Page 4 of Enticed
“I’m sorry, man,” I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I appreciate it. Maybe having another positive male role model around will help. Plus, being a fellow bull rider, he might listen to you more than he does me. Maybe you can give him some pointers, help him train when you’re not busy with the horses?”
“Of course.” A heaviness settled around us, the weight of grief pressing in like an invading army. The past year had been hard on his family. No sooner had he fully recovered from his accident and all the surgeries and procedures that followed, Nash’s girlfriend died.
“Although,” he said finally, cutting through the tense moment, “you probably won’t have a spare second to yourself once Jasmine gets ahold of you.”
I gulped, hoping he wouldn’t notice my discomfort at the mention of her name.
“She’s gearing up for racing season, so she’s been training every day. I’m sure she’ll rope you into helping her. She always did prefer you over the other trainers. Between you and me, I think she had a little crush on you back then,” he said with a chuckle.
I was suddenly struck speechless, not knowing how to respond to that. Did I admit I knew about her crush? Should I tell him I ran into her last night? It seemed best to keep that information to myself. It would open up too many questions.Thankfully, he saved me from having to respond because he had an agenda.
“Anyway, I came to see if you wanted to grab lunch. The cafe on the corner still serves that hot brown you love so much.” Being so close to Kentucky, hot browns were a menu staple in most restaurants in the area. They were hard to come by in Dallas, so I hadn’t had one in years. As if on cue, my stomach let out an audible growl.
“I guess that’s your answer,” I said and swiped my keys off the counter. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with my best friend over my favorite meal for the first time in nearly a decade. It felt like coming home.
And damn did that feel good.
CHAPTER FOUR
JASMINE
Thoughts of Gabe from Friday night plagued me all weekend. I was restless, dreams of the rugged older man invading every moment of my slumber. I woke up with my heart racing, my skin overheated from the vivid dreams I couldn’t seem to escape. I couldn’t help imagining those calloused hands on my skin and the scrape of his stubble against my neck.
It didn’t help that I hadn’t had sex in nearly two years and the only man I’d been with left a lot to be desired. And he’d had the audacity to accuse me of not being a virgin just because I didn’t bleed my first time. The idiot couldn’t understand that I’d been riding horses since before I could walk and most likely waved bye-bye to my hymen long before he ever aimed his pencil dick my way.
You’d think that would have been the moment I walked away, but no, I spent nearly another year with the man child thinking he would eventually grow up. I was fairly certain I loved his family more than I loved him and didn’t want to let them go. I thought one day they would be my in-laws. Too bad their son was of less than stellar character.
Thoughts of my toxic ex floated away as I saddled my sorrel mare for an early morning ride. I wanted to walk her around the eastern perimeter of the ranch as a warmup before we started breezing. The start of the season was just around the corner, so our training schedule was growing more intense every week. I had to ensure we were both in tip-top shape for the barrel racing circuit.
I was feeding Juniper a snack of apple and cucumber slices before making a few runs around the barrels when I heard male voices approach. My dad’s raspy baritone that sounded like he’d chain smoked for years despite only occasionally having a celebratory cigar grew louder as he approached. From the sounds of it, he was giving the new trainer a tour, highlighting all the recent improvements that had been made to the facilities.
Great. Another trainer, I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes. The last few trainers we’d hired had left a lot to be desired. To be honest, everyone since Gabe failed to live up to our standards. Most only lasted a couple years before moving on or being let go. My oldest brother, Rowan, had tried taking on the responsibility, but he was spread too thin as it was, and since Jacek was allergic to horses—a damn travesty for the son of a rancher— Dad had no choice but to hire a new one.
I wasn’t looking forward to meeting them and hoped they’d stroll on by. No such luck. I kept my back turned despite the dull thud of boots on dirt signaling their approach. I had no interest in getting to know the next wannabe horse whisperer. They all thought they had a special gift with horses, but they didn’t; at least, not sincehim.
“There she is,” my father crooned affectionately as he stopped behind me. I quickly reached my clean hand—the one that wasn’t covered in horse slobber— into my own bag of apples and popped a slice into my mouth. Maybe they wouldn’t expect me to talk too much and move right along if I was crunchingon fruit. Besides, it was time for a snack anyway since the low blood sugar alarm on my glucose monitor went off a few minutes ago. It wouldn’t be long before I started feeling the effects. Sometimes when my sugar started to drop, it plummeted fast, especially in the morning. I’d learned the hard way that I needed to act quickly.
The sour juices from the granny smith burst onto my tongue as I sank my teeth into it and turned around to face the newcomers. I was so startled that I sucked in a sharp breath, and inadvertently a piece of the apple. The acidic juices burned my throat, and my eyes grew wide as I tried to cough. Nothing came out. No air came in.
“Jasmine?” My dad’s voice filled with concern. I brought my hands to my throat, feeling my face grow hot and the pressure in my head increase. Gabe’s eyes filled with panic for only a second before he sprang into action.
“Shit,” he cursed, dropping his bag to the ground. Gripping my arm, he yanked me to him, turning my body until my back was against his front. Strong arms encircled my waist, and he pressed his closed fist to my upper abdomen before giving it a quick, hard thrust.
It didn’t work. I continued to struggle uselessly for air. The edges of my vision began to turn black, and I could feel myself fading. Then he gave me one final thrust, and the chunk of apple came flying out of my mouth, landing in the dirt next to Juniper’s hoof. Ever the opportunist, she leaned down and nibbled at the fruit, picking it up with her lips before drawing it into her mouth.
“Traitorous little snack whore,” I croaked, my throat raw and scratchy. Gabe released me and stepped back, my dad moving in to take his place.
“Are you okay, Spunk?” my dad asked, rubbing his big mitt over my back.
“Fine,” I sputtered out between coughs. My lungs seized, and my chest ached as I drew in deep gulps of air only for them to be forced out again as I tried to clear the remainder of sour juice and saliva from my windpipe. Gabe stood by silently, an unreadable expression on his face.
“We didn’t mean to startle you,” my dad announced once my coughing ceased. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind showing Gabe around. A lot has changed since he was here last, and I wanted him to be familiar with the layout before he got started.”
“Got started?”
“Didn’t I tell you?” I lifted my brows waiting for him to elaborate, hoping he wasn’t about to say what I thought he was. “I’m getting forgetful in my old age,” he said with a shake of his head and a self-deprecating chuckle. He wasn’t old—only in his mid-forties—but the stroke he’d suffered made him a little forgetful at times. “Gabe just moved back and is returning as a trainer.” My brows shot to my hairline, and my gaze snapped to Gabe. Why hadn’t he told me the other night when I ran into him? Was it supposed to be a secret? Maybe he wanted to surprise me? If that was the case, he sure as hell succeeded.
