Page 40 of Nashville Cowboy
Surprising him, she squeezed back. “We all missed you.”
While he wished for a little more personalization than that, he wasn’t going to complain. With their horses behind them, Jackson stepped behind Eve and slowly and deliberately pulled her to him, her back to his chest, his arms wound tight around her waist.
“Is this uncomfortable?” he murmured against her temple. “Too much?”
She hesitated only a second. “No. I’m good.”
“Then let’s just stand here and watch the sunrise.”
The next morningbefore daybreak Eve walked to the stables to find that Jackson was already there. He carried two mugs of coffee, one for him, and one for her. Without words, he set his mug down, led Taco out, saddled, and groomed him. She did the same with Thimble, side by side. They didn’t speak much, except to talk about the weather.
It happened again the next morning, Jackson there as if planned. They’d then taken both horses out for a ride together.
On the second morning, he’d kissed her tenderly as the sun rose behind them. She’d lost interest in the beauty of the sunrise. And he was far more interested in holding her hand and kissing. She couldn’t complain about any of this. It was nice just to be together and not talk about the kiss, or what it meant, if anything at all. She reminded herself that, as he’d told her in the kitchen, he’d kissed her simply because he wanted to. And she’d kissed back for the same reason. Best to keep it simple.
There had been more kisses, plenty of hand holding, more hand caresses, and warm hugs. There were looks and genuine smiles that made her heart ache in a sweet way. Eve hadn’t been this treasured by a man in a long while and the sensation was addictive.
This morning, they talked about the ranch, Winston and all the working dogs, Hank and the bull, and Mima’s health.
“Thanks for taking such good care of her,” Jackson said, and Eve could hardly believe she’d heard the words.
“I’d do anything for Mima. She’s like my own grandmother.”
“Does Brenda get jealous at all, with you spending so much time over here?”
“No, and in fact she’s actually spent more time over here lately. She and Hank are such good friends. And she loves your family.”
“Well, we all love her. Especially her daughter.” As if realizing what he’d just said, he corrected himself. “You know that Hank is crazy about you.”
“To him, I’m the horse whisperer.” She laughed, leading a saddled Thimble out.
“We all have our gifts.” He came up behind her, leading Taco, and paused to tip his Stetson. “Apparently I’m the Nashville cowboy.”
“Long as you’re still a cowboy, you fit right in.” She pulled herself up and mounted Thimble. “See ya, cowboy.”
With that, she took off and left Jackson and Taco in the dust, laughing as she did. But one look behind her, and she could see that Jackson and Taco were quickly gaining on her. In no time flat, they’d caught up. Taco was always the fastest horse. They raced to the first pasture, Taco winning handily, then slowed to head back, giving the horses a break.
“What’s it like in Nashville?”
“Loud and bright. Busy. The music business isn’t what I’d thought it would be.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not always about the music. It’s about the almighty dollar. What will sell, what won’t. Branding. Messaging. Don’t get me wrong. The people there are kind. Hard working. It’s just…not like home.”
Life was probably simpler here and he missed that. Hope swelled in her.
“Do you think…you could stay? For good?”
“I want to, but I started something I should finish.”
“Right.”
“It’s just…since I’ve been there, I’ve sold my best songs to other artists. I needed the money. Plus, it was flattering when big names wanted to record my stuff. But I’m not going to shortchange myself anymore. My next song is for me to record. Hopefully people will still buy the song when it’s me singing it, and not Keith Urban.”
“Oh, I’m sure they will. You just need that chance.”
Jackson reached with his big leather-gloved hand and covered hers. She smiled back at him, enjoying his touch. Reveling in the warmth that pulsed through her every time he so much as glanced in her direction. As the orange sun crested over the horizon, and Jackson continued to hold her hand as their horses walked slowly back, she counted her blessings.
