Chapter Six
Beau
I 'm eating lunch on the tailgate of my truck with Thatcher, when I see Jo walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. I'm setting down my food to go say hi when I notice the gash on her head, which makes the urge to go to her even stronger.
As if she can feel my eyes on her, hers go wide and a sexy-as-fuck smile spreads across her face. She waves, then blows me a kiss. She flips Thatcher off, jumps into her jeep—which is absolutely not street legal—and tears out of town.
"What the fuck happened to her face?" I growl out.
Thatcher just shrugs as if it's no big deal, but if I could see the cut from all the way over here, I'd beg to differ. I stare at him, jaw clenched in complete disbelief that he's not nearly as concerned as me.
He arches his brow, looking annoyed, and sets his sandwich down.
Squaring his shoulders to face me, he says, "Beau, she's a farm girl, and a fiercely independent one at that.
I stopped getting worked up every time she hurt herself when she was five.
Jo is fucking fearless and very capable of defending herself if the need arises, which is why I'm not the least bit concerned about what happened to her face.
And you shouldn't be either. What the fuck happened between you two the other night after Sol and I left? "
My brows furrow as I grab the back of my neck, not wanting to lead on how much I want his cousin or how I couldn't resist pinning her against my truck.
"You know what? I don't want to know." His face scrunches in disgust.
"Fuck off.” I run a hand through my hair as frustration simmers in my veins. “I kissed her, but that's it."
"That's never it when it comes to Jo." Thatcher scrubs a hand down his face as he grumbles under his breath, "Fuck it. This is the only time I'm going to mention this, or have this kind of conversation with you, because Jo-Jo will have my balls if she ever finds out."
I straighten, giving Thatcher my full attention. I'm probably going to get the big brother speech, and I want him to know I respect both him and Jo enough to give him my undivided attention.
"Jolene is different from any woman I've ever met in my life. Her childhood sucked, to say the least, which gave her a huge distrust in men but especially cops. She learned early on how to defend herself and won't hesitate to do just that."
"I would never hurt her—"
Thatch raises a hand to silence me. "I don't think you would. It's more of a warning so you can keep your junk intact. Jo is a girl's girl, and not in the placating ‘I’ve got your back when I really don’t’ way. She has been known to toe the line of right and wrong when it comes to protecting an innocent woman and child if they aren’t able to. She—"
"Wait, what do you mean exactly?"
"When she was twenty, she took down a piece of shit who didn't stop when his wife stumbled and instead dragged her through the parking lot of a grocery store.
There were other people around, who were obviously concerned but didn't take action.
That is until Jo walked out of the store.
The guy was a big dude who worked offshore on an oil rig, but that didn't stop Jo when she saw what was going on. "
"She approached him?"
"Ha! She approached him and then kicked his ass."
"Seriously?" Disbelief is my natural reaction, but when I think of Jo and how I’ve seen her carry herself in town, I’m not all that surprised if I’m honest with myself.
"Yep. Jo's roommate in college talked her into taking a self-defense class offered by a Navy SEAL.
Jo took to it like a fish in water and talked Boomer into giving her one-on-one lessons.
He was reluctant at first, but Jo wore him down—like she does when she wants something.
Anyway, Boomer started teaching her high-level skills, each one coming as easily to her as the next. "
“I can tell she's strong, but I chalked it up to her working the farm her whole life.”
"That's definitely helped, but it's not the only thing. Jo didn't last too long on campus. She missed the Hollow too much. But that didn't stop her from training. Boomer makes a trip to the B&B every year to visit and, to my knowledge, check out her skills."
Jealousy flares through me as I think about another man touching what's mine.
What the fuck? Possessive much, asshole? You don’t have any claim on her.
Yet.
"Ooh, looks like I found something to finally affect our unflappable chief. Green looks good on you, buddy." Thatcher slaps my back.
"Fuck you, asshole." I punch Thatcher in the shoulder then fall silent.
After a beat, we go back to our lunches.
I still can't shake the thought of Jo fighting with this Boomer. Is their relationship strictly friendly, or do they cross the lines now and then? And if he comes back every year, is he going to be gunning for my girl once he knows about me?
Fuck me. For the second time in minutes, I scrub my hand down my face as I remind myself that Jo isn't my girl. I'm so lost in my head I don't realize Thatcher is cleaning up his lunch mess until he jumps off the tailgate of my truck.
"Listen. I know you've got this infatuation with Jo, but if all you're looking for is a good time and to get your dick wet, you need to back the fuck off. You’ve already got two strikes against you since you’ve got a dick and you’re a cop.
She doesn't trust easily, and she keeps her circle tight.
Sure, she's friendly and loved around town, but very few truly know Jolene, and that's by design.
"If you want her, you need to be all in. You need to be willing to take the good with the bad because where Jo-Jo is concerned, there's always going to be a shade of gray trying to dull her light."
What the fuck does that mean?
"I'm not playing games or trying to get my dick wet, as you put it.
I don't know what the future holds, but I can tell you she's been under my skin since the first moment I saw her.
Everything I've learned about her from the town and you just pulls me closer.
I'm not fucking around when it comes to her. "
"Good."
"So what should I do to get a shot with her?"
"Proceed with fucking caution." Thatcher walks back towards the hardware store.
"Thanks, buddy. That's great advice."
Thatch waves, then disappears inside.
I have the day off and should be resting for the huge Fourth of July festivities tomorrow, but I'm too restless to go home and sit on my ass.
Apparently, the town goes all out, and the party is headed by none other than the DuVall women.
Maybe I can drive out to the farm to see if I can provide any assistance.
Climbing off my tailgate, I shut it and jump in the cab. Once I’m home, I grab Cooper. My dopey dog hates being left alone and loves going for truck rides. Hopefully, Jo won't mind if I bring him out to the farm.
Making my way through town and out to the DuVall land, I can't help but admire my surroundings. My home with June and Carter was awesome, but it’s in the suburbs.
I missed the open fields, woods, and streams that let me breathe openly and freely.
When I went to college, I felt stifled by all the people surrounding me, but I stuck it out knowing it would set up my future.
Coming back to Aspen Hollow was never part of my plan, but now I can't imagine being anywhere else.
I drive past the paved driveway that leads up the B&B. A little further down the road, a dirt road cuts through the woods. If you didn't know this was the access to the farmhouse and barn, you'd think it's just one of many dirt lanes leading to nowhere.
Rounding the bend and coming out of the line of trees, the impressive barn fills my view.
Jo's family mainly harvests grains and produce, but they also have goats to make certain products.
Pigs, also. Thatcher said they always donate two for the Fourth party, and they'll also barter a few for things they need around the farm.
A lot of farms are struggling to keep up, but whatever Jo is doing is working. The buildings are immaculate, as are the fences for the animals.
A few larger pieces of equipment in a huge outbuilding look like top of the line. I pull my truck up to the barn and park beside a handful of other vehicles I assume belong to the farm hands. You don't run an operation this large without some help.
I leave the windows open for Coop and tell him to stay, then head to the barn’s open door and hear the animals within.
Inside are a few horses, but that's about it. The other stalls are empty.
I'm just about to go explore the grounds when a horse snorts, grabbing my attention. It's a stunning paint horse with white, red, and brown coloring. I've always been a sucker for horses, so I can't stop my feet from taking me further into the barn.
The closer I get, the more vocal the horse gets.
Reaching my hand out tentatively, I wait to see how it will react.
I let out a startled laugh as its lips move across my palm, searching for a treat.
Not finding what it wants, the horse rubs its head on my hand.
Deciding I'm probably safe, I reach up to the horse to scratch its head.
I pull my hand away—I want to see if I can track down my vixen—when the horse whinnies and shoves its face back into it. The demanding creature in front of me makes me smile.
"Alright, alright. Have a little patience, will ya? You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you were my Joey girl's horse. You know what you want and are demanding as all hell."
The more I love on the horse, the more it relaxes into me.