I frowned as we pulled onto the highway, contemplating his change in direction, the tone of his voice. Fishing in the side pocket of his door, he pulled out his own sunglasses and put them on. The Old Hollywood vibe complete, I gave in to gawping at his sharp jaw and deepening tan against the worn cowboy hat . . . the way his shirtsleeves dug into his biceps.
‘Think I’ve got a name for her – my horse,’ I blurted, staring straight ahead and mentally eye-rolling at myself, the desperation I felt to move to safer ground – anywhere to avoid the big, complicated feelings that threatened when he was around. Jesse would make an awesome friend – the best, even – so it was time to grow the fuck up and chill the fuck out. ‘And, given I owe you for . . . everything that day at the sale, you get the deciding vote.’
I chanced a look back at him, relieved to see his face relaxing a little but remaining focused on the road.
‘All right,’ he replied after a pause. ‘But honey, you don’t owe me. Not a thing.’
I swallowed, determined to keep it light, pushing aside the fact that technically, he was right. I’d paid back the five hundred dollars after getting Jesse’s bank details from Lottie, via the ranch payroll. Neither of us had spoken about it, but then I doubted he’d had any spare time to check his account since. ‘So, I thought that given I was named after a Greek goddess, maybe that could be a theme.’
He huffed a laugh under his breath, shaking his head slightly again.
‘Well, hell. Should’ve known,’ he began, but before I could ask what he meant, he added, ‘So what kind of goddess are you then, Hestia?’
The sound of my name in his mouth was almost too much.
‘She, um . . . represents the hearth and home,’ I murmured, more disconcerted than ever as his jaw flickered. ‘The sacred flame.’
There was a silence for a moment, filled only by the low rumble of the radio.
‘The goddess of . . . home,’ he repeated, more to himself than me, the knuckles of his hand on the wheel turning white for a moment.
My gut lurched. No doubting it now. Something big had shifted since the sale, leaving us in new, shaky territory that neither of us seemed to know how to navigate. I took a breath.
‘Right. So, I’ve been going over the options . . . and given how my horse is, well, a bit of a handful, and in what I’ve seen so far, has more than a hint of the underworld about her . . .’ His cheek twitched at that, and he gave a small nod of agreement. ‘So, what about Persephone? I mean, it’s a bit of a mouthful, but maybe Sephy for short?’
‘Hmm,’ he considered, slowing as we came to a stoplight. ‘I see where you’re going, and I like the underworld bit, that definitely works . . . but maybe it’s too regal or something, I dunno. She’s more sassy than that, y’know?’
I nodded, totally getting his train of thought. There was nothing ethereal about her. She was way too blunt and direct, if a horse could be that.
‘Shame she’s not a he,’ I said, thinking aloud, turning over the underworld vibe. ‘Something like Damien would work.’
Jesse chuckled, and I glanced over as he did the same.
‘Yeah, now you’ve got it,’ he said, his smile growing as mine did, my brain turning it over, still thinking, when –
‘I’ve got it,’ I cried suddenly, inspiration striking as the lights turned green. ‘Luci! Short for Lucifer!’
This time his laugh was full, the strange atmosphere between us suddenly dispelled by the sound. I joined in, the relief palpable.
‘Genius,’ he said, banging his free hand against the wheel. ‘Bailey’s gonna be pissed – she’s been chucking ideas around all week, but Luci . . . yeah, that’s the one.’
‘Okay, done,’ I breathed, shifting to pull my knee up under my chin, finally starting to relax. ‘I was starting to feel bad for not having chosen one, like some kind of fucked-up mum guilt.’
He laughed again.
‘You’re taking this whole thing pretty serious, huh? Lottie said you’ve been at the barn all week. Is your . . . is the business back home okay without you, then, for a while longer?’
I nodded, thinking back to my last call with Cal, strained and barely civilized. I’d had to swallow my anger at his reticence to step up and shoulder responsibility for the business as a whole for once. I knew he wouldn’t want to disappoint our clients, though, many of them having become friends, so that’s what my hope was clinging onto.
‘For a while, I think. My ex – he’s also my business partner. He’s taking care of it. It’s just, I’ve had a ton of responsibility over the past few years, you know? But not directly for one living thing.’ He nodded, his expression turning serious again. ‘I mean, not including Lottie at university. She had a bit of a wild ride in the first couple of years with me, away from the prying eyes of her asshole dad.’
Jesse grunted in agreement, and I guessed he knew all about it from Cole.
‘Wild ride, huh?’ he asked quietly, risking a quick glance, eyebrows raised.
I shrugged, avoiding the innuendo.
‘For her. She just did things my way for a while until she found her own style. You know, just giving less of a fuck, making her own choices . . . ditching lectures, smoking, drinking, wild sex . . . standard shit.’ He bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck in the same gesture as the other day, as though he was dying to say more but stopping himself. ‘It’s why her dad hates me,’ I added cheerfully. ‘But he’s in good company. My stepdad is level pegging for prick of the century.’
