Page 12 of One Heated Summer

“I know it’s not easy for a city gal like you, Missy, but these animals aren’t pets. If you treat ’em that way you’ll spend your time here with a constant broken heart. I don’t like seeing them die for no reason but life’s not easy for any of us and we can’t dwell on the sadness.”

“I know what you’re saying is right and I accept our cattle will all end up on a plate somewhere, but it was a shock to see them not get that far.”

“Always is and don’t seem fair, but, it is what it is and there isn’t any changing that no matter how much we want to.” Elijah pushed onto his feet. “I’ll leave you in Jensen’s capable hands. Take tomorrow morning off and do some woman stuff…pamper yourself.”

“I’ll take the morning because I have a couple of office things to take care of but will help with afternoon chores. Thanks Elijah and thank the men for me. Tell them I appreciate everything they do.”

“Will do…Jensen,” Elijah nodded and Jensen acknowledged him with a nod of his own.

Once he’d left, Jensen asked, “Dinner?”

“Only if I can help,” I said as I stood.

We both made our way to the kitchen and rummaged in my painfully bare cupboards and fridge.

“Got it!” Jensen held up a package of mixed vegetables and a piece of beef he’d pulled from the freezer.

I provided a sachet of rice and teriyaki sauce—voilà, teriyaki beef ala Harlyn and Jensen.

We worked side by side—Jensen stirring the beef and vegetables in a smattering of oil and a pinch of garlic while I watched the boiling rice like a hawk. Twenty minutes later, we sat at the table with a plate of steaming food and a glass of Enchanté 2021, a delicious red wine that I’d pulled from my grandfather’s wine collection which was surprisingly vast. The tantalizing aroma had me digging in, I’d been hungrier than I realized.

After I’d eaten my fill and was sipping a second glass of wine—Jensen having declined, instead favoring a beer, I decided to broach a subject I’d been avoiding due to its personal nature. But…Jensen hadn’t hesitated to ask me about my past. No…that wasn’t true. I’d volunteered the information. Still, I was curious as to why such a handsome man with excellent prospects was unattached.

I took a mouthful of wine to fortify myself. “Jensen?”

“Yes?” He gave me a lopsided grin that had a dimple popping out in his cheek.

“I haven’t heard you mention anyone from the past…female, I mean…um, girlfriend, I mean.”

Jensen laughed. “Go ahead and ask.”

“Well, have you had anything serious in the past?”

“Two…The first was in my last year of high school and lasted about three months. Glenda was a lovely girl but…”

“But?”

“My life was here on the ranch and she wanted to attend college in the city and live the high life. We were at opposite ends of the street so to speak.”

“Did you stay friends?”

Jensen sucked down a mouthful of beer before putting the bottle on the table. “For a while but long distance and the fact we wanted different things was a recipe for disaster.”

“Then?”

“Hmm, I dated a couple of ladies but as you can imagine, there isn’t much of a choice here in Grantin, and I didn’t see myself being with any of them for the rest of my life. About four years ago, Clara moved to town from Montana and I employedher as a ranch hand. She was a damn good worker and fitted in like she’d always been one of us. It wasn’t long before we started dating and for a while, we looked headed for something permanent.”

“What happened?”

Jensen shrugged and took another mouthful of beer.

“Wasn’t meant to be I guess. Being together all day and then spending time together every night…we got sick of each other I suppose. We both admitted that, although we liked each other very much, we weren’t in love. After we split, I suppose you’d say, we thought we’d go back to being friends. Clara eventually admitted that she had feelings beyond friendship and when I couldn’t reciprocate, we decided it would be best if she moved on to somewhere else.”

“How long were you together?”

“About two years.”

“Anyone else?”

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