He clearly loved them though. Loved the shorts too, judging by the way he pranced and posed like he was a one-man Pride parade.
“Sorry, sugar, you need to put on long jeans and boots you don’t mind getting dirty. Your legs’ll get torn up, and those boots’ll be in the trash by dinner.”
Fuck me. Did I really just call himsugar?
“Sure thing, hon.”
Goddammit.
“Give me five minutes to change, and I’ll be back down.”
He spun around and raced out of the room, and I got the perfect view of his ass on the way out. Those shorts would get him arrested, but I wouldn’t be the one to file a complaint.
Unlike Jasper, I thought it was rude to snoop through someone’s house uninvited—but I had been here a few times before. The place was a mess. Boxes and suitcases in one corner, cleaning supplies in the other. A disaster zone in progress. I could practically hear him saying,Trust the process,but even that required imagination I didn’t have.
I already knew where the kitchen was from my previous visits, so I headed in to drop off the cake pan. I’d meant to hand it to him directly, but his legs had been a distraction.
At some point, I should probably tell him I wasn’t straight. Probably. Maybe. Later.
“Hello? Where did you disappear to?” Jasper called from the living room.
“Yeah, I’m here. I put your pan in the kitchen,” I answered, making my way back to the foyer.
Unfortunately for me, the cutoffs were well and truly gone. Jasper was fully dressed. Jeans—ripped, but at least they covered most of his legs—and a pair of sturdy hiking boots. Good enough for work, but not nearly as fun.
“How did you know where the kitchen was? When I first got here, I had to hunt it down,” Jasper asked brightly.
“Sissy used to have me come over to fix stuff. I’d be working on the pipes and she’d sit right next to me, telling me I was doing it wrong.”
“I don’t think she ever mentioned you.”
“I don’t remember her mentioning a Jasper either.”
“Fair. We were mostly online friends. Technically, we’re related.”
“How’s that? I didn’t think she had much family.”
“Third cousins, twice removed. On my mom’s side.”
“Shit. I don’t even know what that means.”
“Me either, but that’s what Sissy said.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t about to argue. She kinda scared me.”
“Yeah, same. I’d be fixin’ to do something one way, and she’d just jump in the middle of it. I’d say, ‘yes ma’am,’ and keep goin’.”
“We had plans for me to visit,” he said softly. “But she canceled last minute. Then she passed pretty quick after that.”
My chest tightened. I hadn’t known she canceled on him, but it made sense, knowing her. Sissy had enough pride for ten people.
“Sissy was stubborn as hell. She probably didn’t want anyone to see her sick. Bert came by a few times, and she’d let him in. I came with him once, and she wouldn’t open the door.”
I went quiet, and Jasper didn’t rush to fill the space.
It’d been a long time since I’d actuallywantedto listen to someone. That was the best part of life on the ranch—the quiet. Most days, I shipped off samples and let the trail cams do the rest. Human interaction was rare, and it suited me just fine. I’d spent years working on making our place sustainable, and I had years more to go. I didn’t have time for distractions, and most days, I didn’t want them.
But today? I wouldn’t have minded if Jasper read me the back of a cereal box. Or recited the alphabet. His voice was smooth and deeper than expected from someone so tiny. I liked it. And I wanted to hear more.
“You never said why the kitchen being hidden was a good thing.”
