Page 6 of Riding Jamie

“Looking for somewhere to hide?” a warm, soft voice says from beside me.

I jump slightly and whirl to face the guy properly. It takes a few seconds of me blinking stupidly at him to get any words out.

“I—what?” I manage, hoping I sound more confused than annoyed.

Not that I’mnotannoyed, mind you—I really do just want a minute to myself—but it won’t do to upset one of my aunt’s friends. Not that he looks old enough to be one of her friends…

“Sorry,” he says with a laugh, raising his hands innocently. “You just look overwhelmed. Figured we were in the same boat. I’ve been looking for a plant to hide behind since I got here, to be honest.”

I’m a little surprised by how easily I laugh at that, but it’s easy enough to blame that on being wrapped up in pleasantries. It has absolutely nothing to do with the way my brain is insistently noticing that he’s maybe, sort of, a little attractive. In an opposite-of-Jamie kind of way.

Whatever. It’s not like it matters.

The guy’s just making conversation.That’s what you’re supposed to do at parties, I remind myself.

“No, no.” I wave him off with a laugh. “You just surprised me. I didn’t see you standing there, and then you were talking, and I…I’m not used to this many people. If you find a plant, would you be willing to share?”

His smile is sweet, and his laugh is quiet, even as he reaches out to pat a hand over my shoulder in joking reassurance.

“God, if only there was one,” he says, grinning.

He’s a little shorter than average, and he’s blond, and everything about him seems soft. His palm is smooth, no calluses across his fingertips when he takes his hand away before the touch on my shoulder lingers too long to be appropriate. He’s nothing like Jamie, all tall and rugged and loud.

I almost cringe at my own thoughts, forcefully shoving them to the back of my mind and doing my best to focus on the conversation.

The way the guy’s long lashes brush against his cheekbones when he blinks is helping.

Or maybe it’s not because as soon as I notice how pretty his eyes are, my mind is conjuring up memories of the way Jamie looks at me.Lookedat me.

God, I’m a wreck, aren’t I?

“Yeah,” I say, probably a little too loudly, trying to distract myself from my own thoughts. “This isn’t really the scene I’m used to.”

He raises his glass—also full of punch, I notice—in cheers, laughing softly.

“Yeah, the city can be a lot to get used to,” he agrees. “Give it some time, though. You’ll do fine. I’m Shane, by the way, since I so rudely forgot to introduce myself.”

“Oakley,” I introduce, reaching out to take his hand in my own.

Yeah, no calluses there. It’s kind of an odd feeling because most guys on the ranch have calluses.

Before either Shane or I have a chance to say anything else, those blue eyes shift to something behind me, and Shane straightens up immediately. He looks confident, if a little nervous, and I turn to see what caught his attention only to come face-to-face with my uncle.

“Mr. Branson!” Shane greets from behind me.

“Oh, I see you two have met already,” he crows, obviously pleased as he tucks me beneath his shoulder in a single-armed hug. “That makes my job easy, then. Oakley, Shane here is my other intern, so you two will be working closely together this year.”

I glance back at Shane, surprised, and he beams at me proudly. “And Shane, you already know all about Oakley,” my uncle continues.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gasp, turning back to Uncle Ricky with a mocking glare.

He just grins at me, his eyes twinkling with both pride and amusement. His bushy brows shift when he winks teasingly at me, and his beard twitches in time with the laugh he lets loose.

“He brags about you,” Shane stage-whispers, grinning widely at me. “Alot.”

As much as the idea of him talking about me is embarrassing—and as much as I hope the entire office doesn’t have some idea of me as a useless kid who only got this position because I’m Ricky’s niece—it’s kind of nice knowing that I won’t be doing it all alone. And Shane seems nice enough.

“Only as much as you deserve,” Ricky corrects him. Before he has time to say much more, we hear my aunt’s voice calling him over, and he pulls me closer to squeeze me in a tighter hug for just a moment. “You two relax, have fun, get to know each other. I’ll be back to bother you when I can weasel my way out of conversation.”

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