Chapter 6
Isabelle
“Who’s this from?” Isabelle stared at the dessert on the kitchen table.
“Beats me,” Marcus said. “But it’s got your name on it, so maybe some secret admirer?” He rested his forearms on the counter, his eyes darting from the soufflé to Isabelle. “Is there something you’re not telling me? You dating someone now?”
“Yeah, right,” she snapped, too quickly.
Great, now Marcus was going to think she was hiding something.
Isabelle shook her head, keeping her focus trained on the dessert.
Softer, she added, “There’s no one in this town worth dating.
And even if there was, do you think any of them would be interested, knowing that I’ve got three overbearing brothers?
” She gave him a pointed look, to which Marcus snickered.
“Come on, we’re not that bad. I’d say Roman was the worst, and he’s evened out quite a bit after he finally started dating Olivia.”
True. Roman had been the hardest to please once upon a time. If he’d ever found out about what had happened with Dillan all those years ago, she didn’t think he’d have his freedom today. Roman would have been locked behind bars.
The thought gave her a modicum of comfort while also stirring up a bout of nerves.
Marcus nudged the treat. “Okay, so whoever it was has to work in the kitchen, right? There’s no reason that someone would drive a soufflé all the way out here.
” He tapped his chin. “Mark has a fiancée, so that leaves Jason and Nikki. But not so long ago, Jason was interested in dating Camilla.” He frowned, his brows pulling together, showcasing that Palmer distrust. “If it’s Jason, he needs a talking to. He can’t just jump from one woman to—”
“See? That right there is the reason why no one will ever attempt to get on my good side or ask me out. You guys are all too quick to judge.” Isabelle pulled the treat closer, surprised to feel the warmth through the ramekin dish.
Her gaze cut to Marcus, and there was no hiding that she knew who had made this for her.
Nikki was too busy. Between her work in the kitchen, being a mom to her son, having one on the way, and spending time with Mateo, there was no way she’d put forth the effort to make something like this just for kicks.
Jason.
Her cheeks flushed and Marcus’s jaw set tight. “I don’t like it.”
“Whatever,” Isabelle brushed him off. “It’s not like this means anything. He’s been working here for years. We bumped into each other after my morning run. I bet he wanted to prove he was a chef before he moved here. I questioned if he was a real chef.” Not entirely a lie. Not entirely the truth.
Thankfully, with Marcus being the youngest, he had less experience figuring out when Isabelle was hiding something. It hadn’t even been a whole day, and Isabelle was already longing to bump into Jason again.
She grabbed a fork from the drawer and dug into the treat. Chocolate goodness exploded on her tongue, and she closed her eyes to allow herself to enjoy something for once. It was amazing.
“Something that good isn’t nothing, Isabelle,” Marcus said, inching closer.
Isabelle handed him a fork. “Whether or not it means anything is irrelevant. I’m not interested in dating, and you know it.
So try a bite or don’t. And let’s drop it, okay?
” She watched him watch her, then breathed out in relief when it appeared he was willing to accept her statement.
His expression softened immediately after tasting his first bite.
“Good, right?” she mused.
“Good? This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
So, she was wrong.
Isabelle could accept that, though she’d never say it out loud.
Days later, she was still thinking about her interaction with Jason. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. Those hazel eyes that seemed to draw her in because they had the strangest way of changing color based on his mood.
When he smiled, they glowed.
When he frowned, they darkened to an earthy brown.
And when he was thoughtful? They swirled with blues and greens together.
Why did they seem so familiar?
Her feet hit the solid earth beneath her as she continued to push herself harder.
Now was not a good time to be fantasizing about the chef with magic eyes.
She needed to stay alert. Dallas, Camilla’s boyfriend, warned her that the wolves were encroaching on Winding Creek territory more and more.
It wasn’t only their ranch that was affected, either.
Livestock attacks were becoming more frequent.
The issue had also been brought to the government’s attention. Dallas said it was only a matter of time before a crew would be called in to relocate them. Until that happened, he didn’t want anyone out and alone in the early hours of the day.
Isabelle hadn’t seen any evidence of the wolves on her runs.
Maybe she wasn’t going far enough to the edges of the property.
Or maybe the pack had moved to hunt elsewhere since Mateo had added some extra security measures.
Regardless, she was fine continuing her runs.
They were a necessity for her mental health.
The rhythmic sound of her sneakers hitting the earth helped to drown out the incessant thoughts that plagued her. Thoughts that she wasn’t good enough. Thoughts that she would be alone forever. Thoughts that she wasn’t strong or worthy of happiness.
Isabelle skidded to a stop, her breathing heavy and tears threatening to burn their way free.
She doubled over, her hands on her knees as she attempted to center herself.
It didn’t matter how many times she’d told herself that things could have been worse that night.
Nor did it matter that, logically speaking, she should be over all of these critical thoughts of herself.
She simply couldn’t escape them, no matter how much time had passed.
Since that night, she’d refused to go out with friends beyond spending time at their homes.
She didn’t go dancing at the new country club—at least not without a fight.
There had been a handful of occasions when Charlie had dragged her out there.
But she’d steered clear of anyone she didn’t trust, and she didn’t accept any drinks whatsoever.
If Charlie thought something was off, she didn’t comment. Charlie was the best. She accepted Isabelle for who she was, secret scars and all.
“You okay?” a deep, rumbling voice shattered the early morning peace.
A scream lodged itself in Isabelle’s throat and she scrambled back a few paces as she searched for the source of the voice.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree.
Isabelle nearly screamed again, but she swallowed down the instinct and glowered at the man.
In the moonlight, his features were highlighted enough for her to recognize him.
They were probably about a five-minute run from the wranglers’ cabin, and if it had been any other time of day, she wouldn’t have given this a second thought.
Her heart jackhammered in her chest as she lifted her wrist to take note of the time. “What are you doing up at four in the morning?”
Jason arched a brow and folded his arms. “I could ask the same thing of you.”
She scoffed and, with a flippant wave of her hand, motioned to her running attire. “I think it’s clear that I go running in the mornings.”
“Mornings? Is that what you call it?” He stared up at the dark sky. “I don’t know that I would call this morning.”
Crossing her arms, she took him in. He wore a jacket, jeans, and a pair of well-worn boots. He wasn’t wearing his usual cowboy hat, but then he didn’t really wear it in the kitchen either. That particular piece of clothing was reserved for when he was out riding and working.
“Are you following me?” This was the second time she’d bumped into him while on her run. “Clearly you’re not out for a run or even a stroll in those shoes.” She nodded pointedly toward his boots.
Jason ignored the question and asked one of his own. “Why are you running in the middle of the night?’
“It’s not the middle of the night,” she argued. When he didn’t speak, she sighed. “I… can’t sleep.”
His brows lifted a fraction, but he still didn’t talk.
“It’s been going on for a while now. I go days sometimes without being able to fall asleep and I get… restless.” She shrugged and looked away. It was another one of her flaws.
“You can’t live like that,” he finally said. “It’s not healthy.
Irritation flared to life in her chest. She wanted to scream at him.
Shouldn’t he realize that she already knew that?
Wouldn’t he assume she’d tried everything to fix this?
The nightmares were one thing, but when she closed her eyes, it was all she could do not to go over the events of that night and try to piece together what she couldn’t remember.
“Do you get any sleep?”
Still, she didn’t look at him. “Sometimes when I finally reach my limit, I’ll sleep all day.” Luckily, her responsibilities around the ranch were flexible enough that her siblings hadn’t been paying attention to her sleeping habits.
She sensed more than saw him approach. Her whole body tensed, and she tightened her arms around herself.
In those boots he wouldn’t be able to get far.
She’d built up enough stamina, strength, and speed to get past him and escape.
Besides, there were plenty of people nearby who would hear her scream.
“Hey.”
She flinched at his voice. Despite it being quiet and soothing, it was too close.
Thankfully, he maintained some distance between them.
When he didn’t continue speaking, she looked up and found him watching her intently.
Goosebumps trailed up her arms and she shivered even though her body was still warm from her run.
She wasn’t sure what he wanted or what he was going to say.
If he thought he could just offer her some recommendations and they’d work, he’d be sorely mistaken.
“Mind if I walk back with you?”