Page 4 of Roping Her In

She’d finally taken that to heart, and she’d learned not to say every thought that came into her head, even if she felt she were right and speaking the truth.

“Well, I just wanted to say thank you so much for accepting interns this year,” she said. “This is my dream ranch, and I think I have a lot to learn, but I can also be really valuable to you, Leia, and Hartford here.”

His eyebrows went up. “You know the name of our vet staff?”

“Of course,” Hailey said. “I’m willing to work hard, and I’m a fast learner, and I’m a quick study. And I hope that if I do a good job for you, but there’s not a place for me here, that you might be willing to write me a letter of recommendation down the road.”

Jake leaned back in his chair and physically folded his arms this time. “I guess we’ll see how the internship goes first.”

“Yes, of course.” She gave herself a little shake and cleared her throat. “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you so much for agreeing to see me without an appointment.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, and it sounded like he meant it.

Hailey gave him a bright smile and stood. She extended her hand over his desk and said, “I can’t wait to work together, Mister Ahlstrom.”

“Oh, you don’t need to call me Mister Ahlstrom,” he said grumpily. “Ain’t nobody called me that in my life.” He stood and shook her hand. “It’s just Jake.”

Just Jake sent an electric pulse through her hand and up her arm in such a shocking, pleasant way that Hailey simply stood there and pumped his hand up and down, up and down, over and over. He seemed to have fallen into the same trance, and Hailey had no idea what to do with this attraction pouring through her. She hadn’t dated in years and had no desire to start now—at least until this handshake.

She finally pulled her hand back, and Jake cleared his throat and did the same. Then, to her horror, he wiped his hand on his jeans and sat down.

Hailey backed up a step, but the chair met her legs and caused her to stumble. She managed to right herself, and by then, Jake had regained his feet and come around the desk.

“Hey, you okay?” He put his hand on her elbow and slid it up to her bicep to steady her, and even through the layers of her coat and then her sweater, his touch burned. Hailey looked at him, her eyes meeting his, and had no idea what to say or do next.

She wasn’t sure a man had ever scrambled her like this, and her heartbeat boomed through her chest in an accelerated rhythm that drowned out all other noise.

“Can you feel that?” Jake whispered.

Only one thought came into Hailey’s head as everything else still jumbled around in there. “Feel what?” she asked, though she certainly felt a whole slew of things.

Jake’s eyes dropped to her lips, which only sent her thoughts scattering even more. “This.” His mouth didn’t move with the word, but he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers only a moment later in the sweetest, most electrifying kiss of her life.

3

Jake floated somewhere outside his awareness. He seemed to know what to do, and fiery tingles scattered through his bloodstream and across every millimeter of skin. Hailey kissed him back, which answered his question. She felt this fizzing, hot thing between them too.

In that moment, his mind caught up to the situation, and he pulled away in a swift move. Horror ran through him, and he stumbled back a step. “I⁠—”

Hailey stood there with her eyes still closed, seemingly frozen in time. Then her eyes opened, and Jake’s humiliation roared. His gaze locked on hers, and his face burned as hotly as it ever had.

Well, maybe not as badly as it had when he’d been down on both knees, a diamond pinched in his fingers, and the words “No, Jake. I’m sorry, but I can’t,” ringing through his ears.

He had no words that wouldn’t hurt, and mercifully, his phone rang with Beau’s ringtone. “That’s my boss,” he said. “You should go. I’m—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He turned his back on Hailey and that sexy red coat and swiped his phone off the corner of his desk.

He slid on the call and pressed his eyes closed as he clipped out, “Yep. What’s up, Beau?”

Surely Hailey would just leave. Please, God, let her just go.

“Just wonderin’ if you were back from your meeting,” Beau said.

“Yeah, for a little bit now,” Jake said.

“So…are we headed out to that stream? If we don’t get goin’, we’ll lose the light.”

Another douse of icy water splashed through his lungs. “I forgot,” he said, and he spun toward the door. Jake knew in that moment that God loved him, for Hailey didn’t stand in his office anymore.

Only the empty doorway gaped back at him, and Jake strode over to his coat rack and pulled his leather jacket back on. “I’m headed over right now.”