Page 25 of Shades of Mercy
“It was,” she said sharply, then buried her nose back in the book.
He’d been determined to make a fool of himself. “This is the first time I’ve been in this part of the country. I’ve always heard Colorado was amazing. From what I’ve seen so far, I’ve been missing out.” He’d journeyed his gaze down her legs to her brightly pink painted toenails that had matched her bikini.
“Lovely,” she said without looking up from the book.
“I hear there’s a great creek nearby. I’d love to get into some fishing while I’m here.”
She didn’t acknowledge him.
He started to catch on. “Is everyone around here as friendly as you are?”
That brought her gaze up. One corner of her mouth twisted. “You’re intruding on my peace and quiet,” she said.
“Trust me, I regret it,” he growled.
“Hey, I see you’ve met Mercy,” Mateo said as he approached.
“Do you know her?” Jag failed to conceal his disinterest.
“She’s my sister.”
Jag watched as the woman jumped off the rock in enthusiasm and ran into Mateo’s arms for a tight hug.
“I’ve missed you. Look at that hair. It’s so short.” She’d ran her hand over his military cut.
“Sis, this is Jag. We met in boot camp.”
“Oh… Jag.” There was finally a hint of a smile.
“Pride & Prejudice,” Jag said.
Mercy’s eyes had widened while Mateo glanced from each of them, confused. “Did I miss something?”
“So you do read?” Her smile widened.
“Believe it or not, but I can tie my shoes too.”
He was brought back to the present when the water shut off in the bathroom. Over the years since thatlakesidemeeting, Jag had always looked forward to seeing Mercy when visiting Mateo. Fortunately, his first impression of her had changed. Although she was full of sass, he found her engaging. Now here he was, vowing to protect her. That meant keeping his hands to himself and treating her like his best friend’s sister.
The door opened, and she stepped out, carrying with her the scent of soap and a blast of steam. She wore a T-shirt with the American flag emblazoned across the front and sweatpants that were a bit snug, accentuating her feminine curves. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, and her face was bare and clean, the dark circles under her eyes prominent against her fair skin.
“Better?” he asked, feeling the need to say something.
“Somewhat.” She sat down on the end of the bed. “I need to know more about the plan. You said you’d tell the crew that I’m your cousin?”
“Under the circumstances, I think it’ll work.”
“Whatever you say.” She loosened the towel and dragged it off her head. Her damp hair fell in thick, damp coils down her shoulders.
He inhaled her clean scent and felt a familiar tug in his body.
Time had gone by since he’d held a woman. A choice he’d consciously made. He’d isolated himself from everyone, making his social circle as small as possible. PTSD could do that to a person. Coming to Storm Pass, that circle had grown, but he was protective of who found their way into his bubble.
A man never truly understood how much a military career affected him until he was tossed back into civilian life. The lack of routine and focus had left Jag feeling ungrounded. Detaching himself and moving to a cabin up on a Tennessee mountain had given him time to bounce back, so when Puma reached out with an offer to work at the ranch and Shades of Steel Security, Jag decided he’d been in an incubation period long enough. He couldn’t say those first few months weren’t hard as he adjusted, but being around a crew of like-minded men did help him settle in faster.
“Tell me about the cowboys.” She gave her hair a quick finger-comb, tossing the ends over one shoulder.
He crossed his ankles. “We talked about Puma and his wife.”
