Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Sharp
As soon as Jamie’s feet ended up over her head, my speed picked up even more, and I practically ran towards the paddock. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ewan running as well, since Lightning had also noticed Jamie’s fall.
I cursed under my breath, because I hated that gate. We had been reusing an older section to get the layout, and now that single mistake was going to end up getting Jamie hurt.
Ewan jumped over the fence as I went through the gate, and both of us threw up our hands, trying to calm Lightning down.
However, Lightning had a particular temper. He did not like surprises, most people, kids, or rainy days. Though he did love Amelia. We weren’t sure why, maybe she gave him sugar cubes when we weren’t looking, but Lightning had an attitude.
He was also a damn good horse who was learning the idea of calm.
I’d just wish he’d learn it a bit quicker.
“Whoa,” I said, as I slowly made my way to the right side of the encircled area where Jamie was just now rolling to her knees. “Jamie, I want you to stay still for a moment.”
Lightning began to pace back and forth, letting out little huffs and chuffs, and I winced.
“Oh dear.”
My lips nearly twitched at the sound of her voice, but she was awake, and that meant she’d be able to move quickly when needed.
Lightning moved a little bit closer, stomping at the ground, before Ewan was there, rope in hand, and I moved quickly.
In an instant, Lightning noticed our movements and shifted towards us, but then my hands were on Jamie’s hips, and I lifted, took four steps back, and let Galen—who had shown up right when I’d made it to Jamie—shut the gate behind us.
Ewan had already jumped out of the paddock on the other side, and Lightning paced between us, looking annoyed that he hadn’t gotten to trample anyone.
“Well that was embarrassing,” Jamie said against my chest, and that’s when I realized I was still holding her, one hand on her hip, the other on the back of her head, keeping her close.
I wasn’t sure why I liked that feeling so much, and I would think about that later. Maybe. Or I wouldn’t think about it at all. After all I had known Jamie would be visiting soon and so far I had spent more time here in the horse area rather than welcoming her.
It had been six months since the disaster that was my lack of wedding, and while my family had given up razzing me about it because there was no point when we knew it hadn’t been my fault, our town hadn’t been so easy.
Clover Lake was a decently sized town in Wyoming, for what it’s worth.
However, it was still one of those small towns that continued to have gossip like nobody’s business.
There was at least one of everything—a mercantile store, a diner, a coffee shop, a bakery, a lumber store, a ranching store, and a supply and repair store that I refused to go into.
And with all of that came people who loved to judge.
The McBrides, as well as our neighbors who Ewan had been friends with for years, were the outliers when it came to Clover Lake.
We were the ones with larger pieces of land and brought in the taxes and income streams that helped feed a lot of the town.
Hence, the resentment from those who either used to work with us or never wanted to.
We weren’t the town settlers of Clover Lake, nor were we the founders.
We were just a family who worked here. And any time you could kick a McBride down, most of Clover Lake loved it.
That’s why I was still the talk of the town, but I wasn’t alone.
No, there was also Jamie.
A woman that I shouldn’t be thinking of. A woman that I had been texting daily for the past six months, if not more. And a woman that I was still holding on to. With a sigh, I let her go, staggering back slightly.
I immediately pulled my hat off and flipped it backwards so I could see her better.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? We need to replace that gate. When we set up this section, we used an older piece of equipment just to sketch it out, but we need to fix that.”
I reached out and tucked a piece of that hot pink hair behind her ear, and froze, realizing that I was once again touching her. I needed to stop doing that.
Jamie blinked at me, her cheeks going red. “I’m really okay. I sort of hit my arm, but not really. Because I’m a dork. I’m so sorry if I got anybody in trouble, or if I ruined something or if someone was hurt.”
I barely resisted the urge to run my hands down her arms to check her out and keep her safe. What was it about this woman? “You didn’t do anything wrong. I promise you. I’m sorry that you even ended up in that position though.”
“I can’t believe I just fell into a horse thingy.”
My lips twitched. “Horse thingy?”
“You’re the rancher. I don’t know these words.”
“Well, I’m glad that you’re okay.”
“All is well.” She looked down at her elbow and frowned. “Except for this minor cut here.”
I moved forward quickly, taking her arm. “Fuck. Come on, I can go get you a bandage or call the doctor or something.”
Seriously? It was a tiny cut. What the hell was wrong with me? It had to be the same thing that had pushed me into texting her daily all of these months. I needed a reality check.
And thankfully that reality check came in the form of my brother, as Ewan and Galen both came forward.
“That’s one way to start the day,” Galen said as he moved forward, taking Jamie in his arms.
I narrowed my gaze at him, muttering under my breath. Galen just winked and hugged her tightly. When she wrapped her arms around him for a hug, I wasn’t jealous at all. I shouldn’t be jealous.
“I’m an idiot. But I’m okay. I’m so glad that everybody was here to watch that happen though.”
“We wouldn’t be the McBrides without watching family members fall into things. You should have seen the time that Sharp fell into the creek and ended up cutting his—”
“We’re not going to tell that story,” I cut him off.
“Wait. Well now I need to know.”
“You really should. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about it over dinner. You are coming for dinner tonight, right? All of us McBrides are there since Gwen is back in town.”
“I’m so glad that she was able to be here during my month-long visit. You guys are going to be so tired of me by the end of this trip.”
“Not a chance,” I blurted, and Galen gave me a knowing look as Jamie’s cheeks pinked.
“I am glad that you’re okay,” Ewan put in as Livvy came forward and pulled Jamie to her side.
“I can’t take you anywhere, cousin of mine. You really are a suburban girl through and through.”
“Tell me about it,” Jamie said as she pushed her bangs from her eyes.
My hand had wanted to reach out and push those bangs just like before. And I needed to stop that. I froze, realizing I shouldn’t have touched her. And definitely not when the rest of the family had been looking.
“Anyway, I’m sorry that I made a spectacle of myself. I will go with Livvy now and figure out where to sit at my office since I will be working.”
“You didn’t make a spectacle of yourself, Jamie. We’re just glad that you’re okay.” I ignored the knowing looks from my brothers.
“Well, okay. I’m going to go now. And maybe put ice on something.”
Her eyes danced, and I couldn’t help but notice the heat. What the hell was wrong with me?
I did not have this reaction around women.
Yes, I liked them, but even before I had started dating Jo, I’d been hands off.
I didn’t go out with different women often, and I was probably the most celibate of my entire family.
Ewan hadn’t dated often, and Gwen and Galen didn’t go out that much.
I tended to stay home. Or if I was out with friends, I didn’t go home with random women.
I didn’t have this need or desire when it came to other people in my life.
And yet from the moment I had seen Jamie—even when I shouldn’t have—I had wanted to be next to her. I had felt that heat, that connection. And from the look in her eyes, I swore she felt it too. Or maybe I was just hoping for more than what was there.
Livvy pulled her away, going over any injuries again, and I ignored both Ewan and Galen’s pointed looks.
“I’m going to go check on Lightning.”
“The team’s working on him. He’s just fine. Are you planning on telling me what the hell that was about?” Ewan asked, his voice careful.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Well, that’s a lie. You couldn’t keep your hands off little Ms. Montgomery,” Galen said softly, though his voice wasn’t that low.
“That’s not it, and I would take kindly for you not to say shit like that with people around. You know how this town is.” I paused. “And you know how this town feels about Jamie.”
Galen winced as Ewan cursed.
“Has Livvy told her about what’s going on?” I asked softly.
“I don’t think so. How do you bring up the concept of small-town drama to someone who doesn’t live it? It’s not as bad as it could be, but people in Jo’s corner are weird.”
“Jo needs to step back,” Galen snarled. “Her whole family does. Her brothers are a bunch of nits, and her father needs to be taken down a peg.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I said dryly, even as a twinge of guilt seeped in.
I had brought this on all of us by accepting Jo’s proposal.
Because she had been the one to propose.
Which had been sort of accidental, and we’d ended up going along with the wedding despite the fact that neither one of us really loved each other.
And in the end, she hadn’t been able to find a way out of it without making me a spectacle, and therefore Jamie one.
I would never forgive her for that, and yet, the blame wasn’t solely on her shoulders.
I could have walked away long before that.
And it didn’t matter how many times I told the town and the little busybodies out there that I hadn’t cheated, and Jamie had nothing to do with it, there were a few who loved painting her with the scarlet A.