“No problem,” Jake said, giving her only a quarter serving. He moved down the line, stopping to talk to my horses as he fedthem and checked their water supply. Watching him work made me feel better. He knew animals, and he had a way with them.
I did notice that Jake spent extra time with Twister, who pranced around in his stall, neighing and tossing his head.
“He really is special,” Jake said when he finally turned away and came back to where I sat on a bench.
“My dad’s greatest success as a breeder.” I got to my feet and started toward the barn door. “Thanks for helping me out. I wasn’t quite sure how I’d manage.”
“Let me make you lunch while I’m here,” he offered.
I glanced at the wall clock. It was already after eleven. The entire day was ahead of me, and I was stuck hobbling around. Frustrating, but maybe I’d read a book on the porch. I usually didn’t have time for that. Food felt like a distant concern when I wasn’t really hungry yet—but it was going to become an issue eventually.
“Please,” he said as we walked back toward the house. “I’ve been on crutches a time or two. Getting around in a kitchen is a hassle.”
I’d figured that out the evening before when I tried to cook dinner. I’d given up and put a frozen meal in the microwave. “That would be nice.”
“Have a seat,” he said when we got into my kitchen and greeted the cats who came for a little love. “I’m not a great cook, so this isn’t going to be gourmet, but I can manage something decent.” He checked the contents of my refrigerator and freezer, opened a cabinet or two, and then began to pull out ingredients.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked while petting Izzy.
“Chicken soup with gnocchi. You’ve got everything I need for that,” he said and went to work. Over the next half hour, I watched as he cooked chicken and diced carrots, onions, and celery. He added those and various seasonings to a pot with chicken broth and let it simmer on my stove. He waited until the soup was almost done and added the pasta for the final few minutes of cooking time.
I had to admit to being a little impressed. Jake was efficient in the kitchen and darn cheerful about making me lunch. And he was good company as he talked about ranching and brought me up to date on Caitlin and Brian and how they were handling her pregnancy.
He had me laughing at Brian’s attempts to appease her cravings and how he had Marc Diaz on speed dial. Given all the amazing dishes I’d enjoyed at Bite and Brew over the years, I wanted to applaud our town sheriff’s initiative, even if Brian also sounded panicked.
“Yeah, Caitlin is far calmer about it all and I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying my normally stoic twin being so absolutely flustered.” Jake shook his head, his grin wide as he chuckled.
“What does your mom think?”
He smiled at that and there was a softness around the eyes that guys always seemed to get when they talked about family they were close to. “She’s loving that she gets another grandchild. It’s all she talks about.”
“Here you go.” He ladled a generous helping into a bowl and set it before me.
I tasted the soup. It was good, really good. “That’s delicious.” I ate several more spoonfuls, enjoying the flavors. I looked upand noticed that he was packaging the leftover soup in smaller containers. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I made it for you,” he insisted, even as his stomach growled loudly in the quiet kitchen.
“Get a bowl and sit,” I ordered but with a smile.
“You sure you don’t mind?” he asked.
“Not at all. It’s nice having you here.” I hadn’t meant to say that last part, but it was true. He was a good distraction from my worries about the lost clients, and he’d been an enormous help to me. And it was unexpectedly pleasant having someone in the house. Someone human, that is. My pets offered plenty of companionship, but the conversation tended to be one-sided.
“Glad you think that,” he said, sitting across from me with a steaming bowl of soup. “I’ll be around every day to help out until your ankle’s healed.”
“What about your ranch?” I asked. He had far too many responsibilities himself to be spending that amount of time with me. Was he still feeling guilty about what happened in his barn? “I don’t want you to think you’re obligated. Yesterday… we both made mistakes. I think we must bring out the worst in each other.”
“Or the best,” he said without even the slightest hesitation, sending my heart pattering. “But either way, my mind’s made up. I’ll be here to help you and care for your animals until you don’t need me.”
He was telling, not asking, which should have put my hackles up, but this time, strangely, it didn’t. The thought of seeing him more often made me look forward to the time I’d be laid up.
ELEVEN
JAKE
Iawoke with about as much of a spring in my step as I could have. Seemed foolish to enjoy the extra work I’d taken on, but it meant getting to see Julia every day and spending time with Twister.
In the kitchen, I turned the coffee maker on and set about making two breakfast sandwiches—one for me and one for Julia. While I waited for the coffee, I could hear boots on the back porch. The door opened, and Davis—along with Chris and Wilson—came in talking quietly.
