The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,57
sunburned shoulder. “Stay and finish your dessert. See you tomorrow.”
* * *
The park was only a couple of blocks away from the cafe. The clouds were moving away and stars had begun to wink out like pin pricks. The full moon, white and glowing like a ball of polished marble, sailed overhead in the dark sky. The storm had washed the air clean and the temperature had dropped from scorching to comfortable.
JC stopped by her car and grabbed a flashlight from the glove box before she stepped into the park. Moonlight filled the area like daylight, illuminating the destruction in stark relief. The truth of her defeat squeezed her chest and roiled through her gut. The ground squished under her feet and the flower beds had been crushed by the rain and the hail, their colorful blooms and stems smashed flat against the ground. The wind had blown two of the newly planted trees down despite being anchored with stakes and heavy twine. Tree limbs, leaves and flower petals were strewn everywhere. JC had known there would be some damage but not like this. She looked at the fountain, broken by a tree branch with the base under water. The plants she had set in earlier in the afternoon floated on top of the water, their roots exposed as if to say “Ha, you failed again, JC. What are you going to do now?”
Frustration and anger melded into a hot, hard knot in her stomach. This can’t be. This can’t happen. She’d worked so damn hard. She’d done everything she could to make sure every last detail was covered and it had been covered. The park had looked so beautiful. Now it was in ruins.
Her breath pushed through her throat in short, ragged gasps. She fisted her hands at her sides and struggled against the rushing tide of her emotions.
No, I won’t give in. I won’t let this beat me. But it already had. There was no way she could fix this on her own. She’d called in every favor, she’d shot her wad. Crap! She’d failed the town and she’d failed herself. And she’d heaped further misery on herself by falling in love with Rafe and his family.
A car door slammed shattering the silence. She turned to see Rafe striding into the park and jerked her head around. She scooted toward the shadows hoping he hadn’t seen her and leaned against the wet bark of a tree. Her chest ached with misery, her eyes filled and the lump in her throat pressed hard, insisting she give up her struggle and let it out. JC covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
* * *
Watching Jennifer’s shoulders shake and listening to her weeping, Rafe walked toward her as each sob quietly ripped him apart. He hated to see any female cry. Whenever Molly cried, it sliced him to shreds. He’d only seen his mother cry a couple of times and that was when his grandparents passed away and her tears were a sight he never wanted to see again.
Jennifer wailed amid the drip of wet leaves and the storm’s wreckage surrounding her. Moonlight sprinkled down over her through the tree leaves making her look like a dejected angel. She needed someone. Damn it, she needed him. He couldn’t be an asshole and turn his back. He had to help her, comfort her or he couldn’t live with himself. When her tears were gone, he’d make sure she understood the strong shoulder he’d given her to cry on was a one-time thing.
When he reached her side, she looked up at him with tears streaking her face and her chest heaving with short, gasping breaths. Dear God in heaven, she’d never looked more beautiful or more miserable. He drew her into his arms and held her while she cried. He babbled some of the same nonsense he cooed to Molly until her tears abated. She drew back and looked up at him, her eyes wet, her eye lashes bunched together with tears and her lips trembling. Brushing the hair from her face he said, “Feel better?”
She heaved a shaky breath. “No.”
He knew he shouldn’t kiss her, but he couldn’t turn away from the need and longing he saw reflected in her eyes. Smiling, he placed his hands on either side of her face and lowered his head. They gazed at each other and her breath caught right before his lips grazed hers. He sampled at first, very lightly, a nip here, and