Page 35 of The Cowboy's Surprise Return

“What was that my grandfather told you about us helping each other?” Cole asked, a fuzzy idea forming in his mind.

She shrugged, her tone offhand. “He thinks we can fix each other.”

“You’re broken?”

Without answering, she slipped from his loose embrace and went to crouch beside her car, wiggling the bumper. “Do I need a new one?”

Cole stared at the task in front of him, his motivation waning. Suddenly the idea of dating Jackie to solve all of their problems seemed juvenile. What was the point of trying to be a good guy when nobody was likely to see it? For many he would always be the wild Wylder, even if he no longer acted like it.

“Want me to call the wreckers?” he said finally.

Jackie nodded, and soon they were standing among acres of old vehicles stacked in the Texas scrubland several miles east of Sweetheart Creek. They worked side by side, retrieving the same shade of blue bumper from a sports car before returning to Sweet Meadows Ranch.

Now, sitting on the equipment shed’s dirt floor, Cole scratched his chin. Buckey, Myles’s dog, came ambling in, tail wagging. She threw herself down beside Cole, placing her head in his lap. He absently scratched her chin before pivoting onto his back to slide under the car to attach the new bumper, the dog crawling under with him.

“Do you remember which bolt goes where?” he called to Jackie.

“No.”

“How about you?” he asked Buckey. The dog shuffled closer as if to take a peek.

Cole angled himself to look out at Jackie. Making a funny face, she gave the bumper a thump, fitting it back into place so he could bolt it in.

“Careful!” he yelled when she gave it another thump. “Don’t set off the airbag!” His warning caused Jackie to jump, and he laughed while Buckey scrambled out from under the vehicle.

Jackie’s eyes widened before she exhaled and rolled her shoulders at the prank. Earlier, for safety, they’d disconnected the battery and airbags. “You’re a brat.”

“You don’t like working with me?”

“You said it, not me.”

Cole let out a huff as though annoyed. Hanging out with Jackie was easy, and he hadn’t expected how smoothly they could flow between moments of heat and moments of camaraderie and partnership. It reminded him of Levi and Laura. They flowed like they’d been together longer than the few months they had.

Cole knew he should feel awkward for having revealed his fears and past mistakes to Jackie, but instead he felt closer to her. Was that how Levi felt with Laura? He and his older brother used to talk about all sorts of stuff, and Cole had missed him during his years away. Had Levi missed that, too? Had Laura stepped into Cole’s role like Jackie was stepping into Levi’s? Was this a part of growing up?

Still, there were some things you could say to a brother you just couldn’t say to a woman. And maybe one day, if he stuck around long enough, he and Levi would find that common ground and trust again.

Cole attached the last bolt and rolled out from under the car. Standing, he dusted himself off, then stretched, clasping his hands behind his neck while curving forward to relax the muscles in his lower back.

He tapped Jackie gently on the shoulder to draw her back from where her thoughts had taken her. She had crouched to hold the bumper, and was still hunched over, hands on the blue plastic even though it was now securely bolted. He offered her his hand, helping her up.

“What’s next?” she asked, squeezing his biceps in that friendly way that always made him want to flex his arm.

“It’s fixed. We just have to reconnect the battery and airbags.”

“Thank you!”

Her gigantic grin had him leaning in to place a kiss on her lips before he thought better of it. It was a quick one, but Jackie’s features softened with pleasure.

Cole exhaled slowly, realizing what he was doing. He’d spent his years away being careful not to get too close to anyone, not to get attached, not to let someone get hurt. He needed to fix things with his family and within himself before he got involved. And here he was, making Jackie promises with each kiss. It didn’t matter that they’d said they weren’t doing this; their actions were writing checks reality would never cash.

And yet every time he kissed Jackie he felt as though he was getting closer to some vital truth, adding another piece to the healing puzzle.

“About what you said earlier about me needing a girlfriend…” he began, wondering if his plan to remain alone, ready to jump when his family asked him to, was a poor one.

She laughed and bumped her shoulder against his arm. “Cole, you’re not looking for a girlfriend. And I don’t do short-term relationships anymore. So don’t get all serious on me just because we keep having little moments.”

Her happy expression clouded, and she turned away, collecting the tools spread over the floor.

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