Chapter 10
Sunday
End of the Road Ranch is backdropped by the stunning Phoenix Falls mountains, the snowy peaks and frosted pines towering before us as we ride the pasture.
I stroke my fingers gently over the horse’s mane as he pads slowly across the ground, and I can feel his gentle appreciation as he carries me toward the base of the forest.
Jason was right. This stallion is really well behaved.
And the stallion who isn’t well behaved?
That’ll be the handsome guy who drove me here.
“Thought you said you could ride,” Jason calls back to me, that deep voice of his making my stomach flip. I give him a roll of my eyes and comb my stallion’s mane more affectionately.
Jason flashes me a grin before thrusting his horse into higher gear.
There’s no denying it.
Jason can freaking ride .
His large quads splay outwards as he grips the reins in his fists, hips rocking relentlessly as he rides faster toward the mountains. He gains maybe thirty feet on me before pulling to a seamless stop, steering the enormous stallion one-eighty and beginning a slow ride back.
I’m impressed, amused, and surprised out of my mind that a guy as broad as Jason can move with so much grace and control.
And I’m definitely not thinking about what his riding abilities mean for any other physical areas of his life.
“What d’you think?” he asks, unable to restrain his smirk as I continue toward him. He brings his stallion to a stop but I just lift my chin, maintaining my composure.
He full-on grins as I ride effortlessly past him, the brush of his knee against mine making me shiver.
“Show off,” I murmur teasingly, just loud enough for him to hear, and his low chuckle sounds out behind me, making my stomach flutter with delight.
There may be snow in the mountains but it’s been a beautiful bright day on the ground, and with the thick tension heating the air? I’ve never been hotter.
I glance back at Jason over my shoulder and find his unwavering gaze already on mine.
I’d half expected him to be checking out my ass but, if our journey in his truck was anything to go by, it seems like he only does that when I can appreciate him doing it.
He manoeuvres his stallion beside mine, the reins looped casually over his tan fists as he matches my pace.
“Couldn’t resist,” he says simply in that beautifully deep voice of his.
A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. “I can tell,” I reply.
His large quad brushes against my knee, the warmth from his big body sending a thrill up my thigh.
“Must get a hell of a lot of riders coming on through Nashville,” he continues, his stunning eyes on the snow-capped mountains as he rocks gently in the saddle. He hesitates for a moment before adding, “Had to show you what I’ve got.”
I steal a glance up at him as I squeeze the reins, trying to quell the butterflies at his compliment.
“Where did you learn how to ride like that?” I ask, because those moves looked like they belonged at a rodeo.
He looks down at me for a lingering moment before lifting his gaze back to the sparkling pines, his breathing steady.
“You know where I learned to ride like that,” he rumbles quietly, and this time his thigh presses more firmly against mine – an apology for even bringing up the unspoken.
Because of course I know where Jason learned to ride like that.
“I can’t believe that you’re not in the Army anymore,” I admit, unable to stop myself from saying it now that it’s open in the air between us.
His chest rises as he grips his reins. “Thought Case would’ve told you.”
I shake my head and murmur, “I guess he didn’t think that it was his news to share.”
Jason’s eyes flash to mine, a million unspoken thoughts burning behind them.
And then he urges his stallion to round my own until we’re looking at each other face-to-face.
“For what it’s worth,” he says, “I tried to get that information to you. Didn’t know if it would even make a difference, but I wanted you to know.”
Unrestrained surprise makes my eyes widen, my lips parting as I look up at him.
He tried to find a way of letting me know that he’d left the Army?
“How?” I rasp breathlessly. “How did you try to let me know?”
But just as he moves closer, something wet hits my skin.
I glance toward the beautiful afternoon sky and my eyebrows shoot up my forehead.
And just like that the heavens break loose.
My eyes flash straight to Jason’s and he meets my surprised laughter with a chuckle of his own.
“Of all the days to not wear your cowgirl hat,” he growls teasingly, helping me turn my stallion around and riding beside me toward the barn.
“It was a bright morning!” I exclaim, laughing uncontrollably as we’re totally pelted.
Not wanting our beautiful stallions to slip, we have to go slower than we’d want to, meaning that, within mere seconds, we’re soaked to the bone.
“I mean, at least we’re wearing chaps,” I say, having to practically holler as the rain turns to hail, but then I’m stalling my sentence as Jason begins to remove his cowboy hat.
“W-what are you doing?” I call over to him, but he grips my reins and hauls me closer, rain pouring down my cheeks and chest as the winter onslaught continues pounding.
His eyes stay trained on the slick ground ahead, totally focused on steering the horses.
Then he shoves his other fist in my direction, holding it out to me. “Take my hat.”
I stare up at him in shock before blinking down at his hat.
I mean, I appreciate the offer, and I understand his chivalrous reasoning. My hair may already be drenched, but that’s not the purpose of a cowboy hat, anyway. It’s to prevent the elements from hindering your sight – like when it’s chucking it down in the valley and you need to steer a multi-million-dollar stallion back into its stable.
But I tighten my fingers around the reins and holler, “Jason, I can’t take your hat.”
I’ve spent almost twenty years living in Nashville so I’m well aware of the saying.
You wear the hat, you ride the cowboy.
And this is one cowboy who I’m way too emotionally invested in to ride.
He swipes the rain from his forehead and glances down at me, his brow lifting.
“Why the hell not?”
I try to mumble the phrase as quietly as possible, which only makes him squint in confusion and yank me closer. “Huh?”
I groan out a laugh and yell back to him, “Do you know the phrase or not?”
“What phrase–?” he starts to ask, before his expression suddenly pauses, and then his cheekbones are flushing crimson as he drops his gaze and begins riding faster.
He shakes his head slightly before hastening another glance in my direction. Those stunning sparkling eyes of his look a little more vulnerable than they did seven seconds ago.
“Well?” I ask him, unable to restrain my own nervous laughter.
At the sound of it he smiles, chuckling quietly as his cheeks flush.
He swallows hard and nods his head. “Yeah. Heard it once or twice.”
“Once or twice ?!” I practically yell, and he looks down at me, smirking wryly.
“Didn’t mean it like that,” he rumbles honestly, releasing a chuckle when I try to turn back around.
He hauls my reins like a hardcore ranch-hand, flashing me a hint of a dimple when I reluctantly succumb to his steering.
“Arm’s startin’ to ache over here,” he teases quietly, lifting his cowboy hat out to me a little higher.
And when his eyes meet mine my heart thunders in my chest.
“Sunday,” he tells me, “you would be the first.”
“The first what?” I ask warily.
“The first woman to wear this hat.”
Jason’s a big guy and he’s hardly what you’d call celibate, but I can’t help the warm relief that instantly washes through me.
“Okay,” I whisper, swiping at my cheeks with the soaked sleeve of my jacket.
He casually slows down the stallions, eyes unblinking as they lock onto mine.
“Okay what?” he asks.
“Okay, you can put your hat on me–”
And I squeal as Jason yanks my reins, pulling my horse as close to his as possible, a smirk playing on his mouth as he looms over me.
“Say it again,” he demands roughly.
I roll my eyes in amusement. “Don’t push your luck.”
He swipes his tongue over his bottom lip, grinning down at me as my pulse races.
“Here,” he murmurs, jerking his chin at me, silently asking me to lean forwards so that he can place his hat over my hair.
He sets it gently on my head before tipping back the brim, towering over me as he searches my eyes.
Raindrops cascade down his strong cheekbones but he’s completely unaffected, only briefly lifting his free palm so that he can shove his hair off his tan forehead.
“Thanks,” I say gently.
He grunts. “Don’t mention it.” Then he glances toward the barn and murmurs, “We need to get the horses back to Hardy.”
I follow his gaze toward the end of the field and notice his buddy standing there, large forearms folded across his chest as he watches us silently from the barn doors.
Hardy’s enormous and tan, like a Scandinavian lumberjack, so unlike the raven-haired girl standing beside him, who is presumably his daughter.
Her long black hair cascades behind her like an unending onyx waterfall and she has little constellations of freckles on her lightly sun-kissed skin.
When we reach the bottom of the pasture Hardy strolls forward with a knowing smile.
“Y’all going for a swim?” he calls out, grinning as he walks behind us to lock up the gate.
Jason laughs as he shoves back his hair, dismounting his horse with the grace of a professional.
“Weather changes around here on a dime,” he replies, before gently handing his reins to the girl when she reaches his side. “Thanks Kit,” he rumbles, and she gives him a small smile, before wrapping the reins around her fists and leading the horse to its stall.
Then Jason’s eyes are on mine and his expression instantly intensifies, his handsome mouth lifting at one corner as he settles his palm on the horn of my saddle. He looks up at me from under his lashes as the rain beats down on him. And, feeling playful, I shield his beautiful eyes with the palm of my hand.
He smiles wider as his other palm roams up to grip the cantel at the back.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” he rumbles, his eyes dipping to my splayed thighs. His gaze lingers there for a moment before he steps back, awaiting my dismount.
I slide my boots from the stirrups and then suddenly stall, realising that if this stallion was hard to climb then he’s going to be one hell of a thing to dismount. I swallow nervously as I assess the distance, cautiously slipping one thigh across the saddle, well aware that these guys are waiting for me but also not wanting to break my ankle when my boots connect with the ground. And like, also, the soles of my boots are ridiculously smooth, meaning that there’s an even higher probability of slipping due to the downpour that’s going strong.
I tip up one of my boots and peek at the sole, humming nervously.
And without a word of warning, Jason grabs my waist and heaves me down.
His large palms envelop my middle and, when my boots hit the dirt, he releases his grip. He loops the reins from my hands to his, roping them with expert movements, and then he glances over his shoulder, jerking his chin at Hardy.
“Want me to take him back?” Jason hollers, unaware that my skin is now on fire. In fact, my whole torso is burning up and we didn’t even touch skin-on-skin.
Exhaling shakily, I reach up to take off his hat, but Jason’s eyes shoot to mine like two bolts of lightning.
“Keep it on.”
A thrill shivers through me and I avert my eyes, glancing toward Hardy.
And he watches me with an amused expression before strolling toward us and taking the reins.
“Got it from here,” he tells Jason, still watching me with a hint of a smirk.
And it’s not the look of a man who’s interested – which is obvious considering the wedding band on his ring finger, and the beautiful daughter who he was sitting with as she strummed on a guitar when we first arrived.
It’s the look of a man who can see right through me.
Past the Nashville exterior, to the small-town heart.
The small-town heart that’s jackhammering because of the guy standing right beside me.
“Gonna head before the snow hits,” Jason says, still casually looming over me.
“Doubt it’ll start until tomorrow morning,” Hardy replies, swiping the rain from his broad chest.
And in less than ten minutes we’re back on the road, our drenched coats folded in the back as Jason flips up the heating.
We’re soaked head to toe, but I’m actually not mad about it.
I steal a peek at Jason’s quads, firm and flexing under the wet denim.
When we reach a stop sign in town, Jason swipes a large palm through his dripping hair, before subtly reaching down and gripping his crotch.
I whip my head around so fast I almost whack my face against the window.
“You okay over there?” he rumbles, sounding amused as he rounds the corner.
I risk a glance in his direction and see that gorgeous dimple out to play.
He catches me looking and laughs as he shifts his large thighs on his seat.
“I had a really great time today,” I tell him honestly.
“Me too,” he replies. He hooks his arm behind my seat and glances down at me as we approach Casey’s cabin, swiping his tongue over his lower lip as if he’s preparing himself to say something.
In less than a minute he’s pulling up at the bottom of the driveway, keeping the engine running so that the heater continues warming our wet clothes.
“Do you really think that it’s going to snow tomorrow?” I ask, eyeing the bright white sky as the rain hits the windshield.
“Hell yeah,” he tells me. “It’s been holding off on us for months. It’s already a white-out up the mountains so I knew it wouldn’t be long ’til it reached lower ground.”
“I guess you would know, working for search-and-rescue and all.”
And then his eyes flash to mine faster than you can say oh, we’re really gonna have this out now, huh?
He gives me a long, unhurried once-over, that large chest heaving as he watches me.
“Not the time for that conversation, Sunday,” he murmurs, gripping his free hand at the nape of his neck and then exhaling roughly as he plants it back on the steering wheel.
I fluff my hair with my fingers and reach into the back to grab my coat. “Fine.”
“Sunday,” he rumbles quietly, and I glance over my shoulder to meet his eyes. “Another time. I don’t wanna ruin the day that I’ve just had with you.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I pick up my jacket, my lashes fluttering. “Okay.”
His heated gaze searches mine before he slowly reaches up and gently lifts back the brim of the cowboy hat.
His cowboy hat.
That I’d totally forgotten that I was wearing.
Smile lines crinkle at the corners of his eyes as he eases the hat from my hair, before tossing it in the back without looking at where it lands.
I settle back in the passenger seat and smile up at him as he towers over me.
He waits for a couple of beats before finally voicing the question on his mind. He shifts his quads a little wider and asks, “Think you might want to hang out again?”
I wrap my arms around my chest, playfully deliberating. “Mmm, maybe.”
His lets out a self-deprecating laugh. “‘Maybe’,” he repeats gently, his cheekbones flushing as he bounces his thigh.
Then he glances down at me again, his sparkling irises totally molten.
“Can I call you?” he asks.
“The cell service sucks, Jason,” I laugh quietly.
His mouth lifts into a smirk. “Okay, let me rephrase that. I’m going to call you.”
I can’t stop smiling which feels extremely dangerous, so I think that the safest option is for me to get out of his truck, ASAP.
I click the door handle and he instantly unbuckles his seatbelt. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
I roll my eyes in amusement. “You’re not about to get soaked for me, again ,” I laugh.
Ten seconds later, he’s leaning against Casey’s doorframe, watching me as I unlock the cabin’s front door.
“Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?” I ask teasingly.
He swipes the rain from his jaw, smiling down at me, and I walk backwards over the threshold, feeling happier than I have in ages.
I kick off my cowgirl boots as Jason holds onto the awning, watching me in amused silence as the drizzle patters behind him.
“I’ll call you,” he reiterates, before finally pushing off the doorjamb. And without a sliver of hesitation he adds, “You looked really beautiful today.”
My pulse races with surprise as Jason steps back from under the overhang, his piercing gaze searching mine as the rain soaks his shirt.
And when he catches me checking him out, a handsome smile lifts his mouth.
I breathe out a laugh and roll my eyes, and I don’t stop beaming even after he’s in his truck.
Because it looks like these feelings might not be one-sided after all.