Page 63 of Forever After All

“I can drive you to the ranch and back, but you probably do need to rest. Maybe just hanging out with the horses and not working would be good for you.”

“I’d like to try that. I haven’t enjoyed just being around the horses in a long time. I mean, I love taking care of them, but it would be nice to hang out.”

“I’m sure they’ve missed you,” Linc said.

Jess tilted her head. “You think they do? I mean, do you think they miss us like we miss them?”

“I don’t know, but I know I miss you when you’re not around. I assume your four-legged friends feel the same.”

Jess’s shoulders sank like melting butter. The messy feelings she was having toward Linc grew messier every time he said sweet things. Why couldn’t he be unlikable and ugly? Then she wouldn’t be battling confusing feelings about her co-worker.

Decoding other people’s feelings had always been difficult for her. Understanding Linc had always come easy. Now, she spent most of their time together overthinking every word and move he made.

Linc pulled the truck into her driveway and shut it off. His leg bounced in a quick rhythm. “Do you mind if I come in?”

There he went again, surprising her and throwing all of her expectations into chaos. “Sure, but you don’t have to. I’m feeling okay. I’ll probably just take a nap.”

“I’d like to.”

Jess slowly tilted her head toward the house. “Then let’s go. Fair warning, I’m not up to entertaining.”

Linc chuckled. “Am I the kinda guy who needs to be entertained?”

He wasn’t. He was the same Linc as always–no changes–and if he didn’t want to be here, he wouldn’t have asked to stay.

Jess opened the door. “Let’s go then.”

“Let me help you.” Linc dashed around the truck to her side and held out a hand to her.

Using the door and his hand, she slowly lowered from the truck. “I’m gonna need a lower vehicle.”

“I’ll ask Hadley if I can borrow her car to pick you up next time,” Linc said as he kept a hold of her hand.

At the front door, she reluctantly released his hand to unlock the door.

Linc shouted behind her, “Hey, Ms. Landry.”

“You like taunting her, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah. She’s probably told everyone in town that you’ve let a rogue stay over way too late. If we’re gonna cause a stir, we might as well make sure the rumor is worth her time.”

Jess turned around and glared up at Linc. “A rogue? Are we living in the eighteen hundreds?”

“It’s better than some of the names I’ve been called,” Linc said, and despite his joking tone, he wasn’t kidding.

She’d been called her fair share of names, and most of them were accurate. She’d never given off friendly vibes, and she tended to make a terrible first impression.

Pushing the door open, she said over her shoulder, “You’re more of a scoundrel.”

Inside, Linc stayed by her side, hovering close enough that their arms brushed against each other. “Something like that.”

“I’m going to the bathroom. Make yourself at home.”

“You want me to make something for dinner?” he asked.

She stopped to think. “Soup sounds good. There’s some canned chicken noodle in the far right cabinet. The one by the laundry room.”

“Chicken noodle it is,” Linc said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

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