Page 48 of One Lucky Cowboy

Heck, I want your life. It wasn’t the whole truth—she thought of Bennett as a brother, nothing more. But she wouldn’t mind the stability, the pregnancy, the career, along with a certain Marshall brother who had given her the best fifteen minutes of her life. And that was saying something since a bear and her cub were present for most of it.

“Well, borrow it whenever you need it, okay?”

“You got it. Anyway, have you seen Lily? She came home last night but was gone again when I woke up. I mean, she’s about to give birth—where could she possibly be going?”

Maggie’s lips screwed up and she tilted her head to the side. “I have no idea. I did see her by the creek when I was on the deck the other morning. I’m sure she’s fine, though.”

Jill nodded at the same time her phone rang. She jumped to grab it as the shrill ring reverberated off the tall ceilings.

“Is that hiiiiim?” Maggie sang.

Jill couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “Yep. Finally.” Maybe if they could talk about what happened—because it was so much more than a kiss—they could either put it behind them or figure out what to do with their very visceral, very real feelings.

“Hello?” she asked. “Can I take this?” she whispered, covering the mic.

“Of course,” Maggie whispered back. “I’m going to refill my lemonade and pretend it’s a martini. Take your time.”

“Hey, Jill. It’s Jax. You got a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?” Her feet tapped out a tattoo on Maggie’s hardwood floors.

“I just wanted to talk through a few things—” He cut himself off and his voice became muffled like he’d covered his own microphone. After what felt like a full minute of waiting—rather impatiently in fact—he came back.

“Can you hold on?” he asked.

You called me, she wanted to bite back. “Yeah, okay.”

“Thanks. There’s someone here who I think wants to know about the ranch hand position, but when I went to talk to him after cleaning off in the creek, he was gone. I wanna catch him before he pulls a disappearing act again. It looks like the kid from before.” He said that last part quieter than the rest.

A pause filled the silence, and Jill chewed her bottom lip.

“Huh. I wouldn’t give him a day over fifteen. Hope he knows I’ll have to turn him away if he can’t legally work in the state. I’m not dealing with Bennett if he finds out I’ve hired an underaged kid.” Another pause. How did any of this have anything to do with her? “Any who, can I call you back after I meet with him? I have some stuff we need to chat about.”

“Um, sure.” Panic rose to the surface of her skin and made her itchy. “I’ll talk to you later, I guess.”

But he’d already hung up.

Chapter Seven

Jax tossed the bale of hay in the bed of the truck and turned toward the sun. It beat heavily down on his cheeks. A few years ago, he’d taken a hippy-dippy yoga class for a few sessions, when he was trying to hook up with the bendy instructor. But the only thing he’d taken away from that time in his life was how to breathe and be where he was in the moment.

And that yoga instructors weren’t as bendy as Hollywood made them out to be.

He focused on his surroundings and inhaled deeply. The first thing he noticed was the sound of horse hooves in the distance. They came from the corral and were punctuated with whoops and neighs of the lead ranch hand, Manny, and Sassy. The calls went back and forth, a symphony of beast and man vying for control. It felt like hoofprints on his chest, the way he ached for that life.

He sighed out the longing and breathed in the air of a different life, the one he was born into.

This time he caught a hint of moisture in the gentle breeze. It represented the long-sought-after hope after a multiyear drought; it meant water in the streams, grass in the fields, and food on ranchers’ tables.

It was a good thing, so why wasn’t Jax happier?

Because Jill is making me feel all sorts of things I said were off-limits.

Wasn’t that the truth. He’d been kissed like there wasn’t a damn tomorrow, which was normally a good thing. Except he wanted more. All of it, all of her.

Which was pretty damn inconvenient for a guy who wanted a life on the road.

But I can follow her if I’m not tied to Marshall Brothers Enterprise.

---