Amy exchanged a concerned look with Jake, who shrugged then nodded. “That’s a great idea.”
“I saddled Honey,” Jake said. “I came in to see if you’d let me give the girls a ride.” Then turning to the toddlers, he asked, “Who wants a horsey ride?”
“Me, me, me,” they sang in unison, bouncing up and down.
“That’s not fair, Jake.” Amy scowled at him. “I can’t say no now.”
Jake grinned. “You could, but you’d be the meanest mother ever.”
“Very well, we’d better go outside so I can keep an eye on the one who isn’t riding.”
Jake stood and bent to scoop Emily up in his arms.
Emily scowled. “I can walk on my own. Hand me my crutches.”
“I know you can, but you take forever.” He gave her a teasing grin. “It’s quicker this way.”
“Save your breath, Emily,” Amy said. “Jake, Robert, and Ben are the most stubborn men I’ve ever met. You won’t win there.”
Jake smiled at Emily. “See. Thank you, Amy.”
Within moments, Emily found herself on the lounge chair on the back patio. Amy sat on the nearby swing with Cassey as Jake walked away with Kallie on his shoulders. He put a skip in his step, bouncing up and down, causing the toddler to giggle.
Emily tried not to think about what a wonderful father Jake would make. She couldn’t afford to think like that. Not when she knew so little about herself.
She turned back to Amy. “Why do you say Jake, Robert, and Ben are the most stubborn men you’ve met?”
Amy smiled. “You probably haven’t met Debbie Wheeler yet. She owns the mansion outside of town. She’s a young, wealthy widow who’s looking to marry again. She has her sights set on Providence’s most eligible bachelors, and she’ll do just about anything to get their attention.”
“Let me guess, Robert and Jake?”
“Bingo. Ben used to be on that list too, but I took him off the market, so she’s doubled her efforts on Robert and Jake.”
“What does she do?”
“She frequently calls the Sheriff’s Office requesting Robert come investigate a break-in at her house, or she locks her keys in her car and wants Robert to jimmy it for her.”
“How does she try to get Jake’s attention?” Emily wasn’t sure why, but she was more than a little curious to hear Amy’s answer.
“She bought an expensive horse and asked Jake to stable it for her. She rarely rides it, but she drops in all the time to ‘check’ on her horse.” Amy made air quotes as she said check. “I’m pretty sure she spends more time checking out Jake than she does her horse. She’s come onto him strongly a few times. Poor guy. They try to be civil to her, because they are gentlemen, but she can get annoying.”
An odd twisting sensation swept through Emily’s stomach.Am I jealous? Over a stranger who Jake doesn’t even like?No, it was possessiveness. Emily didn’t want someone else vying for Jake’s attention. She wanted it for herself.
“Anyway, I first met Jake when I came to the ranch with Ben’s family last Labor Day.” Amy’s voice put an end to Emily’s musings.
Good thing too. She wasn’t sure she liked the direction her thoughts had taken.
“I offered to be widow repellent when Debbie showed up uninvited.”
“Widow repellent?”
“I stuck close to Jake’s side and flirted with him. I did everything I could to keep his attention on me. Debbie hated it. Especially when I fell off the fence and landed in a heap at Jake’s feet,” Amy giggled. “She was so fed up with me she took off. But I broke my toe in the fall. As soon as Jake realized I’d hurt myself, he insisted on carrying me back to the house. Robert ended up carrying me to Ben’s truck so he could drive me to the hospital for an X-ray. Then Ben carried me into the house when we got home from the hospital.” Amy lifted Cassey off the swing so she could play with the dog.
“So, Jake isn’t the only one who insists on carrying women around?”
“No, all three of them are like that. They’re complete gentlemen. Which surprised me because I didn’t think men like that existed anymore.” Amy grinned and in a mock whisper said, “Honestly, I think they do it to boost their own egos.”
Emily laughed. She thought about the tight jeans and t-shirt Jake wore last night. She doubted he had a confidence problem.No. He wanted to make sure he had my attention.
