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12
Jessica
Jessica clenched and unclenched her fists. She shouldn’t be this upset. She’d known from the start that she wasn’t destined for anything great. That’s why she’d settled for a relationship with Tucker and a job at Sal’s Diner.
Did she want something more? Of course. But that’s just not how things worked out.
Then Ian had to come along. And in less than twenty-four hours, he’d almost convinced her she could do anything she wanted. Almost. With his gorgeous eyes and silly grin, Ian had made herwantto dream again.
Jessica swung open the gate and pulled it closed forcibly behind her. She took a few steps then stopped. She had nowhere to go, no car to help her escape. She couldn’t go to the house; Liz was probably there. Based on Liz’s ability to read people, she’d notice Jessica’s agitated state. The ranch was large enough she might be able to find some kind of hiding place if she poked around a little.
Feeling Ian’s eyes on her, she lurched into action. If nothing else, she needed to distance herself from him. Jessica needed to clear her head and remind herself where she came from. And that meant not chasing impossible dreams.
She strode past more corrals and followed a well-worn dirt path toward a large white barn. Someone exited the building just as she made it to the entrance, and she jumped back. The cowboy wore a hat, jeans, boots—basically the whole traditional get-up. He gave her a short nod as he led a horse from the structure.
The brown beast clopped along behind him, his black tail swishing. There was a saddle on its back which meant the cowboy was planning on taking it for a ride. She’d never ridden on a horse before. She hadn’t even considered the possibility.
Jessica’s focus returned to the barn and she slipped inside. The building looked even bigger from the inside. Light pooled from the far side due to the large doors being open there as well. A long aisle straight down the middle was flanked by two rows of stalls. The smell of hay tickled her nose and dust particles floated in the air.
Slowly, she wandered deeper into the building. Her fingers trailed along the stall walls. She peeked over the edges to get a better look at the animals that had been boarded here. The horses ranged from brown to black, and some were even dappled gray. But one stood out above all others. A white horse with tan spots and a matching mane. The beige coloring was closer to a golden color and accentuated its bright white hair.
The horse bobbed its head and wandered closer to her. Jessica held out her hand, curling her fingers and making a few kissy sounds. “Hi,” she whispered. Its nostrils flared and sniffed her before nudging her hand. “It must be nice being a horse.” The animal nickered and shook its head. “Not a care in the world.” Jessica folded her arms and rested them on top of the stall door.
She sighed as she watched the horse turn its attention to the hay at its feet.
“That’s Brown Sugar.”
Jessica yelped and spun around to find Ian’s dark eyes staring at a spot just behind her shoulder. “She’s my horse.” A wry smile touched his lips. “My dad gave her to me after I graduated high school.” His focus flicked to her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Ian rubbed the back of his neck. Then his smile disappeared. “Did I say something wrong?”
She leaned against the stall door and let out a sigh. “Of course not.”
“Then why…” He clamped his mouth shut. “It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Do you really want to stop shadowing me?”
Her eyes darted to the ground. No. She’d loved learning about birthing calves, though she couldn’t see herself doing that sort of thing for a living. Ian’s job was fascinating, but it wasn’t something she’d want for her future. “No.” Her gaze lifted. “But I don’t think I can logically plan on going back to school and getting my degree. I don’t want to waste your time.”
He took two steps closer. “You’re not wasting my time,” he blurted the words unexpectedly. “I like you, Jessica. That is, I enjoy having you around.” He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I just thought maybe you’d like to learn a few things while you’re here.” He held up his hands. “I don’t mean I expect you to.” He blew out a breath and released a small chuckle. “You’re smart. I could tell from the first day we met. On your breaks you’d read a book or visit with some lonely customer. Sometimes you’d help out the other waitress. I never saw you just close yourself off from the world with your phone. There are a lot of interesting things about running a ranch—especially one that also grows food. If you want to stick it out with me, you might find out that you are suited to more than being a waitress for the rest of your life.”
The words stung—but not as bad as she’d expected them to. Hadn’t she thought the exact same thing when she’d been talking to Liz? She’d wanted a way out. Maybe Ian had a point. Here was her chance. It didn’t matter what she picked up while she was here. Any of it could translate to another job. And who knew, she might eventually look into taking some online courses. Maybe.
Jessica took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“But there’s one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“No more storming off.”
Heat crept into her face. “Right, sorry.” He probably didn’t like the fact that she spouted off a bunch of garbage and took off without giving him a chance to voice his side of things. Tucker always had to have the last word too. Maybe it was a guy thing.
“This place is big, and you never know if some animal has come down from the mountains. I’d rather know where you are so I can be sure you’re safe.”
It was a safety issue? Huh. That wasn’t expected. Goosebumps raised the hairs on her arms. Why did he have to be so sweet? One more point on the irresistible scale.Stop it. Just because Ian was smart, sweet, and handsome didn’t mean she was going to chase after him. And she could just stop dwelling on his obvious chivalrous stance on keeping her safe. He would have done the same thing for anyone. Right?
But just one more look into his dark brown eyes and she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to stop any feelings from rising to the surface. She couldn’t get over how easy it appeared for him to understand her. Ian was the kind of guy who would know what her favorite color was when she was happy or sad. He’d be able to pick out the right kind of flowers to cheer her up or to show her he cared.
