“Jackson, I’m so sorry.”
He held her closer. The feel of her pressed so tightly against him was reassuring, keeping the shadows of the past away. Who would’ve thought Jackson Dean, the big, burly Texas Ranger, needed someone to make him feel safe?God, this is all kinds of wrong.It was true.Heshould provide comfort, not her. But then he realized comfort was what Aja was all about. She’d said as much to him several times since they’d met. She was here to make things better for the people around her. And damn if he didn’t feel lucky to fall even on the margins of her proximity. Because being with her felt damn good, even when it shouldn’t.
Chapter 22
Aja remained in the kitchen thinking about Jackson after he’d shared his past with her. He’d been called away to one of the access points to help with something security related a few moments before. But even in his absence, she could still feel the heaviness of his confession.
She shook her head as she sat at the counter, in the very seat Jackson had recently vacated, and thought more on their conversation. It all made sense now, why he always seemed to walk the straight and narrow, why he seemed so torn between wanting her and doing his due diligence. Why he insisted he didn’t do relationships, and why even though they’d slept together, he still seemed to keep some distance between them.
During the most difficult time of his life, his job was all he had. And Aja’d been so angry and wrapped up in her own needs, she’d practically begged him to forget about his oath and focus on what she needed instead.
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You really are a piece of work, Aja. Didn’t your past teach you the cost of your selfishness yet?” The image of her sister’s face formed behind her closed lids, and regret, cold and heavy, spun tight around her chest. “Doing what you want has already ruined one life. You can’t add Jackson to that list too.”
She stood and walked over to a nearby desk off the edge of the kitchen and sat down. She pulled out her phone and opened a browser for her favorite online catalog. At first, the inconvenience of not having a major store within walking distance of her home had been a pain. But now, with one- or two-day shipping available, she didn’t miss going into the stores at all.
She was running low on planning supplies, and that was a problem she needed to rectify immediately. In the day of digital calendars, you’d think the paper planner was obsolete. But Aja was a visual learner who needed to see things and write them and rewrite them to commit them to memory. So although her planning sessions were about decompression and getting to play with pretty stickers, they were also about keeping her life and business in order.
Today, after Jackson had removed the police tape from her room so the construction crew could assess the damage inside, Aja had walked in and pulled her planner from her nightstand.
She’d tried to sit on her bed as was her custom, but flashes of her struggle against her attacker filled her mind. So she collected her things, brought them down to this desk, and decided she’d organize the rest of her week when she found a moment.
Now was that moment, but instead of thinking about appointment stickers and color themes for her weekly spread, thoughts of a guilt-ridden Ranger and the terrible ordeal he’d found himself in the middle of filled her head. Jackson had made the same mistake Aja had made with her sister all those years ago. Thinking you could save people from themselves was the quickest road to despair she knew. A lesson he still seemed to be in the throes of.
“Jackson.” Just the thought of him made her sigh his name like a besotted schoolgirl. He was strong, determined, a little insufferable, but mostly committed to doing the right thing. And now she understood why. That stick she’d presumed was shoved up his ass was actually a reasonable reaction to a horrific experience.
Aja knew exactly what that pain felt like when your entire existence was being threatened by someone who was supposed to love you. She didn’t wish that on anyone, especially not the horrible guilt of a lost life that Jackson wore like a cloak.
God, he could use some happiness.
Aja was about to go to her online cart and check out when an idea formed, pulling a wide grin on her lips. “And I know just how to bring him some.”
* * *
Jackson was searching for the foreman of the construction crew when he found the man standing at one of the building sites on the ranch, talking to Brooklyn. There were five different structures covered with large construction tarps that looked like this one. Foundation poured, beams and framework erected, wiring done, but still an empty shell of what a building should be. Aja had mentioned that the previous construction crew from town had stopped work when they realized the scaffolding was sabotaged. Fortunately, the man had lost his nerve after he’d erected the building frames. Otherwise, Aja’s goal of opening by travel season wouldn’t be possible.
“Thanks for the clarification on your designs, Ms. Osborn. Once we’re finished assisting the security crew, we’ll get right on these.”
Brooklyn wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “You sure we can still make our deadline?”
The man hooked a thumb in his belt loop and tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Barring any terrible weather, we should be able to make it. The previous crew left you in the lurch, but by our inspections, the work is solid. Insulation, adding Sheetrock, laying tile, and adding the fixtures are definitely doable in your timeline. Your boss hired five of my crews, one for each structure, to make sure the work was done in a timely fashion. It ain’t cheap, but it’s damn efficient.”
Brooklyn didn’t smile, simply gave the foreman a handshake and went back to looking at her designs spread across the tailgate of one of the ranch’s pickups.
“Mr. Tracey?” Jackson waved the roll of papers he held in his hand as he walked closer to them. “My father said you needed these.” The man offered Jackson one hand to shake while he accepted the roll of papers with the other.
“Yeah, he wants me to add a planter to Ms. Everett’s balcony that can conceal some of his hardware. I just needed the specifics so we can build it accordingly.” Mr. Tracey tipped his hat to both Brooklyn and Jackson and made his way back to his truck.
Jackson stood there watching the foreman leave before he turned his attention to Brooklyn. Still focused on the blueprints in front of her, she was seemingly unbothered by Jackson’s presence.
“You needed something?”
Jackson couldn’t help the tickle of amusement that pulled his lips into a small grin. Brooklyn Osborn was a straight shooter from what Jackson could tell from the few moments they’d been in each other’s presence. She didn’t have a lot of words. But when she spoke, she wasn’t wasting them on things like small talk either.
“No. You’re on top of things with the construction crew. Aja will be happy if things stay on schedule.”
“Well, that is my job. She hired me to design her ranch, and making sure the construction crew stays on task is part of that.” She never took her eyes off the designs before her; she simply kept marking things as if Jackson weren’t there. “Anything else?”
“No,” he answered quickly. “Just making sure things are running smoothly. It’s my job.”
