Chapter Four #2
“And your daughters aren’t?” Angela knew otherwise.
Both girls loved their dad. And he loved them.
He was so proud of Annabel’s makeover business, Fairy Godmother.
And Maya, his adopted daughter. Things had been in turmoil with them since Maya had demanded more information on her birth parents.
But the eighteen-year-old had never doubted her dad’s love.
Angela chewed on her lip until she tasted iron. She felt her stomach knotting. “You and my father have hated each other for a long time. I know that’s not going to magically go away just because you and I are an item. I only want the two of you to try.”
“He and I have come to a truce—”
“It feels more like a temporary cease fire.”
A wry grin tucked into his face. “For your sake, we’re offering a united, powerful front to get to the bottom of what’s going on.”
“And after that’s been solved?” She didn’t want to think about losing Ryder or her father.
“Well, one of us is going to be leading the new chapter. If it’s him, I’ll be polite. If it’s me…?”
She didn’t want any part of this conversation anymore. And she had a damn good idea of how to distract them both. She angled toward him, smoothing the collar of his chambray shirt. “Let’s stop talking about my father.”
“Sure. If you’re done with this—” he gestured to the tray of snacks “—then we can head out to finish up the last of your shopping. Although I can’t imagine you have more to buy.”
“Or we could skip the shopping.” She shifted to straddle him, tugging at his shirt.
Grin kicking up the sides of his mouth, he cupped her hips, his eyes smoldering. “Excellent idea.”
After her phone call with Angela, Esme had grown restless. It hadn’t escaped her notice that her sister sounded breathless and a bit distracted. Ryder Currin’s fault, no doubt.
She was happy for her sister, but also concerned for her dad. He was getting older, and this club presidency meant the world to him.
Determined not to waste time, she’d finished getting dressed in clothes left behind by Jesse’s sister. She’d even managed to find a pair of rain boots that fit if she put on three pairs of socks. At the thought of seeing her handsome host, her nerves pattered as fast as the rain.
Yesterday she would have sworn she wouldn’t be venturing out into the rain again anytime soon. And here she was, pushing out of the door and running through the storm in an oversize slicker that wasn’t much more attractive than the sweats she’d worn last night.
Sure, he could most certainly handle things in the barn on his own, but he had saved her. And kissed her.
Who was she trying to kid?
She wanted to spend more time with him. To persuade him for her dad and because he was an interesting, charismatic man. She couldn’t remember when she’d been this drawn to anyone this quickly.
She wanted to see if the chemistry of that kiss had been a fluke.
A well-appointed barn stood guardian before a small patch of trees. As the cold rain continued to pelt down, she widened her stride and dashed for the door.
Once her boots crossed the threshold, she whisked the rain off her body. Drips melted into the floor as her breath slowed. Then she quieted to watch Jesse, unnoticed for the moment.
Hands wringing her damp hair, Esme held her breath as Jesse’s muscled form gently stroked a bay horse. Even from a few feet away, she saw the whites of the horse’s eyes and the flaring nostrils.
Something had spooked the bay, who kept tossing his head skyward on the crossties, front hooves picking up and down as if he might bolt. Jesse’s practiced hand stroked the horse’s neck as he spoke impossibly softly in an attempt to soothe the still-frightened animal.
Electricity danced in the air again. Sure, she hadn’t anticipated being drawn to him at all. The kiss from earlier drifted back into her mind as this softer-but-still-powerful Jesse filled her vision.
As if sensing her, the bay craned his neck around, nostrils flaring once again, scenting her. Jesse was alerted to her presence and turned around.
“Well, hello, I didn’t expect to see you out here. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a crazy-strong storm raging out there.”
Grinning, she hung up the slicker on an empty peg along the wall. “I did notice, thank you, and it seemed to me that perhaps you could use some help.”
He angled his head to the side, studying her through narrowed eyes. “You realize this isn’t glamorous, right?”
“I know what I’m getting in for. I grew up on a ranch, something you seem to keep forgetting. Just because I don’t choose to continue that way of life doesn’t mean I magically forgot all I learned.” Her arms folded across her chest.
“Okay, then,” he conceded. “I welcome the extra set of hands. Especially ones so knowledgeable.”
She took that as a challenge. A half smile tugging on her lips, she raised a brow. “Point me in the direction of what still needs accomplishing.”
After he’d given her a quick rundown of what he’d done thus far—currycombing, hard brush and soft brush on Ace, the bay on the crossties—he launched into how the bay needed to have his hoof wrapped to deal with an abscess.
Reaching back over a decade, Esme remembered when her own buckskin mare had abscessed. If she were being honest, the flow of the care stayed with her but the particulars faded into the background.
Approaching the horse, she offered the palm of her hand to Ace. Sniffing gingerly, the horse’s whiskers tickled her palm. But he visibly settled, a great sigh releasing the tightness in his neck. The crossties hung in loose loops for the first time.
“You’re a natural.” Jesse’s eyes showed surprise as she stroked the horse’s leg, feeling for the heat of the infection.
Warmth danced on her cheeks, but she willed a casual wink to keep her mind off how close her body was to Jesse’s. “Sometimes I get lucky.”
Standing up, she looked at the supplies he’d gathered. He bent over, asking the horse to raise the injured foot with a click of his tongue and a tap on the ankle bone. Ace, shifting his weight, complied.
Eyeing the pile, she recognized the Betadine bottle and handed it to him.
“So the city girl does remember her origins after all.” He laughed, cradling the hoof as he poured the antiseptic on it.
His muscles rippled with a strength that took her breath away. Which was especially impressive given that she’d spent her life around cowboys, had seen plenty. But he was in a class of his own.
He was more than a figurehead ranch owner.
“Just here for the assist. What is the next step? I’m afraid this is where it gets fuzzy for me.”
Looking up from the hoof, he smiled, nodding toward the supply bucket. “I need a pad and tape.”
She nodded, handing him the last bit he needed to ensure the horse would heal properly. While he wrapped the horse’s hoof, she spoke quietly to Ace, stroking his silky neck until the horse’s eyes became heavy.
He finished checking his medical work and then carefully placed the wrapped hoof down. In a fluid movement, he snapped the lead line onto the leather halter and unhooked the crossties. Leading Ace back to his stall, he fished a treat out of his pocket, which the horse happily munched.
After closing the stall door, Jesse led her down the aisle to the wooden door of the barn office.
The space was lit by overhead lighting and a blinking Christmas tree in the corner near a sturdy wood desk, scarred from use and full of papers.
It had a different vibe than the expertly decorated house and pristine horse stalls.
And how ironic that he’d put a Christmas tree in here, but not in his home yet.
She wondered if this might be a peek into his core personality, less constrained, less intent on being analytically perfect in his approach to everything.
He opened a stainless steel refrigerator tucked behind the desk and pulled out two water bottles, one for each of them.
Extending one bottle to her, he leaned on the desk’s edge. “Did you reach your sister?”
“I did. You probably think it’s strange how often she and I talk—given that you said you’re not close to Janet.”
“I think if you’re both happy with your relationship, then that’s awesome.” He gestured for her to sit in the leather office chair. “I wish I’d had a houseful of siblings.”
“And that’s why you’ve got these three blind dates coming to meet you,” she said, trying very hard not to notice how amazing the chair smelled, carrying the hint of him in the leather, like being wrapped in his arms.
“That’s the plan.” He shook his head wryly. “You were not a part of my plan.”
“Sorry?”
“I’m not,” he said enigmatically, continuing before she had a chance to question him. “You were incredible in there with the horses. Thank you, Esme.”
She fidgeted with the bracelet on her wrist. The one from her mom that she couldn’t ever remember being without. A small fidget of comfort. “I only did what was needed.”
“But you knew what was needed, sometimes before I had a chance to ask. That’s impressive.” He nodded. “Yes, I know. You grew up on a ranch, but not everyone pays attention. And it’s not as if you needed to work.”
Helping on the ranch had been yet another way she’d tried to impress her father, only to see he hadn’t noticed because, to her surprise, he didn’t like the lifestyle. He didn’t even like horses, which blew her away because even the city girl in her loved the horses.
All the same, here she was again, still trying to prove she was indispensable. “What’s going to happen with the Houston chapter of the Cattleman’s Club?” she asked, blurting out what was on her mind.
“I can’t predict the election,” he said noncommittally.
“Do you think my dad has a chance?” Was she wasting her time here? What if Jesse said no and she would have to leave the second the rain stopped?
“Sure, he has a chance.”
“But so does Ryder Currin.”
He shrugged.
She sighed, the truth slipping out, frustration and fear of failure weakening her defenses. “I wish someone else was running. If Dad’s going to lose, it’s going to be so much tougher for him to swallow seeing Ryder at the helm.”
“I thought they’d reconciled.”
Had she said too much? Would that ongoing battle be a problem for the charter chapter? “They’re making an effort for my sister. But they’ve hated each other for a long time. It’s tough to believe they once worked together.”
Except her father had known he would marry his boss’s daughter. Which was ironic since her father didn’t even enjoy ranching, not the way Jesse did. The way Ryder Currin did, too, for that matter.
All a moot point. Her father would make a good president for the new club. Winning would also make it much easier for her dad to accept Ryder with Angela.
And if her dad knew the turn things had taken with Jesse Stevens and that kiss?
Even the word flamed through her, leading her gaze to slide back to Jesse. His eyes met hers quizzically, then knowingly. Heat glinted in his expression.
The air crackled with awareness between them and she couldn’t will herself to break away. The tip of her tongue moved over her top lip in an unconscious invitation.
Still seated on the edge of the desk, Jesse angled toward her, his hand sliding to cup the back of her neck.
He angled his mouth over hers, and desire radiated through her, driving her to her feet.
She looped her arms around his neck and held him close, and somehow, it wasn’t nearly close enough.
She ached for more of him, all of him. She couldn’t stop the sigh of desire from escaping her lips.
A low rumble of pleasure vibrated his chest against hers a second before he swept his arm across his desk. Binders crashed to the floor, papers fluttering before they fell to rest. His arms hooked under her bottom, lifting her and setting her on the sleek mahogany surface.
Surprise flickered through her, excited her, spurred her to demand more, to throw caution to the wind and see how far they could take things. An invitation he seemed to understand, since he lowered her against the desk, then lay over her.
Her world narrowed to the music of the moment.
Her heart hammering in her ears.
Rain drumming on the roof.
A car roaring up the drive…
A car?
She froze, her skin chilling with realization. Jesse angled back, his head turning, his brow furrowed. He started toward the window and she bolted to her feet, making it there only a step behind Jesse.
An SUV was racing up the drive, rainwater sloshing from behind the speeding vehicle all the way to the front porch. She took one look at the sensible four-wheel drive with a cowgirl-hat-wearing woman stepping out from behind the wheel, and Esme knew.
In spite of the weather, the first of those matchmaking candidates had arrived.