AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That I’m too old to be picking fights.”
“You’re not as smart as you think you are Jesse Samuels.” She shook her head and started packing up her things. “Fighting with Hugh Jacobs is pointless.” She picked up her bag. “I’ve heard the rumors. I know everyone in town thinks Hugh will get Alex to the altar but I know for a fact Alexandra Avery doesn’t want to marry him.”
Jesse raised one eyebrow. “And how would you know that?”
She shrugged. “Women’s intuition.”
“There’s no such thing, Grace.”
“Sure there is.” She looked him in the eye. “It’s common knowledge to everyone who lived in Willow Creek before you went off to school that you and Alex have always been sweet on each other.”
“I think you’re the one who got punched in the head.” He laughed again. “There has never been a time Alex was sweet on me.”
“But you are sweet on her.”
He didn’t answer. There was little reason to. The look on her face said she knew she was right. Hell, everyone would know once they heard about that saloon fight. Why else would he jump Hugh Jacobs? He’d never laid eyes on the man before last night. It wouldn’t take people long to figure out what triggered the fight either. Once they learned Hugh was asking Alex to marry him, they’d figure it out pretty damn quick. He smiled and said, “You’ll never hear those words out of my mouth, Grace.”
Her eyes lit up. “You don’t have to say it, Jesse. It’s all over your face every time someone mentions her name. It always has been.” She laid a hand on his arm. “And don’t worry about Hugh. If anyone ever manages to get Alex to the altar, it will be you.”
He snorted a laugh. “And she’ll be kicking and screaming like a wild thing the whole way.” He gave Grace a smile and another kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs. The steps creaked and popped as he made his way to his old room with Grace’s words ringing inside his head.
Thoughts of marrying Alex filled his mind most days but he never really held out much hope it would ever happen—but always hoped it would. Now that Hugh was an issue, the possibility was reduced to zero.
His room looked the same as it had when he left ten years earlier. He kicked off his boots, stripped down and washed, then put on clean clothes. A glance into the mirror showed his face in various shades of blue, black and red. He’d looked better, that’s for sure.
He rubbed a hand over his chin. He needed a shave in the worst sort of way. His eyes were still bloodshot and a small voice in the back of his head whispered that Alex had seen him looking like this. He shook his head. He’d seen saddle bums who looked more presentable than he did at the moment.
Movement outside caught his attention. He peered out the window to the far pasture. Dark shapes came in and out of focus. He walked to the window for a better look.
The fuzzy shapes slowly cleared enough he could see those slow moving objects were cows. Quite a few of them, too. They must have crossed the creek from the Avery place.
Dusting off his hat, he put it on and headed back downstairs, giving Rafe a brief retelling of what he’d seen and told him to stay with Grace, that he’d take care of it.
He saddled his horse and was racing across the east pasture long minutes later. He counted eleven head of cattle when he reached them. They were grazing and looked in no hurry to stop anytime soon. Searching the horizon he realized they’d crossed the creek on their own. Not one of Holden’s ranch hands were to be found.
He made quick work of rounding them up and had them heading back toward the creek in no time. He kept them moving, recalling Aaron telling him Holden had been looking for men to go along with his cattle drive. The idea hadn’t interested him when he’d first heard it. Funny how quickly things change.
Hearing Hugh Jacobs say he was asking Alex to marry him altered every plan he’d every dreamed of. Most of those dreams included her, after all. Living in Willow Creek and watching her saunter around town on Hugh’s arm, seeing her belly swell with his child—it was too much to ask. Being home again had felt like a blessing until last night. Now it felt like punishment.
He crossed the creek, herding the cattle up the opposite bank and saw the Avery ranch hands in the distance. They were herding the other cattle in, trying to move them from the looks of it and doing a piss poor job of it. He rode back behind the small group he’d found and pushed them toward the others. When he reached the cowboys, he was greeted with grateful thanks. Holden Avery joined them a few moments later, his horse winded. The creature stomped to a stop and blew several deep breaths before calming.
“Jesse,” Holden said in way of greeting. He stared for long moments at his battered and bruised skin then smiled. “Please tell me Alex didn’t do that to your face.”
Jesse laughed. “No, sir. I’m a lot better at ducking her swings than I used to be. It wasn’t her.” He knocked up the front of his hat with one knuckle. “But things did take an unusual turn at the saloon last night.”
“They usually do,” Holden joked. “Anything serious?”
The words, “nothing other than some strange man marrying your daughter,” were on the tip of his tongue but he held them and shook his head instead. “Just a little misunderstanding.”
The other ranch hands pushed the herd further up the pasture. Holden stayed behind, content to watch the bawling wave of black, brown and white progress without him.
Neither said a word for long minutes. The ranch hands trying to guide the herd to the right looked lost. Jesse repositioned his hat. “What is it exactly they’re trying to do?”
Holden chuckled. “They’re trying to move that herd and keep them going in the direction they want but they’re all a bit green for the task. I’ll probably regret the entire trip.”
“It won’t be so bad,” Jesse said. “Sleeping on the ground for two months won’t be fun, especially if it rains, but as long as you have your hat, a good horse, and just enough whiskey to keep you from losing your mind, everything will be fine. Those who don’t know what they’re doing will catch on pretty quick.”
Holden gave him a questioning look. “Is that from experience or hear-say?”
