6. Cami
Cami
Weren’t for the wind by Ella Langley
I ’m sitting at the tiny table in my coffee trailer with my old-school calculator, running numbers. And these numbers are looking really good. The only problem is that I’m not sure if I’ll have a ranch to actually do any of the plans that I’m working on.
I hear someone pull up, glance over, and see Jenna walking up to the window. She bypasses it and comes straight around the back to knock on the screen door.
“Hey, come on in,” I call out to her.
“I think my brother is going to kill me,” she says as she plops down into the seat across from me.
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” I ask curiously.
“You promise you won’t say anything? I mean, you have to really promise. Like pinky swear and all that shit,” she says, looking stressed.
“You know I’d never betray you, Jenna. ”
She nods because we’ve grown up together as neighbors, and we’ve kept in touch on social media.
She’s one of the few people on this planet that I can truly trust. When you grow up in an unstable home, and other kids have too, you learn to build a community in other places, because your own family is shitty.
A look of sadness crosses her face, but then she nods. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”
I nod back. “So, what’s up?”
“By now, you’ve probably seen all the film crews around town. They’re here filming b-roll footage and planning out the show. And they’re here for my brother,” she says as she takes a deep breath.
I startle and blink. “Wait, what? Which brother?”
She leans forward, and her face lights up when she tells me. “It’s a new reality TV show that I’m co-producing. We’re calling it The Rancher Finds A Wife , and we’re filming it here at the ranch. Jack is going to be the star.”
My mouth opens and closes. This is not what I expected to hear. Wow. I shake myself back to what she’s saying, and I have so many questions swarming around my brain right now. The biggest one is about Jack finding a wife.
“What do you mean, ‘find a wife’?” I ask, trying to keep it cool.
But the truth is, there’s no coolness in me right now.
Not even close. In fact, I’m the exact opposite of cool.
I’m an inferno. I could explode at the thought of Jack getting married.
And to who? What the actual hell is happening?
I didn’t want him to date anyone else, much less marry someone.
She crosses her legs and leans back, excited. “The women are going to date him, and it’s kind of like The Bachelor. Wyoming ranch style. At the end of the show, the hope is that they find the love of their lives.”
No.
Instead, I say, “Jenna, that is... wild,” as I try not to give away that my heart is pounding so hard right now.
“I know, right? And the best part is that I get to help produce it!” she says excitedly. “This is my chance to break out as a producer.”
“What does Jack think about this?” I ask. He didn’t mention this at all. Not that we are big on sharing, but still. This is huge. He probably knows I’d give him shit about it.
“He doesn’t know, yet,” she mumbles. “He’s been avoiding me.”
“You’re right, he’s going to kill you.” I shake my head and blow out my breath. “Where do you want to be buried?”
“Yeah,” she breathes. “So, that’s why I’m here. I’m hoping you can help me talk him into doing it.”
I laugh, then when I look at her, I realize that she’s serious. “Wait, what makes you think he'll listen to me?”
She looks at me and says, “He’ll listen to you. I’m pretty sure you could talk him into anything. You guys are the weirdest best friends I’ve ever seen.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think you realize that your brother and I are not really even friends. We’re more of the rival variety.”
She snorts. “Right. Everyone knows that’s bullshit. Whatever you have going on with each other is…weird.”
I glance over, and Jack’s dark blue truck pulls in and parks. “Well, Jenna, it’s your lucky day.”
“Why?” she asks as she turns to look behind her out the window.
We both go still as Jack kills the engine and stalks toward the trailer like he’s about to arrest somebody, with that wide-shouldered, long-legged, cowboy-on-a-mission stride that makes my brain short-circuit .
I pop the service window open, trying to bite back my grin. “What can I get you, Jessop?”
His eyes flick to mine, sharp and stormy. “Where’s Jenna?”
Yikes. Not here for scones and coffee.
“Right here!” Jenna chirps from behind me, voice a little too high. “Hi, Jack!”
He doesn’t even blink. “Out here. Now.” He says it calmly. Clipped. No room for negotiation. Just points to the spot in front of him like it’s marked for judgment.
Jenna practically shrinks.
And me? I nearly drop the coffee I’m holding. Because bossy Jack? Yeah, that gets to me, too.
I cross my arms and lean against the trailer window, enjoying the show. Oh yeah. This is gonna be good.
I watch with fascination as she reluctantly exits the trailer. I want to watch what happens and pretend to be busy making coffee, even though there are no coffee orders.
I hear Jack say, “Why would you do this and not even ask me first? I had to hear it from Weston.”
“I tried talking to you multiple times, Jack. I even resorted to email. You’ve been so preoccupied lately.
I had to sign you up for it, guaranteeing your spot to the other producers.
I did it for you, Jack. For all of us. This money could really change things for the ranch.
We can make it ours and not our father’s.
We can do things the right way. The way mom would have wanted to do them.
This is my way of contributing and helping get the ranch in a stable financial place. ”
“This is our lives, Jenna. Do you want us to put you on a show to find you a husband? How would you like that?” he asks as he crosses his arms.
His beefy arms, I might add. He looks pissed under his usual black cowboy hat, sunglasses, and faded navy t-shirt.
“Actually, hell yeah,” she admits. “But it’s TV. It’s for entertainment. A lot of reality TV shows are scripted and for views. You can do this. I know you can. And then you can have money for?—”
“That’s enough,” he snaps.
“Okay, I get it. I was just trying to help. I promise. I’d never put you, Weston, or Tucker in a bad position,” she reassures him.
“A little heads up would have been nice. They’re here in our town starting to film, and I’m just being made aware of it. It’s my fucking ranch, too.”
Now Jenna looks angry. “The ranch is all of ours. I have a part in this.”
“Oh, yeah? Then fucking act like it, Jenna. You won’t even come home to sleep. He’s gone, you know. And he’s never coming back.”
“I know,” she says quietly. “It’s just hard. It’s like his ghost is lurking there. And he’s not even dead.”
“He might as well be. All of us need to make decisions together,” he says with emphasis on “together”.
I can’t see where he’s looking because he’s got sunglasses on, but then I realize he catches me staring, so I look down and pretend to wipe down the counters. I've been wiping them for five minutes now, and they're already spotless.
Jenna says something and then heads to her SUV, and I’m relieved that they’re done fighting. I hate seeing them fight.
That’s when I feel something behind me. I turn and startle when I see him leaning against the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. “Enjoying the show?”
I straighten my shoulders and smirk at him. “Maybe. Heard you’re going to find a wife.”
“That right?” he asks, not looking happy about this fact.
“God, I hope they’re paying those women enough for this,” I say, trying not to laugh. “I mean…I guess you’ve been through ha lf the women in the state of Wyoming, so now they have to fly in a gaggle of women who are lucky enough not to know you.”
Jack stares at me and shakes his head. “Haven’t had you. Want to make the list?”
I stare at him and offer my best eyeroll. But butterflies fill my belly at the thought of being with Jack. Not telling him that though. “Not a chance, Jessop.”
He changes the subject and asks, “Granger been around your place any?”
I shrug. “No, it’s been pretty quiet. I think my shotgun scared him off.”
His eyes are fixed on me, a smirk turning at his lips. “Yeah, that must be it.”
He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and fishes out a twenty.
Prowling toward me, he takes up all the space in the trailer.
He cages me to the counter, and I can feel my breath hitch and my heart skip a beat.
I’m 5’7”, and Jack is easily over 6 feet tall, and his height towers over me, giving him an advantage.
I crane my neck to focus my eyes on him, unable to speak at how close his body is to mine.
He never looks away, as if he’s challenging me.
He's close enough that I can feel his heat, smell his body wash, and count all the various hues of green flecks in his eyes.
The length of his eyelashes is brutally unfair.
His neatly trimmed beard makes me wonder what it would feel like under my hands.
His muscled forearms and biceps are on display, bulging under his t-shirt sleeves.
He presses even closer, the points of my nipples grazing his shirt ever so slightly, to the point where I have to bite back a whimper. “I sure hope my new wife bakes half as good as you.”
He reaches behind me and sets down the money. He takes two scones and sets them on a napkin. Then, without a word, he scoops the bundle from the counter, turns, and leaves the trailer, pointing his truck back towards the ranch.
Did he just—did he just do that?
I stand here, still caged between the counter and the lingering scent of Jack Jessop, my brain absolutely short-circuiting.
Because what was that? What the hell just happened here?
It feels like someone just dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on me, bringing me back to reality, and back to ignoring my feelings for Jack. He’s messing with me. Like he always is.
Also, is Jack going to find a wife? What the hell? I hate this.