CHAPTER EIGHT
Jack
“Do I look like I want to hire you?”
“I kind of wanna say, yes?” I teased, trying to charm the owner of Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa, the local chocolate shop and café in town. Her hard expression didn’t change, and my stomach sank.
“Thanks for your time, ma’am,” I sighed as I reluctantly left, ignoring the whispers and stares from patrons in the café. Once outside, I drew in a deep breath, mentally crossing another place of business off my list.
The visit with my parole officer had gone well. He’d asked about the cuts on my face and I just said I’d gotten too excited to see a cat for the first time in twelve years. He didn’t buy it but didn’t push me so I could relax until my next visit in a few weeks.
I needed a job though. I needed an income so I could move out of that damn halfway house that stank and was depressing as fuck.
I wanted to live. I wanted views that weren’t of the neighbors or the stained ceiling. I wanted to do something active and important. I just didn’t know what. Hence why I was going around town, begging someone to hire me, which wasn’t working out too great.
It was surprising that these small-town business owners didn’t want to take a chance on a criminal. I snorted at my own sarcasm. I couldn’t blame them, most of them knew who I was and what I had done without me having to disclose it. There was talk and side-eye everywhere I went. I was getting down on myself but this was all my own doing so there was no use in whining. I just needed to get on with it.
I put on my big boy pants and continued on down the street. I headed into the library, not that I even knew what to do in a library but I was a fast learner. With so much time on my hands in prison, I did a lot of reading. I learned more than I ever could at school. I learned about plumbing, electrics, even woodwork which I was especially keen to explore. Carving something with your bare hands, knowing it was you who put the work in and seeing the results of your efforts really called to me and I was desperate to give it a try.
But you needed tools. Which cost money. Hence, the library.
I stepped inside the big colonial-style red brick building. I’d been here as a teenager doing research for school assignments and the place hadn’t changed. Still had that musty smell and low lighting which led to a few romantic encounters here. I didn’t know what it was about the library and horny kids but there was one section that was dubbed the make out row. Not that I really went down there, I’d only had two girlfriends and we didn’t get too hot and heavy. I got to third base with one of them but that was it.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice the petite woman who was carrying a tall stack of books in her arms and bumped straight into her.
“Oh!” she cried as the books tumbled down around her.
“I’m so sorry about that, I wasn’t paying attention,” I said, bending down to gather up the books. A ton of regency romance covers glanced up at me with characters in various stages of undress that had my cheeks heating like I was one of the horny teenagers disappearing into make out row.
“Uh,” I cleared my throat, handing the books back to her, not knowing what to say. I met her stare: striking amber eyes behind thick framed glasses. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose and wavy down her back. Her wide-eyed stare and gaping mouth gave me pause. Actually, there was something about her face, she looked a little familiar, but not.
“Are you okay, miss?”
“Errr…” came out and faded and then it hit me.
I took a step back. “You’re a Cartwright sister, aren’t you?”
Her mouth snapped shut and she nodded. “I’m August, second youngest.”
I suddenly felt hot all over and uncomfortable. “I’m guessing you know who I am?”
She nodded quickly, pushing her glasses back up her nose that was dusted with freckles.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ll leave.” I turned, shaking my head. This was going to keep happening now, I was going to bump into them and be faced with what I had done all over again.
“Wait!” she called, and I halted, turning slowly to face her. “You don’t need to run from me,” she said softly, almost squeaking the words out. She was a timid little thing. “I know who you are but, I also know that my father was visiting you.”
I nodded solemnly. “He was. I’m sorry that he’s gone. If you ever need anything…” I trailed off, shaking my head because what the hell would she, or anyone else, ever need from me?
“Thank you.” She smiled softly, and I couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t screaming abuse at me like Kat had. She wasn’t chasing me away or giving me strange looks or whispering about me. She was looking at me like I was a normal person.
“How long have you been out?” she asked, then bit her lip like she regretted it.
“Only a few days.”
“How are you finding life?”
I thought about it and nodded. “Good so far. But technology scares me, when did everything become touchscreen? And why do self-checkouts exist?”
August giggled. “I know, they’re infuriating.”
We chuckled then lapsed into an awkward silence and I decided to leave while I could.
“Well, I’d better get back to my books.” She raised her pile high and they wobbled before she gripped them tighter.
“Yeah, I should go.”
“Bye, Jack,” she said, with another soft smile.
“Bye.” I began to walk away and then paused. “And thanks.”
“For? ”
“Being so kind, I guess. I know I don’t deserve it.”
She cocked her head. “Kindness costs nothing.”
I snorted. “Neither does rudeness.”
She giggled again and I gave her an awkward wave before I left the library. I mentally crossed it off my list of job prospects but felt lighter than I had in a while, from a simple social interaction with one of the five people who should hate me the most yet somehow didn’t.
Thinking of the Cartwright sisters reminded me of the errand I needed to run. The one I was avoiding because it meant facing a certain tall, leggy, far too attractive, blonde’s wrath. Feeling naively buoyed by my interaction with August, I decided to head in the direction of Redemption Ranch.
I set off out of town, my feet already hurting from all the walking I’d done but I kept going. I had no choice, I wasn’t allowed to drive anymore. Maybe I should get a bicycle. I snorted to myself, picturing my big, bulky frame on a little bicycle.
When I got out of the town and into the countryside, the scent of the trees worked its way into my lungs. The meadowlarks’ songs accompanied me the whole way, pleasant and familiar. I was suddenly hit with the urge to do something . To create. To work with my hands but I was at a loss with what to do exactly. I didn’t know what to create, didn’t have any tools to create, so the feeling eventually evaporated, leaving me confused.
I pushed it aside and made it to the ranch. Gathering my courage as I went up onto the porch, I knocked on the door. I stepped back and took a defensive stance in case she came out swinging again.
Katarina appeared at the door, in a little pink checkered dress that flirted with her knees and had my throat drying. Her pale blonde hair hung down in a straight curtain but all my lusty thoughts of imagining the strands wrapped around my hands disappeared when I saw the look on her face.
Stop lusting after Charlie’s daughter, you pervert.
“What do you want?” The words whipped from her but she kept her fists and nails to herself. My mouth worked overtime trying to form words while she had that navy stare on me.
“Uh…”
“Uh?” she mocked. “If that’s all you want to say then you can leave.”
I shook my head. “No, I mean, I came to bring you back this. I meant to come yesterday but got sidetracked.” I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper, the deed to the cabin. I unfolded it and held it out to her.
She snatched it from me, her eyes wide and she looked around. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” I replied. With nothing else to say and no reason to be here, I turned on my heel, admiring the view and wondering how amazing it would be to wake up here every day. Would I be inspired to create again if I was around nature all the time? The dream had been so close, but I’d just handed it back to Kat, unsigned.
I was off the porch before she called after me. “You didn’t sign it.”
I just kept walking, didn’t stop. “Nope,” I called over my shoulder, popping the P .
“Jack, wait.”
My name on her lips did weird things to my stomach that I would think about another time. I turned and she was coming down the porch towards me, her long, toned legs glowing in the sunshine.
“Fuck,” I huffed, plugging my hands on my hips and willing my mind not to drift to the places it wanted to. Jesus, what was the matter with me? I’d spent the last twelve years in prison but it’s not like I had an active sex life before I went inside. You can’t miss what you’ve never had.
She stopped in front of me and folded her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts together and giving me a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage that I desperately tried not to stare at.
“Why didn’t you sign it?”
I shrugged.
She narrowed her eyes. “But you could have? You could have signed it and taken what’s yours.”
I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans and lifted my shoulders. “Wasn’t the right thing to do.”
We stared at each other in silence, assessing. She was a tough cookie, I liked that about her. There was a hard glint to her eye; she’d grown up and too quickly, taken on a lot of responsibility and burden. I knew that from Charlie, he often talked about her and she sounded like a pistol alright. I wondered what it would take to get her to smile, to relax… to moan.
I shook my head and when she didn’t say more, I turned to leave.
“Wait, I…argh!” she huffed and kicked at the grass before turning those cold eyes on me again. “I have a deal for you.”
I held up my hands. “I don’t wanna take anything from you, or your sisters. I can’t. ” I hoped she saw the plea in my eyes but if she did, her expression didn’t change.
“Well, it’s not wholly one-sided.” She exhaled. “Come with me.” She didn’t wait to see if I followed, just turned and headed off, detouring around the side of the house. After a moment, I went after her, intrigued to see what she wanted. Also, half-expecting a firing squad to greet me behind the house so I was pleasantly surprised to see an old, rundown cabin. My heart leapt into my throat. This was the cabin. What would have been mine if Charlie was still alive.
Kat stopped in front of it. “This is it. It needs a lot of repairs, which isn’t something I have time to do.” She ran her eyes over me and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love every second of her perusal. “But you look like a big boy, I’m sure you can fix it up.” Ignoring the way her lips moved when she said big boy, I blinked in confusion.
I pointed to the cabin. “Wait, you want me to fix it up?”
She shrugged. “If you want, or just live in it the way it is. Just be prepared for the bears to join you for snuggles in winter.” Her lip twitched at her joke, and I swear I heard the Hallelujah Chorus .
“I’m confused, you want me to live here? You’re giving it to me?”
She sighed again and nodded, looking at the ground. “It’s what Daddy wanted, obviously.” She waved the document at me. “I don’t want you here. But I might need you, this is why it’s not entirely a one-sided thing. I’ll give you the cabin, let you sign this paper, if you repair it and also,” she trailed off, looking away and nibbling her lip. “Also help out here at the ranch.”
My mouth dropped open. She’s offering me a job and a home?
“For free,” she added quickly.
I stared at the cabin, unable to believe the offer, the luck I was having. I looked towards the sky, blinking in order to stop any tears from forming. I never expected this, never deserved this and couldn’t believe that she was willing to give me this place and work. She was chattering away but I couldn’t focus on anything except to say, “I’ll take it. Anything you want.”
Her mouth snapped shut. “You’ll work for free?”
“Yes, I don’t care. I’ll do whatever you want, whatever you need.” This was how I could make it up to her, make it up to Charlie and all the girls. It was my penance. And for a moment I thanked my lucky stars that Charlie raised such amazing women.
“Okay,” was all she said before she headed around me and back up towards the house. I stared at the cabin a little while longer, not knowing if I was expected to follow her. I gazed around the land, the trees lining the back of the property, my new home and this ball of ecstasy built in my chest.
A moment later, Kat was standing in front of me again and she had a pen.
“Sign it,” she grunted, shoving the paper into my chest and snatching her hand back.
I arched a brow at her, grabbing the paper. “You sure?”
She nibbled her lower lip again and my gaze followed her tongue as it swiped over her mouth and disappeared. She nodded. “Just, can we wait until next week? Give me the weekend to break the news to the girls? I don’t know how they’re going to feel but…it’s the right thing to do. Daddy wanted you to have it and I want to uphold his wishes. And we need help around here but can’t afford it.” She snapped her mouth closed like she hadn’t meant to share that with me.
“Sure. If it helps at all, I saw August at the library, and she seems nice.”
“She is. They all are,” she said, and I caught the warning in her words. Stay away from them . Message received loud and clear. I glanced down at the paper and hesitated for a second before signing and I handed it back to Kat.
She cleared her throat. “Okay, well, see you Monday then.” Then she was gone.
I stayed for a moment, inspecting the outside of the cabin, trying to assess what needed doing and building a list in my head. Excitement fizzled in my veins like nothing I’d ever experienced.
I headed back into town and to the library.
I needed to learn how to ranch.