Jake

Did she not get the guy wanted to ask her out?

I angled my head. “Do what? Stop the boy from making a fool of himself?”

“You’re insufferable.” Her muttered words were almost too soft to hear as she stormed out of the house.

I sighed, realizing once again I’d stuck my foot in my mouth. But surely she’d guessed he was about to ask her out. Then again, maybe she wanted him to.

There wasn’t time to go talk to her. I had to check on Dad again. A peek inside his door reassured me he was okay—still sleeping. I went to find Jamie.

The sight of her grooming the horses with Ed warmed my heart. My girl was good with horses. Ed spied me leaning on the fence and came over.

“She’s growing up, that one,” he said. I nodded. “Even though she’s going to first grade this year, in a blink of an eye you’ll be handing her off at her wedding.”

I glared at him. He chuckled and patted my back.

“Get used to the idea. When Sue got married a few years back, I warned Dan I had a rocket launcher.”

I laughed. Sue was Ed’s only daughter from a failed marriage.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let her go,” I admitted.

Ed pursed his lips and silently agreed with me. “What you need is a distraction.”

Thoughts of Honey swirled in my head. Had it only been a day since I’d had her in my bed? It felt like years, and I wanted her back there sooner rather than later.

“Ah, there she is,” he said.

I lifted my head. Honey had her long brown hair pulled back. The jeans she wore clung to her hips and her T-shirt was knotted at her navel, revealing a small slice of skin. It was enough to have me swallowing a groan.

“She’s got poor Mitch tied up in knots. You know he likes a woman with more curves than bones, just like—”

He cut himself off when he realized that I was that guy too.

“He should mind his business,” I said.

Ed tried a grin on me as he searched for something to say.

“Maybe you should tell him that, or I will,” I added, feeling territorial about Honey.

I looked away and watched Jamie walk the horses around the pen with a confidence I didn’t have at her age.

“I think maybe you should let her tell him. It would be better that way.”

What Ed meant was that if I warned him off, Mitch would do it only because I was the boss. In a roundabout way, he reminded me that as such, I shouldn’t meddle in the personal affairs of my employees, including Honey.

I pushed off the fence and headed into the pen as Jamie finished.

“Hey, thanks for helping with the horses,” I told her.

Though she nodded, I waited patiently for her to speak. She took a deep breath and seemed to think about what she wanted to say. It was something the speech therapist told her to do.

“I—I,” she stammered. Like a proud father, I watched as she didn’t let her stutter discourage her. She stopped and tried again. “I like w—” Again she paused. “—walking the horses.”

“Why don’t we put these two up and let you ride Midnight?”

“Yes.” Her smile was off the charts. “Please.”

I covered my mouth to hide my joy. She hadn’t stuttered those words, and I didn’t point it out. These were baby steps—a few words that passed easily from her lips didn’t mean she was cured. But I had hope we’d get there one day.

A car engine had me glancing up. Had Honey left? I stood and watched as plumes of dust trailed the car heading toward us.

Ed came over. “I’ll help Jamie saddle Midnight.”

Feeling betrayed that he was leaving me in the eye of the storm, I asked, “How long have you worked here?”

He grinned at me. “Long enough to see you swaddled in diapers, and long enough to know that’s your problem, not mine.”

His laughter trailed him as I made my way to the front of the house.

Jacque got out of her car and waited for me.

“Jake,” she said, holding up a hand to block the sun.

Mom taught me manners, but I wasn’t feeling charitable at the moment.

“Why are you here? I thought for sure our conversation the other night had cleared things up.”

When she’d interrupted my conversation with Honey, I’d warned her about making things up, like the date we were never going to have. I didn’t care what it cost me. Then again, I would do anything to secure my daughter’s future.

“You were upset that day. I thought I would give you some time to cool off.”

I’d been more than upset. I liked an independent, take-charge woman. What I didn’t like was a liar.

“I haven’t changed my mind,” I said.

She shifted and stood as rigid as a pitchfork, spikes and all.

“I thought you should know that Warren and his son came by with an interesting proposal.”

Though I’d been ready to tell her she should leave, that bit of news stilled my tongue. Warren was relatively a new guy in town, new in that he hadn’t been born and raised here. Slowly, he’d been buying up land from aging ranchers and farmers without heirs.

“They want to buy the farm.”

I masked my shock, or at least I tried to. “Why would they want your place?”

Their land didn’t butt against hers.

She shrugged. “He didn’t give me much time to make up my mind. He said he’s in negotiations with Ned.”

Shit. I ran a hand through my hair. Warren’s farm was east of Ned’s. Who knew what other deals he was making. He could be trying to box me in.

Jacque spoke, breaking into my thoughts. “You know, when Daddy died and left me the land, I had no desire to be a farm owner.” I heard her next words in my head as she spoke them. “I want to be a rancher’s wife.”

She stepped closer. “You and I have been friends a long time. And I remember when you took me to your bed.”

More like she’d caught me on a day not long after Mom’s passing when I needed to feel more than think.

Her hands stroked across my shoulders and down my arms before I caught her wrists.

“Jake, we could be good together. Tara’s gone, and stupid, if you ask me. If you’d been mine, I would’ve done whatever it took to keep you.”

Honey filled my peripheral vision, walking out of the barn with Mitch. She looked up just in time to see Jacque put her mouth on mine.