Chapter 11
Jason
The horse bucked, twisted, and curled to get out from beneath Jason. This wasn’t his usual job, but today, he felt destructive. He needed something physical to keep his mind off the woman who was once again avoiding him like the plague.
In moments, he was flung to the ground and the onlookers seated on the edge of the corral cheered. The wind was knocked from his lungs. His teeth clacked at the impact. Groaning, he stared at the sky and once again went over the events of a week ago.
Isabelle had looked so beaten down by his confession. What he’d hoped would have been reassurances that he could be trusted turned out to sever the thread of whatever they’d managed to develop.
Friendship?
Something on the brink of being more?
A face blocked out the sun and Marcus grinned down at him. Of course, the youngest Palmer would be interested in Mateo’s first attempt at breaking a stubborn horse. Jason had no clue what he was doing, and those who did only offered laughs and encouragement for him to get back in the saddle.
Marcus held out a hand, offering to help him to his feet.
Jason accepted and lunged to his feet. While Marcus patted the dust from his back, Jason dragged the back of his leather-gloved hand along his aching jaw. The physical pain offered only a small reprieve from the inside turmoil he was dealing with.
He shouldn’t have told her; the timing hadn’t been right.
Jason snorted to himself. Was there such a thing as good timing to tell a woman he’d rescued her?
“When are you going to stop torturing yourself?”
The question dragged Jason from his self-destructive haze. “What?”
Marcus gave him a pointed look. What did he know?
Had Isabelle said something? She wouldn’t, would she?
Marcus jerked his head in the direction of the horse where Daniel held the reins.
“When are you going to let someone else give it a try?” Was there actual concern in his voice?
No. The amusement in Marcus’s eyes said it all. They were all enjoying the show.
Jason huffed out a breath. “When that stubborn horse finally understands that someone is going to have to sit in that saddle at some point.” He motioned for his supervisor to lead the horse his way.
Then he shoved his boot into a stirrup and swung his other leg over.
Not even a couple seconds later, the horse wanted him off.
Jason entered the room he shared with Mark, finding his friend in bed with one arm around the back of his head. Mark was staring up at the ceiling and didn’t bother looking in his direction when he said, “I’m not sure Tracy wants to stay here. In Copper Creek.”
Jason paused, wiping the back of his neck with his towel. He’d just gotten out of the shower. After a day of cooking, trying to break in a horse, and the other various chores, he wasn’t ready for a heavy conversation.
And yet at this point, he had heavy topics of his own he wanted to discuss with his friend. Slowly, he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. “Where would she want to go?”
“Her parents live in Denver. I think she wants to be close to them, for when we want to start a family.”
“Start a family?” Jason chuckled. “Have you even set a date yet?”
Slowly, Mark rolled his head around and stared at Jason.
A broad smile stretched across Jason’s face. “Congrats, man. When’s the big day?”
“Four months.”
Jason let out a low whistle. “That’s close. You think she’ll be able to get everything in order?”
Mark shrugged. “She doesn’t seem worried. We don’t want anything big. Small is good. Just close friends and family, you know?”
He nodded, then leaned forward to grab a T-shirt he’d left on the bed before pulling it over his head.
In no time he was dressed and resting on his bed in a similar fashion to Mark.
The ceiling never seemed so appealing as it did in that moment.
How could he confide in Mark about everything that was going on with Isabelle without sharing too much?
He needed advice. And he was tired of getting it from his brother.
“Just spit it out.” Mark sighed.
Jason smiled despite himself. “Hmm?”
“I know you want to talk about something.”
“How do you figure?”
Mark sighed again and turned his head to stare at him. “Do you even realize how sore you’re going to be in the morning? I’ve never seen anyone take a beating like the one you did today. Something’s up and you need to let it out.” After a pause, he said, “Does it have to do with Bella?”
“Don’t call her that,” he muttered.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. But she doesn’t like it.”
Mark frowned. “Okay, Isabelle, then. I take it that’s why you’re putting yourself through the ringer?”
Jason shifted, unable to get comfortable. “Yeah. It’s her.” He half-expected Mark to groan and tell him that his boss’s sister wasn’t worth it. That would be the smart thing. Come to think of it, Mark hadn’t brought up the concerns with dating their boss’s sister at all.
Maybe he should be more concerned with how Mateo would react.
Shaking his head, Jason attempted to focus again.
His issues weren’t about a relationship. He wasn’t trying to get her to date him. He was trying to help her heal. That was all this was. Jason would rationalize all he needed in order to keep nosy Nellies out of his business.
Isabelle needed help. She needed hope. She needed to heal.
Jason cleared his throat. “It’s not what you think, though. This isn’t romantic.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
Jason scowled but didn’t bother looking in Mark’s direction. “It isn’t.”
“Then what’s the problem? Because I’ve seen the way you look at her. There’s no hiding that kind of interest. And that night at the bar—”
Darting up in his bed, Jason raked two hands through his hair. “She was drugged that night, Mark.”
His friend slowly sat up and faced him. “What?” he whispered.
Jason attempted to swallow the knot in his throat and nodded. “That guy she was with…” He didn’t have to finish his statement. Mark could fill in the blanks. “Anyway, I stopped anything from going too far and took her to the hospital.”
“Your brother?”
Nodding, Jason climbed off the edge of the bed and paced. “Yeah. He helped her. They did some tests to confirm my suspicions, and they kept her overnight.”
“But… why hasn’t she said anything?”
“She can’t remember. I don’t know, Mark. I think she blocked it out. She blocked a lot of that night out.”
His friend cursed under his breath. Those were Jason’s sentiments exactly. “Did the guy get charged? Please tell me he—”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. My brother couldn’t tell me much because of patient confidentiality. Anyway, at this point it doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s struggling. She’s not… happy.”
“And you know this because?”
Jason shot his friend a sharp look, to which Mark lifted placating hands. “She’s not sleeping. She’s having panic attacks.” Before Mark could ask him how he knew that little bit of information, Jason went on. “I’ve witnessed two of them. It’s like she’s drowning, and I don’t know what to do.”
Mark was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed.
“You’re not going to like this, but honestly?
It’s not your job to—” His words were cut off when Jason glowered at him again.
Blowing out a breath, Mark shook his head.
“Okay, let me ask you something. When you guys… hang out… does she seem to be doing okay?”
Jason’s brows furrowed. “Compared to what?”
“I dunno,” Mark said with a shrug. “Does she seem to be coming out of her shell? Is she opening up with you even a little?”
“I guess so.”
“Then maybe all you can do is keep it up.”
Jason growled with frustration. “She’s avoiding me, Mark!”
“Why?”
He turned his face to the ceiling and closed his eyes briefly. “I told her.”
“You told her…” Mark drawled.
“I told her I was the one who took her to the hospital.” He didn’t dare look in Mark’s direction. He could already feel the shock coming off his friend in waves. “And before you ask, no, I hadn’t told her that information until about a week ago.”
His friend muttered under his breath, then he laughed quietly.
“It’s not funny.”
“No, you’re right. It’s definitely not funny. But man, way to bury the lead. You kept a secret like that from her since the first day we started working here?”
Jason grimaced, collapsing onto the bed at his side. “Yeah, I did.”
“No wonder she’s keeping her distance. She probably thinks you’re some kind of stalker.”
“Shut up,” Jason muttered. In truth, he hadn’t considered that, but it would make sense.
He’d been there at that bar that night. He’d helped her.
But then he’d shown up at her family’s business and gotten a job.
And now he was inserting himself into her life by going on runs with her in the mornings.
The evidence was everywhere that something was off.
This time, he said, “You’re probably right.”
Mark chuckled again. “You think she’s going to forgive you?”
“That’s just it. That’s what I wanted advice for. What would you do?”
“Oh, you don’t want to know what I would do,” Mark said.
Turning his head to meet Mark’s eyes, Jason stared with curiosity.
His friend flashed him a wicked grin. “I’d take matters into my own hands.
I’d corner her, demand that she talk to me, and then we’d settle things.
You’re both grown-ups. No one is telling you that you can’t confront her.
And she doesn’t get the luxury of hiding away. She’s got responsibilities, right?”
“Right,” Jason said.
“And if you can’t get to her on your own…” Mark settled back onto the bed. “She’s got five siblings who are always around. Get to her through one of them.”
That idea wasn’t a terrible one. Actually, it was pretty great. “Thanks, Mark.”
“No problem.”
Maybe it was time to go fishing.