Before my thoughts can run away with me, Lawson nods over my shoulder. “She’s coming this way.”
Turning, I watch as Abigail walks toward us with Lucy running excited circles around her. Like she’s never been more excited to have a visitor on her ranch. As she grows nearer, I watch the morning sun catch the edges of her freckles, softening her face. She moves carefully, almost like she’s slightly afraid to disturb the world around her.
Not that I blame her.
Beau, as per usual, is the first to smile. It’s wide and welcoming. Lawson straightens, unreadable as ever. And I move without thinking, stepping forward to greet the woman I have yet to officially meet.
“Morning,” I say. My voice coming out lower than intended.
She stops in front of me, doing her best not to cower as she lifts her eyes to mine. “Morning.”
“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m Jasper.”
“Jas,” Beau adds from behind me.
I shoot him a glare before looking back at Abigail. “Some folks call me Jas. Others know better.”
Her lips tug at the corner. It’s a small smile, but it’s real.
“So you’re Josephine’s brother. The bull rider?”
“Depends on the day.” I shrug nonchalantly. “Sometimes Lawson makes me shovel shit so my head doesn’t get too big.”
“Doesn’t seem to be working either,” he huffs, but there’s amusement there.
Abigail’s smile grows a touch, and Lucy plants herself against her leg, tail thumping as she admires what is apparently her new best friend.
“Nice to meet you, Jasper,” she says softly. And damn if something in my chest doesn’t pull tight at the sound of my name on her lips.
“Pleasure’s mine,” I answer, letting just enough charm slip into my voice to make her eyes flicker with intrigue. “Happy to have you here.”
Lawson clears his throat. “You ready for your tour?”
Pulling her eyes from me, she looks to Lawson, pausing a moment as her eyes rake over his body. “Yeah. I am.”
“Good,” he replies. “As soon as we finish running these cattle through the chute, I’ll show you around.”
She nods, and the three of us watch as she spins around, taking in the barn, the cattle, the three of us. I can feel something settle inside of me. Something I can’t name. Something I shouldn’t want.
But it’s there nevertheless.
And I already know it’s going to be a problem.
Chapter eight
Lincoln
Theofficeabovethebarn is warm with the mid-morning sun, dust drifting lazily in the light as it spills from the long row of windows. Of the four desks tucked into the loft of the barn, mine is the only one that ever looks truly used with its stacks of contracts, worn legal pads, and an old ceramic mug filled with inkless pens I keep meaning to throw out but never do.
I run a hand through my hair, pushing it back from my forehead before it falls right back into place. Figures. Everything around here seems to fall back into place except me. The chair creaks as I lean back, rubbing the crook of my nose—the one Lawson broke thirteen years ago because I kissed Suzy Perkins even though he liked her. I’ll never forget the memory of his fist flying at my face. The damn thing still aches when I’m stressed.
It’s been aching for months
As I trace my thumb along the edge of our latest cattle sale agreement marked URGENT, my eyes read the language I could probably recite in my sleep by now. I couldn’t possibly count how many of these papers I’ve drawn up over the years.Transfer of ownership. Health certifications. Delivery terms. All the bones of the business side of ranching. The part most people pretend doesn’t exist.
Down below, the low rumble of cattle being run through the chute for checks and vaccinations vibrates through the floorboards. Lawson and Beau’s voices drift up, sharp and steady, while Jasper’s God knows where. They’re the brawn. And I’m up here, again, being the brain.
As the words written in ink stare back up at me, I can’t help but wonder, and not for the first time, if anyone realizes how much of this place, this life, lives in the fine print.
