The Cowboy's Pride and Joy

“It’s none of your business,” he finally ground out.

“Ah.” She nodded sagely. “The best defense is a good offense.”

Surprised, he laughed. “You know football?”

She shrugged. “My younger brother played in high school and college. I went to a lot of games. And you changed the subject. Well done.”

Shaking his head, Jake studied her for a long minute and found her gray gaze steady and filled with interest. “Okay. I grew up in the city. But this ranch always felt like home to me.”

“And...”

“And, after college and the Corps, I couldn’t settle in the city. Too much noise. Too many people. Too many things crowding in on me.” He stood up, unable to stay behind the desk. Walking to the fire, he picked up a poker and stabbed at the smoldering logs until flames hissed and jumped to life again.

Funny, he hadn’t thought about any of this for a long time, and remembering coming home from his last tour of duty and being surrounded by the crazed noises and crowds of the city brought it all back. That itchy, unsettled feeling that resulted in a cold, deep chill that had skimmed over his heart and soul, making him feel as if he were slowly freezing to death.

Grinding his teeth together, he swallowed hard, reminded himself that he’d left that old life behind and said, “I didn’t belong there anymore. I needed space. Room to breathe. Couldn’t find that in the city.”

She was watching him. He didn’t have to see it to feel her gaze on him. He knew she was wondering what the hell he was talking about. Considering him nuts for turning his back on Hunter Media and all that entailed. But he didn’t face her; instead he simply stared into the flames and let himself be mesmerized.

Until she spoke and shattered the quiet.

“Really, I sympathize with your mother, but I can’t see you living in Boston at all.”

He lifted his head and shifted a look at her. He didn’t see sympathy or concern or amusement on her features, and for that he was grateful. “Is that right? Why?”

She laughed a little and the sound was soft. “Well, first off, I do understand everything you just said. Sometimes the crowds downtown make me feel like I can’t draw a breath.”

He nodded.

“But secondly... Please. You wear boots and jeans and a hat that you can pull down deliberately low enough to keep people from seeing your eyes.”

A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. Observant, wasn’t she?

“I just can’t see you sitting in on board meetings wearing a three-piece suit and sipping espresso.”

He snorted at the idea. “Yeah, that was never going to happen.”

“I think your mom gets that now,” Cassidy said. “She’s still disappointed, but she’s accepted that you’re never moving back to the city.”

“Good. Took long enough,” he mused. His mother had clung to the idea of Jake returning to the city to take his rightful place as the head of Hunter Media for far too long. It had been a bone of contention between them for years, even though he’d pointed out repeatedly that his younger sister Beth was right there, more than capable and eager for the job.

“But I’m curious.”

His thoughts came to a dead stop as he looked at her. “More curiosity?”

“You never find out anything if you don’t ask.”

“Ask what?”

“Why the lonely cowboy on top of a mountain?” Her gray gaze locked on his, she watched him as if she could read his answer on his features. “You walked away from a dynasty in the city to come here. Why here? This mountain? This place?”

“Forthright again,” he muttered.

“Not really. Nosy again.”

He laughed shortly at the admission. “At least you’re honest.”

“I try to be.”

Jake had once thought his ex was an honest woman, too. Turned out she was like most people. Honest only until it served her not to be. But what the hell, he’d give her an answer.

“When we were kids, Beth and I used to come here every summer to see our grandparents.” His mind turned back, flipping through memories like a cardsharp about to deal a hand filled with images. “It was so different here. Bigger, of course. But more than that. Pop used to take me fishing and out with him when he was working the cattle. In Boston, I was a kid, told to watch out for cars, not to talk to strangers, and wasn’t allowed to ride the damn T without an escort.”

“Really? You couldn’t ride public transit alone?”

He shrugged at that memory. “My parents were cautious. Always said that rich kids might get kidnapped. So Beth and I were watched constantly.” Shaking his head, he continued. “Here, we were free. We ran wild all over the ranch with no one to hold us back. Went swimming in the lake, hiked all over the forest. It was a different world for both of us. But for me, it was the world I wanted.” Grudgingly, he added, “When I got out of the Marines, I came straight here. I needed this place after that and—”

He stopped talking suddenly, surprised as hell that he’d told her all of that. Hell, he hadn’t talked about his past in—well, ever. He didn’t like looking back. He didn’t believe in looking into the future, either. For Jake, the present was all that mattered. The here and now was all he could control, so that’s where he put his focus.

“I can understand that,” she said softly.

Jake straightened, set the poker in its stand and walked back to sit behind the desk. Gathering up the papers, he began to read, skimming his gaze through the lawyer-speak with ease. He was a Hunter, after all, and he’d grown up knowing the ins and outs of deal making. “I didn’t ask for your understanding,” he muttered.

“Too bad,” she told him. “You have it anyway.”

He shot her a frown that she completely ignored.

“Just because you’re a recluse doesn’t mean you have to be crabby, too.”

She made it sound like he was a damn hermit. He wasn’t. He went into town. Just not lately. “Who says I’m a recluse?”

“Your sister.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Beth thinks five minutes of silence is some sort of torture.”

Cassidy laughed and he found he liked the sound of it. “With her kids, I’m guessing she doesn’t have to worry about silence most of the time.”

He looked at her. “You sure seem to know a lot about my family.”

“That’s part of my job,” she said with a shrug. “As your mother’s assistant, I try to make her life easier—work and family. Luckily, I really enjoy your sister. And your mother is a brilliant woman. I’m learning a lot from her.”

She jumped to her feet, came around the desk and leaned over his shoulder to point at something on the front page of the papers. “I almost forgot. Talking about your mother reminded me. She said you should be sure to read this clause especially well. Once you sign, it’s irrevocable.”

Jake tried to focus on what she was pointing to. Instead, though, the scent of her wrapped itself around him. Something cool and clean, like the forest after a rain. She smelled like springtime, and drawing it into his lungs made his brain fuzz out even as his body tightened. Damn, this wasn’t going to work.

“Yeah. I see it. Thanks.” He turned his head to look at her and found her mouth only a breath away from his. She met his gaze and looked away briefly before meeting his eyes again. Then she licked her lips nervously and the tightening inside Jake went into overdrive.

Blinking frantically, Cassidy moved back slightly and kept her voice brisk as she said, “Once you sign this, you’re giving up any chance to come back and run Hunter Media. Basically, your signature is agreeing to accept Beth as the heir to the throne, so to speak.”