Page 46 of Forever After All

“Yeah. He’s in Cody helping a friend get his farm ready to sell.”

“Then he’ll head back to Colorado?”

“I assume.”

Linc seemed to hang on to that one little piece of information.

The low commitment possibility had been the main factor when deciding whether or not to go on the date. They would need to both have a strong, instant connection to consider making it a long-distance relationship, and Jess’s hope was the size of a sunflower seed that they’d end the night with that kind of confirmation.

“Why are you going, then?”

“I figure practice makes perfect. At least I’ll get some experience under my belt. Dating is tough. There should be clear-cut rules, and everybody is so opinionated. Plus, there are no absolutes, which bothers the stew outta me. Don’t get me started on the whole ‘I’ll call you’ trend. I hate all of it.”

Linc didn’t look up from his work. “If you hate dating, why are you doing it? Why now?”

Jess rested her chin on her hand. “I’m never gonna meet someone if I don’t try.”

Linc closed the hood and leaned his hip against it. With his arms crossed over his broad chest and his shoulders tense, he had the stern look of a man who made people ask “How high?” before he even said “Jump.”

Not to Jess. Linc had never scared her, and every time he gave orders without room for negotiation or stood up for what he believed in, her respect for him grew.

He kept his stare locked with hers for a few seconds, and she didn’t cower. In fact, she stood and pushed her shoulders back.

“I have some advice for you,” he said before looking down at the dirty rag. There was just as much grease on the rag as there was on his hands.

He took a deep breath and looked up at her. “I don’t know everything about what you went through growing up. Brett told me enough to know your parents weren’t in the running for mom and dad of the year.”

Something inside her wilted. Every time she thought about the quiet, terrified kid she’d been, the fear rose inside her, as clear and intense as ever.

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Linc whispered. “My life wasn’t a bed of roses either, so I’m going to give you a few pieces of advice your parents should have told you but probably didn’t.”

She tried to think of any warnings or advice her parents ever gave her, but as much as she scrambled through her thoughts, she couldn’t come up with anything good.

They’d pitted her against Brett, locked her outside all day, and told her to walk to school when she missed the bus, but all of those things didn’t seem like golden parenting moments.

Linc looked her up and down as if trying to decide where he should start. “First, don’t take rides from strangers.”

“But he has to pick me up.”

“Why? Your truck is ready.”

Jess groaned. “He said he wanted to pick me up, and I said he could.”

Linc pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Next, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He raised his head. “Better yet, don’t do anything Mr. Chambers wouldn't do.”

“Well, that rules out going on a date with a guy,” Jess said. “I don’t think your advice is hitting like you planned.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“Are you saying you’ve never done anything stupid?”

Linc stared at her and swallowed hard. “Forget that one. Just…” He sighed and looked around as if help might jump out from behind the nearest tractor. “Just don’t give up the milk until he buys the cow.”

Jess stared at him. What did he say? “Explain, please.”

Linc’s shoulders fell. “Don’t make me spell it out.”

“You don’t have to spell it. Just say it in a way I can understand.”

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