Page 5 of One Lucky Cowboy

His mouth opened, but all that came out was, “You’re welcome.”

And then Bennett was gone, and with him, Jax’s chances of coming clean about his upcoming move.

“I can’t stay, though. I need to do my own thing for a while,” he whispered into the stale barn air. What were the chances his words had carried on the breeze to his brother’s ears?

Slim. Like his chances of getting through tomorrow night without wishing he’d never come home all those years ago. Because maybe then he’d never have laid eyes on Jill Henley and he wouldn’t have the sinking feeling that for the second time in his life, everything was about to change.

*

Jill inhaled deeply, letting the smell of creosote and campfire snake through her nose, down her throat, settle in her chest. Echoing through the canyon was proof of life—water bubbling and chatting along its path, cattle and horses communicating in their own language of throaty whines and mumbling. Even the town a few miles away with its more modern, mechanical noises was alive.

Lily had her nose buried in a copse of local flora, her tongue wagging as much as her tail was in appreciation.

Huh. So Maggie was right. Life did exist outside the city. Slower, yes, but she didn’t mind it. Not for the couple days she’d be in the Austin and Deer Creek areas, anyway.

Get in, go to the stupid dinner with Jackson Marshall, hear Maggie’s big news, and celebrate at León’s in the city. A short enough trip that she’d enjoy it but long enough to make her dreams come true.

She allowed herself a moment to appreciate the land stretched in front of her, wide and breathing to its own rhythm. The trees that wove through the valley were bordered by the mountain stream; together they resembled a cluster of jade and lapis jewels running up the middle of a red rock tapestry. It was picture perfect, better than what the internet had drummed up for photos of the place.

The combination of smells and sounds and sights carried memories with it, not all of them bad, as she’d feared when she’d come for the wedding over the summer. No, it was the reminder of warm near-autumn nights just like this one, wrapped in the arms of her first love after his rodeo win, stargazing from the bed of his Chevy and sharing a few stolen kisses.

Of riding bareback up the rocky ridge above her father’s land with a tall, raven-haired ranch hand slash rodeo king.

Of cooking freshly caught fish over an open fire by the river, bundled up in sleeping bags and testing the limits of how much sleep a person actually needed.

It was also a not-so-gentle reminder of everything else she’d left behind when she’d said goodbye to the young man, and that lodged uncomfortably in her throat. Best not to let those particular mental souvenirs of her past cloud what she was here to do.

She walked carefully back to her rental car, her San Antonio uniform—a tailored pantsuit and Louboutin heels—making it hard to navigate the rocky terrain. Lucky for her, she’d grown up on land like this and could walk it blindfolded on her hands and be okay.

Her phone buzzed, and she exhaled, forcing a smile to her lips. Her dad could always tell when she answered the phone with a frown and never missed an opportunity to give her grief about it.

“I thought you and Mom had a date tonight,” she said by way of answering the call. “You know, since you’re newly retired and all.”

“Well, hello to you, too. I’m just checking in to make sure you made it okay.”

“Didn’t you get my text?” she asked. She knew the answer, though. Her dad still didn’t understand that when he started to reply, those three little dots appeared under her text, only to disappear and be replaced by a phone call. “Why are you really calling?” she asked, refusing him time to answer her first question.

“You got me, hon.” The laugh that came through the line was tight. “I’m just making sure you’re okay with your choice. Danny doesn’t sign the paperwork until next week.”

She swallowed a sigh.

“I am. Dad, we talked about this. I love what you’ve done with Henley Apparel, and I’m so grateful you let me consult and learn from you. But it’s time for me to make my own path.”

It was long overdue. She’d given them as much time as she could. She didn’t have any regrets about wearing herself thin working for both them and Maggie all those years, not especially now that Maggie had something big to tell her.

It was time to let that hard work pay off in support of her own dreams.

Lily came out of the bushes and collapsed at Jill’s feet, a blade of grass on her chin a dead giveaway about what the dog had been up to. Jill bent down to brush it off and scratch behind Lily’s ears. She no longer cared if her dog nibbled on grass; the vet had assured her Lily was only doing it to calm her canine version of morning sickness.

“You there?” her dad asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, standing. “Lily’s just being a ding-dong.”

“How’s my grandpup doing?”

“Still pregnant but other than that, she’s the same spoiled princess.” Jill was trying not to worry about Lily’s growing belly, about what it would mean in a month’s time when she had to figure out what to do about a brood of puppies. By her estimate, Lily was halfway through her pregnancy, thanks to some stray dog at the dog park. That was what Jill got for bringing her laptop to get some paperwork done at the picnic table that day. And for waiting to spay Lily until she decided if she wanted purebred puppies. Well, that decision was made for both of them, wasn’t it?

She didn’t even know which dog had defiled her sweet girl.

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