Page 11 of Fight

Jake wasn’t sure about that last part. His family owned a sprawling ranch in Colorado and when Jake had decided to put down roots elsewhere after college, his mother had sadly accepted his decision, certain that if he had the freedom to move away when he was young he would return home when it mattered most—in other words when future grandchildren might be a part of the picture.

His father, however, had raised holy hell and all but disowned him. Jake and his father had never seen eye-to-eye and he hadn’t expected them to agree on this point, but he had optimistically—or stupidly—thought he’d show a little more understanding, seeing how it was indicative of Jake’s effort to make something of himself on his own rather than leach off the family farm, as it were. Hard work and independence were concepts Jake’s father had instilled into him his whole life, so it baffled him that he was unaccepting of this choice.

But as an only child, and a boy to boot, his family had been depending on him to take over the ranch, marry a local girl, and inherit the mantle of grand poobah of northern Colorado. He just hadn’t had it in him to follow that path though.

As much as he loved Colorado, his family, and his home, he’d known he needed to find a life somewhere new, much like his ancestors that had settled in Colorado in the first place. A point that was totally lost on his father.

When his internship had turned into a full time job with the resort, followed by bigger and better jobs coming right after one another, he hadn’t even bothered to tell his parents. They had no idea what his life or job was like at this point. Something that never failed to make Jake a bit bitter and disappointed in them in return.

“I’m not sure yet, Mom. Give me a couple more weeks to figure it out? You know summer is a busy time for me, so I still need to see if I can make it happen.”

“I know, Jake, but just remember you don’t need that job. You have a job and life waiting for you here. Back home. You know who I ran into just the other day?”

As his mother went on about small town happenings sprinkled with not-so-subtle pleas for him to return home, Jake stood up from his desk and walked to his interior office window, gazing down at people below. His office was on the open-air balcony that ran around the perimeter of the main building of the resort’s second floor. From his office, he overlooked the front desk, entrances to the Black Bear Dining Room, conference rooms, and the doors in and out of the main building that led to the resort's other buildings and cabins. It was usually a busy thoroughfare with employees and guests constantly coming and going.

Listening to his mother talk about this person and that person, and what was happening on different roads and buildings in Colorado, it felt like she was trying to polish up the same old dull, boring rock he’d been looking at his whole life trying to make it shiny, new, and exciting. He zoned out a bit as he watched the crowd below.

The lobby was bustling with tourists and employees. As he watched them moving this way and that, Jake caught sight of a plum-colored figure walking resolutely through the crowd. Lena had arrived for her interview with Cindy. He could see from her stride that she was determined. And she’d apparently whipped out her special business woman outfit, if the form fitting dark purple suit and heels were any indicator. He smirked appreciatively to himself.That odd little duck.What kind of job does she think this is?

He forced his attention back to his conversation with his mother to catch her winding down her speech.

“...and you know your dad shouldn't be lifting things anymore, but don’t you dare tell him that. So, he could really use your help with laying the fence posts in the south pasture,” she explained.

Jake rolled his eyes. His father had about thirty ranch hands to help with fence posts and hardly needed Jake’s help.

“I know. Listen, I really do have to go. Can I call you back next week? I promise I’ll try to figure out the Fourth of July and I’ll let you know when we talk.”

“Please, Jake. You haven’t been home in so long and I know you and your dad aren’t talking, but he would be so happy to have you here. It will be just what we need as a family. I know it.”

Jake wasn’t so sure about that, but he wasn’t going to be the one to burst that bubble. “I’ll try Mom, I love you. Talk soon.”

“Love you, too.” Jake hung up his phone and kept standing in front of his office window as he watched Lena being led behind the front desk by Maggie who was currently on shift. Jake knew she would most likely go up the staff stairs that led to the managerial offices on the second floor to Cindy’s office, which was on the same side of the building as the stairs. Cindy was a bit of a control freak and insisted on being present at interviews for all the public-facing positions in the resort. He thought it was overkill, but who was he to tell Cindy how to run her establishment.

Jake eventually saw Lena and Maggie pop up through the doorway on the second floor located right next to Cindy’s office. He watched through his window as they entered the office and Ellie, the front desk manager, followed Lena a few minutes later, closing the door behind her.

He wondered how Lena was feeling about the interview. She was such an emotional person, he’d bet she was freaking out. He remembered the way she’d almost burst into tears the night before at the restaurant's lack of wine right after she and Annie had huddled together and Annie was obviously consoling her.

He was worried about her then. He didn’t know why. She was…weird, difficult, and weak. No other way to put it.

She was so damn beautiful about it though, the way her big blue eyes had swelled and it looked like she was going to throw down the drink menu and run away sobbing. He’d never seen emotion transform someone's features like that. She was always gorgeous, but with all that feeling on her face, Jake had to fight the urge to console her and to protect her from this terrible, wine-less restaurant. Something that had made him roll his eyes at himself, and question his sanity.

Before Jake had even known what he was doing he was out the door and standing in front of old Paul, who ran the Boulevard Liquor Store, asking if they carried Rosé. Paul had looked up from his crossword puzzle, sneered at him, and pointed him down to the refrigerated wine section, which Jake hadn’t even known existed although he’d been in this store more times than he could count.

Approaching her with the bottle back at the restaurant, he’d realized presenting her with this bottle of wine in the middle of their meal was an incredibly earnest, and possibly uncool, thing for him to do. It made him feel uncomfortable and a little sick as he stood before her offering the bottle to her when all of their interactions thus far, although ill received, had been from behind the safety of teasing and sarcasm. He didn’t know how she’d react and he’d suddenly felt like they were both twelve years old and he was asking her for a dance in a junior high gym.

When she’d broken into that smile, the smile she’d always given Annie and Morgan, he’d felt relief and gratitude wash over him in waves. Then, as her smile had turned to something a little different from what she gave Annie and Morgan, something different had also washed over him, something a little more hot and primal.

He’d looked her up and down and wondered, what if it could be like this with them all the time—gestures of goodwill with both friendly and heated smiles. To be on her good side for a change would be novel, indeed.

He’d have to shut the hell up about her clothes—that would be hard. But if his reaction to her dress when he’d first seen her, how it showed off her smooth shoulders and graceful neck, was any indication, that may not end up being much of a hardship. Hell, he was sure he’d seen something in her eyes that made him thinkshe’dalso be up for the change.

He sat down and leaned back in his chair, and finally decided that there was no reason for him not to try a different strategy with her. Sure, she was emotional, queasy, high strung, and wore some of the most impractical clothes he’d ever seen, but it might be nice to put his hands on her and see how her reprimanding looks manifested under a different context.

The seed firmly planted in his brain sprouted into a full-fledged garden of wonder and ideas; now he knew there was no going back. If anyone could do this: get to Lena Harlowe, get on her good side, it was him. Everyone in this town loved Jake Lewis, and she would, too.

Chapter 5

“Lena,Morgan,andIwant to hike Fallen Leaf tomorrow. I think we’re going to camp and stay overnight. Morgan has all that fancy camping equipment anyway and she never uses it.”

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