Page 5 of Crossed Lines

“What are friends for?”

Sawyer has been my best friend since grade school. We’ve always been there for each other. He helped me piece myself back together when Gemma and I separated and I was suddenly on my own with Jade. He’s always looking out for me, and I do the same for him. There were plenty of times when I would help take Willow to school events or make sure she was fed if he was working late. That’s just what we do for each other. We’re family.

After we finish our beers, he stands, kisses Jade’s head, and tells her goodbye.

Once he’s gone, I wash Jade’s plate and then usher her to her bathroom. “Time for a bath.”

“Aw, man. Five more minutes?”

“Nope. Let’s go.”

She reluctantly turns off the TV and sulks as she marches down the hall.

My truck tires crunch over gravel as I pull up to the back of the main lodge at Moonlight Ranch. Not only is the ranch my workplace, but it’s also my home. My boss and friend, Brooks Calloway, was nice enough to let me build my own home on the property. It’s far enough away from the guest cabins that I have a good bit of privacy, but close enough that I can easily handle managing the stables, which sometimes call for early mornings and late nights.

I park next to Brooks’s truck, close enough to the pool to have Jade telling me that she wants to go swimming.

“Not today, honey. I’ll make sure to get you in the water soon, though.”

“Why not today?” she whines.

“Because I need to talk to Mr. Brooks.”

“Is Ms. Aspen gonna be here?” Aspen is Brooks’s fiancé. The start of their relationship was a little rocky. Aspen moved to Blue Haven when she was Brooks’s son’s girlfriend. Eventually, Brooks and Aspen found their way to each other, and now they’re on their way to their happily ever after. And Aspen has quickly become one of my daughter’s favorite people. Probably because of all the lollipops she keeps giving her.

“I’m sure Aspen will be here,” I tell Jade as she climbs out of her booster seat.

As soon as she’s on the ground, she starts running for the lodge. I follow behind her, helping her get the door open.

Since we came in the back way, we bypassed the restaurant, gift shop, and front desk of the ranch, but that doesn’t stop me from getting a whiff of something that smells amazing. It must be BBQ night.

Jade has been here enough that she knows her way around without my help, so she makes her way straight to Brooks’s office. The door is open, so she walks right in.

“Ms. Aspen!” I hear her yell before I’ve even made it down the hall.

“Hey, princess!”

When I finally make it to the office, Aspen has lifted Jade up and is giving her a big hug. Brooks is sitting behind his desk, beaming up at his new fiancée. He just proposed last weekend, and I’ve never seen him so nervous. I’m glad it worked out for him. I can only hope that one day, I can find a love like theirs. Not that I’m planning on it happening any time soon. I’ve got my hands full with Jade, which is all I can handle right now. Adding a woman into my life would only complicate everything.

“Hey, guys,” I say, pulling their attention away from Jade for a brief second.

“To what do we owe this little surprise?” Aspen asks.

“Daddy has to talk to Mr. Brooks about something. I think it’s because I’m gonna be staying here all summer.”

Aspen looks up at me with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, is that so? Well, then it’s gonna be the best summer ever!” The two girls high-five. “Come on, let’s go pick out a lollipop while your dad talks to Mr. Brooks.”

“Yay! Do you still have the watermelon ones?” Jade asks.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve still got a watermelon one.”

“Yes!”

Aspen takes my daughter’s hand as they walk out of Brooks’s office down the hall to Aspen’s office, and I take a seat in one of the chairs across from him.

“What’s going on, man?” Brooks asks.

I huff a laugh. “Well, pretty much what Jade just said. Gemma is going to California with her fiancé for the summer, and she asked me to keep Jade all summer.”