Chapter Nine
Jeremy—Mason TX.
I COULD HEAR KENNEDY AND her friend laughing outside. I looked up and saw her standing outside staring at me. She looked shocked and then something else. She looked so adorable in her shorts and tank top from last night. I could see her nipples through the fabric again and the shorts are just short enough that I can see her cute ass. Just as I was about to slowly go back to my room to put on a shirt, she walked in the house. I would love to know what they talked about because I know that I’m a big topic of conversation in this town. Her friend acted like seeing a guy in her house was something that’s unusual, something that I am strangely alright with.
“So who was your friend?” I try to ask casually.
“Oh sorry, that’s Ari Johnson. She and her husband live next door with their two adorable kids and raise horses. Her husband Jeff is going to come and help me with a new horse. He has a couple of Broodmares that I have been trying to mate with my mare’s.” I must have looked at her like she was speaking a different language because she laughed. “I am trying to breed my female horses with his male horses., you know, use them as studs. Don’t worry, you are just supposed to rest. I do this all the time.” she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “I’m going to fix some scrambled eggs and bacon. Do you want some?”
“That would be great, thank you.” I turned back around and sat, transfixed as she made her way around the kitchen. I could tell she knew her way around the room as she cracked the egg and whisked them while frying the bacon. Since I can’t cook, I think even the simplest of things that she does are fun to watch. “So, do you like to cook?” I ask, suddenly wanting to know everything I can about her.
“I do, my Nana taught me several of the family recipes and on Sundays everyone comes here for supper.” She set a plate in front of me and then sat down next to me. I took a bite of the eggs.
“This is really good.” I said. “I don’t use my kitchen much in my loft. I either microwave everything or eat out. I can make coffee and that’s about it.” she bumped my shoulder.
“Well I guess I can teach you a few tricks in the kitchen.” I choked on my coffee. “Are you alright?” I held onto my ribs, damn that hurt.
“Umm yeah, but I can’t laugh yet. Damnit that hurt.” I took a couple of breaths and then looked at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, just trying to figure you out. One moment you don’t want me here and the next you’re offering to teach me how to cook.” I watched her as she tried to figure out what to say.
“I’m not good at this.” He looked down and sighed.
“Good at what?”
“Trusting guys, letting them get close to me. I don’t think my heart can do this again, I seriously think that it’s been broken too many times.” she looked at me, her eyes shining with tears. “That’s why I concentrate on the ranch. At least I know that the horses won’t break my heart.” She started to get up but I placed my hand on her arm to stop her. I felt the shock roll through me.
“Kennedy, I am not here to break your heart and I do really want to get to know you.”
“You live in Nashville, that’s where your life is. You have a job and a life there and my life is here. So why start something that is only going to leave us both with a broken heart.” She took her plate and placed it in the dishwasher, then walked back to her room. I heard the door shut and I just sat there, stunned. I should pack up and leave. I didn’t come here looking for a relationship. I came here to try and get her to record a real demo. She said no. So I should leave and just let her get on with her life. But as I slowly got up to put my plate in the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen, I knew that wouldn’t happen, She is under my skin, her smile, her touch. I slowly walk to the front door and look out over the front yard and then right to where the barn is. I never liked getting dirty and I have never been on a horse until yesterday. I always wanted to be inside working on the computer and playing music. I shook my head, am I willing to change for her? Hell, we haven’t even kissed yet but right now, at this very moment I think that I might want to. Something tells me she is worth it.
After carefully taking a shower and getting dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I make my way outside to the barn where I find her brushing the horses. She’s talking to them while she works so I stand back and just watch. You can see the love that she has for the horses as she brushes them. I watch as she checks their hooves and I’m assuming the shoes. I found a stool to sit on and watched as she went from horse to horse brushing and checking on them. Rufus came running, putting his paws on my leg. I scratched behind his ear.
“Good boy, are you watching your mom?” I said as he wagged his tail. I looked up and Kennedy was watching us, biting her lip. I smiled at her and slowly got up and walked over to her. I removed her lip from between her teeth and rubbed it with my finger. “Don’t bite your lip, it’s too pretty to bruise.” She licked her lips where I had just touched. God I am dying to kiss her. I lean down and touch her lips with mine and I feel the jolt of electricity again. Damn.
“I have been wanting to do that since last night.” I said as I looked into her eyes. Just as I leaned into do it again we are interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I looked up and there was a guy leaning up against the door, just watching us.
“Umm we have company.” She turned around and blushed. “Oh hi Jeff, This is Jeremy. He’s a friend of mine.” She said as she smiled at me and then went to give him a hug. Alright who is this guy, she is pretty familiar with him.
“Hey.” He says as he looks me over. Should I be worried. I walk over and shake his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” I say as he squeezes my hand.
“You too, have you known each other long?” What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?
“We met in Nashville when I went to help Stacy get settled in. Jeremy works at a recording studio.” She said. I stood closer to her and saw this Jeff guy smirk, Kennedy must have noticed the tension because she looked at me, “Jeff is Ari’s husband, he is here to help me with my new horse.” I watched her walk over to a stall and they were talking about the horse while I stood and watched. I am so out of my league here but I can’t walk away. Plus that kiss, DAMN, she is so sweet and tender. She makes me want more.
I sat and watched as they talked and then led the horse outside to the pasture. I followed with Rufus by my side and sat on a log, watching them. I have always hated being outside unless I am skiing or snowboarding. I never played in the dirt or liked getting dirty. But as I watch her, how bad would it really be to spend more time outside? I sit there for what seems like hours and watch the two of them. I needed to take a pain pill because I couldn’t stand the pain any longer so I went back to the house and grabbed some water to down the pills. I look around her house and see photos of Kennedy with her sister. She is sitting on top of a horse with a ribbon across her chest and a trophy. I take a closer look, she looks like she’s about fifteen years old. I moved along to some photos of her with an older couple and her sister and another one with just her and the older man. These must be her grandparents. The older man looks like her father, she is sitting on his lap and he is holding her hands on a guitar, it looks like he is showing her how to play. She has the biggest smile on her face. I see one more of her, older now with the guitar and it looks like she is singing to the older man in a hospital bed. I can see the hurt in her eyes, you could almost feel it when you looked at the photograph.
“That’s my grandfather.” she says quietly behind me. I didn’t even hear her come in. “He left me this ranch which he built for my grandmother.” I turned to look at her.
“Is he the reason you don’t sing anymore?” I finally understand now, just from a photograph. I saw the tears building in her eyes, I took her in my arms and she wrapped hers around me.
“He taught me how to play the guitar, I would play while he sang or we would sing together. His dream was to perform on the Grand Old Opry stage, instead he would take my grandmother there to watch it live.” She took a deep breath. “Once he was diagnosed with Laryngeal Cancer he couldn’t sing anymore so I sang to him. Last time I sang for him was at his funeral. It was his only request. After that I never sang for anyone again.” she laughed guietly to herself, “I have never told anyone that.” I kissed the top of her head.
“I get it now, why you don’t sing. Even though you can you have lost the love for singing, right?”
Nodding she looked up at me. “I just don’t have the love or the passion to sing or play the guitar anymore.” I leaned down and touched my lips to hers again. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, I ran my tongue over her bottom lip. She darted her tongue out to meet mine. I took that as an opening to tangle my tongue with hers. As she opened her mouth wider I kissed her with long strokes of my tongue. Causing her to moan. I kept my hands wrapped around her. All we did was kiss, long devouring kisses. God, I have never kissed someone like this before, to the point that I am light headed from lack of oxygen. The only reason we stopped is because I heard someone closing a car door. I pull back and look into her eyes. They are wide and bright, almost black. She smiles and bites her lip again.
“Don’t do that.” I tease. As we hear footsteps on the porch she pulls away and walks quickly into her bedroom and closes her door. Before I can follow her, I hear the door open and her mom and dad walk into the house.
“There you are, I came to check on the patient.” Her mom says as she walks over to me. She motions for me to sit down so I do as I’m told. I heard the door open behind me and her voice moved right through me. What the hell! I couldn’t turn around because her mom was trying to look in my eyes with a pin light.
“How’s the head?” She asked.
“Hurts some but not as bad as yesterday.” she checked my face and seemed pleased with what she saw. It still hurts but I think it’s from the impact of the bag more than anything.
“And how are the ribs?” She motioned for me to lift up my T-shirt.
“Sore, I didn’t sleep much last night.” I am not going to tell her it’s because of her daughter sleeping in the room next door.
“I will change the tape tomorrow, you need to take it easy. If there is a hairline fracture in your ribs I don’t want sudden movements to create a full break.” I could hear Kennedy talking to her dad but with her mom examining me I couldn’t turn around. “Are you taking the medication for the pain?” I nodded as she kept up the exam.
“So have you ever been to Texas before?”
“No Mam, I am from California originally and I have lived in Nashville for the last five years.”
“What do you think of Mason so far?” She smirked at me while she watched her daughter.
“Well, I am not a country guy and I have never been a big fan of getting dirty, but there is something about being here that is calming. I don’t feel the need to check my phone every five minutes, partially because it doesn’t seem to work here. But, being on the ranch is pretty relaxing. Maybe because I’m limited to what I can do with my ribs, but so far I like it.” I look over at Kennedy and she is watching me.
“I see.” Her mom says. I look at her and she is smiling.
“What?” I ask, I don’t like the way she’s looking at me, almost like she has figured me out.
“Oh nothing. I just know where you are coming from.” She smirked at me. “Let’s go out and sit on the swing and talk.” Oh damn. We walked by Kennedy and her dad, both of them watching us as we walked outside. After sitting on the swing for a few minutes, her mom looked at me and smiled.
“I know you can’t tell but I am not originally from Texas, I moved out here for school and met Henry. It was love at first sight. My parents told me to finish college and start my residency before getting involved with anyone but I knew what I wanted to do. So, after dating for four months, Henry and I eloped. We ran away to Vegas and got married, both our parents thought we were too young. He was going to school for Ag management and I still had years of medical school in front of me. But we didn’t care. My only problem was that I had never had anything to do with a ranch. You see I grew up a military kid. Moving every couple of years when my dad got a new assignment. So, cattle and horses were not my thing. I was terrified of horses, I hated getting dirt under my fingernails. But, I loved Henry. This ranch was his life and I knew that someday I would grow to love it.”
What is it with Vegas weddings?
“After we got married, we rented an apartment close to the school until we graduated and then he decided we would rent an apartment close to the hospital where I did my residency. He drove out here every day to work. Leaving at three in the morning some days just to be out here when it was time to feed the cattle and then work the horses. He never once complained about the drive or missing the ranch. Once my residency was up we moved out here and I set up my practice in town with a few other local Doctors.” She looked out at the barn and smiled. “By then Henry’s parents were getting up there in age and his dad started having some medical issues. So, we moved in with them instead of the house that we were building and had our two beautiful girls. One that loves this ranch as much as her dad and grandfather did. The other one longs to be a Doctor too, she was never into the whole ranching thing.” She turned to me and smiled.
“After Henry’s father passed away and he left the ranch to Kennedy, she decided that this ranch was her legacy so she threw herself into it. More horses, less dating. More family time, but I want more for her. I want her to find that soulmate, I never pushed her to go to college and do something other than work on the ranch because I knew it was in her heart” Touching my hand she looked into my eyes just like my mom does. “And I think that person is you.”
What? She has known me for less than twenty-four hours and she thinks that I am her daughters soulmate?
“I know you think I’m crazy but I can tell. There has to be something there or you wouldn’t have flown all this way just to bring my daughter a CD.”
“But we just met, how can you tell?” I ask, shocked by how bold she is with a stranger.
“I just know. She lights up when you’re in the room. She’s very protective of you, she never would have let anyone that she didn’t really know stay in her house. Her heart has been broken to many times to count but she trusts you. Plus Rufus likes you.” I looked down at the dog who had been by my side all day. “You don’t seem intimidated by her desire to work with the horses like most men would be. They feel like they need to be the one to do the manual labor and the woman should be in the house cooking and taking care of the kids.”
Damn she’s good.
“See where this goes, you never know . . . I might be right.” and with that she got up and walked over to the barn. I sat and looked out at the horses and then down at Rufus.
“What do I do now Rufus?”