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Speaking of talking… I had to talk to Jake before he saw Cade again, or there might be a face off and bloodshed.
Of course, I didn’t believe Jake could take Cade in an old-school fist fight. But I didn’t really know what Jake’s capabilities were, so I needed to intervene before anything happened.
In the entryway, I spotted him on the porch through the long sidelight window beside the door. It was the perfect opportunity. I didn’t have to ask him to go outside and he couldn’t tell me no, as he was already out there.
Plucking what I thought was Liv’s denim jacket off the coat rack, I put it on and exited the house. A hint of an early-morning rain, damp dirt, and manure from Cade’s cattle farm blew in the breeze, perking up my senses. Mornings on the farm had always been peaceful, much like waking up to the waves crashing on thebeach behind Jake’s place. I loved to sleep with the sliding door open so I could be surrounded by the ocean air.
“How’s it going?” I went beside him and leaned against the porch railing.
“All right. Been trying to figure out how you grew up here and turned out the way you did.” He checked me out from head to toe as if studying a science project. “I mean, you never looked like a homely country girl.”
“Bet if I did, you wouldn’t have noticed me.”
“Nope.” He snorted.
Whoa, Nelly!My feathers were getting ruffled, but I wouldn’t let him jerk a reaction out of me. “Wanna take a walk?” I calmly asked.
“Sure. Not much else to do.”
“We could clean the barn or pick vegetables.” I grinned, knowing full well he’d never do either.
“Pass.” He went down the steps.
“Maybe you should put on muck boots. Wouldn’t want your expensive black oxfords to get ruined.”
“I’m fine.”
“O-kay.” I rolled my eyes. He was too damn proud to wear someone else’s shoes. I’d given him ideas on what to pack, like bringing his oldest pair of sneakers, but Jake had blown me off. Our little stroll on the farm after the rain just might be the highlight of our trip… for me, anyway.
“What is that God-awful smell?” He rubbed his finger against his nose.
I inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. “Country living at its finest. Out here”—I lifted my arms out to my sides—“is where all your food comes from. Farms like my parents and neighbors work hard to feed the country. Let’s appreciate their labor and dedication.”
“I’m certain my produce doesn’t come from smelly farms. The people at the farmer’s market look put together.”
“You’re an idiot,” I told him through gritted teeth. And he was arrogant and disrespectful. Had he always been this way?
Because I was feeling feisty and defensive, I lured him toward the barn, curious about his reaction to the free-ranging roosters and hens.
“I’ve missed the quiet and wide open spaces.” I let my thoughts out of my mouth, instead of guarding them as I usually did with Jake. And why had I had a thick filter with him? Had I sensed he wouldn’t like the real me so I made myself be how he wanted me to be? Or perhaps I’d just lost myself, while living my best life in Southern California.
“What quiet? I was startled awake before six in the morning by an annoying rooster.”
“In the city, there are sirens from sunup to sundown.”
“That’s why I live on the beach and not in the city.” He stopped walking and faced me. “Don’t you miss home?”
“We haven’t been gone long enough to miss it,” I told him honestly. But really, I didn’t know if I would ever miss the West Coast. I assumed I would, but not more than I’d missed my family and my hometown. Strangely, after two years of not being here, I felt differently than I did before.
“Now, that’s just crazy talk,” he said with amusement in his voice. He took my hand and moved in for a kiss.
Out of the corner of my eye, a blur of black charged for us. “Jake, watch out!” I pushed him behind me and swung my leg to knock the rooster to the side before he dug his spurs into Jake’s leg. Hens gathered around our feet, and I instantly felt guilty for not warning him.
“Jesus Christ! What the fuck is wrong with these birds? Why aren’t they locked up?” He clawed at my back. He would probably be in my arms if he thought I could hold him.
“They’re just doing their thing. We don’t put our flock in a pen.”
“Well, that’s just stupid.” Clearly, Jake was intimidated by the feathered residents.
