Page 68 of A Cowboy's Trust
“Trust me, when Jake said she was his ex, I had an intense urge to do violence. ButI’vebeen a kid like that,” Tansy admitted. She met her friends’ eyes. “I would do a whole lot of bleeding to make a single kid’s world better.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Petra said, but she petted Tansy’s shoulder as she got to her feet. “We’ll wait to hear the rest of the details from Jake and Declan.”
But after the guys came back from settling Melissa and Jeffrey in the apartment and the details they’d thought of were shared, there wasn’t much more to do than go to sleep and hope that the next day ran smoothly.
Jake followed Tansy into her bedroom. “I’m running on adrenaline and nerves,” he admitted. “I just want to hold you.”
“Works well for my agenda,” Tansy said, pulling him to the loveseat in the corner of the room. “Because I absolutely want to be held.”
They ended up lying on each other, sprawled on the loveseat with Tansy half on top of Jake. Her head rested on his chest, and the steady beat under her ear was soothing and comfortable and exactly what she needed to be able to ask some tough questions.
“Are you really okay with her being here?” she asked.
His chest rose under her and then fell slowly as he sighed in frustration. “I have no choice.”
“We always have choices,” Tansy said quietly. “Some options take more time, or money, or energy. That’s what my dad always says.”
Jake pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m kicking my ass and simultaneously grateful for having been an idiot. Remember those letters that were haunting me? The ones stuffed in my journal that you said I should get rid of because they were—how did you phrase it?—being mean to me?”
She thought back before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I remember.”
“They were from Melissa. You were right to say I needed to let them go. And I had, because I wanted to make a total break from her to really concentrate on being withyou.”
The sweetness of the comment washed over a layer of her concerns. “I’m glad to hear that. But how does that make you an idiot?”
“It meant Melissa knew where to find me, although I never did give her my address. I wonder how she knew where to go?” Confusion laced his voice. “I suppose that doesn’t matter now.”
“If she didn’t know where to find you, Jeffrey wouldn’t be here,” Tansy said. “That’s the part that you’re sort of grateful for, yes?”
“Yeah.”
They both lay quietly for a moment. Jake stroking her hair, Tansy’s hand pressed to his chest, fingers playing softly.
Her mind raced a million miles an hour. There were so many layers and so many ways that this could go wrong, but it came back to them not having many choices. They had to do something for Jeffrey’s sake.
With that clear, Tansy pushed aside the rest of her worries. She pressed up to hover over Jake and meet his gaze. “Let me practice my best rookie planning moves.”
Jake raised a brow.
“I know, bear with me. I’m a novice, but maybe it will help all of us get through the situation. Number one, we focus on Jeffrey. I will make things he likes to eat, and you can take him to see the animals, and in the meantime, we let Melissa do the adult things she needs to do to figure out the next step. But Jeffrey gets to be a kid.”
Jake wiggled back until he leaned against the armrest. The hopelessness on his expression brightened. “Okay. I like that.”
“Nice to get positive feedback from the master of the art,” Tansy teased. “Number two, while Melissa is doing her adult things, she does not get to be alone with any of the ranch hands. Which does mean some juggling, but if she’s only here for a couple of weeks, we can handle it.”
“Number three, Melissa doesn’t get to be alone with any of us either,” Jake suggested. He grimaced. “I hope she’ll be on her best behaviour, but in case she’s not, I don’t want her to spew her particularly toxic observations on anyone. You, Jinx?—”
“Add yourself to that list.” Tansy pressed a hand to his cheek. “Finally, number four, we get Declan and Kevin to deal with her adult decision-making checklist. Not you.”
“Brilliant. Although Declan and Kevin haven’t done anything to deserve it,” Jake teased.
“Enough planning. My brain is exhausted, and I really want to kiss you,” Tansy informed him as she rolled fully onto his chest.
“You did well for a rookie planner. I’m proud of you,” Jake assured her before somehow finding his feet and lifting her with him.
Tansy smothered a squeal, but a burst of laughter escaped as he tossed her on the bed. A moment later, he was on top of her, hands on either side of her torso, a wicked smile in place as he stared at her lips.
“Are you going to reward me?” she asked.
