Page 19 of Enticed
Gabe crossed the room and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “What can I do?” he asked, genuine concern filling his eyes.
“My boy has lost his way,” my dad said, his voice cracking. His chin quivered, and the sight made tears sting the backs of my eyes. I’d only seen my father cry twice in my entire life: the day he woke up after having his stroke and at Audrey’s funeral. He scrubbed a hand down his face, composing himself before continuing. “I’m his father. It’s my job to guide him back onto the right path. I need to be here for him. I need to make sure he’s not sneaking off to do something reckless. That means I won’t be able to leave the ranch for any length of time. This happened while I was gone, and I can’t risk it happening again when I’m hours away.”
What was he getting at, and what did this have to do with Gabe? Gabe remained silent but wore a confused expression that I was sure mirrored mine.
“I’ve found myself in need of someone to travel with Jasmine to her races. I know it’s not part of your job description, but you’re the only one I trust with my little girl.” Gabe was facing my parents so I couldn’t read his expression, but I saw the way the muscles in his shoulders tensed. “And I fully intend to compensate you for your time. I just can’t go with her to competitions right now. She races every other weekend. Leaving Nash here for that long and that often isn’t an option. We were lucky her competition was so close to home this time, but most of them are quite the haul.”
It took me a moment to understand what he was asking. He wanted Gabe to escort me to my races. A mix of panic and excitement tightened my stomach. Being on the road with Gabe, spending every night with him sleeping only feet away could be a disaster waiting to happen or the most exquisite kind of torment.That was, if he agreed to do it. There was no guarantee he’d say yes.
“I don’t want her traveling alone. It’s not safe,” Dad continued. “Plus, she has a hard time hauling the trailer.” I hated to admit it, but he was right. Icouldhaul the trailer, but I didn’t like it. It made me nervous, especially on the highway and some of the winding back roads we had to travel to get to competitions.
“I-what?” Gabe stuttered out, shock and confusion lacing his tone.
“I need you to take Jasmine to her races. I need you to drive my truck and haul the trailer, help her take care of her horse, make sure she takes care of herself,” he said, glancing pointedly at me, “and keep her safe.” This time it was my father who clamped his hands on Gabe’s shoulders staring him in the eyes, his expression open and earnest. “You’re the only person I trust for the job except Rowan, and I need him here while we get the sanctuary up and running.”
Gabe was silent for a moment, probably stunned speechless by Dad’s proposal. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined him asking Gabe to do this. But then again, my dad wasn’t aware of the burning desire coursing through my veins for his best friend or the way he looked at me like I was the very temptation that would be his downfall.
“What about Rory? I have my daughter every other weekend,” he reminded him.
“I understand that. Luckily, most of Jasmine’s races fall on the weekends Rory is with her mother. If there happens to be a race when you’ve got her, I’ll just have to take over Rowan’s duties so he can go instead. You’re also more than welcome to take Rory with you. The trailer technically sleeps four, so there’s room for all of you.” When my parents realized I planned to pursue barrel racing as a career, they sprung for one of thosefancy horse trailers with living quarters so we didn’t have to keep staying in hotels or camping when we traveled for competitions. It wasn’t exactly spacious which meant Gabe and I would be living in close quarters if he agreed to do this.
Gabe scrubbed a hand over his face and blew out a long breath. This was a lot to hit him with in the middle of the night with no warning. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head at the moment.
Sensing his hesitation, Dad offered him a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to give me an answer tonight. We’ve got almost two weeks until her next competition. You’ve got time to think about it.”
“Alright, I’ll let you know my answer soon,” Gabe replied.
“I apologize for dragging you out here at this time of night. Things got a little tense after the call from the sheriff on our way home, and I was riled up.”
“No apology necessary. I would probably feel the same way if I was in your shoes. Besides, I’d just gotten home so I was still up.”
“I appreciate you,” Dad said, clapping him on the back. “You’re a good man and a great friend.” My mom stood and pulled him into a hug. Seeing her damp eyes made mine tear up again. Everything going on with Nash was weighing heavily on my parents. They were heartbroken for him and feeling helpless to do anything to make it better. They got him into therapy after Audrey died, but he wasn’t great about going consistently. You could always tell when he had a particularly difficult session because he’d hole up in his room for days, then wouldn’t go back to therapy for weeks. Through all this, he was the one hurting the most, and none of us knew how to help him.
“Thanks for coming out tonight. We’re so glad to have you back,” Mom said, her voice so low and broken it was barely above a whisper.
“Y’all are like family to me. I stayed gone too long, but I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, returning her hug.
They spent a few more minutes discussing delegating some of Gabe's tasks to the ranch hands so he could work on training with Nash. Dad felt that if he could focus more on bull riding, he might have a better chance at staying out of trouble.
Finally, Gabe turned to leave, and our eyes met. He looked tired and haunted, like he’d lived a thousand lifetimes in just one night. The fear I’d seen when I first walked in was gone, replaced by uncertainty. He had a big decision to make, one that involved the possibility of spending several long weekends with me, the two of us alone on the road with no one around to act as a buffer. No witnesses to notice when we stood too close or let a seemingly innocent touch linger too long.
I hoped he’d say yes. It would give him a chance to see me in a different light, away from my family and the ranch. I wanted him to finally see me as a woman, not as a kid he once knew or his best friend’s daughter. But he was clearly hesitant to agree to the arrangement, and it made me wonder if he also felt this simmering tension between us that could send our entire lives up in flames.
Gabe moved slowly toward me, and I tracked his movements, never taking my eyes from him. He gave nothing away, no indication of what he would choose. I wanted so badly for him to say yes. Maybe it was foolish. Maybe it was even a little reckless, but this would give us a chance to be alone together, to see if these sparks would catch fire.
Gabe stopped next to me, and I held my breath as I waited for him to speak, to give me some hint of what he would decide. Hope swelled in my chest, but it was quickly dashed away the moment he opened his mouth to speak.
“Congratulations on your win tonight, Jasmine.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
GABE
“I’ll do it.” Elwood’s shoulders slumped in relief, and the tension eased from his face. I’d taken the rest of the weekend to consider his proposition, weighed the pros and cons, agonized over being alone with Jasmine and what that would mean for us, and decided I didn’t have a choice. To deny him would look suspicious. He might start to wonder why I didn’t want to be alone with his daughter. Plus, I’d promised him I would do anything to help. He was going to pay me. And it was temporary, only until the situation with Nash was under control.
Besides, it wasn’t as if I had anything else to do on the weekends when Rory was with her mom. I didn’t date and only went out to the bar on rare occasions when I wanted a beer and to watch a game I couldn’t get on cable or one of my streaming apps. There was nothing holding me back from doing this. I would just have to set some ground rules from the get-go. Now that we were going to be in such close quarters, I needed to maintain a professional distance. There’d be no retreat, nowhere to run and hide if I let her get too close.
Awareness prickled my skin the moment I stepped out of the house. My gaze lifted to the training ring across the road. I sensed her presence before even knowing she was near.
