The judge slapped him on his shoulder and turned toward the door. “That’s exactly why I placed you here. To make whoever did this pay.”
The sound of footsteps and voices entering the kitchen filtered out onto the back porch, bringing their conversation to an immediate end. Jackson followed the judge back inside the kitchen where Mat stood next to Aja as she sliced healthy helpings of pineapple coconut cake and placed them on dessert plates on the counter.
“Mr. Dean.” Jackson’s gaze followed Mat’s voice. “We didn’t get much of a chance to chat at dinner. Aja tells us you’re helping get the ranch ready for opening next spring.”
Jackson allowed a long pause to linger in the air before responding. “It’s my job to keep things running smoothly for Aja. It’s why she hired me.”
“How…um…how long have you been a ranch hand?”
Jackson squinted as he tried to figure out what Mat was after. The small talk was obvious and awkward. He’d never said more than a few words at a time to Jackson before now.
Probably because you’re always silently threatening to do him bodily harm.
Aja must have worried that Jackson’s inner asshole was about to show up, because she cut the last and largest slice of the cake, plating it and pushing it in front of Jackson.
Their eyes connected, and he could see the bright twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She was bribing him with cake. It was ridiculous—this woman actually thought a thick slice of the sweet confection could convince Jackson to play nicely with Mat.
He stared at Aja for a moment more and then down at the cake. He felt the decided tear in his armor when she slid a napkin with a fork on top of it next to his hand.
She was wicked. The teasing smile on her face was a clear indicator that Aja knew exactly what she was doing. He surrendered by picking up the fork and cutting into the moist layers of yellow cake, pineapple, meringue, and coconut. When he slid the fork into his mouth, they both knew he’d agreed to her terms.Don’t be an ass to Mat, and you can have as much cake as you want.
Without drawing attention to herself, Aja stood next to him, politely bumping her shoulder into his. It was a simple, playful gesture, but it somehow felt right, like it was supposed to be this way. The two of them in cahoots, banding together, providing strength and comfort to each other, clicked inside him like lock to key.
Jackson didn’t question why it felt so good to be near her, to have her touch him. He simply settled into it. Knowing he would have it for a limited time and that he could only have it in small doses while he was on her ranch, he decided right there to let himself enjoy it. So while they pressed their arms together like teenagers, hiding while still in plain sight, Jackson stared at Mat and spoke. “I’ve worked on farms and ranches since I was old enough to hold a shovel.” It was the truth. And more importantly, it was all Mat needed to know about him.
“I’m glad Aja found qualified people to help get this place on track.” The parole officer gave Jackson what looked like a nervous but friendly smile. “With all the progress Aja’s reported, I’ve no doubt you’ll have the ranch in working condition in no time.”
Jackson gave Mat a polite smile that earned him a “friendly” brush of Aja’s arm against his. Jackson stole a quick glance at her and delighted in the playful smile she was wearing. He was about to take another bite when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He wiped his hand on his napkin and pulled it free.
Colton’s number flashing on the screen made the sweet and tangy taste of the dessert on his lips turn sour. He’d texted both Colton and Storm that he would be in this ridiculous dinner and he wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Neither of them would disobey that order without cause.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I need to take this.” He made his way out of the kitchen, slightly beyond the back porch where he assumed he couldn’t be easily overheard. “Hello.”
“We’ve got a problem on the east bank. Cameras caught an intruder going into the original family homestead.”
“Shit, that’s the next section of the land the security crew is supposed to be working on. We thought the rough terrain and the depth of the creek wouldn’t make it easily passable.”
He rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles were tensing.
“Yeah, we’re fortunate they at least got eyes set up nearby even if it’s not fenced off yet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known.”
Jackson was never more grateful that his father was so anal and determined to do a job right. “Where are Seneca and Brooklyn?”
“They’re with Storm. We were all having dinner when I checked the camera footage on my phone. He’s gonna stay with them; me and the security detail are on our way to track whoever this is.”
“Good. They’re safe with Storm.” Jackson took a moment to let the relief settle in his belly. If they were with him, that meant they weren’t a part of this and were safely tucked away from the danger. Both scenarios helped his case and, more importantly, meant Aja wouldn’t be hurt by the outcome.
“I also sent two of the security personnel to the house to keep watch over Aja in case you wanted to back me up.”
Jackson saw one of the security guards coming up the back way and took his cue to leave. “I’ll meet you there.” He suddenly remembered the pride in Aja’s face as she told him the history of her ancestor and the sacrifice of blood, sweat, and tears he put into this land. “Colton, whoever this is, don’t let him destroy that old house. If you need to move in before I get there, don’t fire any weapons if you can help it.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
“Good,” Jackson replied. “I’m on my way.”
Jackson met one of the security guards halfway down the path. “Don’t leave that back porch unless I tell you to. Tell your partner to do the same at the front.”
A quick “Roger that” was all the confirmation Jackson waited for before he jumped into his truck at the end of the pathway, heading toward where the intruder was last seen. The only thing there would be the original homestead Aja’s ancestor built. But for someone looking to hurt and harass Aja, demolishing the structure would definitely accomplish that.
