Page 39 of The Devil in Blue Jeans
“Oh, he was your dad’s horse?” she asked, trying to ignore the way his muscles flexed as he lifted the reins, and the large bulging veins running along the sides of his forearms, but she failed miserably.
He inclined his head. “They had quite the bond. When my dad passed away, I decided to retire Thunder from hard work and let him enjoy his days in the pasture, but we still take him out for some rides to keep him fit and happy.”
She stroked Thunder’s neck. “Awe, he must miss your dad.”
At the silence, she met Jaxon’s gaze. His gentle smile was drowned in heartache. “We all do.”
For the first time, she felt like she was looking at a side of Jaxon not many got to see. A softer side. She returned the smile. “What was your dad like?”
“He would have liked you,” he said with a chuckle, resting the hand holding the reins on the saddle’s horn. “My dad appreciated a good woman who could hold her own with a bunch of unruly cowboys.”
Her heart fluttered at the compliment. Lately, she’d felt weakened by Marcel’s betrayal, feeling like she was anything but strong. “Was your mom a strong woman?” she asked.
“Very much so,” Jaxon said, looking as relaxed atop a horse as he did sitting in his chair on the porch last night. “She loved this home and looking after the family and the cowboys on the ranch.”
“She used to cook for them?”
“Every day she would serve lunch,” he explained. “She loved feeding the guys working on the farm. Everyone loved her.”
“Your dad most of all?”
Jaxon laughed. “Yeah, him most of all. They were high school sweethearts.”
She let those words sink in, glancing ahead of her, watching as the cowboys continued to head out into the meadow. But her gaze was pulled back to Jaxon. She couldn’t quite get how a man raised by two parents who loved each other deeply could not value love and relationships.
“Ask me,” he said.
She blinked. “Pardon?”
“You’re wondering something,” he said. “Ask me.”
Her heart squeezed. That felt like a question she wasn’t ready for an answer to. Besides, she wasn’t there to get to know him. She was there to learn about how to improve their bar to make sure everyone in town was happy and would accept them. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking that your parents built something very special here, that’s all.”
His gaze held hers for a beat, as if he was reading right through her, before glancing ahead of him. “You’re right—they did.” His expression shifted then, a warm smile filling his face.
She looked out at all the cowboys and their horses again, and a smile spread across her face. “They all look so happy.”
Jaxon laughed. “Cowboys live for cowboy shit.”
“And what about you?” she asked. “Do you enjoy it?”
Jaxon took a moment to consider her question before answering. “I grew up around here, working on the ranch since I could walk. This is where my roots are, but I had dreams beyond this too. Not saying that I’d ever walk away from the ranch. I just wanted my own accomplishment too. That’s why, after saving up enough money, I bought the bar. I enjoyed the late nights, the fun, the regulars—all of it—and I wanted something that belonged to me. Something that I had built and seen succeed.”
A twinge of pity touched her. “You did that,” she said, feeling the need to ease his loss. “You made the bar successful enough that we bought the business. I wouldn’t have bought a failing company.”
He gave a warm smile. “Thank you for that, Charly.”
She watched him closely, and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you ever miss owning the bar?”
He watched his men as they trotted away, laughing and joking with each other. “Not today,” he replied with a grin. “Come on, Kitten. You ready to ride?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said softly, watching his eyes twinkle as she urged her horse forward.
The smoky fire crackled, and the flames flickered, casting glowing shadows across the meadow. After half a day’s trip on horseback over the ranch, they had found the herd of horses near the creek. Beneath the starlit night sky, with its twinkling stars like diamonds in the sky, they had taken off their saddles and Charly had helped them cook up a hearty stew alongside Decker and Cole.
“She did great,” Eli commented as he took a seat next to Jaxon, who sat leaning against a tree with a bowl of stew resting in his hands. The hearty concoction—made of beef, potatoes, and onions—was hot and savory, warming his tired body with every bite.
“She’s impressive,” Jaxon agreed as he watched her scoop more stew into bowls. He hadn’t seen her laugh this much. At the bar, she was always so serious, swiping her claws at him. His chest did funny things when he saw her smile and laugh so freely. “She must be exhausted.” Riding for two hours is tiring enough for someone inexperienced in horsemanship. She nearly doubled that without complaining once.
