Page 36 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
“His loss,” Jaxon said immediately. He couldn’t imagine having Charly as his and replacing her. He’d only known her for a short time, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
This time, when she met his gaze, she smiled warmly. “Definitely.”
A comfortable silence ensued as she studied the rosy sky and sighed deeply, a soft sound releasing every worry and hardship. Jaxon understood. Life could carry a heavy burden at times. And somehow the open fresh air, and the peace at the ranch could quiet those burdens.
“So, after the cowboys leave here, they go home?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“They go to the bar,” he replied before taking another swig of his beer. “Then they go home.”
“Do they do that every day?”
He knew why she was asking, and this was part of their deal with her being there. With that in mind, he thought of his regular customers when he owned the bar and his cowboys and answered her, “As you likely saw today, and will continue to see in the coming days, Timber Falls’ townsfolk work very hard. They deserve a moment for fun now and then, so they look for somewhere to go to blow off steam—that used to be my bar.”
She paused and regarded him with curiosity. “Until we took over?”
“It’s not a dig,” he said, reading the fire burning in her gaze. “I’m just pointing out that there wasn’t any other place around here to socialize until I owned the bar.”
Charly mulled over his words, nodding slowly in understanding. “Thank you for answering. It’s something to consider.”
“Anything you want to know, Charly, just ask,” he said, leaning back in his chair. Which reminded him she had asked an earlier question he had yet to answer about Eli. After all, he knew she was seeing more of him soon enough, and Eli always gave his blessing to talk about what happened in his past. “You asked me earlier about Eli,” he said. “Normally, I wouldn’t say anything and let you talk to Eli himself, but I’ve seen others feel uncomfortable when it comes up randomly.”
“Okay,” she drawled, curiosity brimming in her eyes.
He took another sip of his beer before setting it down again. “His younger sister was murdered, and that’s why he moved back to town.”
Charly’s eyes widened in shock, and she nearly choked on her drink. “Murdered? What happened?”
The memory of the violent crime still felt fresh in his mind, even though months had passed since it happened. “She was killed while Eli was on the Professional Rodeo circuit.”
Her nose scrunched up. “Sorry, what is the rodeo circuit?”
“He’s a professional bull rider, and a promising one at that.” It tore Jaxon apart that Eli had to walk away from his dreams. It was one thing he wished they didn’t have in common. “For eight months, no one knew that Eli’s little sister, Miranda, was being abused by her boyfriend. Unfortunately, it was too late by the time anyone found out. Her boyfriend had killed her when she tried to break up with him.”
Charly held a hand to her chest, shaking her head as she said, “That’s tragic.”
“Very,” Jaxon replied. “He’s in jail. Hopefully for the rest of his life.” He watched her for a moment, sensing something on her mind. “What is it?”
“Willow’s ex-boyfriend was abusive,” Charly murmured, her voice full of emotion.
“Willow?” he asked in surprise. “Was she hurt?”
“I know, it’s hard to believe,” Charly said. “How anyone could raise a hand against someone as sweet as Willow? But I think that’s why she was so vulnerable with him. She had it in her head that she wanted to help him.” She hesitated, clearly gathering her emotions before adding, “He put her in the hospital and gave her thirteen stitches, so yeah, it was bad.”
He’d noticed the scar on her cheekbone when he’d first met her, but figured it was a childhood injury or a car accident. “Where’s this guy now?” Jaxon asked.
“In jail,” Charly answered grimly. “Where I hope he stays for a very long time.”
“No kidding,” Jaxon agreed as one of the horses neighed off in the distance. “Is that one of the reasons why you all moved here?” He couldn’t help but wonder what would bring a bunch of city girls to a rustic town in Montana.
“Partially,” she said softly. “But it’s safe to say we were all running away from something when we got on that plane for Timber Falls.” Taking a long sip from her beer, she eventually added, “I’m just so relieved Willow isn’t with him anymore and is here safe and sound.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Jaxon said with a nod. “Miranda’s murder destroyed Eli. He’s never been quite the same since. And she lost her beautiful vibrant life. So much was stolen from them.”
“What a tragedy.”
“It is, so please be mindful of discussing anything related to this on the roundup to Eli.”
She watched him closely for a moment, with an unreadable expression. “Are you protecting him?”
