8. Cami
Cami
Strangers by Kameron Marlowe, Ella Langley
I get back from my morning ride and shower, rushing as usual because I need to get to the trailer.
I gather up my stuff for town and grab the paperwork in the folder, determined to look all of it over and figure out all of this legal verbiage.
I can figure this out, I tell myself. Last night, I got two pages in, and my eyes glazed over.
I don't know any lawyers who can help me figure this out.
And that offer to move the trailer out to the ranch is looking pretty good right about now.
I would like to be able to bake at the Jessop Ranch.
Watching Jack find a wife might be torture, though.
Since I have extra time, I head to the feed store to stock up on horse feed and dog food for Love.
I’m in line when I notice Weston Jessop heading into Harvest it’s a personal connection to my grandpa.
I bite my lip to stop the sting of tears as I look at the price tag, and I sigh.
I understand why my mom sold everything she could. But I don't understand it at the same time. Why the saddle? Why doesn’t she care about any of this? Why doesn’t she care about me?
I head back to my truck and head to The Black Dog on my way home. I can grab some lunch before I head home to start baking for the night. And then I need to start packing and figure out where I’m going to go.
The door swings open to The Black Dog, and it's surprisingly busy after the lunch rush. I wave to Cash and take a seat in one of the back booths. I don’t feel like chatting with anyone today. I just need a quiet moment to think about everything.
I stare down at my hands, processing everything. Today really sucks.
A figure slides onto the booth beside me, and my heart skips a beat when I look up and it's Jack. He’s so close, our thighs are touching, and my heart does a stupid little flip.
I close my eyes for a brief moment as the sensations of him being close pass over me.
The smell of him is familiar and comforting.
The leather, cedar, a hint of hay hit one after another, and my chest tightens with a rush of something warm and dangerously familiar.
I'll never admit that to him, but he feels familiar. Like a safe space.
Damn him.
I close my eyes for half a second, just long enough to get my reaction under control. Because even after the bickering and banter and emotional whiplash, Jack still feels like home.
Not that I’d ever admit that to him.
“Wilder,” he drawls, voice low and lazy like he owns the air between us as he reaches over and takes a sip of my drink. Hell, I forgot Cash had set it down, I’d been so lost in my thoughts.
I close my eyes and grunt, “Jessop.”
He’s got that grin, the one that’s equal parts charm and trouble, and leans an elbow on the table like he’s settling in for a good time giving me shit. Something he seems to live to do.
“Care to have lunch with me?” he asks, all innocent.
I narrow my eyes. “What’s the catch?”
He lifts both hands like he’s unarmed. “No catch. Just two neighbors. Sharing a meal. Like civilized ranch folk.”
I snort. “Right. Civilized.”
He shrugs, still watching me like I’m the most entertaining thing in the building. “It’s a free country, Wilder. I figure I’m allowed to sit where I want. And I want to sit by you.”
I sip my drink, closing my eyes and picturing his lips on the same glass, and glance at him sideways. “Guess I can’t stop you.”
His smile widens, just a little. “Wouldn’t want you to anyway.”
And damn it, I hate how much I like this game.
Because somehow, every time he’s near, I stop caring a little more every time who’s winning. It's like a ride at the carnival that I don't ever want to stop .
Cash comes over, and Jack holds up two fingers for the special. We're both creatures of habit.
“So, given any thought about moving your trailer out to the ranch?" he asks with a grin.
"I've given your proposition some thought,” I admit.
Something hits me in the back, and I look around to see Granger and Jace standing behind us across the bar, leaning against the pool table, glaring over at us. I look over at Jack, and he looks livid. I look down, and it was an empty plastic cup that one of them threw at me.
Jack tenses up beside me, and his fists clench.
He slides out of the booth and looks ready to murder these guys.
He’s fired up. I slide out of the booth and put my hand on his arm, a beat of something passing between us because we don’t usually touch each other.
I shake my head lightly, eyes on Jack telling him not to kill them.
His fury-filled eyes, clenched fists, and grinding jaw make me feel tingly. Like a good tingly.
My own anger is mounting. Guys like this, who think it’s okay to assault and harass a woman, need to be humbled, preferably with an audience.
“Aw, the poor little babies are throwing their pacifiers out of the stroller.” I scoff and roll my eyes, demonstrating how juvenile I think their actions are. “Grow the fuck up, boys .”
Cash strides over and says to them and gets in their faces. "You want to fight someone in this fucking bar, you can get the fuck out. There’s no harassing anyone, let alone a woman. You do that, you better be prepared to take on all of us."
"Our business isn't with you, it's with those two assholes." Jace fumes as he glares at Jack and me.
"Which one of you fuckers are trying to sabotage me?" Granger barks.
Jack and I exchange a look, one where a silent conversation passes between us, even though no words are shared. Yeah, these fuckers are going down.
"What are you talking about?" Jack asks.
I watch, waiting to hear what they have to say. Because I'm pretty sure Jack is going to destroy them after what they did to his fence and cattle.
"You put a fuckin’ skunk in my truck!" Granger thunders.
Surprise fills me. "I absolutely did not put a skunk in your truck. That's nasty."
But damn, I wish I’d thought of that. I would have absolutely put a skunk in his truck if I even knew where to get one.
Jack is surprisingly silent beside me, but I don't miss the way his lip quirks slightly.
"No, but you'd send a glitter bomb to my house, you stupid bitch," Granger spits, he's so angry.
I hold back my laughter because Poppy and I did in fact send him a homemade glitter bomb.
I deny it, because duh. "First of all, I'm not stupid. And second, glitter bombs are amateur. Why would I even do that? Glitter and skunks are messy." I shrug and glance over at Jack.
“Glitter bombs are what bitches would send,” Jace bites out.
“Well, I guess you’d know,” I shrug.
Jack looks at them. "First of all, watch your fuckin' mouth when you talk to her."
"Or what?" Granger asks looking over at Jace who moves forward, leaning up against his pool stick.
Jace looks like he wants to make a move for me, but I know he won’t with Jack and Cash here. Plus, I’d destroy him. He might start something, but I’d finish it.
Cash looks like he’s about to start knocking their heads together and isn’t having as much fun as Jack and I are, so I decide to lighten the mood a little. “You know what? I’m just going to say it. Sharks aren’t eating enough people,” I say with finality.
Out of the corner of my eye, I sense that they’re going to make a move towards us. I feel Jack tense, and he glances at me with a silent warning, and I give him a nonverbal response as well. We can unpack later how we’re able to communicate like this, but for now, it’s handy.