Chapter 7
RILEY
“ G ood God Almighty,” he muttered, letting out a long breath.
Jules was truly here, and she hadn’t wasted any time twisting up his mind.
He didn’t get a goodbye last time, but that was one hell of a hello.
And currently she was strolling down the hill towards the team, catching more than just his attention.
“That’s Jules, huh?” Coop smiled eagerly beside him. He balanced two cans of beer, one atop the other, in a single hand, using his spare hand to undo the top snaps of his shirt.
Beside him, Grey raised an eyebrow and ground out a, “down boy,” followed by a deep laugh. If you didn’t know Grey, he appeared to be quietly intimidating. But the corner of his lip pulled up into a smirk as he took a swig of beer. He was also easily amused by his own wit.
Accepting one of the cans in Cooper’s hand, Riley took a seat on a dining bench and swung one leg over it. Resting the can on the bench between his legs, he cracked it open and stole another glance at the newest member of the team.
She seemed so at ease, bouncing from person to person as Maddie introduced her to everyone.
Stopping in front of Gracie and her husband Wyatt next, he watched her eyes dart his way for the briefest moment.
So brief, he almost wondered if he had made it up in his head.
But as Coop dropped down onto the bench beside him, he asked, “How is there already something happening with you and Jules?”
“There’s nothing happening,” Riley grunted, taking a gulp from the can before him.
It wasn’t a lie. What happened between them was in the past, and despite the reaction to seeing one another again, he wouldn’t get pulled back in.
She was wild, passionate, and completely able to cut him off at his knees.
“Seems like there’s a vibe,” Coop countered. He snapped his fingers in the air between them before adding, “If there’s not, stop staring at her then, man.”
Riley turned back to his friend and grinned. “I’m not staring.”
“Like hell you aren’t.” Grey snorted.
He didn’t like being the one on this end of their scrutiny—it was unfamiliar and far from ideal. It would only be a matter of time before they got the details out of him since Riley didn’t have the best poker face. Mustering his self-control, he turned his gaze away from her bewitching blue eyes.
By diverting his own focus, he was able to divert theirs too.
The conversation made its way over to the town gossip that the owner of the local tavern is looking to sell.
Again. At least once a year he claimed he was too old to run Wrangler’s Tavern and was ready to put it on the market.
And each time he decided to wait for just one more trip around the sun.
“It’s never going to happen,” Cooper said decidedly. “No one ‘round here will ever be good enough to take over in Waylon’s eyes.”
“Take over what?” Maddie asked, appearing at Grey’s side and curling in as he lifted his arm to pull her close.
“The bar,” Cooper replied.
“He’s probably waiting for Hallie to come home to take over,” Grey said before promptly biting his lip and looking nervously at Cooper.
“You can say her name,” the younger cowboy grumbled. “And you’re probably right.”
Beside him, Jules leaned against the table, taking in the discussion. With Maddie and Grey occupied—her whispering who is Hallie and sneaking a glance at Coop—Jules tilted her head toward Riley and murmured, “Can you show me where the drinks are?”
He nodded, rising and adjusting his Stetson. “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, taking a step forward and holding his arm out for her to follow.
As she moved into his space, it required significant effort to not press his outstretched hand to the small of her back, same as that night he led her back to his hotel room. The way she had leaned in and reached for him too, it was as if there was a magnetic pull between them.
To resist the urge in the present, he dropped his arm and shoved his hand down into his pocket, clutching his beer tighter in the other.
They moved wordlessly along the outskirts of the crowd and based on the nods and smiles exchanged between Jules and the others, she had wasted no time using Maddie’s introductions to win them over.
He slipped into the stables, ignoring the pressure in his chest when she drifted in close at his side, her heavenly floral scent wafting into his senses. They crossed into the tack room, and she hesitated for a moment, her eyes surveying the scene. “The beer is in here ?”
As she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, an amused laugh escaped him.
“It’s not like I was trying to lure you somewhere private.
” Based on the skeptical noise that escaped her, it was clear that she wouldn’t have enjoyed it if that had been his intention.
Interesting, considering how she greeted him today.
Pointing across the way, he waited as her eyes followed the invisible line from his finger to the steel trough in the room, overflowing with ice and various cans. She dropped her folded arms, a soft oh escaping her. Damn this woman was confusing, her mood towards him seemed to shift on the breeze.
“Well, this works out. Because there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“So, you lured me away from everyone?”
Sitting back against the wooden table in the center of the room, he stretched his legs out, crossing one ankle over the other and readying himself for whatever she threw at him next.
“Nobody is doing any luring,” she huffed in response.
He couldn’t deny that annoyed looked adorable on her as she crossed the room and jumped up to sit on the table beside him.
“I just think we should… clear the air.” Jules swept her hand between them, her fingers grazing his upper arm in the process.
“I think we should too,” he agreed. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she offered hesitantly.
Riley shifted, leaning on his elbow to face her. “Why did you leave like you did?” The question had been rattling around in his brain for a year now, and after thinking he’d never have an opportunity to ask it, he wasn’t going to wait another minute.
Pink stained her cheeks, her hands flying up to cover her face. “Oh, that.”
He waited for her to drag her hands down to her jaw and glance his way. With a sigh, she said, “The ranch I was there to work with? They were looking for me. They were worried that something had happened to me. It’s so mortifying.”
“It wasn’t because of… this?” he mimicked her motion from earlier, waving a hand between them .
She shook her head, her pillowy lips parting ever so slightly. “No,” she breathed. “But this is what we need to talk about.”
Riley tracked the softness to her tone, as if she was preparing to let him down easy. Which was fine, because he had already gotten attached to a dream once before, and he had lost it spectacularly. It hadn’t been meant for him, and this woman wasn’t meant for him either.
“We shouldn’t pick up where we left off. We work together now.”
“I agree,” he nodded, snatching up his beer and taking a long pull from the sweating can.
“Okay good. I’m glad.” She didn’t sound very sure of herself. But she straightened her shoulders and stood her ground, nonetheless. “And…”
“And?”
She crossed the room and plucked a pale gold can from the trough.
Dragging her fingers down it to remove the slivers of ice, Jules cracked it open and lifted the cold drink to her lips.
He waited, his eyes studying the way she tilted her delicate chin back and exposed the sensitive lines of her throat.
“And…” she dropped her head back down after a long drink, meeting his gaze. “I was hoping we would keep our— history just between us. Unless—did you tell anyone here that we hooked up that night? Do you talk with people at the ranch when you do that?”
“You say it like I regularly go around having sex with women I meet at the rodeo,” Riley chuckled.
She held up her hand to stop him. “It is none of my business.”
“Jules. I’m not that kind of guy.”
She nodded, as if storing away the information in a tidy corner of her mind. Then, “But does anyone know about me?”
“Know that I’ve met you before today? ”
“I guess. But mostly, does anyone here know that we’ve slept together,” she corrected with a pointed look.
“No, I haven’t told anyone who you are to me,” he replied carefully.
“Do you think we can keep it quiet? I really don’t want to be seen as some buckle bunny, just here to chase cowboys for the summer.
I have this… code of ethics you could say, when it comes to the places I visit for work.
And if people think I’m more interested in hooking up than focusing on the integrity of my work, it would complicate everything.
And I have enough complicated going on in my life right now. ”
Something in his chest loosened with her admission. This wasn’t about hiding him. Maybe she had made an exception, done something out of the ordinary that night too. He sucked in a breath before asking, “Why did you go with me that night then?”
It felt as if his ability to breathe again hung on her response. His lungs constricted as she fidgeted with the tab on her can.
“I saw you and it just felt like something I needed to do. I don’t have a better answer than that.”
Air rushed back into his lungs, and he didn’t bother smothering the grin that split across his face. “So, it was because you couldn’t resist me.”
“Are you going to keep this a secret or not?” she huffed.
“If that’s what you want, of course I’ll keep it a secret.”
She nodded, her expression relaxing with his words. “Thank you. I think it’s better this way, we could maybe just… start over?”
What he wanted to do was take her in his arms and continue what they started earlier today.
He wanted to tell her that he had yet to stop thinking of her since that night.
And not just the sex, but every way they interacted with one another.
He hadn’t felt an instant closeness with someone like that. Ever.
But she was so determined, and her serious expression was adorable. So instead, he held out his hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Jules.”
A slow smile unfurled across her lips as she reached out and slipped her hand in his. “It’s nice to meet you, Riley.”
For a moment, neither of them made a move.
They remained with their hands clasped together in the center of the tack room, cool sweat dripping down the beer in their other hands.
It was a stark contrast from the warm, soft feel of her skin and he hypnotically dragged his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand.
“Well,” she started, withdrawing her hand once again. “We should get going, it might be weird if we stay in here too long.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned, her fiery blonde hair flipping around from the sudden movement. She strolled out with purpose, each step of her boots meeting the ground determinedly. Jules certainly had tenacity, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
He threw back the remainder of his beer, crushing the can on the table behind him and moving towards the trough. He was going to need quite a few more of those tonight. With two fresh cold ones stacked in his hand, he stepped from the tack room.
This didn’t have to be so hard. After all, he didn’t really know her. They had one night together—practically strangers.
Stepping back into the orange glow of the setting sun, he turned towards the team just as Jules was swinging her leg over a bench to take a seat next to Maddie.
She was here to be with her friend, and once the summer was up, she would disappear from his life once again.
No past, no future. There was nothing to hang his hat on there.
Then she laughed. A full, throw your head back kind of laugh that sent a ripple of warmth through him. Her eyes sparkled in the setting sun, same as the sparkle in her voice. And Riley couldn’t look away.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. Maybe he wasn’t as over things between them as he thought.