Intent(12)

“It felt like a long walk, but I assure you I’m staying in a cabin just up here.”

“Well, if that doesn’t cement why you need to stay the hell away from me, nothing will,” I blurt out. “I have better things to do than this bullshit. Take your ass back over the fence you climbed, stay out of this pasture, and stay away from me.”

“I have absolutely no desire to be around you for any reason. There was no fence for me to climb, but if you want your horses to get out and be approached by big, scary women, that’s fine by me.”

She stomps off up the hillside and leaves me lagging behind her. If the fence really is down, I can’t just leave it and risk the other horses getting out. Frankie and I walk in the same direction she went but at a slower pace to stay just behind her. When we reach the edge of the property, I scrape my hand over my face and groan loudly. She was telling the truth—the fence is down and has been since it rained several days ago. The barbed wire strands have been pressed into the dirt, and there are hoof prints where one of the horses has already strayed.

After I secure Frankie’s lead rope to a nearby tree, I mend the fence the best I can without having the tools I need with me. I just hope it’s good enough to hold until I can get back to it later this evening. Frankie and I take a stroll back up to the round pen where Justin and others are waiting to work with him.

But my mind is still on a spunky, beautiful blond woman who appeared out of nowhere and put me in my place without missing a step. Her deep blue eyes betrayed her anger, her fire, and there was something else in them, too. She was guarded and suspicious, signs she’d been hurt before, but she tried to hide it behind that tough persona. The way Frankie responded to her revealed volumes about her character, too.

“Ace?” Justin asks. Apparently not for the first time.

“Yeah?”

“Welcome back.” He smirks. “Are you ready to do this?”

“Of course I’m ready.”

“Do you know what you’re ready for?” His eyebrow is slightly raised, and he’s trying to hide an amused smile.

“No, I don’t have a clue what you just asked me. But whatever it is, I’m ready.”

Justin Ramsey has been my best friend my entire life—literally since we were born. Our parents were friends and we’ve spent our lives growing up together. We went off to college together, though we had different majors and he stayed a little longer than I did. When he came back to open his own place in Oak Grove, he shocked the hell out of me. We’ve worked together for the last few years and I love my job.

Most days.

“Great. Amanda will be your date for the inner tube race, then. They have a special entry for couples this year,” Justin explains.

“Hell, no. Not happening. Forget it.”

Justin barks out a full belly laugh at my disgusted reaction. “Come on, man. She’s Karen’s best friend. It’d make it a lot easier on me if you’d just date my girl’s best friend.”

“Your girlfriend is great,” I start. “Her best friend is a vindictive bitch.”

“Man, that was a long time ago. You still haven’t gotten over that?”

“Nope.”

“Ace, she was young.” Justin always tries to defend her actions.

“So was I. And we’ve had this same discussion several times. Let it go.”

“Fair enough,” he chuckles. “I’ve got a few people coming to work with Frankie. Nothing major, though. You can take off if you want.”

“Thanks. I think I will. Have a good one.” I give him a friendly slap on the back and head straight to my truck.

On the ride back to my house, Justin’s suggestion for a double date with Amanda keeps ringing in my ears. I’m shaking my head in disbelief as I cross the small bridge and turn down my driveway. “He’s lost his damn mind,” I scoff out loud. “No way in hell that’s happening.”

From the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of someone at the narrow part of the river that runs between my place and the cabin next door. When I take my foot off the gas, I realize it’s the same feisty little blonde who was petting Frankie. She’s walking in the ankle-deep water, picking up small stones, and trying to skip them across the surface. It’s pretty obvious she hasn’t had any practice, but she’s not giving up.

At first, I don’t even realize I’ve come to a complete stop just to watch her. I’m apparently as mesmerized by her as she is with trying to skip stones across the water. She’s searching for another small rock and absently places her foot on a rock that’s barely covered by the flowing water. Before I can jump out of the truck to warn her, her feet fly out from underneath her and she lands on her ass.

Her reaction stuns me in more ways than one. She’s sitting in the shallow water, the entire back side of her body is soaking wet, and she’s laughing like a lunatic. She slaps the water with her palms, splashing herself even more. Her howls of delight echo across the landscape and make me smile along with her. She’s completely drenched and obviously out of her element, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.

My arms are propped up on the hood of my truck while I watch her play in the water for several minutes. When she finally stands up, her wet shirt is plastered to her body and my mouth goes completely dry. My sudden desire for river water has nothing to do with being thirsty. No longer able to stand it, I start to make my way down to the water’s edge. She’s still smiling when she looks up and sees me coming, then her face falls flat when she realizes who I am.