“I met her a few times when you rode her to our house.” She smiled and blinked her long lashes.
I have to recognize this girl. I’ve been to her house.
“Actually, Picasso is gone. I have a mare named Blaze.”
“But you remember riding to my house, right?” Wide gray eyes blinked at him.
“Uhmm…”
Sharon joined them at the table. “Jess, stop torturing him. Tell him who you are.”
Jess burst into laughter behind her hand. “I can’t, Nanna. It’s too fun.”
“Nanna?” he repeated, his mind racing. She must be one of Nick’s cousins. Wait… Nick’s baby sister? “Are you J.J.?”
“Jessica Jolene, at your service.” Her cheeks flushed, which only served to make her prettier, if that was possible, the blush emphasizing an adorable smattering of freckles. “My friends call me Jess. No one calls me J.J. except Nick.”
“I talked to Nick two weeks ago. He didn’t tell me you were working here this summer.” Cord was already rehearsing a tongue-lashing for the next time he spoke to his best friend.
“Nick didn’t know until yesterday. I can’t tell him anything without him throwing a fit, like I’m a little girl instead of a grown woman.” Jessica leaned back and crossed her arms, her full lips forming an oh-so-kissable pout.
What am I doing? I can’t think about kissing Nick’s sister. He’d skin me alive.
Cord didn’t mention that up until a few seconds ago, he’d thought of her as a thirteen-year-old kid. “Your brother can be a little overprotective.”
“A little? Are you kidding me? He’s offered to beat up every guy I ever dated.”
Cord nodded. “That sounds like Nick.”
“I think it comes from all those bull-riding competitions he used to do. He’s got way too much testosterone.” Even though she was complaining, she sounded proud of her big brother, who’d never managed to talk Cord into trying the dangerous sport. Hearing the admiration in her voice made him wish he had.
“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
“I probably still had braces when you graduated.”
Her even white smile attested to the success of her orthodontics, but he couldn’t remember her teeth being crooked. In truth, he’d probably ignored her altogether when she was nothing but Nick’s pesky baby sister. Back then, Nick had been obsessed with Katie Crowley, the homecoming queen, while Cord had been preoccupied with competing for Valedictorian. Nine years later, Cord still concentrated on his work, finding that most women demanded too much attention.
“You’ve been gone from Sage Valley for nine years,” Sharon said. “A lot has changed, including Jess. I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize her.”
Without thinking, his eyes dropped to check out her form, admiring the ways she’d certainly changed, until his gaze rose to meet her furious one. Hot liquid rushed into his face, and he gave himself a mental slap.
Attempting to cover his rude ogling, he said, “I noticed your boots. Can you ride a horse?”
Her jaw jutted forward. “Better than you.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” he said, desperate for a way to impress her. He might be a bit rusty, but he was fast, especially riding Blaze. “We should race.”
“Bad idea.” Sharon shook her head at Cord. “Jess is the Southwest Regional Barrel Racing Champion.”
“I was the champion,” she corrected. “I haven’t raced in two years, Nanna.”
So much for that idea. She obviously rode faster than he ever could.
Sharon came to his rescue. “Why don’t you tell Jess about your plans for the ranch rodeo?”
His chest swelled. The rodeo was his pet project—one that was sure to benefit the ranch in a major way. “T-Bar-X had to drop out of the ranch rodeo circuit this summer, and I snagged their spot for Sage Valley.”
Jessica’s gray eyes grew round as saucers. “An amateur rodeo? Here? That’s fantastic!”