Page 27 of Barn Burner
I shift in my seat, reaching down to grab my bottle of water from the floor and take a sip. “His name is Jesse.”
“Jesse? And I’m assuming he’s a cowboy?”
“Yes, but not like inToy Story 2, because she was a girl.”
Jude laughs. “You’re a twat.”
I grin to myself, remembering the startled look on Jesse’s face when I said that to him when we first met. “He runs a ranch with his family. His dad and brother take care of the beef cattle side of it, while Jesse runs trail rides. His other brother, the one who is fixing my car, looks after the riding school, and his mum has a petting farm. They have Highland cows, Jude!”
“Was that where the photo was from that you sent me?”
“Yeah.”
I can hear the smile in Jude’s voice when he says, “That sounds like your kind of heaven, Brayden.”
The back of my eyes burn, and I squeeze them shut. Itismy kind of heaven. This ranch. This life. This man whom I’ve spent every day with for the last few weeks. But my dream has also been on the ice. Under the bright arena lights. The sound of the goal horn and my name being announced over the speakers.
My dream has always been to lift the Stanley Cup and see my name engraved, and I was close to getting that until it all went terribly wrong. I’m determined it will be our year next season.
Selfishly, I want it all. I want Jesse, the ranch,andhockey.
But at what cost? I have no idea.
“Brayden?” Jesse’s voice filters through the house, followed by the sound of his boots against the wooden floor of the hallway.
“In here,” I call out. I’m lying face down on the bed, gazing out of the window at the cows munching on the grass. After my phone call with Jude, I was overcome with feelings I didn’t know how to deal with. I’ve been trying to push my inevitable departure date to the back of my mind because I’ve just wanted to live in denial for a little while longer. But there’s only so long I can bury my head in the sand. I’ve got some big feelings for Jesse, and I’m also keeping some big secrets from him. He doesn’t know I live in Calgary, and he doesn’t know I play in the NHL. And this twisted part of me is worried that if he finds out the truth, he’ll treat me differently.
Just like everyone else does.
He appears at the side of the bed a moment later, those glacier-blue eyes assessing me, almost concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just felt a bit tired, so I took a nap.”
Frowning, Jesse takes a seat on the edge of the bed. His hand finds my head, carding his fingers through my hair. “Did I hurt you this morning?”
I shake my head and smile. “No, you didn’t.”
“You’d tell me if I did?”
“Yeah, of course I would.”
My response seems to satisfy him, as his answering hum rumbles deep in his chest. His fingertips begin to massage my scalp, and my eyes fall closed within an instant, revelling in the sensation of having his hands on me.
“Do you feel up to going somewhere with me?” he asks so quietly, his voice comes out gravelly.
I open one eye to look at him. “Always. Where are you thinking?”
“Well…” The corner of his mouth hitches up. “I was thinking I’d keep it as a surprise.”
A little over an hour later, we’re on the highway, and I let out an undignified noise when there’s a sign for Canmore.
“Oh!” I point my finger out the window. “I heard it’s really nice there.”
“It is, but it’s the wrong time of year to go,” Jesse says. “It’ll be full of tourists. You won’t be able to appreciate it.”
Leaning back in my seat, I admire the most beautiful, scenic highway route I’ve ever seen. When we continue past the exits for Banff, Moraine Lake, and Lake Louise and start on theIcefields Parkway, I glance over to Jesse and narrow my eyes in suspicion.
“Where are we going?”
