Chapter Six #2
Her husband’s suit was classic black, with a white pressed shirt, red tie and a red rose peeking out of the breast pocket. Jenna, beside him, looked radiant in a V-neck white wedding gown, an arrangement of red roses with white baby’s breath flowers.
Huh, Jenna had always said she wanted to get married with a bouquet of white tulips. It had been a wedding dream of hers.
Her happiness was unmistakable as she leaned into Tim. The photo captured a moment of profound connection and joy between them.
Axel sighed as raw emotions tangled within him. He was glad she’d found a man she’d loved enough to marry. But he was also sad that he himself hadn’t been that man.
He swore softly as regret pummelled him and he hurried to get the measurements for the window.
* * * * *
Jenna froze the instant she stepped into the dark cool interior of the barn. She'd been coming back in to retrieve a saddle when…
There. A noise. Someone was in here. Walking around up in the hayloft.
Her heart began to race as she remembered the horrific visit from last night. Tried to remember where she’d put her gun after she’d removed it from the living room before making breakfast.
Damn! She’d quickly put it in her bedroom night table, fully loaded. A lot of good it would do her there.
Terror ripped through her as she stood still and listened.
The heavy footsteps moved toward the stairs that would lead down to the main area.
To her.
She kept her gaze on the open doorway of the stairwell.
Heard a slight creak as the perpetrator quickly descended.
Would the intruder dare to come back here in broad daylight? Where was Axel? She had seen him awhile ago outside the ranch house with notebook in hand.
Should she scream? Run?
Before she could even decide, a tall figure appeared in the doorway.
No!
Jenna almost turned to run and scream when she recognized the intruder. Her breath left her lungs in one huge whoosh.
Axel!
How had he come in here without her noticing?
When he saw her he brightened.
“Hey, I was just putting our gear up in the hayloft. Figured it was a good spot for Nick and I to sleep, unless you’d rather us inside the house? Let me know and I can take things back inside. I was about to come out to talk to you. The list is done—”
He stopped mid sentence. Concern ravishing his features.
“What's wrong? Are you okay? Did you see someone?”
He attempted to rush by her, but she reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“It's okay,” she whispered, finding it incredibly arousing at having his muscles flex beneath her fingers.
Wow, one second she was scared she was going to be murdered and the next second she was aroused over a man she hadn’t seen in twelve years. Something was seriously out of whack with her. Her breath caught as his brown gaze dropped to where she held his arm and then up to study her face.
Her pulse fluttered at her throat, betraying her even as she tried to steady her breathing.
Could he read her arousal? In the past he had been so good at that. The shift in his expression snapped her back to herself, and she forced her hands to fall away.
“What scared you?” he asked, a wrinkle furrowing his brow.
That wrinkle was new. It made him look older...and sexier.
“No, it was...you surprised me. I didn't know you were in here,” she admitted.
“Ah, shit. I'm sorry, baby doll. I didn't mean to surprise you again. I should have let you know I’d come in here. I just wanted to get our stuff off the porch and then I was going to show you what work needs to be done. Some of it quite urgently.”
“No worries,” she forced herself to deepen her voice into one of authority, trying so hard to ignore that sweet nickname he’d given her in the past and was still using like nothing had ever happened between them.
“How about we talk about this over lunch. I've still got two horses to work with before I break for lunch.”
She gazed at her watch and a jolt of surprise shot through her. Time had slipped away far too easily around him.
“Oh, I hadn't realized how late it is.”
How had time gotten away from her? It was already eleven.
“How about I cook? I could make it a supper type of meal. It will be ready within two hours. I’ll make enough for tonight too.”
Her eyebrows shot up before she could stop them and a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. This man didn’t know how to cook. Cooking was woman's work; he had always joked.
“Where did you put the Axel that I know?” she teased.
Axel laughed, his dark eyes gleaming with obvious pride.
“He evolved. I watched cooking shows in prison.
Read up on a bunch of recipe books from the library and I worked in the kitchen at times.
Although everything came in pre-cooked there I still learned how to read directions and how to work a recipe and hopefully to cook if you will allow me.
You'll have some competition in the kitchen, my fair lady.”
There was a quiet confidence in his voice she didn’t remember. Something steadier, more grounded.
“You speak mighty highly of your culinary abilities. Okay I'll bite. You've got kitchen duty. I'll be there in two hours. This will be a great help. Thank you.”
“It’s why Cyn brought us here. To help you in any way we can,” Axel replied and then continued.
“And Nick should be back any minute and I can put him to work doing his specialty.”
His eyes were warm and caring as he mentioned Nick.
“And what would Nick’s specialty be?” she inquired, wondering why she was feeling…so jealous at Axel’s enthusiasm.
“Baking,” Axel replied.
Her jealousy disintegrated. She was being silly thinking there was something going on between the two men.
“Oh, I see. Well all the baking ingredients are in the cupboard over the stove. And recipe books are on the bookshelf in the smallest bedroom, the spices are in the spice rack and—”
To her surprise, he raised a hand and pressed a calloused finger over her mouth. Her breath caught, the gentle pressure silencing her more effectively than words ever could.
Oh wow, his finger felt so warm and perfect.
She swallowed and felt all tingly in such a beautiful way.
“I'll find everything. No worries. Two hours.” he said softly.
Jenna nodded numbly as he lowered his finger, leaving behind one heck of a heat imprint along with an overwhelming urge for him to pull her into his arms and have his warm lips pressing intimately against hers.
She resisted the urge to lick her lips and see if she could taste him.
His smile widened knowingly and then he turned and walked away.
The knowing curve of his mouth made her want to sink through the ground. Oh, damn. He knew she was aroused.
She pressed a hand to her warm cheek, mortified at how transparent she’d been.
How embarrassing.
* * * * *
“Hey, little girl, aren't you glad I brought you along?” Nick asked the poodle who sat on the truck seat, her front paws on the armrest, her head popped out the wide open window and her ears blasting backwards in the wind.
The dog ignored Nick, totally entranced with the scenery of the towering pine trees that hugged both sides of the dirt road he followed.
“Well, you're very rude. Not even a bark to say thank you?” Nick asked.
She was oblivious to him.
A complete turnabout from when they’d been back at Sam’s place. Daisy had been his shadow as he’d led the horses into the pasture. This Sam fellow had three horses. All old and gentle.
Being around the horses had brought back some memories of his freedom days when he’d worked on ranches out on the prairies. He’d been lucky that in his youth, ranchers had taken a chance on him, teaching him the ropes of how to handle horses.
Cyn had said that his ranching background was one of the reasons he’d been picked to help Jenna. He wondered how Cyn knew about his past. He wasn’t one who went about bragging about it.
She must have gotten information from the trial records.
He had signed one of those disclosure papers which gave Cowboys Online permission to snoop.
Several of his past bosses had, to Nick’s surprise, shown up at his trial and testified for him as character references.
His defence attorney, some young guy doing pro bono work, had asked Nick to supply a list of his last few employers.
Nick had figured the people he’d once worked for might write letters, but some had come all the way from out west to testify in his defense as being a nice guy.
Nonetheless, the jury had found him guilty of murder, despite the circumstances.
He simply couldn't comprehend that he was actually out of prison.
He hadn't told Axel, but he figured someone had made a mistake sending them here.
There was no way this Cowboys Online program for prisoners would allow two prison convicts to live alone with a single woman.
Especially way out here in the wilderness.
For all they knew Axel and he could be true cold-blooded murderers. They could kill her, ditch the ankle bracelets and find a way to Mexico and disappear.
Nick frowned. Or maybe they did know what they were doing putting Axel and himself here, because he would never hurt Jenna.
Escape? Maybe. If an opportunity arose.
But could he leave Axel? Could he desert Jenna? Could he trust any other inmate to come here and help her?
No to all those answers.
He wasn't the kind of guy who turned his back on someone who needed help and he wouldn’t trust anyone but Axel being here with her.
Daisy suddenly began to bark, and Nick caught sight of a dark green pickup truck parked on the left side of the fork in the road that led to Jenna’s ranch. Then he spotted some movement on the ridge that overlooked the valley to her ranch.
He would stop to see if someone might be having engine trouble.
A moment later as he pulled up beside the vehicle, and gazed toward where he thought he’d seen movement, there was no one there.
He got out of his vehicle and ordered Daisy to stay by the open window.
He’d just take a quick look around.