Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

MATTHEW

I take a long pull from my travel mug of coffee. It’s way too early to be up, and I haven’t slept worth shit since Jessica left two weeks ago. We’ve texted daily, and we’ve talked several times since she left.

I hate that she’s so far away. It feels like she’s slipping out of my grasp, and if I don’t latch on soon, I’ll lose her forever. I’ve asked her several times when she plans on returning. She’s not given me a clear answer. Only that she’s working on it but it could take up to three weeks.

I can’t imagine how much work it takes to transfer leadership roles of a company like hers. I’m sure it’s not easy. Plus, she’s packing up her life. That takes time.

I’m trying not to worry, but it’s hard.

Taking another sip of my coffee, I focus on the task at hand. I got an early call this morning from one of my clients that a pack of wolves attacked their herd. They lost one cow and have three others that are badly injured.

I finish loading up my medical supplies in the back of my truck when Joseph pulls in beside me. I called him right after I hung up with my client, asking if he could go with me. I’ll need another set of hands for this one, but I can’t call Naomi. She’s got young kids at home to care for and last-minute early morning calls aren’t easy for her. Joseph may not have medical training, but his instincts are spot on, and he's great with the animals.

“Hey, man. Thanks again for doing this,” I say as he steps out of his truck.

He grunts before he turns around and gathers his coffee and hat out of his truck.

“Too early for you little bro?” I laugh. “After all these years on the ranch, I’d think these early mornings would be easy for you.”

“It’s not that,” he mumbles. “Stayed out too late last night at Stocks and Stables.”

“Thought you knew better than that on a work night.”

“It hadn’t been the plan.” He yawns before taking a drink from his mug. “Georgie was being possessive last night, and I had to break up a fight.”

“Georgianne Lewis?” That woman has been hot after Joseph for years. She’s a nice girl from a nice family, and if Joseph would grow up, she’d make him a good wife.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” He shakes his head and sighs. “I never should have gotten mixed up with her. She wants more than I can give. Now I have to deal with it every time I go out.”

“Maybe it's time you settle down.” I look at him out of the corner of my eye to watch his expression. To my surprise, he doesn’t look defensive.

He rests his arms against the bed of the truck and looks right at me. “I would for the right woman.”

“Are you sure Georgie’s not it? She's a good girl.”

“She is, but she’s not the one for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever catch the one for me.”

I lean against the bed of the truck opposite Joseph and clasp my hands together. “You never know. I’m sure she’s out there somewhere.”

“Oh, she’s out there all right, just not in Watercress Falls. But she doesn’t want me.”

I rear my head back and narrow my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I just said.” He pins me with a stare that makes my heart ache. I’ve never seen Joseph look so defeated and sad.

“Did something happen?”

“Nah.” He takes another drink of his coffee and turns away from me. “I’m just being a jealous fool.”

“Jealous of who?”

“You and Adam. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for both of you. But I had come to accept that we were all going to grow old together. Alone, grouchy old men.”

I snort, mostly to stifle the laugh that wants to escape. “Be jealous of Adam all you want, but I’m a long way away from getting the girl.”

“What are you talking about? I thought you and Jess got back together.”

I spread my arms out to my side. “Do you see her here?”

“Not at the moment, but she’s coming back, right?”

I let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I hope so. She says she is, but she can’t give me a return date. I feel like I’m losing her again.”

“Well, shit. Sorry bro.”

I wave off his concern. “It’s fine. I’m probably just being paranoid. Tell me more about your problem. What did you do to make the girl of your dreams not want you? And who the hell is she?”

He laughs and opens the truck door. “There’s not enough alcohol in this county to get me to talk about that one.”

He slips inside and shuts the door, leaving me with my mouth wide open. Aside from the girls he flirts with and occasionally hooks up with down at Stocks and Stables, I’ve never seen Joseph serious about anyone. This little tidbit of info has my head spinning.

I let out a low chuckle and grab my coffee. “Well, I’ll be damned. Joe’s got a girl.”

Five exhausting hours later, we pull up outside the clinic. I groan when I see a truck with a horse trailer attached sitting in my parking space .

“What the fuck, man? I’m too exhausted for another emergency today.”

Joseph slaps me on the back and laughs. “That’s what working for yourself is like. Thought you’d be used to it by now.”

“Yeah, well. Call me hopeful. I really just wanted to sit on the porch and drink a few beers after the morning we had.”

When we arrived, the three cows were in much worse shape than I hoped. We worked as quickly as we could to save them, but still lost one. The poor girl had already lost too much blood by the time we arrived. I had to perform surgery on another, and they both needed more stitches than I could count.

We hop out of the truck. Joseph comes to my side of the truck and helps me unload the medical supplies.

“Hey.” He nods his head in the direction behind me. When I turn around, Jessica is standing in the doorway of the barn next to Naomi.

A grin spreads across my face. The sight of her alone is enough to revive me and chase away the exhaustion from my morning.

Joseph chuckles and says, “Looks like you got the girl to me, bro.”

“Oh, shut it.” I elbow him as he walks by. All he does is snort and keep walking.

“Hey, Jessie Cat,” he says as we near the barn. “I’d hug you but as you can see …” He holds his arms out to his side so she and Naomi could see the full effect of the morning we had.

“Oh, my God.” Jessica gasps and covers her mouth. “What in the hell happened to you two?”

Her eyes dart between us, widening more with each pass she takes. We’re both covered in blood and probably look like something that just stepped out of a horror movie. When her gaze finally holds on mine, I answer her. “Wolf attack on some cows. It was bad, and involved surgery and lots of stitches.”

We stare at each other in silence for what feels like an eternity. I hear Joseph clear his throat next to me before he speaks. “Well, I’m gonna head home and shower. It’s good to have you back Jess.” He turns to me and smiles. “See you at Sunday dinner.”

I nod but don’t take my eyes off Jessica.

“I’m heading out, too.” Naomi says as she points toward her car. “The rest of your afternoon is clear. ”

Within seconds, both of them are pulling out of the driveway, leaving me alone with Jessica.

“You came back.” I step toward her, stopping when I’m only inches away from her.

Her breath hitches and her throat bobs as she swallows. “I told you I would.”

“I know, but you’ve been so … I don’t know, vague about your return date. You had me worried.”

Her shoulders sag. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I wanted to surprise you.” She looks around us and holds her hands up out to her side and smiles. “Surprise!”

Her action causes me to smile and shake my head. “God, I want to kiss you right now. But I need a shower.”

“That you do.” She cups my cheek, leans up, and kisses me, careful not to touch my blood covered clothes. When she pulls away, her eyes are filled with desire. “I’ve been driving for hours and could use a shower myself. What do you say we head inside and take care of that?”

My jeans tighten at her suggestion, and my smile grows. “I can get down with that.” I look behind me at the truck in my spot. “Is that yours?”

“Yeah. Naomi helped me unload my horse. We put her in the empty stall in the back.”

I turn back to her and frown. “You drove here with your horse? Alone?”

“Well, yeah.” She chuckles. “I’m moving here and couldn’t very well leave her behind.”

“You should’ve told me. I would’ve flown out and drove back with you. That had to be hard by yourself.”

She pops her hip out and puts her hands on her hips. “I’m more than capable of pulling a trailer from Seattle to here. I’m not helpless.”

I growl at her sass. “Jesus woman, I’ve missed you.” I thread my fingers into her hair and tug her lips to mine. I take her mouth hard and fast. When I pull away, I smile at the pinkness in her lips and the way her eyes flutter open. “I know you’re capable. Hell, you can do any damn thing you put your mind to. That’s not the point. The point is you should’ve let me help you.”

“A little late for that now,” she says, breathless.

I release her and study the drunken expression in her eyes. It’s a look I’ll never tire of seeing on her. The look that says I’m all she needs and wants and desires. “Come on, let’s go see about that shower.”

I adjust the temperature of the shower until it's hot enough to soothe my aching muscles. I pull my shirt over my head and turn to toss it in the laundry basket by the door. Jessica is leaning on the door frame watching me with a heated gaze. I undo my jeans and shimmy out of them, leaving me in nothing but my boxers.

“Come here.” I wave her toward me, and she obeys. When she stops in front of me, I slip my hands beneath her shirt and lift it over her head. My eyes rake down her body and my cock responds instantly. “So beautiful.”

I slip my fingers around the button of her jeans and unsnap them with a twist. She pushes them down her legs along with her panties and kicks them aside. With one hand, she reaches behind her and unhooks her bra. My heart beats faster and my breath quickens at the sight of her naked body. “Did I mention you’re beautiful?”

She laughs and steps closer still. “You did.” She slips her hands into the waistband of my boxers and tugs them down. “But I like hearing you say it.”

I lift my feet, one at a time, so she can take them off me. Once we’re both naked, she takes my hand and leads me into the shower. As soon as the hot spray hits my skin, I sigh. “Damn, this feels good.”

With a grin, she grabs the bar of soap and a washcloth. “Let me clean you.”

She works slowly over my body, starting with my neck, arms, and chest. Then she turns me around and washes my back. When her hands make their way down my ass and legs, I shiver. “I think I’ve been showering wrong my entire life. I could get used to this.”

She laughs and rotates my position, so my back is facing the shower head. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, cowboy. I’m just getting started.”

She presses her mouth to mine as her hand holding the washcloth slides down my front and over my very hard cock. The roughness of the cloth causes me to suck in a breath, but when she drops to her knees and takes me in her mouth, I choke on my air.

“Fuck, Jess.” She chuckles with me in her mouth, and I nearly buckle over at the vibrations it creates. She wraps her arms around my legs, cups my ass, and presses me deeper inside her mouth. In gentle, unhurried movements she takes me in and out, licking along my shaft. Every few movements, she sucks me deep down her throat, making me moan. It’s torturous and amazingly gratifying at the same time.

She picks up the pace, sucking me harder. I try not to buck my hips and let her maintain all control, but it’s hard. This feels so fucking good, and I don’t want her to stop. But I also don’t want to come in her mouth.

I pull out of her hold and lift her into my arms. “Why did you do that?”

“Because I want to come inside you.” I growl and she wraps her legs around my waist as I press her against the shower wall. My cock finds her entrance without guidance and as soon as I have my footing, I slam inside her. The sudden sensation of me filling her has both of us crying out in pleasure. “I’m gonna fuck you so hard, baby.”

“Yes, please.” She breathes against my neck.

I slam into her over and over again, relentlessly fucking her while she screams my name. I don’t stop until we’re both spent and collapse on the floor of the shower, letting the hot spray of water soothe our aching bodies.