Chapter 14
14
I t was not unlike fence mending to be time consuming, especially if they were old and deteriorating. The fences that were down were not the oldest on the ranch. That detail belonged to the west side. These looked to have broken under a weight.
Likely from the same grizzly that was determined to cause Jace grief. He considered whether it was time to call in Fish and Game to try to trap him. Every cattle lost was dollars from his pocket, and whereas Jace respected the circle of life and the power of the giant bear, he also liked to eat and had his sister’s college to pay for. This bear was quickly becoming his key problem. Soon the ranch would have the calves running. Letting them range on a wide belt of land was what they’d always done. This year he’d have to rethink that plan.
Jace entered the house from the back, coming into the kitchen. He was sorta hoping there would be a plate of food waiting for him, but the kitchen looked untouched, save for the jar of peanut butter still on the counter.
Well, hell .
Here it was his honeymoon, and he’d spent the evening and better part of the night rebuilding a fence and herding cows back onto his land, not wanting them to roam on the government’s prairies. He had very little recourse there; no one liked a bear killer, even if the beast was stalking Jace’s stock. For Jace, that was asking for more trouble than it was worth. Many activists didn't like the centuries-old deal ranchers had with the government regarding use of public land. Their intention was to preserve the natural resource, and Jace killing a bear would give them fodder. Jace understood that. He believed in preservation and wildlife responsibility, too, but right now he needed to preserve his income.
He found Meredith sleeping on the couch and debated whether to carry her upstairs or leave her. He decided to let her be. She looked peaceful and comfortable, and if he carried her upstairs, that would just open a shit can of awkwardness he didn’t have the energy to deal with. Not feeling right about leaving her, he decided to stay as well. He dimmed the light and stretched out on the overstuffed chair beside her. Kicking off his boots, he slid them quietly to the floor before letting his head fall back with exhaustion. He’d slept many nights here, his father in the next room, Jace on hand to assist should Pops need to use the restroom or something. His mother was exhausted, and he’d tried to offer relief whenever he could. He wondered how this would all work with Meredith here once his parents moved back from town now that Pop's rehab was almost complete. There were no immediate answers as sleep crept up quickly and took him down.
He woke when someone nudged his shoulder. When he jerked upright, Meredith jumped back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
“Sorry. Normally when someone wakes me, it’s because something is going wrong.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his face cloaked in morning stubble. “What time is it?”
There was a hint of sunlight peaking over the mountains outside.
“I have five on my watch. I heard a truck come up the drive, and I thought I’d better wake you.” She sat on the edge of the couch.
Jace stifled a yawn. He could swear he’d just shut his eyes five minutes ago. “That’s Tuck. We usually get started around now.” He stretched and caught a whiff of something. Sniffing his pits, he grimaced. “Sorry. Not the picture of a magical honeymoon, I imagine.”
“That’s okay, you seem really busy. Are the fences okay?” She shook her head. “That’s a stupid question. I meant did you get the fences worked out?”
Jace laughed. “Yeah, but I knew what you meant.” He sighed, stood, and stretched again. “Looks like I got a wildlife problem. Bear.”
Meredith’s eyes grew large.
“Speaking of which, do you know how to shoot a gun?”
She shook her head.
“Let’s make sure we fix that right away. I don’t want you here alone without being able to protect yourself.”
Meredith looked out the window and scooted down the couch closer to him.
“I’m not trying to scare you, Meredith. I think in my entire life a bear has only come up close to the house twice, and both times we were able to scare it away. But better to be safe and prepared than not.”
She nodded slightly. “Sure. That makes sense.”
“Listen, I’m desperate for a shower. Think you can scare me up some food while I do that? I’ll meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes.” He didn’t have time to wait for an answer and made quick work getting ready. True to his word, he was back downstairs and in the kitchen in the time he said.
Meredith stood at the island with a plate. On it were two slices of bread with peanut butter.
“What’s this?” He wiped water from his neck. Having hurried, he hadn’t fully toweled off.
“It’s protein and the only thing I know how to “scare up.”
Jace nodded several times and then burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” he said and took the plate. He tried to stifle the laughter when Meredith looked devastated, her face crumbling with every laugh.
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because I just assumed, and well…you know what they say about assuming. Here I had these fantasies of coming down to a giant breakfast, and you hand me peanut butter bread. It’s not even toasted.” It was priceless really and a good lesson. Oh, how Willow and his mother would love to see him get handed a plate of bread. His mom had nagged him to death about learning to cook, and he’d chauvinistically assumed he’d find a woman to do that. Here he was married to one who didn’t know how.
“I couldn’t find the toaster,” she squeaked, a tear leaking out.
Jace was instantly somber. He put the plate down.
“So, you don't know how to cook?” He scratched his beginning beard. In his haste, he’d forgotten to shave.
Meredith shook her head and swiped away the lone tear. “No, I don’t.” Her chin lifted in defiance.
“Me either,” he said. “Mom’s been up my craw about learning, and I told her there was no need. With her around or if I ever married, that was taken care. That’s why I was laughing. I’m sorry Ma missed this because it would’ve made her day. Not that we're going to tell her or anything.”
Meredith sagged against the counter, her wrecked face now reassembled into a beautiful picture of loveliness. “I thought you were laughing at me.”
“I’m sorry. I hope you’ll find I’ll never do that. Not spitefully.”
He slid the bread from the plate and took a bite. “It’s good.”
When she laughed, it was a light, flirty sound that gave him instant wood. He moved to stand on the other side of the island. He needed to think of something else other than the sweet sounds she made when he touched her because that chain of thought was starting to get him overheated. He looked at the bread.
“I’m guessing then you had someone cook for you. Is it because you have no interest in knowing how to cook or…?” Food. They’d talk about food. How sexy could that be?
She looked to the floor before meeting his eyes and nodded. “We had a cook.”
He glanced at her hands. They were pristine. Smooth. Unlike his mother or Willow whose hands showed their use.
Ranch hands, his mother called them.
Meredith had socialite hands. It was going to be a long, tough year for her polished nails.
“I see a lot of canned goods in the pantry, but not a lot of fresh food in the fridge.” She bit her lip, and he swallowed hard.
Her action instantly brought him back to his attraction to her. Who cared if she didn’t have ranch hands? So long as she put those hands on him, he’d be perfectly fine. She nibbled her lip, and he wanted to do the same. He wanted to be close enough to her that he could suck on her lip and other things his mouth might find.
Jesus H. Christ, he was a horny asshole. Here she was trying to have a conversation with him, one that had made her cry earlier, and he was thinking about breaking their pact and getting her naked. But keeping his mind in the gutter helped him ignore the tiny, nagging doubt she was too pampered and would find this a difficult place to live. That she'd want to leave any day now. He imagined trying to explain that to his parents.
His mood instantly soured. She was here one full day and already it was complicated. Sex, no sex, married but not really married. He needed to focus on something asexual like...cows. He needed to remember why he was doing this––Pops. He needed to not be distracted by her lips...or anything. He shuffled on his feet, ate the last bite of the bread while he tried to remember what they were talking about before he ventured down this tangent.
“I can’t cook either, but I can open up a mean can of beans or soup. And over a campfire, I can grill an insanely good steak. I can flip burgers on a grill without burning them. You know, those sorts of things, and salads probably aren't that hard, my sister makes them all the time. That's just chopping, right? That's not mixing ingredients, but even then, how hard could ingredient mixing be?”
Meredith traced the pattern on the counter. “I don't know. I’d like to try it, though.”
“You should try it. Experiment away. I’m going to be outside for most the day. I can show you real quick where to get the eggs. Did I mention we have hens and chickens?”
She shook her head. “You don’t mind if I mess up your kitchen?”
“It’s your kitchen, too,” he said and took the other piece of bread off the plate.
“We could maybe try some cooking things together.” Her words trailed off as she ducked her head.
There were plenty of things he wanted to try with her. “If I get any time free from corralling cattle and riding the perimeter, then that sounds like a plan.” He didn’t foresee any of that happening, but he couldn’t tell her no .
Meredith smiled. “Duh, you have super busy days, which is why you’re up at the crack of dawn.”
Thinking about the day ahead of him made Jace yawn. “Yeah, they do stretch into the evenings often as well.”
“Um, so if there’s any time to take me out and ride the grounds with you, I’d love that. I may not know how to cook, but I do know how to ride.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ve been riding since I was a kid.”
Jace folded the bread, ready to cram it in his mouth. He could see Tuck out by the barn getting the horses ready. They needed to look at all the fence line and see if they could get a lead on the bear. “Well, that's a start. I think we're onto something here.” He winked. “Riding is going to come in real handy around here. Let’s make a list. I need to teach you to shoot.”
“And I’ll experiment with mixing ingredients. Likely baking before cooking.”
“There’s a difference?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, even I know that.”
He looked around the kitchen. “I’m guessing you’ve not started a fire before either?”
“No, sorry.”
“Let’s start there. Take the chill out of the morning. Then you can try one this evening if you want. Come on, I’ll show you real quick.”
He shoved the bread in his mouth, adjusted the crotch of his pants, and then led her into the living room and showed her how to make a fire. She was too cute for words, making her notes, echoing the sequence, naming the chimney parts after he did.
He watched her while she poked at the logs in the fireplace, and the urge to call in sick was overwhelming. Who could blame him? This was his honeymoon.
“Listen, I won’t be in for lunch, but I’ll be back for dinner. If its peanut butter and crackers and a can of beans, that works for me.”
With a sheepish grin Meredith said, “I couldn’t find the can opener so it’ll be likely peanut butter.”
Jace laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I do know where that is. Second drawer by the stove.”
He got lost into the deep pools of her azure eyes, and she blinked back at him, her expression a reflection of his curiosity. Just one kiss. Where would it lead? When she leaned toward him, he stepped closer, his thumb stroking down her neck as he let go of the long lock of her hair.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Just one quick taste. He knew he shouldn't do it. They agreed it would cause nothing but problems, but the decision was out of his control. Something bigger than him, some force he wasn't able to name, pushed him in her direction. He brushed his lips against hers. One, twice, and a tad longer on the third time.
Outside a horn gave one long blow followed by three short ones.
Meredith jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand. “We shouldn't....”
He nodded, stepping toward the door. “Yep, we shouldn't.” But man he really wanted to.