Page 7 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
It should be illegal to be this beautiful and perfect. And I should be in cuffs for having these thoughts about my baby sister’s best friend, who is a decade younger than me.
“Hello, Miss Diva. Congratulations on your debut. These are for you,” I express, holding out a bouquet of jasmines mixed with baby’s breath.
I know they’re her favorite flowers, and tonight is a big night for her, so I thought I’d try and put in some effort.
If possible, her face turns even more pink. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to.”
“I wouldn’t be a proper gentleman if I didn’t, now would I?”
She smiles wider and turns away for a moment. She shares a look with my sister, who’s standing a couple of feet away from us. They share a look I cannot for the life of me decipher before Ava faces me with a determined expression on her face.
“Zane,” she softly calls out my name.
“Yes, Miss Diva.”
She takes a deep breath, and somehow I feel like I know what she’s about to say before she does. “I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time.”
“What is it?” I encourage, knowing that if I’m right, it means I’m not alone in feeling the way I do.
“There’s no way around this, so I’ll just say it.”
“It’s okay, Miss Diva. You can tell me anything,” I encourage.
She looks up and meets my eyes, and it’s right there in her gorgeous orbs before she utters the words. “I like you.”
Yes!
Now that’s what I’m talking about. She likes me, but I need to play it cool, so I furrow my brows and widen my eyes, acting surprised. Her crush on me has gotten even more obvious over the past few years, but I didn’t start thinking about her as more than my sister’s best friend until a couple of months ago.
She came with Ella to one of my competitions wearing the tiniest pair of shorts known to man, and I found myself getting jealous from the attention she was getting from other men.
Now I can finally tell her how I feel. I soften my gaze and lean in to cup her face. She leans into my touch with a smile before bridging the gap between us and... kisses me?
Wait... that didn’t happen!
I open my eyes to find a coarse tongue licking my face, slobbering saliva all over me.
“Jaz! No! Stop that!” I grumble, pushing her face away.
She snorts at me, spitting more saliva. “Do not snort at me, young lady. You woke me up.”
If horses could roll their eyes, I’m sure Jaz would be doing that right now.
Jaz is a beautiful brown, four-and-a-half-year-old American Quarter horse. Being part of her life from the moment she was foaled somehow made me connect with her, so she’s one of my favorites, and I think she knows it from how spoiled she acts.
What was with that dream though? It was more of a flashback than a dream, but still very unwelcome. I live with the constant, painful reminder of what happened that night—I don’t need her haunting my subconscious as well.
It’s been five years since I last saw or spoke to her, but Ella regularly keeps me updated on her wellbeing and whereabouts. More like she keeps the rest of the family updated, loudly, while I’m in earshot. Last I heard, she was on her world tour. I wonder if she... I wonder nothing.
I shouldn’t even be thinking about her—I need to get back to work. With that thought in mind, I push myself to sit up, but I’ve been lying down too long and my back has stiffened up. Aargh, there’s that painful reminder I was talking about.
I turn to Jaz for a little assistance. “Help me up.”
Like I taught her, she folds one of her front legs at the knee within arm’s reach. I cling onto the lower part of her leg, and she lifts the leg up, pulling me to a position where I can get to my feet.
I reward her with a baby carrot I fish from my pants pocket.
Teaching her that trick is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It comes in handy more often than not.
