Page 32 of Wistful in Wyoming
“Last Thursday. I didn’t want to talk about it before now because I was bouncing back and forth between being in shock, wanting to commit homicide, and crying my eyes out over multiple pints of Häagen-Dazs. So, I spent the past week packing, arranging for movers, and getting a realtor.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “I’m so sorry, sis. Do you have an address for this asshole, so I can go kill him? We’ll feed his body to Marty Olsen’s pigs.”
She snorted against his chest. “I wouldn’t do that to the pigs—they’d probably get indigestion.”
“It’d be worth it.” After a final squeeze, he stepped back. “But why move back here? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have you living in the Rock again, but there’s got to be plenty of firms in Denver that would snatch you right up.”
A miserable sigh escaped her. “Not after word gets out about how badly I screwed up. And trust me, it’s probably the talk of every big firm down there right now. So, I decided to pack up and move back here. I’ve got enough in savings to relax for a bit and figure out my next move. I’ll let the hubbub die down and then start looking at New York, California, Chicago, and maybe Dallas. No matter what, I’ll have to start from the bottom up again.”
“What about starting your own practice here? I know it’s not the metropolis you’ve grown accustomed to, but you still have friends here ... and me. I miss you somethin’ awful, Jenna.”
Before she could answer him, there was a knock at the back door, and it swung open. “Hey, Jeremiah, I—”
Anthony stopped short when he noticed the boss wasn’t alone. His eyes bulged a little as his gaze roamed Jenna’s body from head to toe and back up again, and a smile spread across his face. Jeremiah wasn’t surprised, since his sister had been garnering that kind of appreciative reaction from the opposite sex since high school. If he hadn’t gotten used to it over the years and didn’t know she could kick a guy’s ass if need be, he might’ve had the urge to deck his foreman. That and he was one of the nicest guys Jeremiah had ever met, so he ignored the man’s perusal.
As it was, it took a moment for Jeremiah to remember the two had never met before. Anthony had been working at the JP for about two-and-a-half years, and the only other time Jenna had been to the ranch for a visit had been when the foreman’s father had been in his final stages of terminal cancer. Sadly, it’d advanced faster than the doctors had predicted. Jeremiah had given Anthony a month off to spend some time with his dad and to help his mother with the funeral and aftermath. The other times Jeremiah had seen his sister over the past thirty months or so had either been in Denver or down in Arizona while visiting their parents. She’d missed the last few New Year’s Eve parties at the ranch.
“Uh, Anthony, this is my sister. Jenna, this is my foreman, Anthony Garner.”
The other man quickly removed his hat and stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jeremiah. He’s awfully proud of you.”
The smile that’d graced Jenna’s face for a brief moment while she shook Anthony’s hand quickly disappeared with his last words. “Um, thank you. The same could be said for you—he thinks very highly of you.” She glanced at Jeremiah. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m going to hop into the shower, and then I’ve got a lot of things I need to do today. We’ll talk more later, and I’ll even cook dinner tonight, okay?”
“Sure. Let me know if you need me for anything.”
“I will.” She gave Anthony a little wave, her usual vivaciousness missing from her countenance and attitude. “Bye. It was nice to meet you finally.”
“Same here.” The man didn’t say another word as he watched Jenna leave the kitchen. When Jeremiah cleared his throat, Anthony shook his head. “Uh, sorry. She’s even prettier than her pictures.”
“You don’t say.” When he got no response, he raised an eyebrow. “Did you need something or are we going to stand here and stare at each other all day while you fantasize about what my sister looks like naked?”
A blush accompanied the man’s chagrined expression. “Sorry ... uh ... oh! Birdie threw a shoe, and Jackson’s out of town for the week. Who do you want me to call?”
He ran a hand through his hair. Bye Bye Birdie was one of Jeremiah’s favorite horses, and she was very particular about who she let shoe her. Jackson Coyne was a local farrier who had won her trust, and she wasn’t going to be happy he wasn’t available. “Crap. A while back, he gave me the name of a woman who he recommended if he wasn’t around. I have her card in my office and will give her a call. Why don’t you check and see if any of the other horses need attention while I find out when she can come?”
“You got it.” With a last not-so-subtle peek toward the hallway where Jenna had disappeared, Anthony slapped his hat on his head and left the way he’d come in.
Sighing, Jeremiah began to clean up from breakfast. It looked like it was going to be one of those days, and all he wanted to do was call Dale and ask the man to take him away from it all, if only for a few hours. Yup, he had it bad.
Chapter Seventeen
Two days later,Jeremiah hopped in his truck and drove to town. He had some errands to run, and Anthony had given him a list of stuff they needed from the feed and supply store. Given that he hadn’t seen Dale since Jenna had shown up, Jeremiah was hoping for some privacy on the drive to call his boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
He still felt a little juvenile calling Dale that, but he didn’t think they were at the partnerstage yet. Though he was sure they would be if he’d just grow a pair and come out already. Willow had texted him earlier and said she’d overheard someone at the Pack and Sack talking about him and Dale. Apparently, there were whispered rumors and speculation about the two men spending a lot of time together alone, at both their homes, and disappearing for hours when they’ve gone out for drives with each other. Unfortunately, there were only a few people that could’ve figured things out and started telling others—Willow and Nathan, their ranch hand, Shane Rivers, and Jeremiah’s six employees. The JP was too far from town, and the Skyview Ranch was its closest neighbor, so no one else would’ve noticed or been able to track comings and goings easily enough to realize something was up. He’d trusted Willow and Nathan with his secret for a long time and knew they would never tell anyone without his permission or knowledge. And while he’d never told Anthony he was gay, even if the foreman had put two and two together, Jeremiah doubted he was the source of the rumors. That left six hands between the two ranches—three of which had worked at the JP for at least the past five years. Part of Jeremiah was in a twisted and convoluted knot about coming out, wanting to run and hide. Meanwhile, the other part of him wanted to rip the Band-Aid off, so he could finally be free to love who he wanted.
Deciding to finish his errands first, he’d make the call to Dale on the way back to the ranch. It would give him added motivation to get in and out of Ducky’s and not allow himself to get caught up in conversation.
The familiar drive passed quickly as sweet and sexy thoughts of Dale filled his head, and before he knew it he was pulling into the lot at Ducky’s Feed and Supply. The sun had disappeared behind heavy gray clouds that were rolling in, and the wind had picked up, blowing up dust. A storm front that’d been forecast was earlier than expected. Hopefully, he could finish his errands and get back home before it hit. They could definitely use the rain.
After double checking he had his wallet, cell phone, keys, and the shopping list, he climbed out of his truck, adjusted his hat, and strode inside.
He headed right for the desk where customers could place large orders and quickly requested an order for the fence posts and wire he needed, along with some lumber and other items. His workshop was getting a little low on materials, and like all ranches, fixin’ fuckin’ fence was a never-ending struggle.
“Will that be everythin’ for you today, Jeremiah?” the owner, Dave “Ducky” Swann, asked.
He consulted the list one more time. “Yup, it looks like that should do it. When can it be delivered?”
