Page 29 of Rocky Mountain Home
Right. Dare was like a sister. No sex discussions with the man. “I wasn’t an asshole then, or an asshole now. I offered to marry her.”
“Did you now? What did Dare have to say about that?”
Jesse played it up as best he could. “She didn’t say yes, but we’ll get there.”
“Is this something you do on a regular basis? Treat a woman’s no like it’s a yes?”
Well, that sounded slimy. “Hell, no. I didn’t mean that at all. I just meant… Well, you know how it is. Sometimes women change their minds.”
If anything the disapproval in Caleb’s voice grew stronger. “You’ve got a high opinion of women.”
Jesse thought he had the highest opinion of women. They were a hell of a lot more complicated than guys while being soft and smelling fantastic. He worshiped women, but he figured there was no way he was getting out of the barn that morning without physical damage. Better to get the anger in the open.
He leaned his rake on the stall wall then stepped into Caleb’s line of vision, hands hanging by his sides. “Go ahead.”
Caleb stared back, iron-cold.
Jesse shrugged. “Everyone in my family has laid me out at some point, and I usually deserved it. I feel like shit that Dare had to deal with things without me, but if you want to put me on the floor—”
The man’s poker face was deadly. Jesse wasn’t sure if his offer was going to be taken up or not.
After the longest time, an exasperated sigh escaped Caleb. “Already told you Dare’s opinion on the matter. Until she wants you beat up, you’re in the clear.”
Huh.
Jesse stood silently until Caleb resumed raking, then he went back to his side of the wall, the practical exchange a little anticlimactic.
“You plan on sticking around?” Caleb asked.
“I’ll have to do some juggling for a while, but I’ll be there for her.”
“Job?”
At least he could answer this one with something positive. “Bar M, outside of Pincher Creek.”
“That’s a high-class operation. They’ve got some quality animals.”
“I’m planning breeding programs for them.”
“Really?” A touch more interest lit Caleb’s voice at that bit of info.
Jesse grinned. He wasn’t just a hayseed cowboy. He loved working with his hands, and had no objection to being in the field with the men, but he had more to offer. “Got a diploma in genetics with a minor in computer programming. Considered going for a degree, but I figured some hands-on experience with the programming was worth more to the family than another piece of paper.”
Another oh from Caleb, his curiosity continuing to rise as the rake-motion sounds slowed. “Got any samples of your work?”
Most of it was planning he’d done for the Six Pack ranch. He’d been trying to not exploit the connection, but considering this man was a potential brother-in-law… “For you, sure.”
Nothing more was said, but Jesse hoped the gears were already turning. He wasn’t going to bail on Dare, and if he kept his word, Caleb might offer him a job at Silver Stone before the dust settled.
They worked in silence. Caleb showed him where the fresh pellets were, then glanced into the stall when Jesse was done.
There’d be no qualms over his work. He’d been cleaning stalls since he was barely able to lift the rake, him and his brother working together to try to impress their father.
A far-too-familiar twinge hit his gut. He hated how long it’d been since he’d seen the man.
Seen his brother.
“You got any other kids?”
