Читать книгу Romancing the Rancher - Stacy Connelly, Stacy Connelly - Страница 10

Chapter Four

Jarrett didn’t know how many people he’d performed in front of during his days in the rodeo. From country fairs to packed arenas, he’d played to the crowd in the minutes leading up to the moment when he entered the chute. After that, everything disappeared. The sound of cheers, the scent of fried food from the concession stands, the burst of light from cameras flashing around him. All of it faded into nothing.

His focus narrowed to the bull he was determined to ride. Didn’t matter if a hundred thousand people filled the seats or if the stadium was empty of a single soul. Only after he hit the ground—hopefully on two feet—did he once again become aware of the screaming fans all around him.

Even then, he’d never been cognizant of a single pair of eyes watching his every move. Never felt the warmth of a look as strongly as a touch.

But damn it if that wasn’t how he’d felt with Theresa’s blue eyes on him. It was as if her gaze had wrapped around him like slender arms, and she was seated astride the horse behind him. He shrugged his shoulders as if he could throw off the sensation of her body pressed against his back, but it didn’t do any good. Not when she was standing in front of him, those eyes still focused on his.

“So...” he said, his voice sounding as gravelly as the road leading out to his place. “’Bout that ride...”

“Uh, no. Thank you.”

He swallowed a deep exhale of relief. He’d known she’d turn him down, but there was still a brief moment of— What? Hope? More like sheer insanity if he’d wanted, even for a split second, for her to say yes.

Soft pink highlighted her cheeks, either from the cold or something he’d best not contemplate, and her gaze cut away from his to Silverbelle standing calmly on the far side of the corral. He was lucky the mare had come as far as she had. If he’d tried riding her a few weeks ago and let his concentration slip as he had today, he probably would have ended up landing on his ass in the dirt. And wouldn’t that have given Theresa something to see?

“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for the other day. I was rude, and I apologize.” Her gaze came back to meet his as she spoke, and Jarrett was hit by her sense of integrity and strength. She might look like a fairy-tale heroine, but Theresa had a toughness her beauty couldn’t hide.

Of course, right in that moment, she didn’t exactly fit the princess mold. She was dressed as casually as he was in jeans and a faded-to-orange sweatshirt. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, a few strands blowing across her cheeks thanks to the morning breeze, her face free of makeup. But just like the toughness that was so much a part of her, so, too, was the beauty and grace that had nothing to do with what she wore and everything to do with who she was.

“You weren’t rude. You said what you wanted and—” he shrugged “—you’re the guest.”

“And the guest is always right?” A hint of disbelief lifted her words, but Jarrett wasn’t sure what she was questioning. His words or the very idea that he thought of her as nothing but a guest.

“Company policy,” he lied.

“Uh-huh.”

“So how’s all that peace and quiet treating you?” he asked before whistling for Silverbelle.

“I’m guessing you already know that my entire family has been out to visit me.”

“Yep.” Jarrett reached for the reins and started leading Silver toward the gate. On the other side of the fence, Theresa followed along. “So much for your alone time.”

She gave a soft laugh. “You’re pretty much the only one who paid any attention to that.”

Jarrett shot a sidelong glance at her elegant profile. If he didn’t know better, he’d almost think she was complaining. He swallowed a snort of laughter. His imagination had to be working some serious overtime to even come up with such a harebrained notion.

“They mean well,” she said defensively enough to let Jarrett know she hadn’t really minded their interruptions.

He shoved aside any thought that maybe he should have stopped by unannounced, too.

Opening the gate, he led Silverbelle through. By the time he had the latch secured behind him and turned around, Theresa was standing almost eye to eye with the horse. A protest rose in his throat when she reached up, but instinct held the words back. His breath caught in his chest as he waited to see what happened. He wasn’t sure what interested him more—the horse’s response...or the woman’s.

Theresa moved slowly, her voice a low murmur as she talked to the mare. If he hadn’t seen for himself just how shy and nervous Silverbelle could still be, he would never have known it by her reaction to Theresa’s gentle greeting. The horse lowered her large head as if seeking out closer contact as Theresa stroked a hand over the horse’s muzzle.

So much for his theory that Theresa had rejected his offer to take her riding because she was afraid of horses. So was it because she was afraid of him? Afraid of whatever the hell it was he’d felt while she’d watched him ride? Had she felt it, too?

“She’s beautiful,” Theresa said softly. “What’s her name?”

“Silverbelle. Silver for short. And you’ll want to be careful around her,” he said, well aware that his warning was coming too late and hardly seemed necessary. “She’s a rescue and can be kinda shy.”

“Oh, I had no idea. After seeing you ride together, I assumed she was one of yours.”

“She is for now, and she’s come a long way. Can’t say yet that she’ll ever be comfortable enough for trail rides or for riding lessons, but maybe.” He shot her a sidelong glance as the three of them started walking toward the stables. “Speaking of trail rides—”

“No, thank you.” Theresa crossed her arms over her chest. “I appreciate the offer, but I...can’t.”

Jarrett nodded, keeping his gaze straight ahead, but he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t noticed the way she cradled her left arm close to her body, tucking it beneath the right. He swore beneath his breath. He should have realized her reluctance might have been because of the injuries she’d sustained. But she’d pushed so hard to prove herself by walking to the cabin and then coming down to the stables that he hadn’t given it a thought.

Instead, he’d shoved the offer for horseback riding in her face—not once, not twice, but a damned three times. And he was the man Nick wanted to look out for his cousin? He’d been right to shoot the veterinarian down.

“I could still use your help with the horses,” Jarrett blurted out.

“I’m sorry, Jarrett, really, but—”

“You don’t have to ride,” he said as they reached the stables. “Just give me a hand with Silverbelle’s tack and brushing her down. You’re good with her, and she needs to learn that I’m not the only human she can trust.”

“You really think that will help?”

Longing filled her blue gaze as she looked at Silver. The same longing he’d sensed earlier as she’d watched him in the corral. The phantom memory of her body pressed against his taunted him, but he forced it aside. This wasn’t about the way Theresa made him feel. This was about putting the missing spark back in her eyes.

He was going to get her back in the saddle, Jarrett vowed. He didn’t know how, and he had just over three weeks to figure it out, but he was determined to see Theresa ride.

* * *

Theresa wanted to say no. She really did. To spend time around Jarrett’s horses, knowing she might never ride again—at least not the way she had before—would be its own form of torture. Just stepping inside the cool stables brought back too many memories. The building wasn’t as fancy as the riding stables back home, but the scent of horses and hay, the sound of metal shoes on concrete, were all the same.

And then there was being around the man himself—an entirely different kind of torture. He’d taken off his hat, and for the first time, she had the full view of his thick brown hair, cut short to the sides but with just enough length on top to make her fingertips tingle with the urge to touch. His face was as sculpted as his jawline with a wide forehead, eyebrows a shade darker than his hair and sharp cheekbones.

And his eyes... Not brown or blue or green, but a mix of hazel that combined all those colors into a piercing gaze that seemed to see right inside her.

A shiver raced down her spine, leaving goose bumps in its wake. What was it about Jarrett that made her body come alive? After the accident, she’d pretty much given up on feeling any spark of attraction or desire, too emotionally devastated by Michael’s desertion and too physically compromised to experience those feelings again. And she’d been perfectly fine with that numbness.

So to come here and feel the rush of desire now—the weakness in her knees, the catch in her breath, the flush in her cheeks—all because Jarrett Deeks happened to glance her way... It was humiliating at the least. Slightly terrifying at the most.

She opened her mouth to refuse his offer when Silver nudged her shoulder. The mare’s soulful brown eyes watched her closely, and Theresa knew it was only her own turmoil that made the animal’s expression seem wary and yet hopeful. Yes, it would be hard spending time around the horses, but if she could help, wouldn’t that be worth it?

“She’s looking for a treat,” Jarrett explained, though she didn’t know how he even knew what the horse was doing when he was busy unbuckling the saddle. He’d hung up his denim jacket when they first stepped into the stables, and the soft cotton of the navy blue long-sleeved T-shirt he wore beneath stretched across his broad back and shoulders, defining every muscle.

Theresa jerked her gaze away, just in case he was as aware of her as he was of the horse. Keeping her eyes on Silver, she asked, “What kind of treat?”

“Just about anything edible.” He lifted the heavy tooled leather as if it weighed nothing and carried it into the tack room. When he returned, he held a small plastic bag filled with apple slices. “Apples and carrots are her favorites.”

Reaching inside the bag he offered, Theresa pulled out a piece of apple. She couldn’t help but smile as the mare delicately nibbled it from her palm. She’d just reached for another slice when a horse in the stall beside her stuck out its large head and tried to snatch the apple right from her hand.

“Whoa, there, Duke! Ladies first!” Jarrett said as he stepped between Theresa and the other horse. “Sorry about that. This guy can be a little pushy when it comes to treats.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then I guess I’m a pushover,” Theresa joked as she gave the horse a bite of apple. “You said his name is Duke?”

Jarrett nodded. “He was my first rescue,” he said with a fondness that reached inside Theresa’s chest and squeezed. A slight grin curved his lips, the faint expression lighting his stern features so much that she found herself longing to see him smile, to hear him laugh.

“Hard to believe he was ever shy,” she said.

“He wasn’t that kind of a rescue. Duke was a champion cutting horse back in the day. Won a lot of money over the years. People, crowds, none of that bothered Duke. Loved it, didn’t you, boy?” Reaching up, he gave the side of the horse’s neck a firm pat. “But after a while, age and some minor injuries started to catch up with him, and his owner, the kind of guy who sees his horses as moneymakers, wanted to get rid of him.”

“So you bought him.”

“Yep. This guy’s still got a lot of life in him. He still loves going out for a ride, and he’s great for giving lessons ’cause there’s nothing that’ll spook him. He can’t do everything he used to, but in a way, he’s figured out how to do even more.”

Theresa shot him a sharp glance. Was that his way of telling her she needed to move on, too? To finding her own something more now that working in the ER was a thing of the past? With all of her relatives coming and going over the past few days, it was impossible to believe one of them hadn’t filled Jarrett in about her accident and her injuries.

Did he really think it would be that easy? To give up on the dream of a lifetime and find something else to do? Something as fulfilling, as challenging, as rewarding as the career she’d dreamed of since she was a child?

Frustration, loss and anger boiled up inside her. “Are we still talking about horses?”

“What else?” he asked laconically. Refusing to rise to her challenge, to admit what she knew to be true.

Theresa met his gaze as if by staring him down, she could force him to give a different answer. But with no more ammunition to fuel the fire, her anger started to wane. Maybe she was being too sensitive and reading more than she should into his words...

She didn’t know how long the staring contest would have lasted if not for some outside interference. Tired of waiting for another treat, Duke nudged her shoulder. Hard. The unexpected contact knocked her off balance and right into Jarrett’s arms. Her face burned at the first moment of contact. For the second time in as many meetings, she was practically falling at Jarrett’s feet. And she’d worried about him feeling sorry for her before. Nothing like going back for another round of humiliation.

She quickly braced her hands between them, ready to push away, when the softness of the shirt he wore and the heat of the skin beneath seeped into her palms. Her heart began to race, but the rapid beat was nothing compared to the wild pounding within Jarrett’s chest. She was close enough to feel the warmth of his breath against the side of her neck. If she turned her face, even a little, she’d feel the rough scrape of his day-old beard against her cheek. And if she turned just a little more, she would feel the heated press of his mouth against hers.

Their ragged breathing seemed to fill the stable, so much louder than the stomp of a shoed foot, the gusty blow of a nearby horse, the jangle of Silverbelle’s bridle. But not so loud that Theresa didn’t jump when she heard a vehicle door slam shut. Jarrett stepped back so quickly, reaching for the reins, that she almost wondered if she hadn’t imagined the whole world-stopped-moving moment. Wondered if it wouldn’t be better if she had imagined it.

“Excuse me a minute. I’m expecting someone.” He quickly stabled Silverbelle and was striding toward the sliding doors before Theresa had a chance to catch her breath.

Reaching out, she placed a hand against Duke’s neck, taking comfort in his solid warmth. She didn’t think it was imagination that the horse rolled his eyes at her. “I know, right?” she murmured. “It’s crazy, and I should totally know better. But don’t think I’ve forgotten that this was your fault.”

Despite her words, she carefully bent toward the ground, scooped up the baggie Jarrett had dropped and offered the horse the last slice. Apples might be on Duke’s menu, but forbidden fruit? That was definitely off Theresa’s.

* * *

She waited for a few minutes inside the stable, but when it became clear that Jarrett wasn’t coming back anytime soon, Theresa gave Duke and Silverbelle a few farewell pats and headed for the door. She stepped outside in time to see Jarrett lead a pretty palomino out of a trailer.

Standing beside a dual-cab truck, a silver-haired man wrapped an arm around a blonde teenager. The girl rested her head against the man’s denim-clad shoulder, wiping tears from her cheeks. The man Theresa assumed to be her father looked almost as heartbroken.

“Promise you’ll find her a good home,” the girl said to Jarrett, her words made no less strong by the dampness in her eyes or the tremor in her voice.

“We’d really like to keep her,” the man added. “But I’ve been out of work for a while now, and the boarding stable in Redfield keeps raising its prices—”

“I told you I’d get a job. I could pay for feed and boarding, Dad,” the teen argued.

“And if you’re going to class during the day and working nights and weekends, when will you have any time for riding?” Heaving a sigh, the father gentled his voice as he added, “We talked about this, Chloe. Lightning deserves better than that. She deserves someone who has the time and the money to spend on her.”

With his focus on the horse—running his hands down her back, over her flank, down her legs to her hooves—Jarrett didn’t appear to have paid any attention to the father-daughter exchange. He’d moved to the horse’s head before he asked, “You said you’ve been boarding her?”

“Yes,” the daughter answered. “At a stable the next town over.”

“So you just ride her for fun, then? And let the stable hands care for her the rest of the time?”

The girl straightened away from her father, drawing up to her full height. A sudden breeze whipped her hair across her face, and her pale eyes were flashing as she said, “I take care of her. I ride her every day after school. I spend hours at the stables on the weekends.”

Theresa knew it was none of her business, but she took a few steps forward anyway. She couldn’t blame Jarrett for centering on the horse, but if he’d take a look at the girl, he’d see how devastated she was to be giving up the animal she loved. Theresa had never owned a horse, though she’d begged for one almost constantly as a child. Her parents had wisely refused for the reasons Chloe’s father mentioned.

She’d taken lessons when she could, and there had been times when she’d had to stop because of a lack of time and money. She’d been heartbroken, too, and could only imagine how much more painful it would have been if she’d not only had to give up riding but also give up her own horse.

Would it really be so hard for Jarrett to reassure the poor girl? To promise to find the horse a good home? To show a little understanding instead of asking questions that were only making her feel worse?

Theresa opened her mouth, ready to demand a moment of his time, when Jarrett gave the horse a final pat and finally turned his attention to Chloe. “You ever ride her bareback?”

“Of course.”

He waved toward the corral behind them. “Mount up.”

“What? Why?”

“I want to see how she responds to a rider she’s familiar with.”

Chloe met his unyielding gaze with as much confusion as Theresa was feeling. Was this his way of giving Chloe a chance to say goodbye? A last ride before she and her father turned their truck around and hauled an empty trailer back home? The teen seemed to come to that same conclusion.

Walking up to the horse, the girl ran a hand down its neck and murmured something for only the animal to hear. Then she pulled herself up with remarkable ease and agility. The wide gate squeaked as Jarrett swung it open and Chloe guided the horse through. Inside, the two raced around the ring—Chloe’s long blond hair almost the same color as the horse’s trailing mane.

They rode well together—beautifully and bittersweet—as a final farewell. And while Theresa was touched watching the two of them, the pulse-pounding connection she’d felt earlier wasn’t there. Shooting a quick glance at Jarrett standing impassively a few feet away—his arms crossed and booted feet plated wide apart—she wasn’t surprised. The experience hadn’t simply been about watching a horse and rider. It had been watching Jarrett ride.

A few moments later, Chloe pulled Lightning to a stop and swung from the horse’s back. She guided the animal over to Jarrett and seemed resigned, if not ready, to hand the reins over to him. “She’s a great horse,” the girl said a little defiantly as if challenging Jarrett to disagree.

But he merely nodded. “If you’re still interested in looking for a job, I could use a hand around here. As the weather warms up, more people are going to be looking for trail rides and lessons. What you make should cover boarding and leave you with a little extra.”

As his words sank in, pure joy lit her eyes. “You mean, I could work here and I could board Lightning and I—”

A half laugh, half sob cut off the rest of her words. And if the look on Chloe’s face wasn’t priceless enough, Theresa was gifted with the sight of Jarrett’s pained expression when the girl threw her arms around him in a grateful hug.