River's End (River's End Series, #1)(27)

“How old are you? I guess I thought you were about the same age as Joey.”

“I’m twenty-six years old. I didn’t know he was that young.”

She didn’t look so old. She had a young-looking face and a small, slim body that could make her a younger girl.

Jack shrugged. “It’s not that far apart. Why does it bother you so much? It’s not like he’s Ben’s age. Now that I’d take up issue on.”

“Ben’s age? He’s a little boy. Why would you even make that comparison?”

“Why? Because my son stares at you like you’re his own secret copy of porn.”

Her jaw dropped open and her eyes bugged. “Ben doesn’t look at me. Not like that. I mean…”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. Did she expect him to really believe her? That she didn’t know what kind of effect she had on the exclusively male-dominated ranch? And probably had the same effect at any place she went and flashed her skimpy shirts and colored bras.

“You mean what, Ms. Poletti? You think he runs over to you every afternoon, volunteering to help you with anything out of some kind of little brother vibe?”

She shook her head. “I swear to you, Mr. Rydell, I never encouraged Ben, not like that. And I didn’t know Joey was so young.”

Jack regarded her. Why did she seem so shaken? “Why does Joey’s age bother you so much? It didn’t before.”

“Because it’s young. It’s not adult. It’s not old enough to do… this.”

“This?” He saw her hesitate to answer him. Oh, he knew exactly what she was getting at. He just wanted to see where she took it.

“When someone is twenty, barely out of their teens, they take things differently than an adult does.”

“You mean casual sex isn’t quite so casual to them?”

She winced and turned away from him.

“Next time, ask the guy’s age. For that matter, a few other questions might be advisable.”

She turned back to him. “The girl who came here the other day. Who was she? She kept glaring at me. I thought she was giving me that look because she had a crush on Ben. You know, she was jealous because I was here. But it wasn’t Ben, was it?”

Jack was surprised at hearing that. “Who? Jocelyn?”

“I guess. The girl with blonde hair, who looked about seventeen.”

He nodded. “She is. She’s one of our neighbor’s daughters. She comes over sometimes, and hangs out with Ben or Joey. There are several teenagers that come by and ride the horses for me. The horses get exercise and the teens get to work on riding.”

Erin closed her eyes. “I would not have stolen some teenager’s… crush. I didn't know. I really didn’t know. And I’ll tell Ben to go home from now on.”

Jack stared at her. She seemed to mean it. She seemed really disturbed by it all. He tilted his head as he considered her. “When I told you I raised Joe, how old exactly did you think that made me?”

She finally looked up at him and scowled as she swallowed. After a long pause, her lips started to tip into a smile. “I thought you were forty-ish.”

“Thirty-five. You’re not real good at determining ages, are you?”

“You have a fifteen-year-old son,” she pointed out quite reasonably.

“Yeah. I do. My wife and I were young.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Not like you think. We got married when we graduated high school. We meant to have Ben.”

She glanced up and studied his face. He pushed his hat lower over his forehead. For some reason her, scrutiny made him feel exposed. “What happened to her? Your wife?”

Through the barn door, Jack saw that Ben had pulled his truck and trailer around and it was idling in the driveway. “I gotta go now. Look, as long as you’re not encouraging Ben, it’s okay if he hangs out with you.”

****

Jack jumped into his truck, which was a beast of a vehicle like all the men there drove. They had varying styles and colors, but all were pickup trucks. Jack’s seemed to be the biggest: a black, crew cab beast with a long bed and dual wheels. The loud diesel roar of the massive engine gunned as he put it into gear and pulled out of the driveway.

She wandered to the river after he disappeared, and couldn’t believe their last conversation. It changed everything for her there. And what was even more surprising, was how much Jack voluntarily revealed.

Once at the river, she sat on a rock along its banks. The water went by in a beautiful, sweeping current. She stared into it, lost to the soothing gurgle and hypnotic flow. Joey was twenty years old. She closed her eyes. She would never have slept with him to begin with if she’d had any clue. He didn’t look that young, probably because of his blinding smile. She felt almost dirty. She didn’t like it for some reason. He was way too young, and should have been looking at seventeen-year-old Jocelyn, and not screwing her.

It also explained why he was screwing her, and why he didn’t have a lot of finesse as a lover or a man. He was immature, simply because he was. God, what must Jack think of her?

Jack? Who cared what Jack thought of her? She frowned; where did that thought come from? She didn’t care what he thought. No way. Why would she? He hated her. He distrusted her. He was also, strangely, at times nice to her. Far nicer than her own brother. What if she’d had a man like Jack for her brother? Imagine how different her life might have been with someone like Jack looking out for her; instead of the brother who made it his life’s goal to point out how stupid she was.