Chapter 12 #2
Logan slipped into the barn and headed to the stalls Jinx and Caleb used. He used his time wisely, exchanging the bedding, sweeping cobwebs from the stall walls.
He tossed a treat to one of the ranch dogs who caught it in midair then raced toward the door, barking a greeting to Dixie as the riders entered the barn.
Declan wore his usual unreadable expression, but he nodded at Logan. “Help with Jinx’s ride. Deli needs a little extra brushing if you’ve got time. He went wading in the creek bed.”
“Yes, sir.” Logan caught Deli’s lead rope. “Have a good ride?” he asked Jinx.
“Really good. We went to the creek,” she shared, swinging down with confidence before stepping beside him and petting Deli’s neck. “It was a nice place to sit and think and enjoy the day.”
“I was sitting outside the barn, watching the clouds and doing the same thing,” Logan admitted.
Since Jinx’s grad, life had been all sorts of wonderful and terrible.
It wasn’t as if the two of them had instantly become that much more.
Jinx was still nervous at times, and then there was the whole juggling the part where they both lived basically at the same place so they were always around each other and yet never together…
Jinx frowned and glanced behind them. “Something wrong?”
Declan had turned Cobalt toward the door and was headed back into the yard. “Think I’ll ride out and check the south fence line. That wind last night might have knocked down those couple of trees I’ve been keeping an eye on. If the fence is down, I should fix it sooner than later.”
Logan nodded. “I can finish up here and then ride out to join you.”
“No bother. I’d appreciate if you both spent some time weeding the garden. It needs doing, and Petra isn’t up to working under the hot sun yet. And Tansy promised to make lasagna.”
Jinx laughed. “We don’t want anything to interfere with lasagna making. Logan and I will take care of it.”
“Thanks.” Declan’s tone was gentle as usual with Jinx, but the lingering gaze he offered Logan seemed a lot sterner before he turned away and vanished into the yard,
No, that had to be Logan’s imagination. Declan had just wrangled alone time for Logan with Jinx—albeit mostly in the garden, a wide-open and visible location.
It was better than what they’d had for nearly a month.
Jinx grabbed two sets of combs and brushes, waiting quietly until Logan had lifted off the saddle and returned it to its stand. Then she started brushing Deli down, glancing over and over at Logan as she worked.
Her attention was cute. At least, more cute than annoying. “Do I have something on my face?” Logan asked, working on an exceptionally thick patch of mud clinging to Deli’s left foreleg.
Her cheeks flushed brighter. “No.” Her gaze danced over his face as if double checking. “You look good, same as always.”
Nice. He took a moment to look her over as well. “You got colour on your cheeks, but I'm not sure if it's because of the sunshine outside or if I make you nervous.”
She shook her head vigorously before glancing at Deli to make sure she hadn't spooked the horse. “It was sunny out there, but I feel awkward. And I don't want to feel awkward, but—”
She squeezed her eyes tightly, fingers clenching the brush far tighter than necessary.
Screw it. Logan wrapped a hand over hers. Gently, but tight enough she couldn't mistake that he was there. “Awkward makes sense,” he said quietly. “I feel the same way, but I think we can get past it.”
Jinx stared down at their joined hands for a minute before raising her head and peering up from under her lashes. She took a deep breath and then shocked the hell out of him by pulling the brush free and twisting her fingers until they were holding hands.
An electric zap went through him, as solid as if he'd been hit with a cattle prod. They were just holding hands, for fuck's sake.
It was the most freaking amazing thing ever.
Before he could analyze it any further, a torrent of words rushed from Jinx's lips.
“Right after grad, Petra and Aiden pulled me aside and said they thought you were a great guy. Once I turned eighteen, and I was officially an adult, they would always be there to listen to me and offer advice, but I would be in charge of adult decisions. And now that my birthday has passed…”
Beside them, Deli shifted on his feet, complaining good-naturedly that he wasn't getting the attention he wanted.
Reluctantly, Logan let go of her fingers and tilted his head toward the horse. “You want to have this conversation once we're done, or is it something you can tell me while we're working?”
Jinx's lips twitched. “It might be easier if we're working.”
With that she put her attention on the task, brushing over Deli's rump and down his hind legs.
“What does that mean to you?” he asked. “The adult-decision part.”
He could damn near hear her swallow. “Grad was really special.
I had such a good night, and I have really good memories, and I didn't feel at all awkward dancing with you or spending the time together. But it never feels awkward with you.” She snorted, flicking a glance over her shoulder at him.
“I mean other than the awkward right now, but that's because Declan threw me for a loop.”
“Declan?”
She nodded. “Maybe he's completely wrong, but I don't think so. While we were sitting by the creek today, he told me that one thing we need to do is talk a whole lot more.”
If it meant spending more time with her, Logan was all for it. Still, he wondered. “Did he say why?”
Jinx brushed the dust away from Deli's hooves with a nearly fanatical level of attention. “I’ve had some bad things happen in my life, and it means I'm a little gun shy about physical stuff. Petra said that's normal, and that sadly most women have had some kind of bad experience.”