Page 59 of One Lucky Cowboy

But the worry sitting just below Jill’s skin wasn’t about her dog so much as Jax’s disappearance. All he’d told Bennett, apparently, was that he needed some time to figure stuff out after her fight with him the other day.

A fight she’d regretted as soon as she started it. To be honest, she’d been excited to see him if for no other reason than she missed him. And all she wanted was some clarity about their fun at the creek. Did he like what happened, too? Did he want it to happen again?

If not, she would’ve understood. All she needed was a grown-up conversation.

Instead, his lack of communication had concocted a lethal cocktail of worry and rejection in her stomach, and she’d lashed out unfairly.

Hurt disguised as anger was an easier pill to swallow, but it didn’t change the outcome. She’d driven off an amazing guy because he’d taken some time to figure out what he needed, a perfectly reasonable request.

It’d been three days since anyone had laid eyes on the guy, and Jill wasn’t sure what to do next. Not just personally but with their tenuous work partnership, too. The orders were behind, but the bigger concern was the rescheduling of the CAF presentations; they’d be co-presenting with the engineering and ranching clubs from the high school now. If they didn’t get on it immediately, everything would pile up, until the whole structure toppled.

She’d call her dad for advice, but her folks were on a cruise for the month in the Arctic, and I told you so was the last thing she needed to hear.

Which meant radio silence from every last person in her life, except Maggie, who couldn’t go anywhere because of her pregnancy complications.

Ugh. She never should’ve kissed Jax in the first place. She knew better.

It wasn’t like Jill was inexperienced when it came to men or that she never went out, but anything so tempting and frivolous as a date always came behind the laundry list of to-dos smattering her calendar.

For good reason, apparently.

She touched a fingertip to her lips.

But, oh lordy. It was the single best kiss of my life. She wasn’t sure she’d actually take it back, except…

The kiss sent the man sidestepping out of sight for half a week—not really a sign he’d liked it, too.

“So, what now?” Jill asked. Maggie sent her a how the hell should I know? look through twisted lips and a creased brow.

“He’ll come back and talk to you about it. This isn’t like him, but I’ll bet the baby’s inheritance it wasn’t because of the kiss or the fight. That’s not Jax’s MO. Take a deep breath and exhale on a three-count.”

“Okay, pregnant momma. Lamaze doesn’t work for idiots who kiss their work associates and make them run away. Besides, I didn’t mean what I should do about Jax, but yeah, knowing my kiss sent him on a sabbatical is a pretty solid guarantee I won’t go doing it again with anyone.”

“Was it a good kiss?”

Um, no. It was brilliant. Life-changing. And so was laughing and talking with him. The whole damn day had upended what she knew about life and work and the balance between the two, and with a light summer breeze—well, and two curious black bears—it was gone. Evaporated into thin air like it never happened. Heck, even the man himself was MIA.

“For me, but then I’m not the one with sprinting shoes and an invisibility cloak.”

“It’ll be fine. I’m sure he liked it, too. How could he not? You’re the hottest, most successful person I’ve ever met.”

“Who apparently kisses like crap. The worst part is, he’s coming back at night, or someone is. His truck is there until I get up the next morning, and then it’s gone again. The man would’ve done well on a college track team the way he sprinted away from me.”

Grace had been candid a few weeks ago about Bennett’s habit of plowing safe passage for those he loved. But even she couldn’t have seen Jax’s departure coming.

“It’s weird. Jax always talked about leaving for the rodeo when he was a teen, back when he’d have followed Nora anywhere, but he always showed up for Bennett first. And the fact that he’s coming home at night is odd.”

“Who is Nora?” Jill asked.

She tried for nonchalant, but her whole body went rigid with jealousy. The bird in the courtyard found a piece of a chip and flew away. Oh, if only Jill could be satisfied so easily. But she’d settled for scraps before never and would again.

Maggie giggled. “No one to worry about. Just a high-school crush with a penchant for leaving that outrivaled Jax’s. She left him high and dry when her dad didn’t approve, and it kinda broke him when it came to dating.”

Jill covered her face with her free hand and groaned into her palms. Maggie mimed rubbing her back, already a good mom despite her worry that without an example since her mother died so young, she wouldn’t know what to do.

I wish I were sticking around so I could help her out, even just with her confidence.

You can, you know, her head offered. She moved the business here; there’s no reason you can’t relocate and commute to the warehouse and factories when you need to.

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