“You sure?”
Seneca gave Aja her signature full smile that was colored with a light filter of mischief. “I am. Besides, if I get in a bind, Brooklyn is back to being my temporary roommate on the nights that Colton can’t be here. I’ll just bug her.”
“You sound like you’re looking forward to that.”
Seneca laughed hard. “I most certainly am.”
* * *
Jackson let the strain in his muscles settle as he used the shovel to clean out the stalls. He’d spent part of the morning checking on the construction crew. They were moving ahead of Aja’s original schedule. The job would be complete within the next two months.
The news they’d beaten the cold-weather deadline would give Aja something to celebrate. After Seneca was drugged, the ranch had taken on a morose and somber tone. There wasn’t much laughter, and Aja seemed determined to work herself to death. The news that her buildings were on the verge of being finished and she could open the ranch as a resort should put a welcomed spark back in her eyes.
He missed that. The way her eyes lit up when she was happy or amused with something. It was the reason he made it a point to take care of her every night when they went to bed. She was emotionally weary when she walked into the bedroom. As if she’d lost all hope that life could be good again.
He didn’t know how to help her find her hope. So he held her and cherished her and let her know he was there for her in whatever way she needed until he could figure out something better to do.
He finished up in the stables, brought the horses back in, and stopped to stare at Aja’s horse before leaving. “Shadow, what are we going to do about our girl?” When the horse gave his head a wayward bob, Jackson smiled and ran his hand down its long, dark muzzle. The horse tolerated Jackson on most occasions. But today, he seemed to sympathize with him over the woman they both cared about. “I know, boy. I’m worried about her too.”
Jackson gave the horse’s muzzle one more rub, then headed outside the stables. The first thing he noticed was the group of three people walking toward him. Aja, Colton, and Storm closed the short distance, his men greeting him with a handshake when they were closer.
“Look what the cat dragged in.”
“I was wondering when you’d make it out.”
“A body can’t spend a weekend with su madre in Mexico without all hell breaking loose here.” Storm shook his head, then waved a large envelope in front of Jackson. “We picked up Seneca’s medical records before coming here. Gleason and Jennings have already been interviewing the guests from the party.”
Aja turned to him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “You didn’t know about this?”
Jackson shook his head. “I’m officially on leave for another week. Also, considering the sheriff’s mistreatment of your case, I didn’t trust him not to muck up Seneca’s case too.”
“Is our cover still intact?” Colton’s question was directed at Aja.
“As far as I know. I never told Seneca and Brooklyn who you three really were. I didn’t want to hurt them by revealing my dishonesty. Did you mention anything, Jackson?”
He shook his head. “No. Do you know if your aunt or uncle did?”
“I doubt it, but I’ll ask all the same. Why?”
Storm removed his hat and ran fingers through the dark waves atop his head. “We have concerns that this could be Bennett reaching out beyond his cell to control things on the outside. If people think we’re ranch hands instead of investigators, it may give us a better chance at figuring this out.”
Aja took a deep breath as the signs of emotional fatigue and worry hung heavy on her shoulders. “Come on in. I left my cell at the house, but there’s a landline in the stables. I’ll call them both to make sure.”
Jackson was about to follow the three of them inside the stables when his cell phone vibrated in his back pocket. A quick glance at the screen brought a smile to his face.
“Holden, you must’ve known I planned to call and cuss you out.”
Holden’s robust laughter reverberated through the phone. “I take it you found out about my mom and your dad?”
“So you have known along with the rest of my family. I get Kip being an asshole and keeping the info from me. He’s my kid brother, so he’s supposed to make my life hell. But I expected more from you. You, me, and Colt have been friends more years than I can count. Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“You weren’t ready to know.” Jackson allowed those words to linger in his subconscious as silence filled the line. “I figured it out around the time things got bad with your ex. I didn’t think you’d take it well. And to be honest, as tight as we’ve been, if you’d said one thing out of place about my mama, I wouldn’t have cared about your state of mind. Keeping it to myself kept our friendship intact.”
Jackson silently agreed. He couldn’t deny how miserable he had been back then. “You’re correct. I wasn’t in my right mind. It wouldn’t have gone well.”
“As I live and breathe. Is that Jackson Dean admitting he was a mean cuss, angry at the entire world?”
Jackson couldn’t get upset at the ribbing. It was true. “Things were bad for a long time. But they’re getting better now. I might not think marriage is an option for me, but your mama and my daddy seem to be happy together. I know Ms. Eames has always been good to us. She’s a fine woman, and I wish them the best. So all’s well on this end. What’s up with you? Anything interesting going on in New York?”
