Chapter 6

Sara

I smiled at him and got out of the car, walking around and standing in front of it. He followed me, leaning up against the hood and looking up at the stars. I tried to focus and not get caught up in this gorgeous guy in front of me, but it was difficult.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars,” he said.

While he was staring up at the sky, I was staring at him, watching his profile in the starlight. I could feel my breathing intensify, and I tried to focus back up at the sky. However, I found myself looking back at him out of the corner of my eye. He was stunningly attractive with all the perfect features, the blond wavy hair, and the tight muscles. On top of all of that, he seemed to be a really nice guy. There definitely had to be something wrong with him. My first clue was the fact that he was in Bonanza, and he didn’t live there. What the hell was a guy like that doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?

“You never told me your name,” I said.

“Oh, how rude of me.” He chuckled. “I’m Ryan.”

“Nice to meet you,” I smiled. “So, what the hell are you doing all the way out here in Bonanza. I mean, we’ve already established you aren’t from here.”

“That’s a good question,” he said, flashing me his charming smile. “I own a company that’s building a green energy ranch outside of town.”

“Oh,” I said, thinking about the article I’d read in the paper. “I heard about the plans for that ranch. They did a huge write-up in the paper about it. It definitely sounds like a great idea.”

“I hope so.” He chuckled. “I’m putting a lot into it. It’s been my dream since I was younger, and I just had to get to a place where I could afford to do it.”

“Well, everyone in town is ecstatic about it,” I said. “They’re really looking forward to the opportunities it could provide for us.”

“That’s really great to hear,” he said. “You never know with these kinds of things, especially next to small towns. Sometimes, they’re excited, and sometimes, they come after you with torches and pitchforks.”

“I don’t think there’ll be any rioting.” I laughed. “The town thinks you’re an angel that came to save them all.”

A smirk crossed his lips, and I knew he had seen the perfect opportunity for a little bit of flirting. He laughed loudly at the angel comment and looked up at me, pinning me with a fiery stare. Heat blew through my chest, and I shuffled back and forth in my heels, feeling like my knees were going to give out on me.

“I’m definitely no angel,” he said in a deep voice.

The look sent shivers down my spine, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. He stood up off the hood and took a step toward me, his eyes dark. I swore for a second, he was going to kiss me, but maybe that was my wishful thinking.

“So, Sara,” he said with a grin. “When can I see you again? I mean for the date I paid five grand to have with you, of course.”

“I don’t know,” I said, rolling my eyes. “That is some pretty hefty expectation on your end, sir. I just don’t know how I am supposed to live up to five thousand dollars’ worth of expectations. This town is only so big, and the fanciest restaurant we have has plastic tablecloths. You might just be in for a disappointment.”

“I don’t think disappointment is in the cards,” he said. “Especially since I think you already lived up to the five grand’s worth of expectations.”

I smiled, looking down at the ground. I could feel my cheeks growing hotter, and I just knew my entire face was red. He was so damn sweet, and it was hard to take all at once. I gathered myself and looked back up at him.

“How about Friday night?” I said.

He smiled a big, toothy smile and looked back over his shoulder as his driver pulled up to the curb. I took his coat from my shoulders and handed it back to him. He hung it over his finger and then threw it over his shoulder, still staring me right in the eyes. He looked back at the black SUV waiting for him and then at me again.

“I’ll pick you up on Friday,” he said with charm.

He reached forward and cupped my cheek with his hand again, leaning forward and pressing his lips against the other one. I could smell his cologne, and the heat of his body made me shake in the knees. A shock of electricity jolted me at the touch of his lips, and it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Slowly, he pulled back and winked, turning and walking down to the SUV. I stood there unable to move until the car had disappeared around the corner. I shook my head and let out the air trapped in my lungs, turning and walking into the house. I hung my dress up in the closet, running my hand over the sequins one more time before pushing it to the back of the closet. From there, I jumped in the shower and let the hot water roll over me. I was still tingly from Ryan’s kiss, and I sat there replaying it over and over again in my head. Where in the world did this guy come from?

Then, without warning, Janson’s face popped back into my head. I shivered even under the hot water, thinking about his face staring down at me, that twitch under his eye going wild. He had come back into my life in the blink of an eye, and I hated everything about it. Just thinking about him made me sick to my stomach. I turned off the water and got out of the shower, drying myself off and climbing into bed. The last thing I wanted was for my last thoughts before sleep to be of Janson, so I pushed them out of my mind and tried to focus on looking forward to my upcoming date. I drifted off to sleep, knowing the rest of my week was going to be busy.

As the week progressed, I could still feel a confusion of emotions rolling around inside of me. I tried to focus on my work, pushing all that out, but it was almost impossible to do. I was really anticipating the date. I had already had an incredible time with Ryan, and it was only about ten minutes’ worth. I knew if the date went anything like that ten minutes, I would have an amazing time. At the same time, my anxiety was rising almost as quickly. Janson had been out of my life for quite a while, and I had made sure of that by steering clear of anywhere he might be. Now that he had a taste of me again, though, he may not let it go. If he continued to pester me like that, he could make some serious problems for Ryan.

Ryan was a really sweet guy, and even though he had stepped in valiantly in the parking lot, he had no idea what Janson was capable of. Ryan was an innocent person in all of this and was not going to deserve the problems I knew Janson would cause him if we continued to be seen together. I knew I couldn’t hide away from him forever, but the first time I really enjoyed another man’s company ended up being because of Janson and that could severely backfire on both of us.

I spent Thursday afternoon at the horse rescue, doing some intermittent physical therapy, brushing their manes, and helping Alison clean out the barns. After a long afternoon there, I headed home and jumped in the shower to wash the smell of horse and manure off my skin. Even after all that time working with animals, I could still smell the pungent odor of my clothing when I got off work, which was probably a good thing. When I was done, I got out of the shower and wrapped my towel around me, wiping the fog from the mirror. I looked at my face in the reflection, catching some sort of movement in the windows behind me. I gasped and turned around, holding my towel tight against my chest.

Suddenly, I felt as if I were being watched. I looked back and forth, starting to panic. I grabbed my robe and threw it on before running to the windows, closing the blinds and making sure they were locked. A sound outside made me jump, and I ran to the door and pulled on it, making sure it, too, was secure. I went into the bedroom and sat down, rubbing my hands over my face. I was freaking out, and it was for no reason. It had to be stress, so I changed into my pajamas and went to bed, trying to keep my mind focused on other things.

When I woke up in the morning, I felt a bit better, so I got dressed for work and headed out. As I stepped down the stairs and turned toward my car, I shrieked, finding a dead cat laid out in front of the garage door. Chills ran up my spine at the sight of it. I covered my eyes and groaned, trying to shake the dark feeling out of my chest. I turned back around and bent down in front of the cat. It looked as if it had been hit by a car or possibly fallen and broken its neck. I shook my head and walked into the garage to grab a box. I kept telling myself there was nothing nefarious going on. It was just somebody who had brought it there knowing I was the vet, thinking they were doing the right thing. That had to be all it was. There was no reason for anyone else to do something that horrible to me.

I put the cat in a box and in the trunk of my car and headed toward work. I wanted to believe someone dropping the animal off was all it was, but in the back of my mind, there was something nagging at me, something telling me it was even more sinister than that. I reached down and turned on the music, not wanting to think about what that sinister thing might be. It was too much for me to handle.

My mood was off all day at work, that cat simmering in my mind. I tried to put it out of my mind by calling the mortuary and asking if she could bring the deceased animal over for proper disposal. Maybe if it were out of sight, it would be out of mind as well. After I dropped off the cat, I headed over to the stables to see Alison.

“Hey,” I said, walking up.

“Hey, girl, did you drop the cat off?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I just feel off from it, you know? I’m thinking about calling Ryan and canceling tonight.”

“No, no, no,” Alison said, walking over to me. “That cat was a coincidence. It was nothing creepy or anything like that. You need to go out and enjoy yourself. It might jolt you out of this mood.”

“Maybe you’re right.” I smiled.

“Besides, he has to be a better date than Jimmy,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He brought fried chicken from the gas station to the house last night and a copy of Days of Thunder. It was supposed to be a romantic movie night and dinner.”

“Wow.” I laughed. “That’s ridiculous. He has no sense when it comes to that stuff.”

“No, he doesn’t.” She smiled. “Anyway, go home, get a shower, and relax until your date.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, feeling better.

“Call me when it’s over,” she yelled after me.

I hoped it was as good as she thought it was going to be.