“Other than a few bruises, I’m fine. Jackson found me in time.”
“And you didn’t want me to bring him in on this case. Thank God I had more sense than to listen to your foolishness.”
Aja tried to remember her overprotective uncle loved her. His need to keep her safe went deeper than his irksome insistence on bringing in the Rangers to investigate. She might not have liked it, but in this case, his pushiness had saved her life.
“I’m grateful Jackson was here, Uncle Ricky. But that doesn’t change the problem he poses for my workers. Until the attack, he was convinced they caused my troubles. But even if he believes me, his presence is interfering with their lives.”
Aunt Jo crossed her arms against her chest as she settled into the couch. “How so? It’s not like he can send them back to prison without cause. You just said he doesn’t suspect them any longer.”
“He doesn’t. At least I don’t think he does since he keeps referring to the attacker as a he. But Jackson is freaked about the attack. He’s upping the security on the ranch. I’m sure you saw the guards posted at the front gate.” They both nodded. “That was all him.”
“Good,” her uncle chimed in, shaking a pointed finger to reinforce his approval. “You were gonna have to secure this place anyway before you opened. It should’ve been the first thing on your to-do list when you came down here.”
“Uncle Ricky. Aunt Jo lived out here for years with no fancy security system.”
“Your aunt also had a bunch of ranch hands living on the property. There’s safety in numbers, Aja. Now it’s just the two of you—”
“Women? Is that what you were going to say?”
Her uncle took a deep breath and shook his head. “No. I was going to say it’s just the two of you together.” The lines of his face softened into that tender expression he always used with her as a child, and Aja’s heart constricted a little from the force of the love that kindness had gifted her with over the years. “Aja, me wanting to keep you safe has nothing to do with you being a woman. You and your aunt aren’t the first women to run this place. Your mama, our mother, our great-grandmother all ran the ranch without the help of a man. I know you can do this. My only concern here is your safety.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Ricky. I understand. Things have been a little tense around here.” Another knock on the door caught her attention. “It’s probably Mat. I’d better answer that.”
Aja stood and walked to the door, pulling her shoulders back, getting ready for the battle she knew Mat’s presence in her home would bring.
She opened the door to a smiling Mat, his glasses pushed high on the bridge of his nose and his smile wide across his face. “Hi, Aja. You ready for our visit?”
As ready as I’ll ever be.“Sure, come on in. Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes.”
Chapter 25
Jackson walked into the house tired, filthy, and satisfied with the progress made in securing the ranch. The three access points were fenced off and the security cameras were up. There was still a mountain of work left to do, but at least they’d accomplished the day’s task.
Jackson leaned against the back door for a moment, trying to shake the fatigue in his bones. Running around on the land to check the progress of the crews had taken more energy than he’d had to give. A shower and one of Aja’s delicious meals would be the perfect way to end this frantic day.
The sound of laughter coming from the great room made him push off the door and head down the hall to see what all the ruckus was. He smiled when he found Aja sitting on the couch, her head thrown back in laughter. It was a shocking sight. Not that he hadn’t seen her smile in his short time on the ranch. But the only time he’d seen her this relaxed had been those fleeting moments when she’d allowed him to touch her body.
His eyes traveled down the length of her seated form until he saw a hand on her knee. Jackson felt his tired muscles tensing and immediately chastised himself.She isn’t yours. She doesn’t belong to you.Yeah, he could tell himself that, but somehow it didn’t stop the flame of anger from swelling in the pit of his belly.
He tracked the hand back to its owner and clenched his jaw so tightly, he thought he might have damaged something. There, sitting cozy next to Aja, touching Aja, was Mat Ryan.Son of a bitch.
Jackson’s hands curled into tight fists on their own as he swallowed the hard pill sitting in the middle of his dry throat. He wanted to fight, and he might have given in to that barbaric desire if he hadn’t glimpsed movement to the right of the room.
He blinked, trying his best to clear his vision. He saw Judge Henry sitting with a woman who, if Jackson’s assessment of their shared almond-shaped eyes and high, round cheeks was accurate, must be Aja’s aunt Jo, sitting and laughing at something Jackson had missed.
Jackson heard his name in the distance and returned his attention to Aja. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed to question him as they darted back and forth, as if she were scanning him for answers. “Jackson, is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.” His answer was direct, absent any of the familiarity they’d come to share. “Wanted to give you an update on the work that went on today. Could I pull you away from yourcompanyfor a few moments?”
Aja must have caught his meaning because he saw the brief tick in her jaw before she painted a polite smile on her face. “Sure. Excuse me, everyone. This won’t take but a moment.”
She stood and walked into the hall, gesturing for him to follow her with the wave of her hand. She headed toward the kitchen in the back of the house, but Jackson lightly touched her shoulder, shaking his head when she turned around to look at him. “Upstairs, please.”
“Why, are you afraid you won’t be able to keep your voice down in my kitchen?”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes so hard, Jackson had to wonder if she was on the verge of popping something vital. By the looks of it, she was as displeased with him as he was with her. When they made it upstairs, she went to open the door on her own, and he reached over her, moving her hand out of the way and opening the door instead. She might be pissed with him, and he with her, but there was no need to forget his home training.
