Page 21 of Forever After All

Jess tossed the chalk back into the tray and wiped off her hands. She headed for her office and checked her watch. She’d skipped breakfast at the dining hall on purpose.

Every time she skipped a meal with the whole ranch clan, Linc brought her a plate to the barn. She’d never asked him to do it, and she’d never told him not to.

She liked that he noticed when she didn’t eat, and she liked sharing a quiet meal with him in the barn much more than a loud meal in the dining hall.

Jess had always sought out routine, and she knew Linc would walk through the door with their breakfast in the next fifteen minutes.

She hadn’t made it to the office when Linc appeared. Wearing a brown cowboy hat, a brown flannel shirt, worn jeans, and his work boots, he could blend into the dirt at his feet if necessary.

Linc lived a quiet existence. He never asked for attention and did everything that was asked of him, sometimes more. He loved the land and the horses just as much as she did, and he always took the lead and prayed before every meal they shared.

If the only thing the man said to her all day was a prayer, she’d take that as a good sign.

Jess stopped and waited as he walked toward her. Whatever her mind and heart decided about Linc, her body dove in headfirst. A swirl of heat rose up her spine, and her fingers tingled. Despite her best efforts, her breaths grew shallow, and the air was thicker.

As he stepped up to her and jerked his head toward her office, every muscle in her body relaxed. There was a peace that followed Lincoln North, and it wrapped around her when she was with him.

She hadn’t deciphered what that meant, but she trusted her instincts. Whether he wanted to go to the wedding as her date or her friend, everything would work out for the best.

He pulled boxes of food out of a bag and opened them on her desk. They ate and talked about work at least once a week, and every casual meal she spent with him was a reprieve from the noise outside the barn.

She sat in her usual chair and moved things around on the desk to make room for the food.

Linc didn’t speak, which was typical. He didn’t ask about her answer, and he didn’t act like she’d imagined the whole thing either.

When he sat and pulled off his hat, she bowed her head as he prayed.

Yes, there was something to be said about a man praying. Linc was a man of few words, but his prayers were always honest and straightforward.

Just like hers.

He hung his hat on the back of his chair and dug into his food.

Jess watched him for a few seconds before the words came out. “I want to go to the wedding with you.”

Linc had a mouthful of hamburger steak, but the edges of his lips tilted up into a slight grin as he chewed. When he finally looked up at her, he winked and turned his attention back to his food.

This was Linc. Her Linc.

Everything would work out. One way or the other.

* * *

Hadley pulled a light-pink dress off a rack and held it up in front of her. “What do you think about this one? Does it make me look washed out?”

“No, that’s actually a really good color for you,” Thea said. “Try it on.”

Hadley, Thea, and Everly each had an armful of dresses, and Jess had empty hands.

It would help if she knew what she was looking for. At least the others knew what colors and styles they liked. Jess just knew she needed something fancier than her jeans and boots to wear to the wedding.

When they’d invited her to go dress shopping with them, Jess had gone into things knowing she was out of her element.

She was out of her element anywhere that wasn’t at the ranch or her house, so she’d grown used to being the one who stuck out like a sore thumb.

It didn’t bother her much, but she actually did want to look nice for Ridge and Cheyenne’s wedding. It was going to be the fanciest wedding of her life. Ridge was loaded with a capital L, and they’d gone all out for the celebration.

Too bad Jess’s fashion sense didn’t know what that meant.

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