Page 16 of A Rainfall Promise

“We’ll have to do this again,” I told him, once I was dressed and leaning back against him to actually watch the movie, far too wrapped up in my own thoughts to feel how tense he was.

Chapter 11

Jose

For three days, all I could think about was her, about how she was, how completely different and while I wanted to hate it,I couldn’t. She filled me in ways I hadn’t experienced before, and it scared the living shit out of me.

I wanted to say that I could live like how she did, to be so loving and inviting, but we all know that wasn’t me. And my temper was hanging on by threads at times.

Because it seems that over the last few days, everyone in town was calling out hellos to me, and stopping me to talk, and I just couldn’t handle it. My fuse was short and I knew that, yet people still wanted to keep pushing me.

I took my hat off, running my fingers through my hair as I all but ran out of the store. Everyone was trying to get my attention, trying to talk. All because they helped me one day and then because I was seeing Vicky.

And yeah, the town knew because I had taken her out a time or two and it sure had everyone talking about it.

Did I mention how much I hate town gossip? That it was another reason why I stuck to myself? Because everyone had an opinion of your life. What I seemed to hear the most was that I was too old and too much of a recluse for someone like that woman.

So, was I on edge?

Yeah, I guess you could say that.

I threw the bags in my cab and tore out of the parking lot, making my way back to my ranch, my goal to work on the fence before the next round of storms came in, which was supposed to be in three days. And I really didn’t want to call for help again. Or, well, having her call.

I grabbed my stuff once I parked and walked down the way to the fence, dropping the tools, almost jumping out of skin once she rode up along the other side, her horse panting.

“Do you want me to get you some extra hands?” she asked.

“No, thanks, Vicky. I can do this. You all helped me enough last time. I’m just making sure it holds through the storms that’s due to come in.”

“Makes sense.” She jumped off her horse, tying the leather to a fence post before walking over. “Do you want me to help you? I have nothing to do today.”

“No. I’ve been doing it on my own for years; I can handle a few posts myself.”

She frowned slightly as she watched me, but I didn’t care. I also knew that my tone was gruff, something she hadn’t heard recently.

“I see,” she said, resting against a tree, her eyes tracking my movements. “You okay, Jose?”

I threw my hammer down and turned to face her, running my hand through my hair again before slamming my hat back on.

“No, I’m actually not. What the hell do you want from me, Vicky?”

“Well, nothing right now. Just offering a hand.”

“That’s not what the hell I meant. What do you want from me? A boyfriend? A husband? What?”

“I didn’t know I needed a label, Jose. I don’t recall ever telling you that I did.”

“You can’t just want nothing.”

She pushed off the tree and walked over, stopping on the other side of the fence.

“Did I do something to you that I don’t know about that’s pissing you off this badly?”

“You. You just did you. You came into my life and turned it upside down and now everybody wants to bother me. Then everyone is telling me that you’re too good for me and I fucking know that. So, I’m trying to figure out why you’re here, talking to me.”

“Because I like you!”

“Well, fucking don’t! It’s a waste of time to like me!”