Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
GABE
“Can we get ice cream?” Rory asked as she skipped out of the pet store.
I tucked the bag of chinchilla food under my arm and pulled out my phone to check the time.
Since Jasmine was out of commission—no matter how hard she tried to convince me she was fully recovered—we’d decided to hit up the matinee at the local movie theatre in lieu of riding lessons.
I had some errands to run in town, so we’d kill two birds with one stone.
“Sure, Pumpkin. We can make that work.” I would just have to wait until after the movie to stop by the hardware store.
“Let me put this food in the truck, and we’ll walk over.
” That was the good thing about living in Poplar Ridge.
Everything was right there on Main Street.
You could go to the bank, pick up your mail, eat lunch, get your hair cut, and stop for ice cream all on the same half mile stretch of road.
Stopping at my truck, I opened the back door to toss the food inside. The sound of Rory’s gasp drew my attention back to the sidewalk. “What’s wrong?” I asked, gaze darting around to assess for any threats of danger. She was off before I could stop her.
“Rory,” I called, but she didn’t stop. “Aurora,” I said, this time with more authority.
She didn’t slow down. In fact, she was barreling straight toward a young woman with an achingly familiar silhouette.
I’d recognize those long dark tresses that hung nearly to that heart-shaped ass anywhere.
I didn’t need to see her beautiful face to know who she was.
Her back was to Rory, who showed no signs of slowing down.
She was about to bowl Jasmine over, and I needed to warn her.
I took off after Rory, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice.
“Jasmine,” I called in a panic, worried Rory would knock her off balance with her injured ankle.
She turned at the sound of my voice a second before Rory slammed into her, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. I winced as Jasmine stumbled back against her car, the shock registering on her face.
For a moment, I feared she was hurt, but then something beautiful happened.
Her gaze dropped to my daughter and her eyes lit up, a joyful smile spreading across her face.
She curled her arms around Rory’s shoulder and hugged her back, pressing her cheek against the top of Rory’s head.
My breath caught and emotion clogged my throat at the sweet gesture.
The warmth with which she embraced my child was a balm to my soul.
She was genuinely happy to see her, and it showed in the look of contentment she wore.
I slowed my approach, not wanting to spoil the moment.
Jasmine’s gaze lifted to mine, and her eyes flared as they drank me in.
When she looked at me like that, it made me want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to do wicked things to her.
I tried to keep my expression even so she wouldn’t know just how that look affected me.
“Rory,” I croaked out, then cleared my throat.
Fuck, I wasn’t doing a very good job at appearing unaffected.
“You can’t run off like that,” I chided.
“And you need to be careful with Jasmine. She’s injured.
” The reprimand rolled right off her shoulders.
She released Jasmine and stepped back to assess her.
“She looks fine to me,” she declared with a shrug. I pinched my eyes closed and drew in a deep breath through my nose. As great as Jasmine was with Rory, I feared that smart mouth was becoming a bad influence.
“She’s not,” I gritted out, glaring at Jasmine and daring her to contradict me. She pressed her lips together like my irritation amused her.
Fucking menace.
“Dad, I saw her walk to her car,” she volleyed, motioning toward Jasmine’s ankle dramatically with her palms facing up like she was presenting her evidence.
Then she crossed her arms, leveling an accusatory glare at me like I’d lied to her about Jasmine’s sprained ankle just to keep them apart and keep her from having fun.
“Technically,” Jasmine interjected, lifting the leg of her jeans and revealing a black brace laced up tight around her ankle, “I am still injured. I’m healing quickly, though, so I’m allowed to walk on it as long as I wear this brace.”
“Oh,” Rory replied, worry filling her voice. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you when I ran into you?”
Jasmine shook her head. “Not at all,” she assured her, and relief washed over Rory’s expression.
“Does this mean we can do my riding lessons?” Rory asked hopefully.
“No.” My reply came out harsher than intended, and both of them looked at me with shocked expressions.
“Jasmine needs a few more days to heal before she gets back out there with the horses. We don’t want her to do anything that could cause more damage to her ankle before her next race.
” Jasmine had a hard time telling Rory no.
If it was up to her, she would do whatever Rory wanted, even to her own detriment.
“Your dad’s right,” Jasmine said, placing her hands on Rory’s shoulders and shocking the hell out of me. “If I re-injure my ankle, I’ll have to spend even more time recovering and miss my races.”
“Okay,” Rory replied, dejected. Her shoulders slumped, and she hung her head. “I just miss you,” she added pitifully. “We haven’t hung out in so long.” And we were back to the dramatics.
“I miss you too,” Jasmine declared, and Rory wrapped her arms around Jasmine’s waist again, resting her head against her chest. They both looked so sad I felt a twinge of guilt for keeping them apart.
“I know! You can come with us to get ice cream and watch a movie!” Rory announced, then gripped Jasmine’s hands and bounced up and down.
“Rory, she can’t—”
“Please, Dad?” she begged, pressing her hands together in a pleading motion.
“Oh, sweetheart, I wish I could,” Jasmine cut in, “but I’ve got to take my grandma home.” Rory’s face fell, and regret filled Jasmine’s eyes.
“About that,” Rose interrupted, stepping around the front of the car.
“Hazel said she could drop me off. I wouldn’t want you all to miss out on spending time together,” she offered with a sweet, grandmotherly smile.
There was something else beneath her expression, an awareness simmering in her eyes. It was almost … calculating.
Rory practically vibrated with excitement.
“Can she, Dad?” she asked, turning those puppy dog eyes on me.
I wanted to say yes. Fuck, I was dying to spend time with Jasmine, but I was afraid that would only make it harder to resist her.
We’d already blurred the lines of professionalism and propriety.
Having her spend the day with me and my daughter would feel too much like a family outing, and that would make me want things that could never be.
Even if I wanted to deny her, I couldn’t. She was my little girl, and what she was asking wasn’t unreasonable. Besides, to outright refuse would make me look like a complete asshole. So I’d put the responsibility on Jasmine. She probably had other plans anyway and would let her down gently.
“That’s up to Jasmine. She might have other things to do, Pumpkin. We can’t just hijack her day.”
Rory looked from me to Jasmine, turning that irresistible, pleading gaze on her. She looked so hopeful, I almost considered kidnapping Jasmine and making her come with us, consequences be damned. But I refrained. No one could make Jasmine Hayes do something she didn’t want to do.
“Please, Jasmine. Come hang out with us. I promise, it will be fun.” Jasmine smiled down at her sweetly, her soft gaze roving over her lightly freckled face.
“Of course,” she replied, tucking a rogue strand of strawberry blonde hair behind Rory’s ear. My chest constricted at the tender, motherly gesture.
“Yay!” Rory exclaimed, clapping her hands exuberantly. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Jasmine’s hand and began pulling her toward the ice cream shop.
“Hold on,” Jasmine instructed with a chuckle. “I can only move so fast.”
“Oh, right,” Rory said, releasing her. Jasmine slung her arm over Rory’s shoulder, and they started in the direction of the ice cream shop. Rory talked animatedly with her hands as they strolled away.
“Rory seems quite fond of my granddaughter,” Rose observed, stepping up next to me.
“She is,” I agreed with an easy smile. “She thinks Jasmine hung the moon and stars.” I reluctantly dragged my gaze away from the woman who was slowly chipping away at my battered heart and met Rose’s eyes.
She studied me with a curious tilt to her head, an awareness shining in those whiskey orbs. “And you? How do you feel about her?”
Panic filled my chest, and the breath seized in my lungs. Did she know? Could she tell that I craved Jasmine, that I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted another woman? I choked on air, coughing to clear my throat.
“I don’t… She—” I began, attempting to sputter some bullshit excuse. Rose placed a weathered hand on my arm in reassurance.
“It’s okay, Gabriel. I know what it’s like to fall for someone everyone says you shouldn’t,” she said, giving me a sympathetic look.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. She had figured me out and was flaying me open to reveal my secrets.
Shock rendered me motionless as she continued.
“My husband—God rest his soul—was thirteen years older than me, and we spent thirty-five blissful years together.”
This was news to me. I’d known Joseph since I was a kid and had never realized he was that much older than her. He always seemed so young and full of life. Maybe that was because of Rose.
“I was barely older than Jasmine is now, and everyone told me it was a mistake, that I was too young and naive. But I was a grown woman, and I knew my own mind.”
Movement past her shoulder caught my eye. I glanced up to see Jasmine and Rory heading back toward us, and I stiffened. I didn’t want either of them to overhear this conversation. Rose must have read the panic on my face. She squeezed my arm to get my attention and leaned in so only I could hear.
“Jasmine is smart, and she’s fierce. She’s wise beyond her years and stubborn to boot. I trust her to make her own decisions. You should too.”