Page 35 of The Female Warrior & The Charming Gentleman

Yet she could. She’d seen firsthand how gracious, magnanimous, and unselfish he’d been with everyone. She was another groupie. He’d easily won her heart, and instead of wanting to knock him down, she craved his words, smile, glance, and touch. She was decidedly not acting like herself. How could she get back to the real Autumn Cardon when she couldn’t distance herself from the enticing icon that was Jarom Love? The deeper problem was she felt like she had an inside track to the ‘real’ Jarom Love. It was ridiculous. The agony when they went their separate ways would destroy her. Panic pressed into her chest. She resisted rubbing at it.

“I adore my Missy,” Chad continued, “but all she knows about the protection details is that they happen. She respects my work and checks with me before she goes to visit Mama Millie or takes the girls for a walk or to see the horses at the main barn. She thinks the ranch is a safe, beautiful place to raise our girls and she loves the Colevilles. Besides everyone in Coleville knowing about Jacey and Elizabeth Oliver coming, she assumesmost details are a rich person with a stalker or a woman escaping an abusive ex.”

“Ah, I see the problem.” Jarom smiled conspiratorially at his new friend. “If I meet your impressive wife, and Missy is so thrilled she can’t hold that squeal in, then that sweet mother-in-law of yours would also leak the secret. She’d tell her friend to please not tell, and it just spirals from there. I’ve heard about tight-knit communities like this. Loads of love, but nothing is kept in confidence.”

“You got it, buddy. But thank you for offering anyway.”

“Just a moment. What is your lovely wife’s full name?” Jarom asked. “Missy, was it?”

“Melissa Millecan.”

“Splendid.” Jarom strode back into the house. Autumn rolled her eyes and followed. Her insides were coiled tightly. She couldn’t riddle out how to keep from falling deeper for this man. She’d crushed on him, fan-girled, and been enamored just like Missy Millecan. She’d let down her guard with him and now she was in a near-impossible situation of guarding her heart. She’d never admit it to anyone, but the iron around her heart was liquefying with Jarom’s blow torch of patience, kindness, and allure. He made her feel special and safe and loved.

The dozens of texts and phone calls on his phone, the social media posts she’d seen of woman after woman on his arm, and even how easily he befriended Chad should help her remember she was nothing special to him.

Jarom strode into the office just off the entry, found a piece of paper and a pen, and started writing. He took longer than she thought he would writing a nice note to Missy.

Autumn was impressed with his thoughtfulness, but she had no clue how to rein in her desire for him. Everyinteraction proved how impressive and out of her league he was. She was idiotically letting herself fall for a player who befriended every man and was loved by every woman. Their initial agreement of flirting and not get invested proved Jarom would move on and hurt her worse than Charles had.

What was she going to do?

Jarom smiled at her and escorted her back out of the house. Autumn stiffened at his hand on her back, trying not to feel the warmth and pulse of it. He handed the note off to Chad with a flourish and a slight bow. “I’m sure Missy is charming.”

“She’s the best. I’m blessed for sure.”

Blessed. Believers anyway. Why wasn’t Autumn ever blessed? The only thing she’d been ‘blessed’ at was learning how to fight from Jed, and being able to protect innocents and destroy evil people. She’d never be blessed to have Jarom in her life. The good Lord above wouldn’t want that to happen any more than Jarom’s adoring female admirers. Autumn’s darkness, warrior heart, and unwillingness to submit to God would dim or extinguish Jarom’s light. Soon enough, Jarom would see what she was capable of and then he’d run like Charles had. And she would be decimated.

Chad pocketed the note. “Thanks, man. I’ll hold on to this until Christmas.”

“I pray my case is resolved long before then.”

“I’m sure it will be, but this will be a better Christmas present than anything money can buy.” He gestured. “After you, Mr. Love, Miss Cardon.”

They walked out of the main ranch yard and soon found a trail through the woods. It was a brilliant fall day, the air brisk and the sun bright.

“I thoroughly enjoy how much this mimics my Colorado mountains,” Jarom said as they walked along.

“I’m sure you think your mountains are superior to any mountains in the world,” Autumn teased. She tried to push away all the angst inside her, focus on the assignment, and somehow solidify the iron around her heart.

He smirked at her. “Not superior, but I do love them. I longed for outdoor adventures as a youth, but we were usually too busy working or traveling. Sometimes that travel brought us to beautiful mountains like these and my mountains in Colorado. Then I got to hike, mountain climb, mountain bike, rappel, and paraglide.” He gave her a sidelong look. “The Swiss Alps have a corner on the superior mountain market in my mind.”

“I’ve never been.” She’d traveled on assignments with Aiden but mostly to America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. No European assignments yet.

She appreciated this safe conversation.

“We shall have to remedy that, my love.” His look was significant, as if she were his love and he was already planning a romantic trip to the Alps after they finished this assignment.

This conversation was no longer safe. Not for her heart. She had to be feisty. The appropriate response would be at the minimum to snip back that they would not remedy her lack of travel. Normally she would sucker punch him, but she didn’t want to.

Jarom wrapped his larger hand around hers. She relished the warmth of his fingers and palm. She couldn’t remember how she was supposed to respond or if she even had an articulate thought in her head. What was he doing to her?

His smile was the satisfied, borderline-smug smirk she’d expected after she admitted she’d never let another man hold her while she slept. If any other man smiled like that around her, she’d rearrange his dental work. How far gone was she? Was there any hope of recovery at this point?

She took a breath and searched for the right words. “Just because I’m allowing you to hold my hand for a picturesque walk through the forest does not mean I am falling for you. Understood?”

Jarom chuckled as if her response didn’t bother him at all. “Tell me without telling me, my beauty.”

“Argh!” Autumn tellingly didn’t pull her hand free.

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