Page 74 of Love Wells Kept

Odessa gives Denny a firm shove on the upper arm, and he scoffs. “Geez. I’m trying to help you with your homework. You know, I used to be the smartest kid in my grade.”

“Really?” Odessa lifts her eyebrow. “What happened? Get knocked off a bronc one too many times?”

Jackson hides a snort behind a closed fist.

Denny’s jaw falls slack as he spins in his chair to look at me. “Damn, when did she get so mean?”

“Go home and snuggle that sweet baby of yours. This is what you have to look forward to in a few years,” I say with a laugh, eyes bouncing between Denny and Odessa.

He has a point—how did time go by so fast? I remember walking circles around this kitchen island trying to get her to fall asleep as a newborn.

After another small push from Odessa, Denny rolls his eyes and stands up. “All right, all right. I know when I’m not wanted. I should go give Red a hand with fixing the old tractor, anyway. Poor guy’s been busting his ass lately.”

“You should’ve invited him fishing,” I say.

Red’s picked up all the slack around here since Jackson’s accident, ensuring it’s business as usual at the ranch, even when Austin and Denny were in the hospital with me.

Denny heads for the fridge, grabbing a cold can of root beer. It cracks open with a loud hiss. “Tried. He said he pulled the engine apart yesterday and couldn’t leave it.”

Once he’s clomped his way back out of the house, everything’s quiet and calm again. Jackson crosses the kitchen slowly, fingers grazing the counter, until he’s sitting down next to me and the bump of our knees ignites a million sparks under my skin.

“How was it today?” I ask under my breath, mindful of Odessa eavesdropping.

“It was nice…normal. It was good to get out of the house for a bit.”

I smile at the red hue of a sunburn across his nose and cheeks. It highlights his freckles, which is always something I’ve loved about him. Without a second thought, I brush my thumb across his rosy skin. “You should’ve worn sunscreen.”

With an impish shrug, he grins. “Forgot where we keep it.”

“Same place it’s always been.”

“I figured.” He catches my hand when it falls away and gives my wedding band a slow spin. “Since I’m feeling pretty good today, I was thinking of heading down to the barn….”

In my periphery, I clock the way Odessa perks up at that.

Jackson must, too, because he continues, “Rumor has it, there’s a cat named Banana that I need to reintroduce myself to.”

“Can I show you Sprinkles and Tiny and Gregory?” Odessa bounces in her seat. Any hope of her finishing her homework before dinner is gone.

“Are they cats, or…”

“Yes.” She stands. “Let’s go.”

“Hold your horses,” I interrupt. “Dad didn’t say he wanted to go right this second. He just got home. Maybe give him a minute to relax.”

Odessa’s bottom lip quivers, and Jackson falls for it immediately. To be fair, he fell for that constantly before the accident, too.

“We can go now.” Jackson’s big eyes search mine. “Do you want to come?”

“I could use a few minutes outside of this house, too.” I chug the last of my coffee, then send Odessa outside to ask Rhett if he wants to join us. The door rattles when it slams shut behind her, and I wearily pull myself from the chair, having only had a few moments’ worth of sitting all day.

“So, hey…” Jackson follows me to the sink, getting so close it reminds me of the way he’d pinned me against the counter and kissed me last night. How good things were before I pushed it too far—pushed him too far. “Going fishing today made me realize maybe the kitchen date wasn’t my best idea. You deserve better than that. Maybe that’s all I could offer when I was twenty, but that doesn’t mean it’s what you should’ve had. Austin told me about some hot springs he and Cecily went to. Apparently we can rent a cabin…Dad offered to stay with the kids.”

Cecily told me about the hot springs after they went for their honeymoon, but trying to get a weekend away when you’re married to a rancher is like pulling teeth. And it never happened….

“I think a weekend away, just the two of us, could be exactly what we need. Plus, you deserve the relaxation. Think about how good it’ll feel to be kid-free, soaking in the hot spring, eating at a nice restaurant….”

“I have always wanted to go there,” I quietly admit.