Page 69 of Soldier Cowboy
“Hey, sorry it took me so long.”
“Not at all, you have a job to do. And you do it well.” She pressed something on her keyboard. “I also used to have a job and I was pretty good at it, too.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Eve liked my photos. She wants me to take some more photos of her clinic for their website.”
“Great idea.”
“I’ll have to go downtown and I’m going to assume I can’t go without you.” She seemed a bit disgusted by this fact, shaking her head.
“You’re assuming correctly.”
“We can wait until Sean comes back from his honeymoon.”
“Not necessary. I’ll find the time.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up, a swift softness and warmth filling them.
She was truly beautiful, and he’d known that from the moment he first laid eyes on her. But now he also understood that she was fierce, funny, strong, and loyal. And for purely personal reasons he didn’t want to believe she was this unhappy hanging out on the ranch. Sure, it wasn’t his job to entertain her or help her feel good about herself. Only to keep her safe. But still.
He sat beside her. “You’re bored.”
“Well, even when I couldn’t work or leave my house, I had Netflix and Wi-Fi and I could sit in my condo and randomly watch videos of people falling down. Or dogs trying to talk to their owners. Those were my favorites.” She sighed.
He chuckled because those were his favorites, too. “Look, I promised to take you swimming. So, let’s go before dinner.”
“And I brought a swimsuit!”
No questions or hesitation. She was up and changing faster than he’d thought possible.
Within a few minutes he was leading her down to the riverbed hoping this, too, hadn’t changed while he was gone. The number of changes were unnerving, and he clung to those landmarks and people he recognized to still be the same. The familiar and comforting. So far, it mostly seemed to be the land. Because even the home he’d grown up in had changed, if for the better, and looked barely recognizable.
Thankfully, a river tributary didn’t suddenly decide to pick up stakes and move. But Texas had gone through periods of drought and the part of the river that ended and streamed through their property had been unbearably low in the past. He’d been out here once with Sean and Bonnie, years ago, and turned back when there wasn’t enough water for them to reasonably swim.
Gratefully, he heard the trickling sounds of the water as they neared on foot. He’d made Jennifer wear a pair of his old boots, warning her of snakes, scorpions and fire ants until she nearly changed her mind about coming with him. He grabbed her hand now, tugging her along. A sense of gratification pulsed through him upon hearing her swift intake of breath. The river that he’d always considered his own slice of heaven was still shaded by a leafy black willow tree, some of its green and lush branches nearly hitting the water.
“Oh, this is beautiful,” Jennifer said and let go of his hand, walking forward. “I bet you spent a lot of time here as a kid.”
“Fair amount. You can’t dive here, it might be too shallow.”
She was already moving toward the rushing bank of cool clear water, throwing off the boots, and slipping off her jeans.
And holy God, here came the longing and desire again, bursting out of him like an unspooled coil. He had to get a handle on this. Push these feelings underneath and keep them down.
She wore a red bikini that wiped out several hundred brain cells in one fell swoop. Then she whipped her shirt off and he lost the rest of them.
Brainless, he followed her, watching as she plunged into the water without a second thought. She swam several feet down and back again, her strokes sure and practiced. Clearly, she loved the water. It was a damn shame some idiot had frightened her enough to keep her restricted indoors, the only place she felt safe.
But I’m doing the same thing.
Trapping her here on the ranch.
Even if for her safety it was unfair that she should have to be the one punished. She wasn’t in Los Angeles anymore, was it necessary to keep her in hiding? He determined at that moment he’d let her see more of Stone Ridge in whatever time they had left here together. He’d show her more of downtown besides the veterinary clinic, even if there wasn’t much to see.
The Shady Grind was always a good place to get a burger and Jackson performed from time to time, according to Eve. She’d called it a great place for “date night” in case he was looking for a nice place to take his “fiancée.”
Earlier today, after Riggs had settled up with Eve, he’d met Colton in the tack room.
