Seek and Cherish: A small-town rockstar rom-com (Sanctuary Book 5)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jaxon

“Wow,” Jared says when I answer my front door. “I checked out a few of your videos after Clover told me who you are. I thought you’d be taller.” He’s probably got six or seven inches on me. His long hair is up in a tight bun and he’s wearing cover-alls. A large bag rests next to his feet.

“I get that a lot.” And it doesn’t bother me, though he’s clearly trying to. “Fortunately, height doesn’t matter in my business.”

He smirks. “Good thing.”

“You don’t like me. Is it the music?”

His smile is wolfish. “Honey is my wife’s family, so she’s my family. If you hurt Honey, it’ll hurt my wife, and I’ll have to hurt you.”

Ah, Clover told him the whole story about me lying to Honey. Clearly, she’s forgotten the details of that NDA she signed. It’s too bad I like her too much to sue her, but I’m going to have to remind I can if I have to. “Honey’s a lot tougher than any of you seem to think she is.”

He shrugs. “I don’t know about that, but you hurt her, I’ll hurt you.”

“Got it. Can you just promise me whatever you’re about to do to Barley isn’t going to hurt him?”

Jared’s whole demeanor changes. “The procedure is simple and quick. Since the goat is an adult, I’m going to perform a surgical castration. He’ll need to be sedated and you’ll need to keep an eye on him and prevent him from injuring himself for several days after the procedure. Do you have a way to separate him from the other goat?”

My own testicles ache in sympathy. “He has a kennel I can lock him in, but he’s not going to like being separated from Begonia.”

Jared frowns. “He’s currently with the female goat? For how long?”

“A few days.”

“It’s highly likely she’s already pregnant, but I won’t be able to tell for a few weeks. You have a plan for baby goats?”

I can’t help smiling at the thought of tiny little versions of Begonia and Barley frolicking around the play area. Immediately, sadness at the thought of leaving them all behind when I go back on tour overwhelms me. “I can handle it.”

He looks me up and down and shakes his head. “Why don’t you introduce me to Barley?”

He whistles appreciatively when I lead him around back and he sees the play area and the kennels. “Fancy.”

“Barley’s the brown and white one curled up on the swing. His kennel is the one closest to the house.”

“Got it.” Jared lets himself into the play area and closes the gate. He pauses and points at the flashing red light of the camera. “Get any predators out here?”

“Not yet. But the camera and the alarm seemed like a good idea.”

“What are you going to do if you spot a bear breaking down the fence to get at your goats?”

“I have bear spray.”

“Coyotes and bobcats are more likely to attack goats, but it’s rare.”

“Good to know.”

He nods. “You probably want to wait in the house or around front. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

“Yeah.” I can’t seem to move. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Jared crosses over to Barley on the swing and lifts the little goat like he weighs nothing, carrying him into the back half of the kennel where a wall blocks my view.

“Come on, tough guy,” a sweet voice says. “Let’s go inside.”

I turn to see Honey, in shorts and a midriff baring tank top, her long hair down and loose. “What are you doing here?”

“We have treasure hunting plans. Plus, Clover told me Jared would be out here early.” Her mouth twists. “Thanks for spilling the beans about me hanging out here, by the way.”

“She figured it out as soon as I told her about Begonia.”

She links her arm through mine and pulls me away from the fence and around the side of the house. “You should have told her she was wrong, Mac. You should have told her you adopted Begonia from someone who had to move away and couldn’t take care of her or something.”

“Huh. That would have been a good idea.”

She slaps my shoulder gently and lets us into my house.

“Wow,” she says. “Were you robbed?”

I focus in on the interior of my home and see it through her eyes. I didn’t clean up from dinner last night, because I wasn’t in the mood. One of the wonderful things about living alone and never having visitors is that I don’t have to clean if I don’t feel like it.

I also fell asleep on the couch reading, got hot in the middle of the night, and left my peeled-off clothes on the floor.

I haven’t cleaned up from breakfast and I tore the rest of the house apart looking for my phone - it had fallen between the couch cushions while I slept.

Honey’s already seen the mess, so there’s no point in trying to hide it, but cleaning gives me something to do to take my mind off Barley.

I’m putting dirty plates into the dishwasher when it hits me that Jared knows who I am and might decide to tell Honey, no matter what he promised Clover. I freeze, bent over the dishwasher, halfway to putting a dish in.

“You okay?” Honey asks. “Barley’s going to be fine, you know. Jared’s excellent at what he does.”

I drop the plate in the dishwasher and straighten.

Honey’s seated at my kitchen table, watching me intently.

“Do you want something to drink? A snack? Have you had breakfast?”

“I’m fine. You just focus on what you need to do to keep your mind off Barley.”

I nod. “Cleaning is helping. I don’t mean to be rude, but—”

“And I don’t mean to be rude by not offering to help, but cleaning is a stress relief for a lot of people and that seems to be how you’re using it right now.”

My shoulders drop a centimeter and tension whooshes out of me. Honey’s here for me. She doesn’t need me to do anything for her. “Thank you.”

The knock on my door comes before I’ve finished washing the pots and pans. “That was quick. Do you think it’s too quick? Did something happen?”

Honey gives me a sweet, gentle smile. “I’ll answer the door for you. I’m sure it’s fine, but if it’s bad news, Jared can tell me first.”

“Yeah, okay. I…” Except Jared might tell her who I am. “No. I got it.”

I sprint past her, ignoring her outraged, “Hey!”

Jared is on the front stoop, calm as can be. “It’s all done, man. No complications. He’s sleeping now and should be out for another hour or so. Monitor him starting in about an hour if you’re around.”

“I’ll be here.” I pass him five hundred-dollar bills. It’s five times what Clover said it would cost, but it can’t hurt to tip this guy well and stay on his good side. I should have him sign an NDA, but I can’t do that with Honey here.

“Just check on him a couple times a day for the next week, to make sure there’s no injury to the area and no swelling or anything. I… Oh, hey, Honey. I didn’t realize you were here.” He narrows his eyes at me.

“I got here while you were with Barley.” Honey smiles brightly at her cousin-in-law. Clearly, she likes the guy. “Glad he got through it okay.”

“He’s going to be just fine. I’ll be back to check on him early next week, but call if he’s acting strange or you see anything that doesn’t look right.”

“I will,” I say. “Thank you.”

Jared turns to step off the stoop, but stops and turns back to me, his expression pure trouble. “I forgot to ask. When are you going on tour again? I’ve got—”

“Tour?” Shit. I wasn’t expecting this. “Do you mean when I teach at other universities? We call that…” I look at the sky, but there’s no help there. “We don’t call it a tour.”

Jared smirks. “You’re a teacher, too? I’m talking about—”

I step out of the house and practically clothesline him as I throw an arm around his neck and pull him off the porch with me. “Let me walk you to your truck. I have a few questions about Barley’s recovery.”

“Right.” Jared chuckles. Somehow, he still sounds calm. Does nothing get to this guy?

He’s bigger than me, but he doesn’t fight me as I hurry us both to his truck. “I know you don’t agree with what I’m doing, but I need to be the one to tell Honey the truth.”

He shakes off my arm and stops next to the truck, glancing back at Honey, who’s standing on the stoop and watching us in complete confusion. “And why should I believe you have any intention of ever telling her the truth?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Nothing that’s in the press about me right now is true or good. I want her to get to know me as a person before she reads that crap.”

He clenches his jaw and narrows his eyes, and I’m sure I’m about to get punched. “I read about that shit. You saying you aren’t a cheater as well as a liar?”

I wince. “I’m not a cheater. You have no reason to believe me, but it’s the truth.”

He studies me for several long moments, before he shakes his head with a grimace. “She seems to know you now. You need to tell her.”

“I will. What did you want to know about my tour?”

He looks at Honey, grinding his teeth, before looking back at me. “I have a niece who’s a huge fan of yours. I want three tickets…” He pauses and looks at the sky. “Make that ten tickets and backstage passes to whatever concert is closest to Catalpa Creek.”

He doesn’t have to explain that’s the price for his silence.

“Not a problem. You’ll have the best seats in the house.”

He slaps my back harder than necessary. “Thanks.” He gets in his truck and rolls down the window, starting the engine as he glares at me. “Be good to Honey.”

“I promise.”

He nods and backs up to pull out of my driveway.

“What was that all about?” Honey crosses the front yard to meet me.

“His wife is your cousin. He was explaining to me that if I make you sad he’ll end me.”

“He’s such a good guy.” Honey smiles fondly, apparently unconcerned about my end. “What was he saying about a tour?”

A lifetime of having to say the right things to reporters should have prepared me for this, but I never went to college. All I know about what professors do is what I’ve seen in movies. “I’m not sure. Clover told him I’m a professor, and he thought I might offer classes at the local university sometimes. He called it a tour. Like professors travel from college to college offering lectures.”

She frowns at me thoughtfully. “Weird. I didn’t know Jared was interested in taking more classes.”

I shrug. “We need to check on Barley in an hour, but there’s a site on your treasure map that’s not too far from here. We could get there and back before Barley wakes up.”

“You’re sweet.” Honey brushes her fingertips lightly over my cheek and I lean into her, gripping her hip in one hand. Her blink lasts longer than usual. “I know you’d rather be here with Barley in case something happens. We can postpone our hunting until tomorrow.”

This woman couldn’t possibly be any more perfect. I pull her close and wrap my arms around her waist. “Thank you.”

She hugs me back without hesitation, rubbing my back. “Of course.”

She doesn’t seem any more eager to end the hug than I am and we stand there for several minutes, just holding onto one another. She feels amazing in my arms and she’s rubbing my back in slow, comforting circles.

I pull her tighter against me, her hair brushing the backs of my hands. She smells so good, and I press a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

She pulls away suddenly. “We should check on Barley.”

She practically runs to the house and around it. I watch her go, and try to convince myself it’s for the best. As much as I’d love for her to run to me the way she keeps running away, it would only end in heartbreak for us both.