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He set down the coffee cup and placed both hands on the island. Shoulders hunched, he lowered his head while feeling overwhelmed by the entire situation. He slowly shook his head and made a face. “No. This isn't going to morph into a real marriage. No way.”
“I never thought I'd see the day you would put your own wants and needs ahead of a child. I hate to say it, but you are turning into your father. Totally selfish.”
That stung. He certainly didn't see himself as a selfish person. His entire life was based on helping others, saving lives. “I married her when Simon refused to do the right thing,” he said. “Don't I get any points for that?”
“Points? This isn't a game, Jared.”
Uh-oh. When Delta started using his first name instead of affectionate terms like 'hun' or 'boy,' he knew he was in serious trouble. Because she'd been a second mother to him, he let her get away with things no one else could. She was the only person who saw through his jaded facade to what was hiding beneath. He used to think she was psychic. She always seemed to know what he was doing, even when she wasn't anywhere in sight.
He crossed the room to look her straight in the eyes so she'd be able to feel the sincerity in his words. “If I ever get married, she'll be a city girl, probably a woman in Boston. Beth is the last girl in the world I want to have a relationship with.”
A startled gasp behind him hit his ears like a gunshot. Before he looked over his shoulder, he knew it was Beth. She'd heard him say he didn't want to be with her. He didn't know which was the worse rejection, when he had verbally ripped into her after the surprise kiss or now. The pain in her eyes wrenched his gut, and he wished desperately for a time machine.
“Beth—”
She spun around and disappeared from view.
A second later, he heard the front door slam. Delta's hands went to her hips, and she glared daggers at him. Knowing he had another lecture coming, he hurried to the open arch between the kitchen and entryway. He'd hurt Beth... again. He was the only one that could repair the damage. Maybe.
“Don't you come back in here until you make things right with that girl,” Delta said. “I mean it. I'm not cooking until she's happy.”
He rolled his eyes and grumbled beneath his breath on his way to the front door. Women! He seemed to be surrounded by them, and every single one had her nose in his business. He couldn't wait to return to his job at the hospital. After coming home, the ER would be like a relaxing holiday.
First, he needed to apologize to Beth.
Then he could start planning his trip home.
Chapter Ten
Beth stomped her way out to the barns, the promise of violence in every step. Hot tears carved a wet path down her cheeks, and Jared's words refused to get off instant-replay. It wasn't his fault he didn't want to be with her, but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. He didn't have to tell Delta that she was the last woman he would ever be interested in—or something to that effect.
They had five enormous stallion barns that housed ten horses each; not every stall had an occupant at the moment. With two barns on each side facing each other and one on the end, there was a spacious gravel quad in the middle and a cement walk connecting the buildings. Next to them there was a huge structure that housed their offices, freezers for semen collected from the stallions, and the lab.
On the opposite side of the road was a mirror image of the stallion barns, but those were filled with mares. It was important to keep the stallions away from them and away from each other so none of them would get injured. Although a great deal of their revenue came from shipping semen, they also bred horses. If a horse won a notable race like the Kentucky Derby, they were able to sell that horse for millions. Destiny’s Heir was their latest to come in first in an important race. Fingers crossed. She was hoping to sell him for big bucks.
She headed for the closest stallion barn, but then she noticed Breaking Storm in one of the tiny paddocks connected to what they called a ‘small barn.’ They were meant for one horse at a time. Workers took horses out there when they needed to be groomed or when they were sick. She opened the metal gate and entered the small paddock.
She took several deep breaths and calmed herself before approaching him. Breaking Storm was tethered to a pole, ready to be groomed. But she seemed to be the only person around. He nipped at her denim jacket, searching for sugar cubes. She tried to keep a few in her pockets even though she rarely passed them out, preferring to treat the horses to apples, carrots, or other nutritious snacks. With a beautiful shiny black coat, Breaking Storm had a strip of white traveling from his forehead to the end of his nose. It reminded her of a lightning bolt. By far, he was her favorite horse currently on the ranch.
She stroked a hand down his long nose. “Did you miss me?”
One of the ranch hands walked up to the gate. Chuck was a fairly new hire; he was young, eager to learn, and the other men only had good things to say about him. He looked startled for a second. Then he tipped his hat. “Thought you were on your honeymoon, boss.”
“And I was starting to think everyone had forgotten Breaking Storm was out here?”
“I was grooming him when I heard Hap yelling. One of the horses jumped a fence. Guess something spooked her.”
“What?! Which horse?”
“Summer Night's Dream.”
“Is she okay?”
Chuck held his hands up as if she were a skittish colt. “Everything is fine, boss. They got her back. She ain’t hurt or nothing.”
“As long as she's okay.” Beth took the brush from his hand. “I'll groom Breaking Storm, and you can go help the others.”
Again, he looked surprised. “You sure?” He shifted from foot to foot, red in the face as he gestured to her wedding band. “Don't you want to spend time with your new husband?”
