Chapter Twelve
October, fourteen years ago
Mitch
The muscles in his thighs ached. Apparently, no matter how many hours he’d clocked in the pool, in the gym and out on a running trail, riding forced his body to move in a brand-new way.
Jackie sure was determined. After she’d led Diamond round the paddock five times, she handed the reins back to Mitch and told him to try.
So, he tried. He’d expected panic to throw a curtain over his mind the moment Jackie stepped away, but instead a strange calm settled in his gut.
Diamond was gentle, just as Jackie had promised him. He either wasn’t bothered or took a liking to Mitch. Either way, slowly, they made their way, to the sound of Jackie’s encouragements and later delight.
Mitch wasn’t even deterred when several people approached the fence, resting over it or keeping their arms crossed as they watched Mitch and Diamond.
He heard their voices and some laughter, and an inner voice teased him: “They’re laughing at you”; Mitch ignored it, concentrating on keeping himself in the saddle.
From time to time, he looked up, long enough to catch a glimpse of late afternoon sun dancing in Jackie’s black hair.
Her hat shielded her face from the rays, her blue eyes appearing almost navy, but there was no masking her smile.
Damn, whenever she smiled, his heart flipped.
Funny how he’d spent eighteen years of his life largely unaffected by the opposite sex, only to have dived into the ocean of feelings from a cliff the moment they met.
Jackie glanced at her wristwatch. “We should wrap up for the day. Mimi’s going to kill me if dinner gets cold.”
Mitch drew in a deep breath. “Remind me, how do I stop?”
“Tighten your abdominal muscles, like you want to suck in your stomach to look slimmer.”
He threw her an affronted look because he’d never done something like that.
She laughed. “It’s to counteract the previous smooth movement with Diamond, so he picks up on the cue it’s time to stop. Then, press your knees and thighs against the saddle.”
Mitch performed both actions and swallowed a satisfied grin when Diamond slowed down. Increasing his grip on the reins, he held them in place, resisting Diamond’s head movement, and squeezed the horse’s sides with his legs.
“Whoa,” he eventually said, seven or so paces from where Jackie stood, watching him intently.
Diamond came to a halt and Mitch beamed at Jackie. “I did it!”
She walked up to them, extending her hand to stroke Diamond’s neck. “Good boy,” she cooed. “You did very well.”
With a degree of difficulty, when the stirrup wouldn’t release his foot, Mitch dismounted. His boots hit the ground, kicking up some dust in the air.
Jackie turned to him, a smile and a visible hint of pride illuminating her face. “You didn’t do too badly either. Next time, try to equalize the pressure with your legs so that you put the same amount of it on both sides. Your halt was a bit crooked because you pushed harder from the right.”
He dipped his chin in concession. Damn it, the muscles in his legs burned. His hand moved down to the inside of his thigh, rubbing a sore spot over the scratchy denim.
Jackie’s eyes softened. “But overall, you did great! You should be proud.”
“I enjoyed it.” His lips crinkled in a smile. “Once I stopped being terrified of falling off.”
With a confident hold of the reins, Mitch set off ambling back toward the barn. Diamond’s hooves clip-clopped behind him. “Though, I’m not sure I can manage it again tomorrow.”
Jackie walked beside him, her bare elbow knocking against his every now and then. Whenever their bodies connected, his skin sparked with goosebumps.
“Well, I could tell you that there’s no gain without pain, but I know you’re back in the pool on Monday so it might be best to rest up tomorrow.” She glanced at him sidelong. “We could take Dixie on a walk instead.”
“Dixie?”
“Mimi’s dog. Though I suppose she’s my dog, too. You’ll love her. She’s a giant fluffball.”
Mitch sighed. “I’m allergic to dogs.”
Jackie stopped short. “What?”
“I’m allergic to dogs,” he repeated. “Think I’ve always been—at least, I don’t remember not erupting in hives and getting all sneezy around them.”
“But you want to be a vet.” Frown lines grooved the corners of her lips. “I know you said equine, but you’ll surely have to see dogs during your training.”
Mitch opened his mouth to answer her but closed it again when they walked past the group of ranch hands still loitering by the fence. He blinked, swallowing down the fear of being told how pathetic he was, not knowing how to ride.
Jackie’s frown turned into a smile as she approached a burly older man with an impressive moustache. “Dustin, so good to see you!”
The man let out a raspy chuckle and gathered her into his arms. “My angel, I missed you.”
Mitch’s eyebrows twitched. He held back, unsure if Jackie wanted him to come closer. She hadn’t mentioned Dustin to him. Judging by his white ponytail trailing to his shoulder blades, thick eyebrows to match and heavily wrinkled face, he must’ve been at least in his late sixties, if not older.
The sound of Jackie’s bubbling laughter pulled his attention back to her.
“You know me, trouble always follows. But it seems it hasn’t found me in Austin yet.”
Dustin cackled. “See that you keep yourself right, darlin’. Brenda worries about you more than she lets on.”
Mitch took a step toward them, tilting his head to hear better.
“Mimi’s always worrying. She could have me under lock and key, and she’d still not sleep well at night thinking mountain lions might steal me,” Jackie said.
Mitch gasped. “There are mountain lions in Texas?”
Jackie and Dustin both turned to him, as did the other three people milling around.
With five pairs of eyes on him, Mitch swore at his apparent inability to keep his mouth shut. His insides bunched into a knot and chills iced his spine.
Being the center of attention was not something he’d ever get used to.
Which was ironic, given how many weekends he’d spent with hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of people watching him swim.
That’s different, his brain supplied. They watch the race, not you as a person.
You’re just a moving body, hidden beneath a swim cap and goggles.
He didn’t notice Jackie appearing by his side until her fingers linked with his.
“Everyone, this is Mitch. My boyfriend.” She squeezed his hand.
A lone whistle pierced through the chorus of whoops.
Mitch’s heart pitter-pattered against his ribs, his stomach turning jittery. An uncomfortable wave of awkwardness almost eclipsed all the joy created by the label Jackie had given him.
Her boyfriend.
He’d never been anyone’s boyfriend before.
He rolled the word on his tongue, tasted it and decided he liked it very much. Crazy to think that two months ago they hadn’t even known each other existed.
Mitch thought about what his parents would say if he told them about Jackie.
His mother might’ve shrieked in excitement, but he had no doubt his father would sulk and remind him in his usual gruff voice that he was at UT to swim; a girlfriend would be nothing more than a distraction.
Tanner Craigton didn’t have a romantic bone in his body.
Bringing Mitch’s mother a supermarket-bought bunch of random flowers—usually the only ones that were left at the end of the day—on their wedding anniversary was the height of his romantic inclinations.
Ignoring the hammer blows of his pulse brought on by thinking about his father, he cracked a smile at Dustin. “Nice to meet you, sir.” Without letting go of Jackie’s hand, Mitch extended his right hand to Dustin.
Dustin skewered him with a hot gaze. “Boyfriend, you say?” He didn’t make a move to shake Mitch’s hand.
Jackie sighed. “Come on, Dustin. He’s nice, you’ll see.”
Dustin huffed. “He’d have to be a damn saint to deserve you.”
Mitch dropped his hand, pushing it behind his back.
Annoyance pooled on his tongue. Who did this guy think he was?
He somehow understood Albert’s immediate suspicion toward him.
A degree of apprehension from Jackie’s uncle, he could handle.
But outright rudeness from some stranger?
Mitch was shy but he wasn’t a complete pushover, or at least he hoped he wasn’t.
“Well, it’s a good thing that it’s none of your business who I date then, isn’t it?” Jackie’s words were barbed but her tone was playful.
Dustin barked a laugh. “Look at you, all grown up and full of sass. It seems like it was only yesterday when you were runnin’ naked through the fields, shoutin’ at the sky to stop rainin’.”
The tips of Jackie’s ears pinked up. “That never happened.”
“Sure it did.” Dustin turned to Mitch. “She was four, maybe five. It’d been rainin’ non-stop for days and she was bored of bein’ cooped up in the house.
Brenda got her out of the bath and Jackie bolted right out of the front door, straight into the cornfield.
I heard Brenda screamin’ after her and went to see what happened.
And there she was, little Jackie, wigglin’ her fist at the sky. ”
“What did you do, boss?” a tall man standing by the fence asked. His buzz-cut scalp shone in the sun, black ink covering his exposed arms. A white tank top stretched over his hard abdominal muscles and dirt caked the brown chaps covering his trousers.
Mitch only knew what they were called because he’d spent over two hours last night looking up some terms related to ranching. He wanted to appear a bit more in-the-know than he was, which wasn’t really a high bar.
Dustin scratched the back of his neck, his eyes glazing over with old memories. “Well, first I laughed to myself. It was hard not to. Then, I walked up to her, took my jacket off to cover her with it and told her she did a great job. The rain would definitely go away after those threats.”
Jackie’s posture relaxed against Mitch’s side, her fingers still encased in his. “I don’t remember this.”
Buzz-cut clicked his tongue. “How could you if you were so young.”
“At least I don’t run around naked howling to the moon as a grown-up, after some moonshine,” Jackie bit off.
Mitch snort-laughed.
The brown-skinned woman with black waves cascading down to her shoulders cupped her hands around her mouth. “Awoo!”
Buzz-cut elbowed her in the side. “Behave.”
“You’re the one who started it, Colt.” The woman shrugged, wiping the long sleeve of her burgundy shirt across her face. Ignoring Colt, she approached Mitch. “Don’t listen to all these miserable fools. I’m Ali.”
He shook her hand. “Mitch. Pleasure meeting you, ma’am.”
Colt snickered behind Ali’s back.
“Just Ali is fine,” she said.
Mitch nodded. “Ali, then.” He glanced to buzz-cut guy. “And you’re Colt?”
Colt crossed his muscular arms. He pinned Mitch down with a stare. “That’s right. You can call me sir if you want, though. Won’t mind one bit.”
Dustin pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m the only sir on this ranch, kid.”
Colt mumbled something under his breath, but Mitch didn’t catch it.
“And this is Kit.” Dustin folded his arm around the shoulder of a man who lingered behind Ali. “He’s the newest member of our crew but must have some magic flowin’ through his veins. Horses love him.”
Kit’s gaze darted between Jackie and Mitch. He waved his hand at Mitch and gave him a curt nod.
“Hi, Kit,” Mitch said.
Kit visibly swallowed, turning to Dustin.
“He’s non-speaking.” A protective look flickered in Dustin’s eyes as they met Mitch’s. “We’re all takin’ beginner sign language courses online. Ali’s better than anyone else at it.”
Kit’s face lit up at the mention of Ali’s name.
Jackie shifted her weight onto her right foot, leaning against his side. “Mimi met Kit at a rodeo in Mesquite earlier this year. She saw how he managed to calm down a bronco everyone calls Red-Eyed Fury after the event. And the rest is history.”
Kit bowed his head a touch.
Mitch’s heart vaulted. Respect chased away the earlier fear he’d harbored of being ridiculed by them.
He regarded Dustin’s lined face from a new perspective now.
Rather than rude, his distrust toward him struck Mitch as protective.
Maybe Dustin wasn’t Jackie’s family by blood, but it was clear from how they all interacted that there was a much stronger bond between them.
With Jackie’s parents traveling so much, and her grandmother raising her, was it surprising that people working at Brooke’s Plains ranch took her under their wing?
Bands of wistful sadness tightened around his chest. He wished he had people who cared this much about him.
Jackie cleared her throat. “Anyway, you’ll be seeing Mitch around here, so I thought it’d be good to get introductions out of the way.” She squeezed his hand again, tugging it forward. “We’d better go. Mimi’s making chicken stew for dinner.”
Dustin touched the brim of his hat, tipping it toward Jackie. “Go, angel. There’s nothing like Brenda’s stew.” He turned to Mitch. “If you treat her right, we’ll have no quarrel.”
Fingers threaded with Jackie’s, Mitch let her lead him away from the group toward the house.