Page 64 of Chasing Home
“Thank you so much. It’s been a long journey to get it to where it is now, but yeah, it’s pretty great,” she replies.
I pull my hand back and return it to my pocket with a nod. While it’s always hard for me to make conversation in a normal situation, it’s even harder with people I don’t particularly want to converse with. It’s not anything truly against Jill; it’s just . . . me.
My ridiculous, misplaced jealousy and bitterness with how little I seem to exist to Johnny right now.
“Jill’s family are the biggest horse breeders in Alberta. We’ve gotten all our horses from them,” Johnny explains.
When he gets closer to me and slips a finger through one of my belt loops, I fight the instinct to shove him off. The pride in his voice as he speaks of her ranch bites even though it shouldn’t.
Clearly, despite my best efforts, this man has weaselled his way into my heart and made a home for himself there. It’s the only explanation I have for this desperate need to put on some cringy possessive act to scare Jill off like a wild beast marking her territory.
“How’s Joker doing?” she asks him.
“Still full of attitude.”
With a look of understanding, she turns to me. “Do you ride too?”
“No.” I hate how stiff the word sounds.
“Rory’s a new resident of Cherry Peak. A city girl from Calgary,” Johnny says, the fingers not looped in my pants brushing the jean material at the top of my ass.
Jill jerks her head toward the stable. “Well, I hope you don’t mind ’em! Ours are incredibly friendly.”
I don’t answer before she’s leading the way. Instead, I keep my head on a swivel as we walk, busying myself with the sights around me so I don’t have to speak with Johnny and wind up exposing myself.
I’d have preferred working with Eliza today instead of being driven out here just to be ignored for a woman who’s clearly the opposite of me. If that’s what he wants, he’s been wasting his time.
“Have you had many coyotes out here recently?” Johnny asks her, keeping pace between the both of us.
One minuscule glance at the ground and I realize that his boots are nearly the same shade as hers. Fuck, even their hats are similar. Did they call each other to plan this outfit coordination this morning? Do they talk often? Jesus Christ, this is not a rabbit hole I want to go down right now.
I’m thirty, not thirteen. Grow up.
“No more than usual. You guys?”
“We did. But Eliza convinced Wade to get donkeys. Now, those fuckers kick the shit out of them when they get too close,” Johnny says.
Jill’s laugh rings through the ranch, carried on the breeze. I stiffen, and when Johnny tugs on my belt loop in an attempt to get my attention, I know he’s noticed. He does it again, but this time, I step to the side, forcing him to let go of me.
We all stop in front of the first of the stable doors, and Johnny reaches for the handle before Jill can. She gazes up at him with a soft stare and thanks him. I swallow a scream.
He yanks the door open, and Jill steps inside first. I keep pace with her and move past Johnny without planning on saying a word. The hand on my arm when I step around him ruins my plans.
“What’s wrong?” he asks quietly, those long fingers keeping a gentle hold on me. One jerk and I’d be free.
I stare straight ahead into the stable. “I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
“We’re here on behalf of Steele Ranch, Johnny. This is work.”
“Oh, it is, is it? Shit, I almost forgot that you’re the Steele’s newest ranch hand.”
I gnaw on my lip to stifle a laugh at his sarcasm. He hasn’t used this particular trait of his often in my presence. It’s hot, and now I’m even more pissed off.
“If you want someone to flirt with while we’re here, I’m sure Jill is up to banter. You seem to be enjoying doing it already.”
His thumb slips over the skin below my elbow, and something about the soft touch draws my eyes. The sight of him touching me is too much right now. My middle caves in as I ache to feel his hands all over me. Head to toe, I don’t care. Anywhere would suffice. I’d take anything to stifle this want.