The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,64
Molly over to the bench where Linc was sitting. “Well, Molly and I have made plans for her to come and visit me as soon as I get settled.”
Linc grinned. “I’m glad to hear it. Call and let us know how you’re doing, okay?”
JC didn’t move until Linc and Molly’s car faded from sight.
* * *
Rafe worked on the payroll for several hours in the ranch office at the north end of the barn. He’d pored over time cards, configured days off, sick days, half days until his eyes were crossed. His shoulders were bunched with tension, his nerves were frayed to the breaking point and a headache pounded at his temples and he never got a headache.
Concentration had eluded him. Every time he clutched it in a firm grip, visions of Jennifer would float into his conscience. The little cow lick where she parted her hair, the way her mouth was slightly crooked when she smiled. Her soft, loving ways with Molly.
He curled the fingers of both hands into a hard fist on top of the desk then relaxed. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Jennifer? He wondered how she was doing in Dallas, how her job was going, if she’d found a nice place to live, if she’d made new friends. If she was dating anyone and who the son-of-a-bitch was so he could beat the tar out of him.
It was for the best she had left Salvation because he wasn’t sure if he could stand seeing her around and not talking to her. So why did it bother him so much? Why did the idea of her living somewhere else gnaw at his guts? Why did it bother him that he wouldn’t be seeing her on a regular basis?
Because he knew why. He’d jumped off that cliff and banged against the rocks. She’d sucked him in. He’d been taken, whole and unprotected. His once broken, guilt-ridden heart had healed and Jennifer had healed it.
She checked in from time to time, but she spoke with Linc or Molly, not with him. Damn it, he wanted to hear her voice, her laughter, her sighs. He remembered the day she had come by the ranch to tell him goodbye.
He’d been finishing up repairs on one of the pasture fences when the sound of a car engine sliced through the afternoon quiet. He looked up to see Jennifer’s car barreling down the dirt road with a rooster tail of dust behind it. Inside he cowered and shook. Somehow he knew why she was coming. Despite the thick heat of the day, his skin turned cold and a hollow place like a steep arroyo opened up inside him. Would he ever fill it? She pulled her car to the side of the road, cut the engine and climbed out. He finished hammering in a nail, hitting it harder than necessary in his frustration, wishing she wasn’t here to say what he knew she was here to say. He didn’t want to hear goodbye, but he had to hear it. It was for her own good and for his.
Jennifer walked toward him, her loose hair blowing around her face. With the sun at her back, a nimbus of gold formed around her head. When she stepped close, he shaded his eyes and her face came into view. “Jennifer,” Rafe said as casual as possible. A horse stuck her head over the fence asking for a pet and she obliged her. He watched her fingers ruffling the horse’s mane. Why can’t she touch me like that? Because he wouldn’t let her.
“I came to say goodbye.”
Goodbye. The word echoed through his brain, his body, his heart. Damn it. Don’t leave he wanted to shout. Even if he asked her to stay and she stayed he knew in the end he would ruin everything. “What about the resort and your job?”
“I talked to Linc and he’s going to tell the city council that I’ve had another job offer.”
“Lucky you.”
She nodded. “Lucky me,” she said in a soft voice almost too quiet for him to hear.
“So you’re heading out, huh?”
“Yes, I wanted to get to Dallas a few days early to settle into my new apartment. My job starts next Monday.”
“You must be looking forward to it.”
Her eyes appeared overly bright. Could there be tears? “Yes, very. It’s a great job, with a higher salary, benefits…” Her voice trailed away.
Rafe dug another nail out of the pouch around his waist. “Guess you’ll be glad to get back