5. Josh
FIVE
JOSH
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples after hanging up with my insurance agent, Craig. Lost Valley had been with his agency forever, maintaining a strong relationship since both of our fathers had owned their businesses.
It wasn’t like the increase in my rates was a surprise.
Craig had told me months ago it was coming, if I couldn’t prove that I’d completed a list of modifications the insurer wanted before they’d renew my policy.
But some of those requirements were ridiculous.
The original house and barn were more than one hundred years old—how the hell was I supposed to get rid of all the dryrot?
Then there were the electrical and plumbing upgrades.
Of course I knew that those did need to happen but that took time and money, both of which were in short supply.
Except now that bill had come due, and where was the money going to come from?
It was another line of red numbers on my spreadsheet that would keep me from sleeping for the next few weeks.
I didn’t even want to factor in the hit to my bottom line from the two long- term riding lesson clients that had recently dropped out.
One was moving with his family and the other was having financial difficulties, so it wasn’t like it was Lost Valley’s fault they were leaving.
But that didn’t make the losses any easier to bear.
I felt like I was floundering in a leaking lifeboat, far from shore and without a paddle.
“Hey, you,” Shannon said from behind me, making me jump.
I turned around to find my sister smiling at me from the doorway.
“You okay?” she asked. “You look stressed.”
I managed a tight grin. “Fine. All good. Nothing for you to worry about.” I wasn’t going to trouble her, too. “Anyway, what’s up?”
“Zo and I made pizza, and we thought you needed to take a break and come eat with us.”
“I have to finish up my budgets. I’ll grab some from the fridge later,” I said with a sigh.
“Seriously? It’s fresh out of the oven and won’t taste as good later.” She frowned at me. “Come on, walk away from all of that numbers stuff for a little while and hang with us. Zoe will be disappointed if you don’t.”
Shannon’s voice went singsong as she said the last part.
I ignored the comment and shook my head. “Can’t.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
She spun on her heel and left without another word.
I leaned closer to my computer, and the screen started to swim before my eyes as I tried not to think about what Shannon meant about Zoe being disappointed.
Had they been talking about me? I stared at the computer screen in a trance as the aroma of pizza wafted down the hallway and my stomach let out an angry growl .
Was Shannon serious about Zoe wanting me to join them? Nah, it was exactly the type of comment she’d make to try to get a rise out of me, knowing my history with Zoe.
But what if Zoe did want me to have dinner with them? She was doing the ranch such a big favor by looking into the trail riding idea and revamping the website. It was only polite to go eat with them if she was hoping to see me, right?
I hopped out of my chair feeling shockingly upbeat considering what I’d just been dealing with and headed for the kitchen.
As I got closer, I heard them laughing and chattering and couldn’t help but smile.
I rounded the corner just as Zoe threw her head back and let out the full-bodied infectious laugh that always used to make me join in. I felt a smile creep onto my face.
There was a time when I was the reason for her adorable laugh.
Back when we were together, it was my favorite thing to do, getting her to let go like that.
It didn’t matter if I embarrassed myself to make it happen, all that I cared about was making her happy.
I stopped myself before I could wonder who was doing it for her now. Zoe’s love life wasn’t my business.
“Hey, you,” Shannon said with a grin. “You got smart after all! Sit down, eat. This tastes better than Magiano’s Pizza.”
Zoe’s smile downshifted when she spotted me. “Hi Josh. We’ve got a few slices of mushroom left. I know that’s your favorite.”
It was such a small thing that she remembered what I liked. But it was so Zoe. I reminded myself that she was perceptive and kind to everyone she encountered, not just me.
The little smile on her face had nothing to do with me.
I grabbed a beer and joined them at the table.
Twisting the cap off, I took a sip, then rubbed my hands together.
“Okay, give it to me. Let’s just see how good this pizza really is.
” With far more ceremony than I anticipated, my sister and Zoe played along and with a flourish, presented me with a plate and two slices of mushroom pizza.
I stared down at the slices and made a humming noise.
Then I picked one up. “Let’s see. Nice browning on the crust.” I kept my tone serious as I lifted it up and tapped the crust. “Looks crunchy. Bottom is cooked through.” While I was visually inspecting the pizza, Shannon rolled her eyes but she was smiling.
Zoe was resting her chin on her hands and biting her lower lip while she waited.
I lifted the slice up ready to take a bite but before I did, I turned it and bit into the side.
The shocked noises they made was worth it and I did my best to keep a poker face, but damn, that was good pizza.
I couldn’t keep up the joke because I was taking another bite before I finished chewing the first one.
Reaching for my beer, I took a sip to help wash it down. “This is amazing. Way better than Magiano’s. What’s your secret?”
Shannon was nodding her head. “See, Zoe? I told you it was good.”
Zoe blushed and it looked good on her. She fiddled with the pizza cutter. “It’s nothing special. I just toasted some spices before I worked them into the dough. It’s no big deal.”
Now, this was the Zoe I remembered. The one who had difficulty accepting compliments. “Well, it’s delicious and I hope you saved me more than these two slices because one of them is already almost gone.”
Jimmy Fallon wasn’t helping me forget about the work I’d left half-finished when I’d decided to dine with Zoe and my sister.
I’d ended up eating far-too many slices, but Shannon had been right—it was best fresh out of the oven.
She’d even talked me into trying her version of a Hawaiian with marinated jalapenos and while it wasn’t my favorite, I could sort of understand the hype around pineapple on pizza.
Now, I stared at the television not really registering what was happening on screen.
The late-night host usually jollied me out of whatever mood I was in, but tonight I was still stuck on the numbers.
The more I studied my budget, the clearer it became that the only way to make things work was kicking off the trail riding program ASAP and hoping that it took off the way it seemed like it might.
It scared me to think that my family’s entire legacy and future were dependent upon something we were going to throw together in just a few weeks.
I ran through a list of what we’d need to do to get set up: check the trails, clean up and repair any problem areas, figure out which horses would work best, get some additional liability insurance—as if our insurance bill really needed any more added to it—and find a trail boss.
I sighed and rolled the sleeves of my T-shirt up onto my shoulders. The ceiling fan wasn’t cutting it. I was hot. I reached down to grab the bottom of the shirt and had it pulled halfway up my torso when I saw Zoe staring at me from the doorway.
“I, uh, I heard the TV and thought Shannon was in here.” Her eyes were wide, glued to my stomach as if she was waiting for the show to continue.
I couldn’t help giving her a quick once-over.
She was wearing a thin, obviously well-loved black tank top and white polka dot boy shorts that looked more like underwear than sleepwear.
I cleared my throat. “Nope, just me. But you’re welcome to join me.” I sat up straighter and smoothed my shirt against my body.
She waited in the doorway, one foot resting adorably on top of the other. “Do you mind? I’m having trouble sleeping. ”
I quickly weighed my ability to keep my thoughts clean considering how damn sexy Zoe was looking. I tried not to stare at her chest—could I see her nipples or was it a trick of the light? —and for a second, I thought about how I’d respond if she made a move on me.
Damn it, stop ! No one was going to make moves on anyone. Zoe was my ex for a reason, and not only that, she was also my sister’s best friend. On top of that, she was technically working for me too. All of that added up to way too many complications for anything other than a simple late-night hang.
“Yeah, of course. Jimmy’s interviewing the latest superhero from that new movie coming out. Captain Universe or something?”
She padded to the opposite side of the couch. “Ooh, I love those movies. And the new guy starring in them ain’t so bad either.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.
I scowled. What did that tall, blond, chiseled dude have that I didn’t?
“He’s okay, I guess.” I had no desire to discuss the merits of the man who played a perfect physical specimen in the movies. “You’ve always been into comic book stuff, huh?”
She nodded. “Way before it was cool. Same with online gaming.”
“I used to enjoy arcade games.”
“Oh? What kind? There are some amazing retro games out there.”
I tried to remember what I used to play in the mini arcade attached to Hastings General Store. “I remember a game called Street Fighter.” She nodded her head as I spoke, as if she agreed that was a good game. “Oh, and Mortal Kombat.”
“Finish him!” Zoe blurted out in as deep of a voice as she could muster, which made me laugh. We then spent the next several minutes trying to come up with the best things we heard the characters say. It felt like old times.
We settled in to watch the rest of the show and I was happy that the silence wasn’t awkward.
I glanced at Zoe when she giggled at something Jimmy said. She’d tucked her legs beneath her, taking up as little space as possible on the couch. It was just like her to do that—attempt to fade into the background even though she attracted stares everywhere she went.
The next guest was a French actor I had never heard of, and the interview was a long, droning segment.
They finally cut to a clip of his movie, a romance set in some lush, tropical jungle, and I found myself perking up.
The actress in the scene was a brunette with a mouth made for kissing, and the French actor did exactly that.
I was shocked to feel myself getting hard, and I shifted uncomfortably.
The show cut back to the interview and I looked over at Zoe to see if the heated romance had had any effect on her.
She was curled into a tiny ball and was fast asleep.
I leaned closer to see if she’d wake up, but she didn’t even stir, making it obvious that she was down for the count.
I moved closer still, so I could admire the sleeping beauty.
For an instant, I thought about reaching down and placing a gentle kiss on her mouth, for old time’s sake, then realized that Sleeping Beauty was actually sort of creepy and non-consensual.
I got up and paced around the room. Should I leave her there?
No, I had a meeting with my ranch hands at the crack of dawn, and they’d have to tromp right through here on their way to my office.
She probably wouldn’t want them seeing her barely dressed.
I didn’t want them seeing her barely dressed.
I could easily carry her up to her room.
I started to reach for her, then stopped abruptly as she shifted position and arched her back, giving me a front-row seat to her perfect breasts .
I shook my head and took another lap around the family room.
No biggie, it was fine. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Zoe’s breasts.
I hadn’t forgotten them—or what it had been like to touch them, lick them.
I forcefully shifted my mind to thoughts of hot breakfast cereal—oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits—then I leaned down to scoop her into my arms.
I was mentally prepared for the feel of her body pressed against mine but not for the hit of her sweet perfume.
Oh, how I’d always loved Zoe’s scent. It was a mix of vanilla and blackberry, equal parts sweet and comforting, and the moment I caught the aroma, I was transported back to when I used to nuzzle my nose against her neck to breathe it in.
No . Stop that.
Everything was different now. We were working together and then she would be moving on to bigger and better things far away from here. There was nothing left of the way we used to be. There was nothing left between us . Except for the memories.
I adjusted my grip, and Zoe sighed and snuggled in closer against my chest. It was impossible to ignore the fact that she was so damn adorable. I cleared my throat softly and tried to pretend that she was a sack of feed that I was hauling to the barn in a bridal carry.
I hip-checked her bedroom door open and half expected the room to be strewn with clothing, but then I remembered that this was Zoe. Everything was hotel room tidy. She had unpacked, putting everything away, and her luggage was tucked in a corner near the wardrobe.
I placed her on the bed and the moment I pulled my arms away from her body, she frowned, a little furrow creasing her forehead.
I paused, still leaning over her, hoping that she wouldn’t wake up.
Her skin looked like sweet cream in the moonlight.
She was beautiful, and her face was angelic in its innocence.
“Good night, Zo,” I whispered, then padded silently out of her room.