Jasper (Cloves County Cowboys Book 2)

by Amelia Shea

  Jasper tensed. What the hell am I doing here?

  Kellie’s lips spread wide, and she grinned, cocking her brow up. “Just in the neighborhood?”

  In general, woman didn’t tease Jasper. Maybe it was his demeanor or his quietness which shunned that sort of treatment. Most girls seemed solely focused on impressing him rather than joking. Not Kellie, though. Even her eyes were laughing. She knew damn well what he was doing here.

  He returned the smile. “Do you have a ride home?”

  Her gaze shifted to Garr. “No, but I walk, usually.”

  His back tensed and straightened. She walked home alone in the middle of the night? Cloves County was usually a safe place, but they weren’t devoid of crime; it happened. It wasn’t safe, especially for a woman.

  “Alone?”

  She shrugged. “It’s only three blocks away.”

  Her nonchalant attitude regarding her safety angered him. He knew she’d been on her own for a long time, and probably could take care of herself in most situations, but there were crazy people everywhere. What if someone grabbed her, pulled her into one of the alleys and hurt her? He balled his fists and inhaled slowly. “I’ll drive you.”

  She blinked and seemed stunned. Maybe it was because he was telling her and not asking, which was completely out of character for him. He glanced over at Garr. “Can I get a beer while I wait for her shift to end?”

  Garr eyed him suspiciously and then darted his gaze to Kellie. “You’re done for the night, get your things.”

  “You’re letting me go early?” From her surprise, Jasper assumed he didn’t often let her cut out of work early.

  “Yeah, now hurry your ass before I change my mind.”

  Kellie rested the tray on the bar and smiled at Jasper. “Give me a minute. I’ll be quick.”

  Jasper put his hat back on and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling the stare from Garr go directly through him. This was as good a time as any for him to apologize. He walked closer to the bar, with Garr watching his every move.

  “I want to apologize for my behavior the last few weeks. Coming in here and getting drunk.” Jasper could feel the heat rising up his neck. He’d been a fool for the way he acted, wallowing in his own self-pity. He lifted his chin to the side. “Making myself someone else’s responsibility, it wasn’t right, and I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.”

  Garr glared back at him. It was his usual face. Jasper wasn’t quite sure if the man ever smiled. He straightened and folded his arms. “Not the first drunk in my bar, won’t be the last.”

  Jasper sighed. It was probably the closest thing he’d get to forgiveness from Garr. Jasper nodded. “Well, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “You say you’re sorry to Kellie. If it wasn’t for her, I’d a called your dad to come get your ass.”

  Jasper furrowed his brows. What?

  Garr quirked his brows knowingly. “She didn’t tell you? Wanted to call your dad, but Kell wouldn’t let me. Said your dad would be furious, then insisted on taking you home herself. Kind of strange for a woman you never gave an ounce of attention to, to take your back.” His eyes narrowed. “Some people just got bigger hearts than most.” Garr tossed the rag on the bar and made his way down to the guys at the end.

  Jasper hadn’t considered exactly why it was Kellie who brought him home that night. He just knew Kellie drove him. She hadn’t mentioned anything Garr just said. He glanced to Garr again and then to the hall when he caught a flash of red.

  Kellie rushed through the hall, meeting up a foot away from him. She stretched her arms, slipping into her coat, her breasts jiggling from the move, and Jasper glanced away quickly. His gaze landed at the far end of the bar. Garr was watching them with distinct disapproval. Jasper could only imagine what he must be thinking. Not many men would drive out at one thirty in the morning to give her a ride without expecting something in return. What Garr didn’t realize was Jasper wasn’t most men.

  “I’m ready. Night, all,” Kellie said. He followed her close behind. When she reached for the door, Jasper shot out his arm, pushing it open for her. She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes softened.

  His truck was parked in the front, and as he opened the door to let her in, her hand rested on his arm. “Thanks for this.”

  He nodded, closed the door behind her, and rounded the truck, getting into the driver’s side. Even he saw the lunacy in driving twenty minutes from the ranch to drive her three blocks home. He pulled up in front of the dark house and put the truck in park. The ride was too quick for his liking. Kellie looked down at the gear shift, her eyebrows bunched together.

  Her eyes flickered up at him, and her lips twitched. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “You’re always thanking me.”

  “’Cause you’re always doing nice things for me.” It was a bit of a stretch. There weren’t many things he had done for her aside from giving her a ride.

  “How come you wouldn’t let me drive you home earlier?”

  Kellie shrugged and looked down at her lap. “I don’t know, didn’t want you to have to drive all the way to town just to take me home I guess.”

  Jasper shifted in his seat, getting exactly what he wanted, her attention on him. “Wouldn’t have offered unless I wanted to.”

  She glanced up through her lashes. Kellie was an anomaly; most times she was outgoing and bubbly, but here she was showing a shy side. “Wouldn’t Abby mind?”

  There it was. He had assumed from her apology that embarrassment had been the reason she avoided him at Grey’s house. It appeared now, Abby may have been the source of why Kellie had been so distant earlier. He couldn’t fault her. He knew what it looked like. But she was wrong, and he was going to make himself clear right now.

  “What Abby does or thinks is none of my concern.”

  “You guys aren’t getting back together?”

  Jasper winced back into his seat and scowled. “Hell, no.”

  “Oh, I just thought…”

  “Abby was at Grey’s house ’cause she invited herself, and I didn’t want to be rude. Nothing more, Kellie.” Jasper snorted. “It’s times like this that I wish I had a bit of Tripp’s crude tongue.”

  She smiled. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Jasper. It’s none of my business.”

  Bullshit. Jasper watched the way her head tilted, and he held back a smile. “Then why’d you ask?”

  She clamped her mouth closed and her cheeks pinked. “Just curious, I guess.” She reached for the handle. She was going to leave.

  “How come you drove me home that night? You could have let Garr just call my dad.”

  The corner of her lip curled. “You dad would have been pissed.”

  Jasper snickered. “Yeah.”

  She shrugged her shoulders, losing her smile. “I guess I didn’t want you to get in trouble.”

  This was a side of Kellie most folks overlooked. Himself included. There was so much more to her than a salacious body and a scandalous reputation. She owed him not a single damn thing, but there she was, looking out for him. Her beauty on the outside was nothing compared to the beauty inside he was quickly realizing. For the past year, he had seen her in only one light. A temptation. What a fool he’d been!

  “I should go, let ya get home.” She gripped the handle again.

  “Not gonna invite me in?” he blurted. What the hell am I doing? If he could have taken the words back, he was unsure if he would have. A part him really wanted to know.

  Her mouth popped open, and she searched his face. He definitely caught her off guard. Her lips spread in a smile. “You wanna come inside?”

  He may not have the experience of his brothers or friends with women, but he definitely knew the face Kellie was showing. Her answer was yes.

  “I do.” He drew in a breath. “But I can’t. I have to be up in a few hours.”

  She leaned back and narrowed her eyebrows. He knew the look she was giving him. “Then why ask?” she sna
pped.

  He shrugged. “Guess I wanted to know if the offer was still on the table.”

  She tightened her lips and nodded. That backfired. He wanted to know if earlier was just some fluke, fleeting moment she was caught up in. Now, it seemed she had taken it as him playing her. Of course, it would. He just drove twenty miles to drive her a mile home to her house? Who did that unless they were looking for something? She reached for the door.

  “Kellie?’

  “Yeah?” Her tone was even, but he sensed he had irritated her.

  “What time does your shift start tomorrow?”

  She slowly glanced at him through her furrowed brows, obviously confused by his interest. “Eight.”

  “You wanna come riding with me tomorrow afternoon?”

  “What? Horses? You mean, at the ranch?”

  He smirked. “Yeah. We got some tame ones that’ll be good for you. You can show me what a good teacher Britt is. I’ll pack us a lunch, we can check out some views. Got some beautiful ones up on the ridge.”

  She stared blankly at him as if she was processing what he was saying. Her bottom lip jutted open. He could read the skepticism in her squinting eyes. “It kind of sounds like a date.”

  Jasper snickered. “Well, good, ‘cause that was my intention.”

  Kellie’s mouth fell open, and her eyes grew the size of saucers. “You’re asking me out on a date?”

  Jasper tightened his lips to keep from smiling. Sexy and gorgeous would be the best way to describe Kellie usually. But here in the truck with shock and confusion shadowing her face, she was damn cute. Jasper cleared his throat, fighting back his laugh.

  “Am I doing it wrong?” he teased.

  She shook her head and closed her eyes. Her face was pinched, her cheeks glazed a soft pink hue. “No, I just…You caught me off guard, I guess.”

  Jasper raised a brow. “You can say no, sweetheart.”

  She jerked her head and blurted, “No.” She drew in a breath. “What I mean is no, I don’t want to say no.” Her cheeks blazed. “Yes.”

  Jasper wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Kellie so unnerved and frazzled by him. The swelling in his chest was lingering north.

  “I’ll pick you up around three?”

  She nodded, holding back her smile, he guessed.

  Jasper leaned forward. “I’d kiss you, but I’m thinking if I get another taste, I may not let you leave.” He brushed his lips quickly against her cheek and sat back in his seat.

  Through the opening of her coat, he could see her heart beating against her chest. Her chin jerked down as she turned. “Bye.”

  Jasper waited as she walked up her path and unlocked her door. Look back. She fumbled with the key, jerking the knob before it finally opened, and she stepped in. Jasper kept his eyes on the door as he shifted the truck into drive. It slowly closed but stopped, and he smiled when he saw her head peek out. He gave a slight wave. Even thirty feet away in the dark, he could see her blush. She waved back and closed the door, leaving Jasper to take off for home with a grin.

  Chapter Eight

  “You’re not giving me details, Kell. I need the details!”

  Kellie held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she listened to Britt whine. Maybe calling Britt wasn’t the best idea, but her excitement got the best of her. She should have waited until after the date. It’s a friggin date! She had the current mindset of a sixteen-year-old on her first date. She tapped her foot on the floor and drew in a deep breath. Calm down.

  “Don’t you dare hold back on me. I’ve been waiting on this date just as long as you have.”

  Kellie chuckled, rolling her eyes. Not even close, Britt.

  She pulled on one boot and then the other. Her boots were made more to be seen and less for a ranch, but they were her only option. Perfect.

  “There are no details. He came by last night, picked me up, and asked me to go riding at the ranch. He did say it was a date.” Her breath hitched on the last word. I’m going on a date with Jasper Fords! Kellie had barely slept last night into the morning. It was like Christmas morning as a kid. Her stomach was doing flips and turns.

  “I knew it! I just wanna say it, because I knew months ago he was interested.”

  Britt had mentioned it before, but Kellie brushed it off. The idea that Jasper, who she had been half in love with since she was fourteen, would show any interest in her was mind-blowing.

  “Make him take you to the west end overlook, it’s beautiful, you’ll love it.”

  “If I ask, then he’ll know we talked, Britt.”

  She scoffed. “Who cares? Besides, Jasper is smart, he knows damn well we’re friends. Trust me, he’ll assume we discussed the date.”

  Kellie laughed. Britt was probably right. She called her when Jasper pulled out of his driveway twenty minutes ago to let her know he was coming. There were definitely perks to having her best friend live next door to her date. She glanced up at the clock. Two-fifty-seven p.m. She had a feeling Jasper would be on time.

  “I gotta run, but I’ll call you before my shift.”

  “You better. Have fun.”

  “All right, talk to ya later.” Kellie pulled the phone away from her ear until she heard Britt again.

  “One more thing and this is super important, so remember it, okay?”

  It wasn’t her first date, so advice was unnecessary but she’d let Britt give it anyway. “Okay.”

  “You’re Kellie.”

  She sighed. “Britt.”

  “Nope, shut up and listen. You’re Kellie, smart, sweet, funny, and an amazing chick. He’s lucky you said yes, you hear me.”

  Kellie’s shoulders sagged. It wasn’t so much Britt felt she had to say it, but more so Kellie needed to hear it. She’d never been one to have insecurity issues, but sometimes people needed to be reminded.

  “I hear ya.”

  “Good, now go have a blast with my soon-to-be brother-in-law and call me later. And I want details!”

  She was pretty sure she was going to lock everything from today in her memory. She said bye and hung up. The nerves were building again in her belly. Deep breaths did nothing to combat the butterflies swooning in her stomach. She shook her body and stretched her neck. It’s not a boxing match, it’s a date, moron.

  Kellie dropped the phone on her bed and turned to the mirror at the same time she heard the soft knock on her door. She rushed down the hall from her bedroom. Kellie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this anxious for anything in her life.

  “It’s just horseback riding,” she muttered to herself. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest. Kellie shook her hands and wiped her palms down the legs of her jeans. A trip to the ER for a panic attack was not how she wanted this date to begin. “Calm the hell down.” She gripped the knob and took a calming breath before opening the door.

  Jasper stood with one hand dug deep into his pocket and the other down by his side, holding his hat. Jeans and a grey T-shirt never looked so good on anyone. The hem of his sleeves rose just high enough to see the outline of his biceps.

  “Hi.” Her tone was revealing her excitement, which seemed to amuse him.

  “Hi.” He gazed down her body and back up to her face. “You look pretty.”

  Her face heated. “Thanks.” She stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

  Having Jasper at her place was odd. Her apartment was small. She had made a point of cleaning up early this morning. He slowly walked in, scanning her space, and turned around in the living room.

  “Your place is nice.”

  Kellie smirked and shook her head. Always the gentleman. He was being polite. Her place was decent but nice? Umm…no. It was cheap and close to the bar. Those were about the only perks.

  “No, your place is nice, this is livable. But I appreciate you being kind.” She chuckled when his lips formed a line. “I’m just gonna grab my bag, I’ll be right back.” She hurried down the hall to her room, grabbing her poc
ketbook from the bed and taking one last look in the mirror. Dress and heels would have been her first choice for a date, but that wasn’t happening on a horse. She pulled up the collar of her shirt. Too much cleavage. Maybe she should change. No, it would be weird since he just saw her. She bit her lip, glancing at her open door.

  “Screw it.” She walked out of her room and back to the living room. Jasper was leaned over near her bookshelf, staring intently at a picture. She slid up next to him, close but not touching.

  “What’s so interesting?”

  He jutted up quickly in surprise. “Damn, you’re like a cat. I didn’t even hear you.” Then he smiled. God, his smile. He lifted his chin. “You look just like your mom.”

  “Yeah, she likes to tell people we’re sisters. Most believe her.” Kellie grabbed the frame and looked closely. She didn’t have many pictures around her apartment, but her mother had sent this one to her framed and ready for display. It was from last year’s visit to Vegas on the strip.

  The room was suddenly so quiet. She glanced up at Jasper to see him staring down at her. He was quite a few inches taller than her. She liked knowing she’d have to reach on her toes to kiss him. His blue eyes darkened, making her wonder if he was thinking about kissing her too. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his jaw squared. God, I want to kiss him.

  “We should get going,” he said but made no move to leave.

  She kept her gaze locked on him as she put the frame down on the table. “Is that what you want?” she whispered.

  He stepped forward. “What do you want?”

  “I really want to kiss you.”

  His blue eyes pinned her in her spot, and he inched closer. He was taking too long. She curved her hand over his neck and rose to her toes, leaning in and brushing her lips against his. For a man as masculine as Jasper, his lips were the complete opposite. So damn soft. She leaned in farther, wanting more. She swiped her tongue along his bottom lip. The rumble of his chest vibrated against her breasts. Forget horseback riding, she wanted him, now, in her bed riding him.