Page 19 of Deceit & Desire

“I... yes. If I’d known you were in a relationship with a living, breathing woman, I would have let it go. Thinking you were hung up on a memory made me feel like there was hope of changing your mind, given time.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep from balling them into tight fists at my side. “Understand this: no means no, even when it’s a man saying it to a woman. I never intentionally misled you?—”

“But you never point-blank told me the truth, either, and that’s just as bad as lying in my book.” The volatile mix of embarrassment and agony in Miss Jackson’s eyes twisted my gut in a cold, hard knot, but it didn’t stop what I planned to say next.

I shrugged. “You asked me out, and I said no. You asked why, and I told you my heart belonged to someone else. I didn’t owe you an explanation beyond that.”

Zoe looped her arm through mine and cleared her throat. “Look... I can tell this has been a shock for you, but we’re both women with responsibilities to live up to and businesses to run?—”

“Yeah. So what?”

“So, how about we just cut the shit and be straight with each other, woman-to-woman? Once we pay off what we owe you, does Twisted Creek Ranch need to find another veterinarian to work with, or are you capable of separating your feelings from your business dealings?”

Chapter7

Always Been Yours

PLAYLIST: ”BACK TO DECEMBER” BY TAYLOR SWIFT

ZOE

Miss Jackson stared at me,wide-eyed and open-mouthed for a long moment. I could practically see the gears grinding in her head as she processed what I’d just said.

“I... what?” She sputtered, reaching up to run a hand through her hair in frustration.

I crossed my arms and kept my expression calm, taking a half-step forward, putting myself between her and Roman. I hoped it would keep her focused on me, and not whatever emotions might be rampaging through her at the moment, if the beet-red flush on her face was any sign of what she was feeling on the inside.

Rick walked by, a bucket of grain balanced effortlessly in one hand and a coiled lasso slung over his shoulder. The rhythmic crunch of his boots against the gravel caught my attention, but it was the way he paused, mid-stride, that held it. Something about the tension in the air must have registered with him, because he turned, his dark brown eyes scanning the scene with quick, practiced precision.

He set the bucket down beside the fence and tipped his hat back slightly, casting a pointed look at Roman. It was subtle—just the quirk of a brow—but Roman caught it immediately. He gave a faint nod, and without a word exchanged, Rick seemed to grasp everything he needed to know.

“Doc,” Rick said, leaning one elbow casually against the paddock rail. His voice was calm, steady, with just enough weight to make it impossible to ignore. “You’re a hell of a vet, but I think you might be confusing bruised pride with something worth getting into a fight about.”

Miss Jackson turned toward him, startled, her wide-eyed look suggesting she hadn’t even realized he was there. Rick didn’t flinch under her gaze. His tone softened, but his words hit their mark.

“A ranch like this? Animals like these? It takes more than money to keep it running. It takes heart, patience, and people who’ll do the hard thing when no one else will. That’s exactly what you’ve got standing right here.”

The air between us seemed to shift, the tension easing just slightly as his words landed. Rick didn’t linger, though. He bent to retrieve the bucket, adjusting the lasso across his shoulder with an easy, practiced motion.

“Anyway,” he said, his tone lightening as he stepped back. “I’ll leave y’all to it. Got mouths to feed and fences to check.”

Before he walked off, Rick gave Roman a quick, almost imperceptible nod. Then he strode toward the barn, his long strides deliberate, purposeful. The gate creaked faintly behind him as it swung shut, leaving Roman and me alone to face the situation he’d gracefully excused himself from.

I shook my head at Rick’s retreating back with a small smile before I cleared my throat, calling Miss Jackson’s attention back to me. “It’s a simple concept, really. Can you, or can you not, set aside your feelings about how Roman handled things with you? Can you, or can you not, behave like a professional in this situation? Are you, or are you not, capable of continuing to care for these animals and do good business with this ranch?”

A muscle in Miss Jackson’s jaw ticked furiously, and she glared down at the ground rather than meeting my gaze. “You’re really calling paying me on a payment plan good business?”

I sighed and shook my head. “Even if we’re behind on our bills at the moment, I can assure you that won’t be the case for long. So you need to decide if you can set your confusion and embarrassment aside, or if we need to take our business elsewhere?”

Miss Jackson couldn’t have recoiled harder if I’d physically hit her, and her pupils dilated so big her irises looked entirely black, giving away just how panicked she really was in that moment. I fought the urge to smile.

She can’t afford to lose our business any more than we can afford to lose her.

“I don’t think taking your business elsewhere will be necessary. I’m just… shocked and kind of thrown off because somehow, nobody around here seemed to know that you two were together these last ten years.”

Roman growled and butted in. “Like I said, I didn’t think I owed anybody an explanation about my private life?—”

I held up a hand, cutting Roman off as I cut a sideways glance at him. “Baby, why don’t you go wait for me at the house?”

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