“There, I just sent it now.You’ll have all the information in a minute.To sum it up, Axel and Nick are here under conditional parole.They’re allowed to stay for as long as you need help, but each of them has to wear an ankle bracelet for a short term.The bracelets monitor their location.If an alarm goes off on one of the ankle monitors, the police will be notified immediately and both of them will be brought back to prison.Not just one, but both of them.It’s a way to make sure they look out for each other.The men know the boundaries, and the authorities are watching.Their parole officer will call every two weeks and talk to you and to them.The first phone appointment is in the email, so you can prepare.You’ll also need to sign the paperwork for their paychecks.That’s in the email too.”
Jenna nodded.
A heavy weight lifted from her chest.The weight she’d been carrying, the fear of losing them, fear of this being temporary melted like frost under sunlight.
She’d made the same mistake once or twice herself in forgetting to send out an email.She understood that life sometimes got the better of you.Mistakes happened in the blur of busy days.
Relief swept in and around her.Relief in the way the cool and refreshing early morning breeze slips through the open windows on an autumn morning, which was coming soon.
Knowing that Axel and Nick, both on conditional parole, were here for the long haul, brought Jenna comfort.
“Thank you, Cyn, for sending them.They came at just the right time.”Jenna’s voice was soft, and she let her gratitude shimmer in her words as she glanced out the kitchen window and gazed to the left.
The sun was shining now, and it spilled golden light across the pasture, catching on Axel’s easy grin and Nick’s sure hands as they guided the horses around the training yard.The sight steadied her.Her two men moving with quiet confidence, fitting into her world as if they’d always belonged there.It struck her how seamlessly they’d stepped into ranch life, as if the land itself recognized them.
How they appeared to know what they were doing, was beyond her as she hadn’t wanted to trust them yet with the training until she knew they were staying.
Yet here they were, looking professional.It appeared they had been watching her while she’d been working with the horses.
Warmth seeped into her bones, as she watched them.Even from here she could hear the horse’s steady thump of hooves and their low nickers.
“I can see that they belong here,” Cyn replied with a softness Jenna had never heard before as she sidled in beside Jenna and looked out the window at the two men.
The shared silence felt strangely intimate.Two women watching the same scene, both seeing something different, both understanding its importance.
The scent of grass drifted into the room, and the laughter from the men floated on the air like music to her ears.
Jenna watched Axel and Nick, her hand settling over her abdomen.Her palm warmed over the small swell.It was a reminder that her future wasn’t just hers anymore, but theirs.
These two men were her protectors, her soon-to-be horse trainers, her lovers and her patchwork family.The phrase settled into her like truth.Imperfect, unexpected, stitched together by circumstance and choice, but real.
She loved that the horses responded to their calm voices and their gentle hands.Enjoyed the little dust devils swirling in the sunbeams as the horses’ hooves thudded against the earth.The little spirals of dust felt like tiny blessings.Signs of movement, of life returning to places that had been still for too long.
Jenna’s heart swelled with emotions and the jagged edges of her grief were being softened by the simple, comforting rhythm of ranch life.
She smiled, feeling the day shift towards possibility.
Yes.It was perfect time for them to be here.They were her perfect men.Not flawless.But the real deal.And that’s exactly what she needed.
Hope rose in her like a sunrise.Slow and golden, impossible to ignore.
They were her cowboys, and for the first time since they had arrived, Jenna let herself freely hope that she would eventually get a happy ending with Nick and Axel and her unborn baby.
* * * * *
He stood atop the knoll, binoculars pressed up against his eyes as he gazed through the morning haze down at Bear Valley Ranch.This spot brought back memories of his recent escapades here.It was the very place where he’d struck a man over the head and made his escape.That interruption had truly pissed him off, especially that yapping dog.He’d thought about killing both the dog and that man right then and there.But that would have really drawn in a crowd that he didn’t want.
The vantage point here had been good.The height made him feel untouchable.Like a predator surveying his territory.It gave him a birds eye view of Jenna’s valley ranch.
Earlier he’d heard a car coming and had squatted down.He’d watched a blonde chick drive by, and she’d driven her car down the hill toward the ranch.
Being a cop certainly had its advantages.It gave him access to resources most could only dream of, and those resources made it all the more difficult for anyone to uncover his activities.He felt a twisted sense of satisfaction in that secrecy.
His eyes followed Jenna and the woman who’d arrived earlier as they came out of the ranch house and strolled toward the pasture.
There, the two cowboys entertained the horses, moving with a carefree energy that seemed out of place to him.Their easy camaraderie grated on him.Men like that didn’t deserve peace, not when he was denied it.
When the men saw the two women, they waved, happiness flooding their faces.
