Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
TUCKER
Aknock came at my office door, and I called out for the person to enter as I leaned back in my chair while glancing away from my computer screen. Jackson’s blond head of hair appeared in the doorway, barely held back by his backward hat, and his wide signature grin made his single dimple appear.
“Getting called to the boss’s office in the middle of the day, whatever could this be for?” he joked, giving a mock gasp as I motioned for him to shut the door behind him. “And we’re shutting the door? How scandalous, Tucker.”
I gave a short chuckle with a shake of my head as he sauntered over and dropped lazily into one of the chairs before my desk. “You know that door doesn’t have a lock. I’m not risking someone walking in on us.”
Jackson gave a small shrug, his grin still in place as I pulled out the manila folder from one of the drawers and placed it before us. “That’s a quick fix, you know. What’s this?”
“Your new contract.”
Hazel eyes jumped to mine briefly as he leaned forward to open it up. “You sure know how to edge a guy. My contract period ends this week.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for that. Granger and I had some things we didn’t see eye to eye on, and it took longer than I expected to get other things ironed out.”
He let out an amused hum as he flipped through the initial pages.
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. What was it?
Salary? Position term—” His voice cut off, and I waited as he continued to read through the document, the furrow in his brow looking way to fucking cute as he concentrated on the words before him.
“Are you sure about this?” Jackson breathed after some time, his expression full of shock as he looked back up at me, but I could see the undercurrent of hope that clung to the corners of it.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, clasping my hands together and resting my elbows on the wooden desk.
“I—” He swallowed thickly as he looked back down at the paper before him. “This says you’re taking me on as a yearly farm employee, not as a farmhand. And the contract renews automatically, but a thirty-day notice will be needed on my end if I choose to terminate. What does all this mean?”
I nodded, sucking in a slow breath through my nose.
“It means you will always have a job at Juniper Grove as long as you want one. Even if one day you can’t take care of the horses for one reason or another, we can find you something else to do on the farm.
This contract is written up so you won’t ever have to worry about losing your home if you’re not able to perform the duties of being a farmhand any longer.
But should you decide you want to leave Juniper Grove, you’ll need to provide thirty days’ notice so we can find and train your replacement. ”
Reaching forward to flip the pages a little, I found the section I was looking for and motioned for him to read as I continued to speak.
“Additionally, since housing is a term of your employment, should you give notice, you’ll be allowed to stay on the property in the housing of your choice for up to a hundred and eighty days after.
That’s to give you enough time to find other living arrangements.
This was the part Granger and I couldn’t agree on,” I admitted, letting out a soft sigh.
“I wanted you to be able to stay as long as needed, but he told me we had to lay down some sort of parameters.”
“What does this part about ‘housing of my choice’ mean?”
“You could stay wherever you’re most comfortable, whether that be the bunkhouse or the main farmhouse, or… my cabin.”
Those green-brown pools jumped up to meet my eyes, and I saw the question in them, but I barreled forward, not wanting to get sidetracked from the most important piece.
“There is another document you’ll need to sign in addition to the employment contract.
” Leaning over, I pulled out the separate group of papers from the back of the folder and placed it before a shell-shocked Jackson.
“What’s this?” he asked, not bothering to look it over.
I chewed on the inside of my lower lip, my mouth suddenly going dry as my heart raced in my chest. “It’s a deed transfer for ten acres near the back of the property.
” Turning my seat around, I stood and pointed toward the area of land on the map of Juniper Grove that hung on the wall behind me.
“It borders the road, so you’d be able to build your own driveway and access points.
That way you wouldn’t have to use the farm’s entrances to access your property.
Once you sign this, the land will be yours outright. ”
“No.” The single word was more of a croak than anything, and I glanced back to find Jackson looking pale.
“No?” I repeated, sitting back down quickly. My legs felt like Jello from adrenaline and fear brought on by that one syllable.
He shook his head. “No… Why would you want to do this? Why would you give me ten acres of your family’s property?”
Taking my hat off and running a shaky hand through my hair, I tried to gather my thoughts appropriately. The why was important, and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
“You told me the only thing you’ve wanted in life was a place to put down roots, somewhere you could build a family and grow old.
You can have that here at Juniper Grove.
But I don’t want you feeling like you’re being shackled to this place or to me.
If you ever decide you don’t want to be with me anymore, I don’t want you to feel like you’ll be giving up your home in the process.
This land? It’s so we both know you’ll have somewhere to go if we don’t work out. ”
Jackson let out a choked sound, and I looked up into red-rimmed eyes with sparkles of unshed tears clinging to his lower lashes. “Tucker Legare, you are one thick-headed son-of-a-bitch. Have I not done enough to prove I’m in this with you? Do I need to tattoo your name on my forehead next?”
“This isn’t because I don’t believe in us,” I said quickly.
“It’s because I need to know you’ll be taken care of.
I want to help make your dreams a reality, and I want to be by your side as they come true, but this is one I can make sure happens.
Can you honestly say you wouldn’t do the same in my shoes if given the chance? ”
It took him a second to respond, his head thunking back against his shoulders as he did. “I’d give you the world if I could.”
My breath left me in one fell swoop even though I hadn’t realized I’d been holding it. “This is me giving you the tiny corner of the world that I can.”
He ran a thumb over his lower lip, nodding his head slowly, and I knew he was starting to see where I was coming from with this offer. “Why ten, though? If it’s just for me to build a house on, why not give me one or two acres?”
“You’re a rancher through and through, Jackson. Would you really be happy living without any horses or other animals to look after?”
I watched as he slumped back in his seat, his expression just a little bit awed. “You really do love me.”
“What clued you in?” The huff of laughter left me easily as the tension in the room finally seemed to break. Jackson’s own chuckle was music to my ears, and I couldn’t help the grin pulling at my lips as I looked at him.
“Can we circle back to something for just a second?” he asked, and I knew before the words ever even left his mouth where we were headed. “You said I could choose to live in your cabin for up to six months after I terminate my contract.”
“If it’s where you felt most comfortable,” I hedged. “But I imagine you wouldn’t want to stay there if you were planning to leave.”
“Sure, but why wouldn’t you just say I could stay in the bunkhouse? Isn’t it listed as my location of residency in the contract?”
“The contract just states that we would provide housing on the Juniper Grove property, and you’re allowed to choose where you want to reside.
” A rough grunt left my throat as I cleared it.
The silence that followed my statement hung heavy in the air, and I wondered if Jackson understood the implications of what I’d just dropped between us.
I had my answer when his eyebrows pulled together as he spoke again.
“What are you saying, Tucker?”
“I’m saying,” I started, licking my lips, “when you’re ready to move in, there won’t be any legal issues around it.
And look, I know what you’re probably going to say.
” I held up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth.
“I don’t have any concerns there would be legal problems because I would never pursue you for breach of contract, and I trust that you wouldn’t come after me, either.
But I wanted everything to be clean and easy for you.
I’ve done a lot to make sure you’re safe and set up for a future, regardless of if it’s with me, so making sure this was laid out was important to me. ”
The words had hardly left my mouth before Jackson was out of his seat and rounding my desk.
His hands found my face, the warm brush of his thumb over my cheek feeling electric despite how gentle it was.
He settled his weight on my lap unceremoniously and I let out an oomph that was quickly swallowed by his kiss.
It was slow and languid, full of so much tenderness, it made my eyes water.
My own hands wrapped around his low back, tugging him against me on instinct despite how unexpected his reaction was.
When we pulled apart a few seconds later, Jackson rested his forehead against mine, his fucking dimple popping in the periphery of his smile.
“When, huh?”
For a moment, my brain struggled to comprehend the meaning of his question, everything muddled and stuck on how soft his lips felt against my own. But then it hit me, and I sucked in a slow breath through my nose.