Page 5 of Forever After All

Jess groaned. She’d ridden here with Remi, who was nowhere to be found. And she’d left her phone at home.

Everyone else seemed to be deep in conversation. No one looked ready to leave.

Linc had to be around somewhere. He’d give her a ride. She looked down at her feet. The heels were going to be a pain, but she’d survive.

Jess found Brett and Thea and said her good-byes. Her brother wrapped her in a big hug, then Thea did the same.

She’d never been much of a hugger, but Brett was. Now that Thea was part of the family, they’d been getting along much better.

That had not been the case a month ago. Jess had been ready to ship Thea back to Alabama, where she came from. With good reason, too.

Jess didn’t have many people she could count on, but her friends and brother were special to her. She’d always be in their corner. She hadn’t known whether Thea was on their side or not, and Jess had been slow to trust.

Now, Thea had proven herself to be a good partner to Brett. Their conflict wasn’t a problem between them anymore, and as much as Jess disliked it, she’d apologized. Thankfully, Thea had been quick to forgive.

The April wind was mild for once, and the little bit of snow left on the ground only lingered in the shades of the trees. The shawl was useless, and Jess was going to give Remi a piece of her mind the next time they spoke.

Jess shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up the gravel drive leading from the reception hall to the heart of the ranch. There was no way the pointy-heeled shoes would work on the gravel, so she shuffled over to the grass that crunched beneath her steps.

She’d check Linc’s cabin first. It was closest anyway. If he wasn’t there, she’d try the garage, then the main stables.

Her knees were frozen, knocking against each other as she rounded the path leading to his cabin. When she saw his truck wasn’t parked outside, she turned and headed for the garage.

Trudging up the path to the garage, she silently prayed Linc would be there. She could walk all the way to the stables, but she’d probably sacrifice a toe to frostbite along the way.

Jess topped the rise and spotted Linc’s truck at the garage. She had a feeling he would be itching to get back to work after the reception. She wished for a change of clothes herself.

The maintenance garage was part of the private side of the ranch, and while it wasn’t messy, everything was covered in a thin layer of dirt or grease. It didn’t get a regular cleaning like the main areas.

This was where Linc got his signature smell. The metallic scent she associated with him didn’t come out of a bottle. It came from underneath a pickup truck.

She made her way over to the garage, where she spotted him hanging out from under one of the trucks.

Yep, she’d know those legs anywhere. The stained loose-fitting jeans and boots that had been resoled a few times too many were a dead giveaway.

“Can I help?” she asked, careful not to lean against anything.

“Probably don’t want to mess up that outfit,” he said as he cranked the wrench.

Jess crossed her ankles, wondering if she could return the dress after wearing it. She should have just borrowed something from one of the other women at the ranch.

“Can you give me a ride home when you get finished?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

It was a good thing she could always count on Linc. There were others she could call if she needed a hand, but Linc was first on her list when she had to phone a friend.

“I hate standing around. Are you sure I can’t do something to help?”

Linc shuffled a little, planting the heel of one boot beside the creeper to adjust. “Let me get this oil draining, and we’ll go. In the meantime, you can just stand there and look pretty.”

“Ha! That’s rich.”

Jess didn’t care one cent about being pretty. Beauty was confusing if it didn’t match what was on the inside.

She’d heard plenty of whispers about her looks. Most people thought she was pretty. They also thought she was too bold, and she simply couldn’t understand why honesty wasn’t a virtue in a woman.

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