Chapter Two
Jesse Abernathy stared at the woman in front of him, completely dumbstruck. He hadn’t expected to meet anyone on the trails in this part of Tenacity, considering they were a part of his brother Grayson’s property. It was why he’d told his son that it was a great spot to get some peace and quiet.
They’d both needed it after the craziness of his brother’s home, where they were temporarily staying.
Jesse thought the world of Grayson’s girlfriend and her daughters.
But between the three girls; Grayson’s son, Adam; and their four dogs it was a lot to get used to, especially after it had been just Oscar and him for so long.
He figured he and his son could both use some time out in nature.
It was a beautiful day for September. The weather wasn’t too hot or cold.
The sky above was bright blue and clear of clouds.
The woods smelled like wet dirt and fresh pine needles.
The birds were singing loud from the branches above, their songs not muffled by the sound of cars and buses going down the street like they were in Houston.
Everywhere he looked there was greenery instead of cement, and it relaxed him in ways he hadn’t experienced in years.
It was one of the reasons he moved them to Tenacity—to get his son out in the fresh air.
He’d always made sure Oscar knew how to ride a horse, even though they’d spent of majority of their lives living in the city.
Being on a horse was a part of an Abernathy’s DNA.
Riding was as natural to Oscar as breathing.
As an autistic kid, there were many things he struggled with in life, but being around horses wasn’t one of them.
It was a relief to Jesse and something that the two could bond over.
He and Oscar would go riding a couple of times a month while they’d lived in Houston.
It was a refreshing change that they could now ride whenever they wanted.
The problem was that his plan hadn’t worked out so well—yet.
Between Jesse working almost nonstop on building their new home and Oscar recently starting at a new school, they really hadn’t had time to go riding.
But after JenniLynn’s youngest had the mother of all tantrums that morning, he figured he and Oscar could both use a change of scene for the day.
Jesse never expected to run into Eva Mendes’s lookalike or prettier twin.
The woman wore a pink Western-style top and tight jeans with the ankles covered by expensive-looking cowgirl boots.
Her long brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail half hidden under a Stetson hat.
Even from a distance, he could tell she had the features of an angel with sharp cheekbones and rich coffee-brown eyes.
“Ma’am,” he finally said, tipping his own hat at her as the cream-colored mare under him shifted her feet.
“You’re on my property,” she said in a tight voice. Her hand hovered over her saddle bag in a way that made him nervous. What was she hiding in there? Pepper spray? Something worse? Even her horse looked at him like he was a criminal.
Jesse frowned, his calm replaced with sudden tension. Had they gone too far and wandered onto someone else’s land? He could hear the sound of water rumbling to his right, which meant that they hadn’t passed Crystal Creek yet.
Oscar came up behind him on his borrowed Paint, and the woman’s eyes flitted from him to the teenager next to him. She relaxed at the sight of his son, her grip loosening its hold on the bag attached to the saddle.
Jesse realized what must have been going through her head, running into a stranger—a man, no less—in the middle of the woods when she least expected it. His hands flew up, trying to assure her he meant her no harm. He nodded toward Oscar.
“This is my son,” Jesse said, trying to give her further reassurance. Not that it wasn’t obvious. With the exception of his green eyes, which Oscar had gotten from his mother, he was Jesse’s miniature.
“Oh! Hello,” she said, her face lighting. A gentle smile formed on her lips. The shift in her features startled him. Had he called her pretty earlier? It was such a weak word to describe the woman in front of him. She was stunning.
She was… God, he found her attractive. Jesse couldn’t remember the last time he’d been attracted to someone.
He didn’t count sex. Sex was easy. This woman made him ache to get her comfortable, to trust him.
He bit back the urge to ask her on a date.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d dated someone. It had been years.
Hell, he didn’t know the woman’s name and he was already thinking about asking her out.
What kind of magic was she weaving over him?
Not that she’d automatically accept. There was an extremely good chance she already had a man in her life.
There was no way she was single. On the off chance she was available, given the fact that she’d just been about to pepper spray him—he’d bet his new cabin on it—he very much doubted she’d accept a date with him.
Not that he could get involved with someone right now, so he needed to pull himself together. Because the only thing he should be focused on was his son and how he was adjusting to life in Tenacity.
Oscar didn’t say anything in return to the woman’s greeting, which wasn’t unusual, given how shut down he’d become lately.
The woman turned her attention back to Jesse and lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Right. There was the matter of her thinking he’d trespassed.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding here. This is Abernathy property,” he said. When she opened her mouth looking ready to argue, he hurried, “Anything east of this creek is now Grayson Abernathy’s ranch, the Ambling Hills.”
“I…” the woman started to say before her face turned a fascinating shade of pink.
“Well…this is embarrassing. I do seem to remember crossing a creek on my ride, come to think of it.” She gave him a sheepish grimace.
“I was lost in thought and not paying attention to my surroundings. I’m sorry for my rudeness. ”
“Not to worry. I didn’t take anything you said as being rude. It’s better to be safe than sorry these days,” he said, giving her saddle bag a knowing nod. He wondered again what she kept in there.
She gave him a weak smile. It looked like she was about to turn her horse around, but he really didn’t want her to leave just yet. He was enjoying this strange encounter. “I’m Jesse Abernathy, by the way. And this is Oscar.”
“Nice to meet you both.” She gave Oscar another sweet smile. “I’m Carly. Carly Hawkins.”
Oscar suddenly perked up straight. “Carly Hawkins?”
Jesse looked between his son and Carly, his eyebrows pulling together. Oscar rarely got excited about anyone or anything other than sports. While he was happy to see a little animation on his son’s face, Jesse felt like he was missing something here.
Carly seemed unfazed by Oscar’s reaction. “That’s right. And this is Nieve.”
She patted the gorgeous white horse’s neck who still seemed to be looking at Jesse judgmentally.
“You’re one of the Hawkins Sisters!” Oscar shouted, startling everyone.
“Whoa,” Jesse murmured to his horse as it moved sideways at the noise. “Oscar, remember what I told you. We can’t shout around the horses.”
“Sorry,” he told his dad, completely unfazed, even as he had to settle his own horse. He looked back at Carly. “But you are a Hawkins Sister, right?”
“I am that,” she confirmed.
“Dad,” Oscar said, giving his father an eager look that hit Jesse right in the center of his heart.
He was used to Oscar’s encyclopedic knowledge of football stats, but Jesse was happy to see his son so interested in something other than football.
Oscar continued, “This is Carly Hawkins. She’s set multiple National Finals Rodeo records, won three world championships, and Nieve won Horse of the Year three years in a row for barrel racing. ”
“Is that right?” Jesse said, giving the horse a doubtful look. The beast tossed its mane and turned its head away as though it was already bored with him.
“And Carly has four sisters—Tori, Amy, Faith, and Elizabeth,” Oscar explained to his dad before turning back to Carly. “You and your sister toured Australia for years. You won the Ariat National Finals Rodeo a couple of years ago before your injury—”
“Injury?” Jesse asked. His mind raced with a million different meanings for the word injury in the span of a second before landing on the one he hated thinking about the most.
His mind flashed to the night that destroyed his life…
Love, hang on. Help is on the way. Don’t you leave me, dammit! Stay with me, MaryBeth. I need you. We need you.
“It was nothing,” Carly said, waving the injury away. “A couple of cracked ribs. It wasn’t anything that I haven’t had to deal with before.” She looked over at Oscar. “I’m impressed that you know so much.”
Oscar gave her a bashful grin. “I love sports. All sports.”
Jesse barely heard them. He was too busy fighting back the nausea rising in his throat.
He could very clearly imagine Carly’s injury.
In the blink of an eye, he saw her lying lifeless on the ground.
He’d gone through something similar before.
That horrific moment when he’d found his wife unconscious on the floor of their kitchen.
He’d been too late to save her from the brain aneurysm that stole her from them.
Nearly ten years later, he still had nightmares about that day.
“Are you okay?” Carly asked.
“What?” he said in a daze. He was going to be sick.
“You went a little pale.”
He forced himself to look at Carly, taking in the concern on her face. She was okay. She was right there in front of him, unlike MaryBeth. He gave himself a little shake of the head to snap out of it.
“I’m fine. I…” Jesse looked back at Oscar. “We should probably get going. I told your uncle we’d be back in time for dinner.”
“Are you in town visiting?” Carly asked.
“We moved here last month,” Oscar answered. “We’re staying at my Uncle Grayson’s for now, but Dad is building us our own cabin. We’re going to be ranchers.”
Carly tilted her head. “In Tenacity?”
Jesse stumbled his way back to the present, trying not to reveal how shaken he felt. “That’s right. Over on Ambling Hills.”
His brother had been kind enough to give Jesse and Oscar part of his land. It was enough to start up his own functioning ranch. The house they were building was more of a glorified cabin, but it was their own place under the Montana sky. It was all he wanted for his son.
Carly’s lips tilted up, the movement immediately drawing Jesse’s eyes. It erased some of the earlier horror he’d felt at the idea of her being injured, which was an extreme reaction to have over someone who was a stranger.
“I guess that makes us neighbors,” she said, completely unaware of the turmoil that Jesse was experiencing.
But that finally got his attention. His brows shot to his hairline. “You live in Tenacity?”
“I just moved here actually. I bought the property next door. And speaking of, I should probably get off your family’s land.”
“It’s no problem,” Jesse replied quickly. “You’re welcome here anytime.”
Carly’s uptilted lips bloomed into a full smile. Jesse had to force his eyes away so she wouldn’t catch him staring like some creep.
“I should still let you get to your meal.” Carly turned her horse with the slightest motion of the reins. Nieve instantly moved on cue, turning back toward their property. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“You too, Miss Hawkins,” Oscar called out as she started to trot away.
“Call me Carly,” she told Oscar over her shoulder. She glanced once more at Jesse and said, “See you around?”
“See you around,” he confirmed.
It sounded like a promise. One he was very tempted to keep.