She lifted a brow.
“I’m not going to get a gold star for speaking up in class tonight?”
“If I’m not mistaken, you already got a purple heart.”
He narrowed his gaze. “How is it that you know things people don’t tell you?”
“Because I know other people,” she said. “And I ask the right questions.”
“Well, since you apparently don’t need a ride and I’m not getting a star, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“A partnership opportunity.”
“I’m listening,” he said, more wary than curious.
“I have a friend, Connie, who trains emotional support animals in Indiana—at least, she has for the past twelve years,” Nat explained. “But now she and her husband are moving to Battle Mountain, so she’s looking for a place to board and train the animals locally as well as someone to help her out. Since you have a fair amount of space at your ranch and time on your hands, I thought of you.”
His immediate instinct was to say no without any questions asked, because a partnership sounded too much like a commitment and Jake wasn’t ready to make a commitment to anyone or anything. But while he’d been telling himself that Haven was merely a detour on the map of his life, he’d been struggling for months—years—to find his own path again. And now he had to wonder...could this be it?
“I appreciate the thought,” he said instead, perhaps a little surprised to realize it was true. “But I still don’t know how long I’m going to stay in Haven.”
“That’s what you keep saying,” she acknowledged. “In any event, you don’t have to be here to rent your barn and yard to Connie.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“But if you decide to stay,” Nat continued, “you might actually enjoy working with her.”
“Training dogs?” he said dubiously.
“You’ve done a decent job with Molly.”
“Molly failed her training as a service dog. Actually, she didn’t even get that far. She failed the test to get into training.”
“The standards for service animals are much higher, the requirements much stricter,” she pointed out. “Emotional support animals are companions that provide support and comfort.”
Exactly what Molly did for him.
And the more he thought about it, the more intrigued he was by the idea of helping others in similar situations find pets that could help them.
“When is your friend moving to Nevada?”
“Not until September. But she’s going to be in Battle Mountain next weekend, house hunting with her husband, if you want to meet her.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said again.
Nat’s smile was just a little bit smug. “I know you will.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Is this First Date, Take Two or Second Date, Take One?” Jake wondered aloud, as he tucked his shirt into his pants.
Molly didn’t even lift her head off her paws, a sure sign that she was pouting. Obviously she’d figured out that he had plans for the evening that didn’t include her.
“I’m leaning toward Second Date, Take One,” he said. “And leaving the disaster that was First Date on the cutting room floor.”
He turned away from the mirror to face the dog. “Stop sulking.” But he did feel a little guilty that he was abandoning her to another night home alone. “You’ll always be my best girl, but Sky looks much better in a dress.”
Molly was unmoved by his platitudes.
“And maybe, if I don’t freak out during Second Date, Take One, then Sky will come back here later. You’d like Sky to come for a visit, wouldn’t you?”
That got a half-hearted tail wag.
Jake scratched behind her ears. “I’ll try not to be too late,” he promised.
Molly still didn’t seem happy, but she rose to her feet and followed him to the door.
Tonight, Jake was picking Sky up at the Circle G. If she had any residual concerns about him meeting her family, she’d pretty much tossed them out the window by inviting him to be her date for a family wedding.
He pulled up close to the house and got out of his truck, inexplicably nervous. Sky opened the door before he could knock. Obviously she’d been watching for him, probably because she wasn’t convinced that he’d actually show up. Truthfully, he’d had some moments of doubt himself, but not only was he there, he was on time and—
Wow!
Jake didn’t know much about women’s fashions, but he knew what looked good—and Sky looked really good.
She was wearing a halter dress made of some kind of flowy material in a deep blue color that brought out the blue in her eyes. The strappy silver sandals on her feet added several inches to her height, so that her mouth—shiny with pink gloss—was almost level with his. Her hair was up—no doubt in deference to the heat—and glittery blue stones dangled from her ears.
“You told me about the length of the skirt,” he acknowledged. “But you didn’t warn me that my heart would go into palpitations when I saw you wearing it.”
“Then I guess it’s lucky for you that I know CPR,” she told him.
“Maybe you could start with some mouth-to-mouth,” he suggested.
“Like this?” she said, and brushed her lips lightly over his.
“That’s a good start,” he agreed, drawing her into his embrace.
His hand skimmed upward, over the silky fabric—and even silkier skin bared by the low back of her dress—to cup her head, adjusting the angle and deepening the kiss. Her lips parted willingly, her tongue dancing and dallying with his. Her scent, something soft and floral, teased his nostrils and clouded his mind.
“I think your heart is just fine,” Sky said, when she’d finally pulled back and taken a moment to draw air into her lungs. “And if we don’t get going, we’re going to be late.”
“You really want to go to this thing?” he asked, more resigned than enthused about their plans.
“Considering that ‘this thing’ is my brother’s wedding, yeah,” she said. “Plus, we had a deal.”
“I know,” he admitted. “But now that I see you in that dress, I really want to get you out of it.”
She brushed another quick kiss on his lips. “Later.”
He knew that word was as good as a promise.
Because even after five weeks, the passion between them had yet to dim. He wasn’t convinced that it could last, and he was certain there would come a time when really great sex wouldn’t be enough, when she would want more. And Jake wasn’t sure that he was capable of giving her any more—no matter how much he might want to.
He pushed those uneasy thoughts aside for now and turned his truck in the direction of the Silver Star. “Is it true that Caleb and Brielle split up shortly after their wedding, eight years ago, because your grandfather had a heart attack when he found out?”
“Not my grandfather, Brielle’s grandfather—who’s also Ashley’s grandfather,” she noted.
“That’s right. She told me that part of the story,” he remembered. “So is the grandfather going to be there today?”
“Not only will he be there, he’s hosting and paying for the whole thing,” Sky told him.
“Really?”
She nodded. “I think he feels guilty for driving a wedge between them all those years ago and this is his way of trying to make up for it.” She gestured to a laneway ahead. “That’s the Silver Star.”
Jake put his indicator on and made the turn into the long drive.
He understood that this formal reception acknowledging the marriage of Brielle Channing and Caleb Gilmore was a big deal because of the acrimonious history between the families. He hadn’t realized that it was going to be such a big event. Based on the quantity of vehicles that lined either side of the laneway and the number of people milling about, he would
guess that half the town was in attendance.
Sky must have been taken aback by the size of the gathering, too, because she said, “We don’t have to stay all night.”
He nodded. And while he appreciated her willingness to accommodate his limitations, this was something he wanted to do for her. Because it was important to her and she was important to him.
As they made their way through the crowd, Jake was surprised to realize that he’d already been introduced to a fair number of the guests in attendance.
Sky’s sister, Katelyn, was actually the first person he’d met in town, as her office had been his first stop to get the keys to his uncle’s house when he arrived. He hadn’t known then that the attorney was married to the sheriff, or that they had a daughter—the little girl who’d shown him her starfish pose at the community center.
Liam was the next oldest, after Kate. Sky had mentioned that Liam and his wife Macy had three kids. She hadn’t mentioned that they were triplets. As if chasing after three toddlers didn’t keep the couple busy enough, he learned that Macy also managed the day-to-day operations of the Stagecoach Inn while Liam helped his father and brother keep everything running smoothly at the Circle G.
After Liam was Sky, then Caleb. He’d been the youngest of Dave Gilmore’s offspring for a long time, until they’d discovered that Valerie Blake’s daughter, Ashley, was their half sister.
In addition to her siblings and their spouses and kids, Jake was introduced to Sky’s father and stepmother, her grandparents and various aunts, uncles and cousins, some having come from fair distances to share in the celebration.
“I can’t believe how completely they managed to transform a horse paddock into the perfect venue for a wedding reception,” Sky remarked to him.
As it was his first visit to the Silver Star, Jake couldn’t remark on the transformation, but he had to admit the setting was nice. Everywhere he looked, there were buckets overflowing with greenery and white blooms. Fence rails had been draped with evergreen boughs decorated with more white flowers and bows. Bistro lights were strung overhead to illuminate the temporary dance floor when it got dark, and nearby was the food tent, reputed to contain long tables with an abundance of hot and cold foods, layered trays of sweets and cookies, a champagne fountain, kegs of beer and coolers filled with sodas and juice pouches.
But before Jake and Sky could get close enough to check it out, they were cut off by Ashley.
“Hurry,” she urged, directing them toward rows of chairs set up facing a gazebo. “The ceremony’s about to start.”
“Ceremony?” Sky echoed.
Her sister rolled her eyes. “This is a wedding, you know.”
* * *
The bride wore a floor-length vintage lace wedding dress with cap sleeves, a wreath of flowers on her head and cowboy boots on her feet. Her groom was in a Western tux complete with cowboy hat and boots. And as Brielle Channing and Caleb Gilmore renewed their vows in front of their families and friends—including their infant son, Colton, who watched from the arms of his maternal great-grandfather—there was no doubt that love had finally triumphed over the feud between their families.
“I’m sorry,” Sky whispered. “I really thought this was just supposed to be a party in celebration of their marriage, not an actual exchange of vows.”
“I’m not freaking out,” Jake assured her. “Well, not because your brother and his bride are making promises about forever, anyway.”
Sky linked their fingers together and squeezed his hand. “Everyone will spread out after the ceremony. Well, they’ll make a beeline for the food, and then they’ll spread out.”
They were part of that beeline when the I do’s were finally done. After they’d filled their plates, they found an empty table tucked in the corner, but their solitude didn’t last for long.
Liam wanted to dance with his wife, so he dumped the triplets on “Auntie ’ky”—as Jake had heard Tessa call her. Thankfully, Ashley came over to help with Ava, Max and Sam, followed by Kate and Tessa, then Regan Neal, sister of the bride and wife of the deputy sheriff, joined them, adding two more babies—her twin daughters, Piper and Poppy—to the mix.
Jake pushed his chair back from the table, ostensibly to make room for the newcomers but also to give himself room to breathe.
“Everything okay?” Sky asked, perhaps concerned that he was going to bolt.
He nodded. “I’m just going to check out the desserts.”
“Oh, you have to try the brownies,” Regan told him.
“And the cheesecake bites,” Kate said.
“Can you bring me a pineapple square?” Sky asked hopefully.
“If there are any left,” Ashley said. “Grandma’s pineapple squares never last long.”
“I’ll do my best,” Jake promised, and made his escape.
Of course, checking out the desserts had been an excuse to get away from the table, but now that he had a mission, he was determined to track down a pineapple square for Sky.
Looking around the gathering, he had to wonder why she’d invited him to come. She certainly didn’t need him there to keep her company, surrounded as she was by family.
And kids.
There were a lot of kids running around.
A lot of babies being cuddled and kissed.
Watching her with her nieces and nephews, it was readily apparent that they adored her as much as she adored them.
It was equally obvious to Jake that she was the type of woman who was meant to have a family of her own.
The idea shouldn’t have made his chest feel tight. He didn’t have to worry that she had expectations of a future or a family with him. They both knew that whatever this thing was between them, it was only temporary.
Except that it didn’t feel temporary when he was with her.
Dalton Butler, another regular at the Wednesday night veterans’ group, had talked about the difficulties of going home after being deployed, the challenges of trying to fit into a life that no longer fit him after everything he’d seen and done.
Jake could relate to what he’d said. He’d felt the same way in San Diego.
But here it was different. In Haven, he felt as if he could start again with a clean slate.
And when he was with Sky, there was nowhere else that he wanted to be.
* * *
Sky was alone with Colton when Jake finally returned, not just with one pineapple square but a whole plate of them.
“They were restocking the tray when I got there,” he told her.
“And since everyone else is gone, I don’t have to share,” she said, gleefully reaching toward the plate.
“How about sharing with the guy who battled back hordes of salivating wedding guests to bring them to you?” he suggested.
“I guess I could share with him,” she agreed, holding a square close to his mouth.
He bit into the pastry, his lips closing around her fingertips, suckling on them gently.
“Don’t you go getting me all stirred up when I’m sitting here with a baby in my arms,” she said.
He grinned, unrepentant. “Do you stir up so easily?”
“All you have to do is look at me,” she confided.
“I want to do more than look—I want to dance with you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“In that case, let’s polish off our dessert, find another babysitter for Colton and hit the dance floor.”
* * *
Valerie scooped Colton out of her arms before Sky could even ask if her stepmother wanted to look after the baby for a while. Sky knew that her father’s wife had been disappointed that she’d only ever had one child of her own—and she was overjoyed that her marriage to David Gilmore had given her lots of grandchildren to love and spoil.
While Sky was talking to her dad and
his wife, she noticed that Jake was in conversation with Reid by the bar. On her way to meet up with her date, she stopped to chat briefly with her cousin Haylee, visiting from California, and when she turned around again, she saw that her date had been waylaid by the groom. With a shrug, she headed for the bar to get a glass of wine—and have a little chat with her brother-in-law, who was standing on the periphery of the crowd, sipping his beer.
“I saw you talking to Jake a little while ago,” she noted. “What was that about?”
“I wasn’t giving your date a hard time,” he promised. “I just wanted to let him know that we’d arrested the motorcyclists who’d been racing on the highway.”
“You were able to identify them?”
“Thanks to Jake.”
“What did he have to do with it?” she asked curiously.
“He’s the one who gave us a description of the drivers, their bikes and partial plate numbers.”
Obviously he was more observant than she, because Sky had only seen a blur when she’d been pressed up against Jake’s truck. Or maybe it was the presence of the man that had made it difficult for her to focus on anything else.
“That’s good then,” Sky remarked.
“What isn’t good is that you didn’t tell me about your close encounter with the reckless trio,” Reid said.
“I didn’t see the point when there was nothing I could add. Everything happened so fast.”
“Regardless, I don’t want you to ever hold out on me again,” he admonished sternly.
“Or what?” she couldn’t resist challenging.
Her brother-in-law didn’t hesitate to bring out the big guns. “Or I’ll tell your sister.”
“No more holding out,” she promised.
“One more thing,” he began.
She eyed him warily over the rim of her glass as she sipped her wine. “What’s that?”
“She likes him.”
“Who likes whom?”
“Katelyn likes Jake,” he clarified. “And she’s generally a good judge of character.”
Sky smiled then and kissed her brother-in-law’s cheek. “Good to know, because I like him, too.”
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