Chapter 5
I”ve been here at Alex”s Ranch for a few days now, and while the one day of sleeping in really helped Jessa, I can still tell she”s stressed. I definitely want more time alone with her and I sure as fuck want to kiss her again.
After my confrontation with Mark, he”s kept a wide berth away from her. Though, but my gut is telling me that something is up with him.
I”ve been the first one up every morning mostly because I want to make sure Jessa has coffee and breakfast. While I”m here, it is one less thing off her plate. Besides, unless it”s food on the grill, breakfast is the one thing that I can cook.
When I get downstairs, I find Alex sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee in hand. I”m surprised as he isn’t usually up this early.
”Hey, Vicki”s been up all night, so I got up and made some coffee now that she”s sleeping,” he says.
”Well, I guess it”s good timing. I want to talk to you about something,” I keep my voice down. I know Jessa is still sleeping because I peeked my head in on her before I came downstairs.
After I grab a cup of coffee, I join him at the dining room table. ”I’m gonna be honest. There are two things I need to talk to you about. First, let”s start with Jessa. Even though I think she”s doing well at hiding how stressed she is from you, when we’re in the barn, I can see it.”
”Yeah,” Alex says. “I can feel it. We”ve been fighting more than normal. Yesterday, I told her I”d give her a day each week to sleep in and I would get up and take care of the morning chores. After she slept in the other day, she seemed in better spirits.”
”Yes, she was, but you have to remember, too, that she gave up her entire life to be here. She had friends, and was able to go out and do things for fun, and she hasn”t had any of that since she”s been here.”
Alex already looks guilty, and I don”t want to keep driving it into him, so I lay out my plan.
”I think she just needs a day off the ranch. Add in the fact that there”ve been some coyote sightings, and I”m assuming it”s been a while since she shot a gun. I think I should take her to my buddy”s shooting range, and let her get some practice in. That way she can be off the ranch for the day,” I say.
”You can take her on one of the back pastures and have some shooting practice here...” he starts.
”You chose this life with your eyes wide open, ranch and all. And she chose not to be part of this life with her eyes wide open. Even though she”s here to help you because you are family, and she loves you, this was not the life she wanted. What she wants is to have friends and a life that’s outside of the ranch. If you don”t give her some time off while she”s here, it’s not going to be good. Long before you’re ready, she’s going to up and leave.”
”Has she said that?” he asks.
”Not in so many words, but I can tell that the idea is dancing around in her head. I don’t think she’ll leave until you are ready out of a sense of duty, but if you push her too hard…”
Lost in thought, he sips his coffee while looking out the kitchen window.
”I”ll call my cousin, Ford, to come and help me for the day. When he’s here, you can take her out to the shooting range. I do think it”s a good idea to make sure her shot is still good. Take her out to lunch or something. Just get her out of here for the day,” he says, giving me an evil smile. ”You should take her to a bookstore. That was ten kinds of torture the last time I went with her. All that time in store while she took her time selecting books and then having to carry them for her. But she enjoyed it and had fun.”
I tuck that little bit of information away before turning to him again. ”One more thing and I”m hesitant to bring this up because she says you guys fought over this before.”
His entire body tenses up. ”Is Mark still bothering her?” he asks.
”Yeah, and he had the balls to do it right in front of me. Though I put him in his place rather fast,” I say, giving him a look, and he knows exactly what I mean. ”He needs to understand that she”s as much his boss as you are. Because if he”s disrespecting you the way he”s disrespecting her, he needs to be fired. Your dad would have never put up with it.” I level him with a gaze that says I”m not joking around.
”Today, while you guys are out, I”ll talk to him. Make it very clear to him that she has the authority to fire him if he continues. While you”re here, if he acts up again, let me know, and I”ll start putting out feelers for his replacement.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes before we hear Jessa coming down the stairs. Alex and I share a look that says we agree not to bring this up to her right now.
”So, change of plans today,” I tell her with a grin on my face.
Glaring at me, she walks over to get a cup of coffee before sitting down, still not saying a word. I smile because she really isn’t a morning person and I’m guessing she thinks I’m talking about ranch work.
”You and I are going out for the day. I”ve already cleared it with your brother. A buddy of mine has a shooting range, and we need to improve your shooting, especially with the coyotes that have been wandering around lately. Then we”ll grab lunch and see where the day takes us.” I don’t tell her everything since I want to keep some of my plans a surprise.
”You two are not allowed back on the ranch until after dinner,” Alex says. Smiling, she jumps up, giving him a big hug. ”Just let me go put on shorts, and I”ll be ready to go.”
”I think you should leave the jeans on,” I say, stopping her in her tracks.
I’m not gonna say it in front of her brother, but we”re going to stop by my place and get my bike. It”s been way too long since I”ve been out on a ride, and she”ll be glad she has the jeans on. Plus, I”ve been dreaming of seeing her on my bike, and today, I”m making it happen.
Fifteen minutes later, we”re in my truck and pulling off the ranch. It”s nice to see her visibly relax.
”So we”re heading to my place first. We”re going to trade the truck for my bike. But I didn”t want to say anything in front of your brother.” I reach over and take her hand in mine.
She looks over and smiles at me with a twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes. ”I”ve never been on your bike.”
It’s such a simple statement, but it means everything. ”Believe me, darling. I know. In fact, no one has been on the back of my bike. You will be the first.”
That causes her to sit up straight and look at me.
Suddenly, I’m regretting admitting that to her because she asks the question that I know she”s going to ask next, the one that I don”t want to answer.
”Why me?”
I stop and think about it for a few minutes. She deserves the truth, but I don”t want to lay all my cards out on the table, either.
”Because you”re different. Yes, I know that”s a cop-out answer, but you”re just going to have to accept it for now.” I quickly glance over at her, and then put my eyes back on the road.
”I”ll take it,” she says. Then she reaches over and starts messing with my radio, which is something else I”ve never let anyone else do.
Once she finds the station she seems to like, she settles in for the hour-and-a-half drive.
The entire way we hold hands and we talk some. She asks about the shooting range and my buddy, Drak, who owns it. I tell her how he”s the Sergeant at Arms of the Rebel Hearts MC, which then causes her to ask questions about the MC. This leads us to talk more about the poker run, and before I know it, we”re at my place just outside of town.
I pull up to the garage, which is a huge building at the side of my property. After I open it, I pull my truck into its spot. We get out and walk over to my bike on the other side of the building.
I help her onto the bike and take in how good she looks on my bike. ”Don”t move. I want to get a picture,” I say, pulling my phone out.
Taking some time, I snap a few photos that I know I’ll stare at in the middle of the night when she is gone. Because I know this can”t last between us. But right now, I don”t allow myself to go there.
I grab a spare helmet from the shelf for her. Even though at the time I thought was stupid to buy it, now I”m really glad I did.
Once I get her all situated on the bike, we are off and riding to the Line Of Sight shooting range.
The longer we”re on the bike, the more she loosens up and starts to really enjoy herself. I try not to focus on the fact that her front is pressed to my back and her hands are wrapped tightly around me. So, by the time we get to the shooting range, I”m both relieved and disappointed that the ride is over.
”Chance, it”s about time you visited the shooting range so I could kick your ass,” Drak greets me.
”Some other time, Brother. I brought my girl here so we can brush up on her shooting. This is Jessa. Jessa, this is Drak, Sergeant at Arms of Rebel Hearts MC.”
Drak wastes no time getting her set up with a gun to shoot. Then with a list of rules in our hands, he escorts to the shooting range.
”Let me know if you have any questions or if you need anything,” he says, going back out front and leaving us on our own.
”All right, let”s see what you got,” I say, nodding towards the target. Smirking at me, she lines up her shot and quickly pulls the trigger. Damn, if she had been two to the right, she would have hit it dead center.
”My dad taught me how to shoot, and I practiced quite a bit, especially living in a big city like Dallas,” she says with a wink.
We spend the next hour trying to one-up each other on the shooting range, and I have to admit she definitely gives me a run for my money. But it also eases my mind knowing that she”ll be able to handle herself with whatever she”s faced with at the ranch.
”Clearly, you got your aim under control, baby girl. Let”s head out and grab some lunch.” Not only am I hungry, but I’m excited about the idea of getting her on the back of my bike again.
”Maybe you can take me to the barbecue place you”re always telling Alex about.”
”Best little spot in town. Let’s go,” I say, helping her back on my bike and enjoying the feel of her as she plasters herself against my back once again.