17. Jack
Jack
Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton
I was up before the sun, got the cattle checked, fed the horses, and even managed to fix a busted latch on the east pasture gate.
Now, I’m hiding out like a damn coward. The fact is that I can’t sleep.
She’s on my mind, and I can’t shake her out of it.
I can’t even busy myself with work. She’s everywhere.
She’s parked her trailer at my ranch and her heart in mine.
She’s been on my mind so much. The past keeps replaying in my dreams. I have dreamed twice now of the day I kissed her all those years ago and then turned her down.
I’ll never forget the look on her face when I broke her heart.
It shattered me. But I had to do it. If I hadn’t let her go, my father would have done some bad shit to the Wilder Ranch.
I had to protect her and her family. There’s no telling how far he would have gone.
He didn’t want any of us kids to have anything to do with the Wilder Ranch.
I shattered her when I rejected her. She was so sweet and innocent back then, and we had that young love going on.
I remember that kiss and how amazing she tasted. I still think about that kiss.
The inside of the Steamy Sips trailer is clean and smells like vanilla and coffee.
Although, judging by the machine sitting smugly on the counter, I’ll never be able to figure out how to actually make a cup without screwing the whole thing up.
I scowl at the thing, deciding water is just fine, and take a sip from my bottle as I slide into the dinette booth at the back of the trailer.
The place is tidy, and Cami keeps everything neatly lined up, nothing out of place.
No clutter, no mess, just efficiency. A stark contrast to the chaos that surrounds The Rancher Finds a Wife, which I’m figuring out is mostly staged arguments, too much perfume, and contestants pretending they knew what a hay bale was for.
Nothing was what it was, and it was driving me crazy.
I can't wait for this to all be over. This is just all weird.
I check my phone, mostly out of habit.I missed a few texts from my brothers, one from Weston that just said, "Survive the day” —real helpful—and one from Tucker that was just a picture of a goat tied to the back of the feed truck with no explanation. Typical.
I lean back and drummed my fingers against the table. That’s when I noticed the folder tucked neatly into the corner on top of a stack of papers, just peeking out enough to catch my eye. Wilder Ranch was scrawled across in bold black letters.
I hesitate. Not because I have any moral issue with snooping—if Cami didn’t want people looking at this, she wouldn’t have left it sitting out—but because I know whatever is inside is probably something important to her.
And what’s important to her, is important to me. Still, curiosity got the best of me.
Flipping it open, I scan the pages inside, expecting, I don’t know… maybe some angry notes about how she was being forced to work with me ? Instead, I found plans. Big ones.
Fall festivals, bonfires, horseback riding lessons. A whole operation built around families coming to make memories at Wilder Ranch. A summer camp… I could practically hear kids laughing and running through the fields already.
I kept flipping, my excitement growing with everything I read.
She wants to turn Wilder House into a B&Band afarm-to-table restaurant.Inside, with reservations only? A place where guests could experience real ranch life, made-from-scratchfood? Damn.
And the wild mustangs? She’d researched the leasing programs and figured out how to bring in state funding while giving those horses a place to roam safely.
The plans looked profitable, which showed how she could finance them to get three phases of the new business up and running while taking on minimal debt.
It was well thought out. The plan was genius.
I lean back, staring at the papers. This wasn’t just some half-baked idea, she’d thought this through. She knew exactly what she wanted Wilder Ranch to be, and hell if it didn’t make my chest ache a little. This is Cami’s dream.
The sound of the trailer door swinging open made me snap the folder shut.
"Find something interesting, Jessop?"
I looked up to see Cami standing there, hands on her hips, eyebrow arched.
She didn’t look mad, just curious. Like she’s waiting to see what I’ll say.
I clear my throat and smirk. "You always leave top-secret documents lying around for just anyone to find?"
"Only when I want to give people something to think about." She drops her bag onto the counter and eyes me. "You look suspiciously guilty."
"Me? Nah." I lean forward, resting my forearms on the table. "Just impressed. This is some plan, Wilder."
She blinks, as if she wasn’t expecting that. "You actually read it?"
"Every word." I grunt. "Didn’t even need pictures."
"Wow," she says dryly. "Look at you. A real scholar."
I chuckle and tap the folder. "You serious about all this?"
Her expression shifts for a second. A little flicker of vulnerability before she masks it with sarcasm. "No, I just thought I’d spend months writing a business plan for fun."
"Could’ve fooled me," I say. "I mean, I never took you for a visionary type."
"Right, because I’m just some hot-headed ranch girl who’s making this up as I go."
"That’s exactly what you are," I tease, "but this? This is real, Cami. This is good. "
She crosses her arms, studying me. "You actually like the plan?"
"Are you kidding?" I lean back in the booth. "It’s brilliant. The restaurant alone? The summer camps? The family events? You’ve got a goldmine here. This is something Bridger Falls needs. Heck, wish I’d had this as a kid."
Her lips part slightly, like maybe she didn’t expect me to say that. “We did have this as kids. We’d just be giving this to other kids to experience.”
Then, of course, she ruins the moment by squinting at me. "Alright, what’s the catch? You want a percentage? Gonna make me sign my life away in a contract?"
I snort. "I was actually thinking I want to help you."
Her arms drop to her sides, mouth falling open. "You? Help me? "
"Yeah." I rub the back of my neck. "Look, Wilder Ranch?—"
"You own it, which means you could make my life miserable at any second."
"Or," I say, holding up a finger, ignoring her jabs, "I could help you make this happen. Nothing is stopping you. What I was about to say is that Wilder Ranch is safe. No one is taking it from you, which means no one is stopping you from making all of this happen."
She studies me, skeptical as ever.
Finally, she sighs and drops into the seat across from me. "You really think it’s a good idea?"
"I know it is." I tap the folder. "And for what it’s worth, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this passionate about anything. Well, except maybe hating me."
She lets out a laugh. "Yeah, well. You make it easy."
I smirk. "And yet, here we are. Would you stop being so mean to me?"
She shakes her head, amused. "No."
“If I was dying, would you give me a kidney?” I ask.
She gives me a look of confusion then says, “Maybe. If you died, I’d have no one to tease.”
For a second, we just sit here. And damn it, I like this, sitting across from her, talking about something that matters.
Her head tilt and knowing look shatters that moment. "So, how long have you been hiding in here, exactly?"
I scoff. "I wasn’t hiding, I was just?—"
"You don’t know how to work the coffee machine, do you?"
I squirm slightly. "I… might have some technical difficulties."
Cami’s grin stretches wide, downright predatory. "Well, well, well. Big bad, Jack Jessop. Defeated by a coffee maker."
I scowl. "Don’t make this a thing."
"Oh, it’s a thing now." She stands up, grabs a mug, and starts working the machine with an ease that makes me resent her a little.
"So, let me get this straight. You can mend a fence, break in a wild colt, and sweet-talk a whole town into trusting the Jessops again… but you can’t make a cup of coffee? "
"Not can’t," I correct. "Just… haven’t tried. Yet."
She hands me a steaming mug, looking way too pleased with herself. "Well, today’s your lucky day, Jessop. Welcome to the world of caffeine. Try not to embarrass yourself today with all of your ladies."
I take the mug, sipping carefully as she smirks.
Damn it. It’s good.
“That’s one helluva business plan. Where did you learn all of that?” Setting my mug down, I asked.
“I guess there are things you don’t know about me, Jack,” she says as she pours herself a cup of coffee.
“I can’t wait to find out,” I say over my mug.
I almost spill my coffee in surprise when the door to the trailer swings open like a damn police raid.
Jenna storms in, eyes sharp, clipboard in hand, wearing a headset, looking like she is about to ruin my entire day.
“There you are!” she announces, throwing her arms up dramatically like she’d just found a missing child. “I knew you were hiding.”
Cami, still smirking at me from across the trailer, snorts. “Told you.”
“Oh, he absolutely is,” Jenna confirms, marching toward me with the energy of a woman who was about to make my life significantly harder. “You finished your ranch chores and then what? Scuttled off in here to avoid interacting with the contestants?”
I scoff. “I don’t scuttle.”
Jenna ignores me and drops into the seat next to Cami like she owns the place. Then, without a second’s hesitation, she snatches a muffin off Cami’s plate .
Cami gasps, full-on betrayal. “Hey!”
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law, sweetheart,” Jenna says through a mouthful of stolen muffin, flipping open her clipboard. “Shouldn’t be harboring fugitives in your trailer.”
Cami smirks at me. “I did not hide him in here.”
I just kept sipping my coffee, praying if I stayed quiet, maybe, Jenna would miraculously forget she was here to make me miserable.
No such luck.
“Alright, Jack,” Jenna says, flipping a page and leveling me with a look. “Time to earn that reality TV paycheck. You’ve got a date lined up this evening, and I need you camera-ready.”
I frown. “A date ?”
“Yes, a date,” she repeats, sighing like she’s dealing with a particularly dense toddler. “That’s kind of the entire premise of the show, Jack. You do remember signing the contract, right?”
Cami snickers, still working on her replacement muffin. “You should see his contract-reading skills. Top-tier.”
I shoot her a glare. “You gonna help me out here or what?”
She shakes her head. “Not a chance.”
Jenna flipped another page on her clipboard. “You’re filming in an hour, so you should probably go clean up first.”
I blinked. “I am clean.”
Jenna and Cami exchanged a look .
Cami sighs dramatically, waving a hand in my general direction. “Jack, you smell like the inside of a horse trailer.”
Jenna nods. “Aggressively barn-scented. The ladies want fresh and clean.”
I scowl. “It’s called working, ladies. Maybe try it sometime.”
Jenna pats me on the arm. “Oh, sweetie, I work all day. Just not in manure .”
Cami wrinkles her nose. “Seriously, Jessop. I’d pay to see the reactions if you showed up smelling like you do right now. Actually, you know what? You absolutely should show up like this for them.”
Jenna shoots her a glare. “Not helping.”
I set my coffee down with an exaggerated sigh. “Y’all are the worst.”
“We know,” they say in unison.
I looked to the ceiling, praying for strength. “What exactly am I supposed to do on this date?”
Jenna checks her notes. “It’s a romanticpicnic date with Juliette.”
I groan. Juliette spent all yesterday looking at the ranch like it was some kind of biohazard site.
“Oh, this is gonna be fantastic,” Cami says, grinning as she takes another bite of her muffin.
I shake my head at her. She’s enjoying this way too much.
Jenna steals another muffin from the case and flips to the next page on her clipboard. “Alright, so, you’ve got that super romantic picnic planned for later, and then tomorrow, we’ve got the team challenge, where the girls compete and winner gets the date with you.”
"Another date?" I groan.
Cami perks up. “Oh, I want to watch that.”
Jenna smirks. “I figured you might.”
I lean back in the booth, rubbing a hand over my face. “I don’t have time for all this. I’ve got real work to do before filming again. Fencing needs repairing in the west pasture. Water troughs need cleaning. We’re still down a couple hands, and?—”
Jenna holds up a hand. “Sounds exhausting. Take a shower first.”
I scowl. “No.”
Jenna blinks. “What do you mean, no?”
“I’ve got work to do.”
Cami sighs like I was the most ridiculous man alive. “Jack, no offense, but if you show up smelling like you do right now, Juliette is gonna file a complaint with HR.”
I frown. “Do we even have an HR?”
Jenna points to herself. “It’s me. And I’m already preemptively filing a complaint.”
Cami smirks. “See? Now go wash the barn off yourself before I have to Febreze you like a dog that rolled in something questionable.”
I glare at her. “You would do that.”
“Oh, one hundred percent.” She confirms.
Jenna nods, sipping the to go coffee Cami hands her. “She’s not bluffing. She keeps a can of ‘Clean Linen’ scented Febreze in her truck.”
Cami grins. “You bet your ass I do.”
I sigh and stand from the table with a grumble. “Y’all are unbearable.”
Jenna patted my arm. “That’s why you love us.”
“Not sure I’d use that word,” I mutter, grabbing my hat.
Cami smirks, holding up a muffin. “I’ll save you one of these for when you’ve showered.”
I point at her. “If I come back to find zero muffins, there will be consequences.”
She bats her lashes. “Oh, I’m so scared.”
Jenna claps her hands. “Okay, go shower, cowboy. You smell like livestock.”
Grumbling under my breath, I grab my hat and head out.
Their laughter follows me all the way to the lodge.
This show is gonna be the death of me. And worse? Cami'sloving every second of it.
And they're right, I do need a shower. Mostly a cold shower because when I'm around Cami, I am more and more attracted to her, and my body betrays me. Damn it.