Page 83 of The Last Second Chance
Jax looked down pointedly at his raging erection. “Yeah, cause that would be good business.”
Joey made herself as presentable as she could before reaching for the doorknob. She paused and glanced back at Jax. His hair was messed up, his shirt was unbuttoned, and he had a cocky grin fixed on his face.
“Rain check?”
Joey grinned despite herself. “Yeah.”
20
It was a small, inconvenient twist of fate that had Carter and Summer booking a long weekend at Niagara Falls the same frigid week that Beckett and Gia headed to Belize on their honeymoon.
The inconvenience lay in the weather forecast. It also happened to be the same timeframe that the meteorologists started making noise about the first blizzard of the year.
Carter had immediately balked about leaving. He didn’t want to dump blizzard management and cleanup on Jax and Joey, but Jax knew his brother was also painfully aware that it was imperative to pry Summer away from her magazine for a few days for a pre-twin invasion break. The morning of the storm, Jax, Joey, and Colby had staged an intervention and practically packed the couple’s bags themselves while promising to call if they couldn’t handle things on their own.
Beckett and Gia had also half-heartedly volunteered to reschedule their honeymoon to be on hand for the incoming snowpocalypse, but their offer was brushed aside. Phoebe and Franklin would be taking Mr. Snuffles and staying at Beckett’s with the kids and pets to keep their routine as close to normal as possible.
It was amusing—and a little insulting—to Jax that Carter was worried he couldn’t handle the farm for a few days without him. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with a hundred times before while growing up here.
He’d always loved snowstorms, even if they meant extra work. Except for a few trips to Tahoe, he hadn’t seen snow since his move. Despite the extra responsibility a heavy snowfall incurred, he still felt like a little kid staring out the classroom window waiting for the first flakes.
Jax—keeping the latest forecast numbers for the storm to himself—tossed Carter and Summer’s bags in the truck himself and waved them off from the front porch with Valentina and Meatball at his side. Colby ambled out of the barn after Carter’s truck disappeared down the drive.
“We are screwed if this storm is as bad as they’re calling for tonight,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket and grinning.
“Yep,” Jax agreed. “Guess we’d better make a plan?”
“Let’s go see Joey,” Colby said.
“We’ll take the Jeep. It’s too cold to walk.”
Carter had thoughtfully attached the plow to the front of his Jeep, putting Jax and his team a little ahead in their blizzard countdown preparations. When the dogs followed them to the garage, Jax shrugged and let them clamor into the back. Well, Valentina’s long legs clamored. Meatball sat on the ground and barked until Colby picked him up and shoved him in next to his sister.
They pulled up in front of the stables where Jax spotted Joey in the paddock on a pretty little quarter horse. Meatball gave a little woof and squirted through the door as soon as Jax opened it.
Joey swung down off the horse’s back and headed their way.
“Geez! I thought you were Carter coming to say he changed his mind about leaving,” Joey sighed in relief, her breath coming out in a cloud.
“Nope. We just waved them off with lies that the snow wouldn’t be that bad and that we’ve got everything under control,” Jax assured her, watching as Valentina loped over to sniff Waffles’ ass. Meatball barreled over and the three dogs took off around the stables.
“If they come back covered in horse shit, you’re in charge of bath time,” Joey warned him.
He threw a salute. “Aye, aye.”
She cracked a smile and that was all the invitation he needed to drop a fast kiss on her mouth before she could pull back. They’d spent a few more very satisfying nights together at her house since last week, but Joey still refused to be as affectionate in public as she was when they were alone.
Colby looked away, whistling.
Joey shot Jax a disapproving look, which had absolutely no effect on him. She was going to get used to being his girl one way or another. And Jax knew from experience that Joey responded well to trial by fire.
“You two realize that we’re fucked this entire weekend, right? The latest forecast says thirty-two inches starting after midnight tonight,” she said, leading the horse toward the barn.
“I heard thirty-five and starting at ten,” Colby said as they followed her into the stables.
“Go grab some coffee and I’ll be back in a minute,” Joey said, leading the horse into the stables ahead of them.
Jax led the way to the office and got busy pouring coffees. Colby made himself at home in one of the rickety visitors chairs.
