleam in her eyes.
“That’s something I hope I never have to hear about,” Naomi answered sternly. Though she was close to Lance, Naomi had been Lucas Cortez’s high school sweetheart until he’d gone and gotten himself sent off to prison for arson. She still talked about him sometimes, though. Seemed to wonder what could’ve been, like everyone does once in a while. Or more than once in a while if you were Jessa. Which is exactly why she’d sworn off men for now. “You can tease me all you want, but nothing is going to happen between Lance and me.” He’d made it perfectly clear. “He promised to donate money to the rescue. That’s the only reason I agreed.” That and Lance’s ridiculously convincing wounded puppy eyes.
“Maybe he wanted you around more,” Naomi suggested.
Jessa only laughed.
“I’m serious,” her friend insisted. “I never dreamed he’d ask someone to move to the ranch. He usually avoids people at all costs.” She tilted her head and studied Jessa in a way that made her want to hide. Naomi had one of those intense gazes that made you wonder if she could read your mind. “But he obviously doesn’t mind having you around. Which is a little suspicious. He could’ve asked me to keep a better eye on Luis. I already live there.”
“You’ve got enough to do,” Jessa shot back, refusing to let hope root itself in her heart. “He knows Luis and I are friends. That’s all it is.” He knew the man wouldn’t put up a fight if Jessa moved in. Luis would do anything for her and his son knew it. “Couldn’t be better timing, actually,” she said in her best businesslike tone. “Because I’m not interested anyway.” Or at least she shouldn’t be. Therefore, she’d simply avoid Lance, keep an eye on Luis, and start making plans to upgrade the shelter. That would keep her busy, and before she knew it, the time would be up.
“If your face gets this red when you’re not interested, I’d hate to see what happens when you are interested,” Darla said sweetly.
“It’s warm in here,” she lied. Actually, there was a wonderful cool breeze floating through the open window.
“I have a feeling it’s about to get hotter,” Naomi said, elbowing Darla. The three of them laughed in that happy tipsy way.
Jessa fought off another blush with a sip of sangria. She held an ice cube in her mouth and simply rolled her eyes at them, denying that thoughts of Lance generated any heat within her. Which only made her skin burn hotter.
She had only one more night to fix that problem.
* * *
His father had gotten older, no doubt about that. Lance eyed him from across the kitchen table. Wisdom pooled in the grayness of the man’s eyes, but they sagged, too. Jagged lines that had started as crow’s-feet at the corners now fissured down into his cheeks, which were wrinkled and spotted with age. Most times he didn’t look at his father’s face for too long, but now he forced his gaze to be still, to note the details, the changes.
If it were up to him, he’d still see Luis Cortez the same way he had when he was a boy. He used to stand on the corral fence whooping while his dad rode, his spirit and strength a force Lance had dreamed of one day harnessing himself. Didn’t matter how many times he was thrown, his father always got up, shook off the dust, and shoved his foot right back in that stirrup. Nothing could break the man, nothing inside the corral and nothing outside the corral, either. Even after his mother had left and Lance had worried it might break them both, Luis had simply soldiered on. But no one was indestructible. Not even the toughest cowboy. Life wears on you, little by little, not shattering you all at once, but chipping away from the inside where the damage isn’t always visible. Lance had lived enough to know that.
“What’re you still doin’ here?” Luis asked, scraping the last of the eggs and crumbled bits of bacon off his plate and shoveling them into his mouth. “I thought you’d be training on Ball Buster this mornin’.”
“I’m waiting until Jessa gets here.” And trying to figure out how time had gone so fast, how his father had gone from an unbreakable wrangler to an old man who lost ATVs. He shook the thought away. It was age, that’s all. Old people forgot stuff. It was bound to happen to Luis sometime. Lance reached for the coffeepot and poured himself a refill. “You’re okay if she stays here for a while?” he asked, cupping his hands around the mug. The robust scent sparked the memory of drinking coffee with Jessa yesterday, which conjured up the images of her lying almost naked on the floor again.
“Why’s Jessa coming?” his father asked from behind a blank stare.
Worry dulled his body’s sudden arousal. “We talked about this last night.” Maybe the man’s hearing was going out…
“Right,” Luis said gruffly, eyes cast down at the table as though he was trying to remember.
“Her place is being fumigated,” Lance reminded him. “She’s got an insect problem.”
Luis grunted his disapproval. “She shouldn’t have to pay for something like that. What’s she got? I could take care of it for free.”
A grin broke through Lance’s concern. His dad might be aging, but he’d never quit striving to be the hero. Age couldn’t take away something like that. “She wanted to leave it to the professionals this time,” he said before Luis could ask more questions. “So can she stay here or not?”
“Course she can. Got that whole upstairs that don’t get used anyway.”
“Great. She should be here by eight.” At least he hoped she’d be there. She’d sure left in a hurry after they’d gotten Luis back down the mountain. He’d hoped they’d have time to go over the plan, but next thing he knew, Jessa was gone.
“Well, I’d best get moving.” His father stood and carted his dishes to the sink. “I was gonna head up for a hike before I mend the corral fences later on.”
Shit. Lance had meant to have a little talk with him about the whole hiking alone thing last night, but hadn’t gotten around to it. Okay. He’d completely avoided it. But it looked as though it might be time to force the issue. He stood, too. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go up the mountain on your own anymore.”
Right on cue, his father’s shoulders straightened. “Pardon?”
“You forgot where you parked the ATV,” Lance said, trying to be careful.
“I didn’t forget,” Luis shot back. “I was this close to finding it.” He held an inch of space between his thumb and pointer finger. “Another ten minutes and I would’ve been on my way down. You didn’t need to come find me.”
Of course not. Luis Cortez didn’t need anything from anyone. Lance tried to quiet the fight rising in his father’s eyes. “All I’m saying is, I’d like you to take somebody with you. What if something did happen? I don’t want you out there alone.”
“Nothin’s gonna happen,” his father insisted. “I don’t need a babysitter out in my own backyard.” He went to walk away but Lance stepped in front of him.
“I’ll get you a satellite phone then.” With a GPS tracker. That way he’d always be able to find him.
“I’m not bringing a phone into the wilderness. I go to get away from that shit.”
“Come on, Dad. I’m just—”
A knock sounded at the front door.
“Good morning,” Jessa called through the screen.
Sighing out the disgruntled annoyance, Lance gave his father a look before winding through the living room, then down the hallway to the front door.
Jessa stood on the other side. She was dressed differently—more like the old Jessa, in a faded yellow T-shirt and long hiking shorts. Her feathery blond hair had been loosely pulled back and that easy smile was intact. Lance had an urge to hug her. Somehow the sight of her made his body lighter. She was so…easygoing. And that was a rarity in his life at the moment.
“Hey.” He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door so his father wouldn’t hear anything.
“Everything all set?” she whispered. Her hand curled over the handle of a small wheeled suitcase.
“Yeah. I told Dad your place has an infestation. He’s fine with you staying a few weeks.” As long as he never found out the real reason…
“Great.” She went to pick up her suitcase, but Lance reached out and snatched the handle before she could grasp it. It was light, as unburdened as she seemed to be. “One other thing you should know. I was trying to talk to him about not going up the mountain alone anymore,” he half-whispered.
Jessa laughed and somehow the heartiness of it tempted him to join her.
“Bet that went over well,” she said.
“Yeah. Not so much.” But just being near her for two minutes had purged the tension from his head. “I told him I’d get him a satellite phone, but he wasn’t interested.”
“I’ll work on it,” she promised.
He set down the suitcase. “Thank you.”
“I can’t make any promises. He might not listen to me, either.”
“No.” He stepped closer. “Thank you for being here. For doing this.”
“Oh.” She stumbled back a step as if she’d been caught off guard. “Sure. It’s nothing.”
That was the biggest understatement he’d ever heard. “Actually, it’s a lot. And I really appreciate it.” She had no guarantees going into this. She didn’t know if he’d win, if she’d get anything out of it. Somehow that made it more generous. “There’s no way I could handle all of this on my own with the finals coming up,” he admitted. Hell, he’d have to put in twice the training hours as those twenty-something guys he was going up against or he’d be humiliated on the biggest stage in bull riding. And there it was…his greatest fear worming its way to the surface of his life. That he really was washed up and too old like everyone said.
“I’m happy to help,” Jessa said, smiling again but still keeping her distance. “I love your dad.”
She might love his father, but after the awkward exchange yesterday, she didn’t seem to want to be anywhere near him. Unfortunately for her, Lance wasn’t in a real big hurry to get inside.
“Besides that,” she went on, “you promised me enough money to make a difference at the shelter. And I happen to think you’ll win.”
“Really?” She’d be about the only one in the world.
“Sure.” She seemed to look him over, size him up. “You’ve got more experience than those young guys, which means you probably have more composure. You know what to expect. And it looks to me like you’re still in pretty good shape.” Her eyes shied away from his. “So yes. I think you’ll win this year.”
The words left his tongue fumbling for something to say. It’s a gift when someone believes in you at a time no one else does. When you’ve lost some of the belief in yourself. Before he could say anything, the front door opened.
“Jessa.” Luis already had on his hiking backpack, the stubborn bastard.
“Morning, Luis,” she greeted warmly as she leaned in to hug him.
His dad’s face seemed to soften whenever Jessa was around, as if she were the daughter he’d never had. “I was headed up the mountain,” Luis said, nowhere near as ornery as he’d been with Lance.
Her eyes lit with genuine excitement. “I’d love to come with you. Maybe we should bring the fishing poles.”
“Good idea,” Luis agreed, already clomping down the porch steps. “Lance can get your things to your room.”
“Oh, perfect. Thank you.” She winked at Lance and it said so much, that they were co-conspirators, allies, and maybe even friends.
Clutching her light, carefree suitcase in his hand, he turned and watched the two of them hike up the driveway.
Jessa had come for his father, to watch over him, to take care of him. So why did he want her to be here for him, too?
Chapter Seven
So far so good. Jessa tossed another fence post into the ATV’s trailer and clapped her gloves together. Clouds of dust puffed into the air, disappearing against the sky’s blue radiance. So far she’d managed to avoid Lance all morning. The hike with Luis had eaten up a good three hours, and it had been nothing short of spectacular—the sky clear and blue, just the right breeze sighing through the pine trees. Luis had been in top form, his pace quick and his footsteps sure. Without even a slight hesitation, he’d led her right to the pond nestled into the swell of land at tree line, and between the two of them they’d caught five rainbow trout. Hers had been the largest, she’d pointed out. Luis had simply smiled in his long-suffering way.
Her concerns about being in such close quarters with Lance had started to dissipate with the morning’s chill. This wouldn’t be so hard. Luis liked to keep busy and the two of them would spend a good portion of time at the shelter during the week. That would leave little time for running into Lance. This morning when she saw him on that porch, a whole flock of
butterflies had migrated into her chest, nesting all around her heart and humming with that tantalizing purr. That’s why she couldn’t allow herself to be close to him. Not alone, anyway. She didn’t trust herself one iota. Something else took over when Lance gazed at her. Someone else. Her inner slut.
“You got all those posts loaded up already?” Luis careened around the corner hauling a sledgehammer over his shoulder, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what she’d been so worried about. Apparently the whole getting lost in the mountains thing was an isolated incident because today, Luis looked strong and determined and completely capable. There was nothing feeble about him.
Jessa glanced into the shed where she’d been searching for the fence posts he’d asked for. “I think that’s all of them.” When Luis said he had to mend some fences on the property, she’d jumped at the chance to help him, just in case he had any more balance issues. But he seemed fine. Plus, it had given her an excuse to hide in the shed and stay busy so she wouldn’t risk a Lance sighting.
“All right, let’s head on up to the corral then.” Luis slid onto the ATV, but Jessa froze next to it.
The butterflies still hibernating in her chest stirred. “The corral?” As in the place where Lance would be training?
“Yeah. Got a bunch of fences all but fallin’ down up there.” Luis cranked the handlebar and the ATV roared to life. “Gotta get ’em fixed up ’fore one of the horses gets out,” he shouted above the noise.
He released the brake and nodded her over. Jessa moved slowly toward the ATV, like her shoes were made of lead. She’d promised to help Luis with the fences, so she couldn’t back out now. Hopefully Lance would be so busy he wouldn’t even notice her.
She climbed onto the ATV and buckled her arms around Luis’s waist.