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Just an hour ago, he was sure he was falling in love with her. But now… He groaned inwardly, hating how fickle his emotions were being.
If it wasn’t so late, he’d call her right now. Ask her point blank.
He probably wasn’t in the best frame of mind to do so. The last thing he wanted was to make Jana feel like he was coming down on her. Drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, he thought about it from all angles. What if the worst case scenario happened and Prosperity Ranch had their grant funds cut? What else could bring in additional income?
Knox thought through the aspects of the ranch. Holt had been training rodeo horses from all over the state before the grant. But as small-town rodeos had been dying out for the last decade, those clients had faded. The ranch’s clientele had been drastically reduced. So Holt had started traveling around the state, and even to ranches out of state, to train rodeo horses. But that took him away from the ranch management, and with their parents getting older, someone else needed to step in.
But Knox was off following his dreams, and Lane was in school.
Now, Knox hoped he could help in some way to keep Prosperity Ranch running to its full potential. If the grant thing couldn’t be changed, then he’d have to come up with something to help.
By mid-morning the next day, Knox hadn’t slept more than a few hours, and he’d already done his practice round through the San Antonio arena. Jana hadn’t called, which he had to admit, he felt a little disappointed in. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him from calling her.
He hung up his rodeo gear in his assigned space, then walked out into the arena, where some other cowboys were going through some roping practice drills. He pulled out his cell phone and called Jana’s number. It rang three times, then went to voicemail. Was that early? Had she blocked his call?
He turned his focus to the cowboy swinging his rope, missing the calf by about a foot. Roping had never been his thing, but hats off to the cowboys who did it. Five minutes passed, maybe ten. Who was counting? He dialed Jana again.
This time, she answered. “Hello?”
Relief flooded through him immediately, and he knew all the doubtful feelings he’d built up over the drive to San Antonio and throughout this morning had disappeared in an instant. He was just happy to hear her voice, happy that she’d answered.
“You didn’t call.”
“No how are you doing, or thanks for answering my call?”
Knox smiled at the teasing tone in her voice. “How are you, sweetheart? And thank you from the bottom of my heart for answering your phone.”
Jana laughed. But it wasn’t through the phone. It was…
He turned to see a beautiful sight.
Jana was walking toward him. She was here. Really here. His gaze soaked in all of her. From the red waves about her shoulders, to the white blouse, to her black jeans and black boots. She looked classy and elegant. And his heart had completely melted.
“Are you a mirage?” he said, unable to stop the grin on his face.
Her smile was absolutely breathtaking. “Judge for yourself, Mr. Bull-Rider.”
He wasn’t wasting another second; he strode to her, then scooped her into his arms. Lifting her, he spun her slowly.
“Knox, put me down,” Jana said with a laugh.
He obliged, but he didn’t release her. Frankly, he never wanted to release her. Jana in his arms felt like heaven had come down to earth. “You’re not a mirage,” he whispered.
“I’m not,” she whispered back.
He closed the distance between them, his mouth finding hers. She grasped his shoulders as he kissed her. He pushed away any questions he had about her dad’s business, and just breathed in everything about her—her sweet scent, the warmth of her mouth, the press of her body against his.
“Knox,” Jana murmured. “We’re in public.”
“I know,” he murmured back, then kept kissing her, his hands shifting to cradle her face.
“You need to cool it off.” Her tone held amusement.
“I know,” he murmured again, his mouth moving to her jaw.
“Right now.”
Knox buried his face against her neck. He exhaled, and Jana slid her hands down his arms. She stepped away from him, and he lifted his head, feeling like he’d just awakened from a deep, delicious dream.
