Saddled and Spurred (Blacktop Cowboys 2)

“You’re not.” Janie squeezed Harper’s arm. “Believe it or not, I’ve been in the same position you are right now. Surprised. Confused. Excited. Worried. Renner saw something in me ten minutes after we met that my ex-husband hadn’t seen after being married to me for years. And also like me, I suspect you’ve been doing everything for everyone else in your family at the expense of fulfilling goals in your life. Here’s your chance, Harper. We believe you’d be a big asset to our team. We want you to believe it too.”

For the first time in her life, Harper thought things might be looking up. As much as she’d expected to be shaking the mud off her shoes and leaving this town for good, in the last month she’d begun to have mixed feelings. Seemed ironic that staying in Muddy Gap would allow her to forge her dream career. Janie had been right about something else too: It was past time she started living her own life.

“So? What do you say?”

“I say yes. I’d really love to be part of Split Rock Ranch and Resort.”

Janie clapped.

Renner’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his inside jacket pocket. A deep scowl knitted his dark eyebrows together. “Fuckin’ awesome.”

“Who is it?” Janie asked.

“The tyrant.” Absentmindedly, he said, “Excuse me. I have to take this,” and left the table.

“Okay, now that he’s gone, and we’ve got you on tap for the job, what’s going on with you and Bran Turner?”

“Nothing. Les is back at work. Les doesn’t like me, I don’t like him, and he’s willing to say nasty stuff in front of me, behind my back, and to Bran’s face to keep me out of the picture. And it seems like Bran believes Les over me, so it doesn’t matter that I’m . . .”

“In love with him?” Janie supplied softly.

“Yeah, but I don’t know if he feels the same.”

“So find out.”

Harper shook her head. “He thinks I’m leaving. I can’t just say, Surprise! I’m sticking around. Part of me thinks the relationship had the intensity because of the expiration date.”

“You’re wrong. Sex can be intense, but it’s not half as intense as love. Here’s my advice. If he loves you, he’ll come after you. He’ll fight for you. He won’t let you go.”

“That’s what happened between you and Abe? He let you go without a fight?”

Janie rubbed the skin between her eyes. “He didn’t know me well enough to understand that’s what I wanted.”

“You saying he didn’t love you?”

“No. Abe loved me and that covered all his bases. He talked the talk, but didn’t walk the walk, know what I mean?”

“He said the words because he thought you wanted to hear them.”

“Precisely. Don’t let that happen, Harper. If you and Bran truly love each other, then you should know exactly why you feel that way, and he should be able to put it into words. He should know how to act on it.” Then Janie was all business again. “Now, here’s what we need to accomplish this week.”

For the next hour, Harper’s head spun. So when Janie suggested they continue the discussion in her trailer at Split Rock, Harper was so amped up she doubted she’d get a wink of sleep tonight, no matter where she laid her head.

Bran missed Harper.

Missed working with her. Laughing with her. Talking to her. Teasing her. Just sitting in silence with her.

Touching her. God. Did he ever miss touching the supreme softness of her skin. Feeling her arch and purr beneath his hands as he caressed her. Watching her eyes change from the soft sheen of impending pleasure to the fiery heat of immediate need.

You’re acting like it’s been months. It’s only been two days.

It felt one helluva lot longer than that.

“You sure you’re all right?” Hank asked.

“Yeah.” Except he wasn’t. Here he sat, in front of Harper’s house, pining for her like a heartbroken teenage boy, wishing he’d catch even the tiniest glimpse of her. Chances were good she wasn’t home, since her car wasn’t in the drive, but he couldn’t dim that tiny flare of hope.

“Need me to stick around to see if the truck starts?” Hank prompted.

“Nah. Thanks for the ride. Go spend the night with your wife in your new house.”

Hank grinned like a fool. “I intend to.”

After Hank drove off, Bran crossed the lawn to the ranch truck. A creak echoed—a recognizable creak—and his gaze flew to Harper’s front door as it opened.

His heart raced in anticipation.

But it wasn’t Harper bounding down the steps, just Bailey.

Disappointment had him slumping against the passenger door. It’d be rude if he sped off now, so he studied Bailey as she approached him cautiously.

“Hey, Bran.”

“Bailey.” Bran never would’ve guessed Harper and Bailey were sisters—their physical appearances were almost polar opposites. Bailey was short but a bit gangly, and her face held a hint of youthful pudginess. Her dark hair, dark clothes, and dark expression fit her less-than-sunny personality. Whereas Harper was tall, but softly rounded in all the right places, except for the sharp angles of her face. Harper was light and grace, and her beautiful smile lit up the entire world.

You’re a pathetic poet, Turner.

“Came by to get the truck?”

“Yep. Les needs it.”