Romancing the Rancher

“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.

Chapter Five (#ulink_de3dcb44-21fb-52da-bb22-33311cfc8e19)

“That was nice of you.”

Jarrett gritted his teeth as Theresa fell into step beside him as he led Lightning into the stable that would be the palomino’s new home. A few of the other horses craned their necks out of the stalls, eyeing the newest arrival with curiosity and a whinny or two of greeting. Though he may have pretended to, he hadn’t forgotten for a moment that she’d been there the whole time he’d talked with Chloe and her father. Not that her presence had affected his decision.

When the O’Malleys had called the day before, he’d known giving up the horse would be tough on the girl and maybe not the best thing for either one of them. He hadn’t brought up the idea of hiring Chloe at the time because, well, he hadn’t thought of it yet.

Even if he had, he would have needed to take a look at Lightning as well as see if Chloe could actually handle herself around horses. In the end, the situation made sense and had nothing to do with the weight of Theresa’s stare or how knowing she was watching made him feel like a heartless jerk, robbing some poor girl of her horse. But still, he hadn’t made the offer because of Theresa.

Especially not if it made her think he was nice.

“Look, it was a business decision. I’m trying to finish up work on the cabins and get that side of the operation up and running. That means I have less time for trail rides and lessons—even though that’s what’s bringing in the money right now. I’ve needed more help around here for a while, and it just makes sense to hire Chloe.”

The majority of the students who came for lessons were young girls who, sometimes, loved the idea of horses better than the reality of sitting on a large animal several feet above the ground. He knew from his phone call with her father that Chloe had younger siblings. She’d be someone the female students could relate to and she’d be a hell of a lot more comfortable with a bunch of little girls than he was.

“So what you’re saying is that you didn’t do it to be nice,” Theresa surmised.

“Exactly.”

“Uh-huh.” Her lips curved into a smile, and that moment before the O’Malleys arrived rushed back. That split second when it had taken every ounce of self-discipline not to crush Theresa in his arms, to feel every inch of her delicate curves pressed against him as he claimed her mouth with his own.

Jerking his gaze away, he focused on settling Lightning into her new stall, an easy enough task with the good-tempered mare. The horse stepped inside, her hooves crunching on the fresh straw as she took in her new surroundings. As he closed the stall door, he flinched a little, thinking of Chloe’s promise to return and bring the engraved plaque with Lightning’s name on it to adorn the front of the stall.

The girl’s eyes had glowed as she said, “I was going to keep it, you know, as a memento, but now it’ll be right on her door where it belongs so that she’ll know that she’s home.”

He hoped Chloe didn’t have anything else in mind to help the horse feel welcome. He could just imagine the stall covered in flowers and draped in girlie fabrics.

Judging by the hint of smile Theresa was unsuccessfully trying to hide, she knew what he was thinking. And wasn’t that one damn scary idea? Because while he was as eager to throw off Chloe’s gratitude as an ornery bull to shake off a rider, the warmth in Theresa’s gaze made him feel...he didn’t know what. But he knew for sure letting himself get pulled into that blue flame was a surefire way to get burned.

“It’s no big deal,” he ground out.

“Tell that to Chloe and her father,” Theresa countered gently.

The ringtone on his phone interrupted the moment, and he reached into the back pocket of his jeans with relief. He didn’t need Theresa thinking he was some kind of hero. Not when he knew the truth. When it came to being there when a person needed him most, he was nothing but a failure.

The phone call saved him from the rush of unwanted memories, but the minute he heard the sweet, Southern drawl, he cringed.

Talk about trading the frying pan for the fire. But at least Summer was on the other side of the country, unlike Theresa, who, despite his words, was gazing at him with a softness in her blue eyes that made half of him want to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her while the other half—

Hell, that part of him just wanted to grab hold of her and not let go.

“Well, it’s about time you picked up your phone. I suppose it’s too much to ask for you to return one of my messages.”

“That would mean having something to say.”

His half sister sighed. “J.T.—”

“Don’t call me that.” The childhood nickname—like his brief childhood in Atlanta, like his family—were things he’d left behind long ago.

After a slight pause, his sister murmured, “Sorry, Jarrett.”

His hand tightened on the phone. Truth was, he had no issue with his half sister and no reason for acting like such a jerk. “That’s just...not who I am.”

Her voice was wistful as she replied, “It’s how I remember you.”

It amazed him somewhat that Summer remembered him at all. Or at least that she remembered him fondly. The eight-year age difference had always struck him as huge. Most of his memories of Summer were of a crying baby, an annoying toddler and a spoiled child. Even if his memories were accurate, Summer had only been ten when he stopped going to Atlanta, fulfilling the regular, court-mandated visits.

That had been over a decade ago, and if he’d missed most of her bratty teenage years, he’d also missed her turning into a bright, beautiful—if stubborn—young woman.

Still, he argued, “You’d be better off forgetting.”

“How can I?” Some of that bright, stubborn streak showed in her relentlessly cheerful tone. “You’re my big brother.”