“This Friday.”
Jess cracks an ear-to-ear smile. “Fantastic!”
“But I can’t go around wearing dresses at the feed store. I mean, it’s totally non-functional and would be very obvious to Travis.”
She cocks her head to the side. “I think after what you just told me, you need to go out on a limb and be very obvious. But I get it. A new top and tight-fitting jeans will do you wonders and so will some makeup and curling your hair. Is there anyway you could rearrange this week’s delivery so you and Travis can go out together instead of having to work?”
I stare at the ceiling for a moment, my heart racing at thethought of her plan and how vulnerable it would make me feel. But I can’t risk losing Travis, and I miss him so much. The thought of being with him again, kissing him again puts a tight knot of desire in my throat. “Yes, I could rearrange the time for a morning delivery, I guess. If I get a driver who’s willing to help unload, it should be fine.”
Jess swats the air dismissively. “I have plenty of brothers-in-law who can help you out now and so can Logan, if he’s not called out for search and rescue work.”
I clutch my chest, feeling my heart pound against my ribs. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m not pretty like Birdie, Selma, or you.”
Jess shakes her head, anger flashing across her face. “I don’t know where you got that idea from, but it couldn’t be more wrong. You’ve got one of the most eligible bachelors in Hollister all over you. Girls around here would literally get in cat fights for him. Between the way I’ve seen him talk about you and what you just told me, he’s all yours. It’s time to go get what you want instead of worrying about what other people think. This is about you and Trav and nobody else. Are you in?”
I nod, smiling tentatively.
Chapter Five
TRAVIS
The Twin Otter’s engines roar as I sit back, waiting to jump. I’ve checked my gear and my chute, and there’s nothing else for me to do except listen to my older brother Logan laugh until he cries.Fuck this shit.
Of course, it’s my own damn fault for confiding in him. And I know he means well. Hell, if we swapped shoes, I guess I’d have the same reaction. But it doesn’t feel great, considering the bruised heart I’m nursing.
The plane’s shaking rumble forces Logan to scream as he continues to dissect my pathetic love life.
“So, let me get this straight. You really asked her to go for a ride with you under the pretext she had the rest of her life to repent?” He doesn’t wait for me to nod before he starts guffawing again.
I hang my head, staring down at my jumpsuit. I don’t have my gloves or helmet on yet. We’ve got a few minutes to go, but it feels like an eternity.
“Yeah, I fucked up,” I yell in reply. “I get it. I said something stupid, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m over it.”
Logan has short dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes are brown like mine, and he’s built like me, too.
We work out together, train together, and I’ve always looked up to him. He’s helping me perfect the fine art of skydiving because I may apply as a smokejumper in a couple more years.
I need at least six years of wildland firefighting experience for that, and I’ve only got four under my belt as a Rough & Ready Hotshot. But even if the smoke jumping thing doesn’t end up happening, I’m addicted to the adrenaline rush of jumping from a plane. And I enjoy hanging out with my bro when he’s not mocking me.
“I don’t know where I went wrong in your education, but you need better pickup lines, Travis.” He shakes his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. “Shit.”
Logan’s thirty-five, and he’s always had a reputation for being handy with the ladies. Truth be told, he did teach me some of his best pickup lines, and they always worked with the fine ladies of Rough & Ready Country. But Faith is another animal.
Not only does she have a finely tuned bullshit monitor, but she also gets my heart racing so fast, I can’t think straight. That’s when verifiable shit starts pouring out of my mouth. I have to agree, though, this latest word salad is stunningly bad. I’ll never live it down. And I probably wouldn’t care if I didn’t have an acute ache in my chest to accompany it.
“You done laughing yet?” Unlike me, Logan found the girl of his dreams and managed to clinch her. My hope of doing that with Faith has all but vanished. I still have her Cougar in my garage, and I can’t bring myself to abandon her at the feed store on delivery days. But apart from that, I’ve checked out.
I can’t take anymore of her mixed signals or the mind fucking they cause me. Not that I’m blaming her for any ofthis. I could be reading her completely wrong at this point. My perception’s way off because my heart’s tangled up in the middle of this whole mess. While I know better and see where the problem lies, it’s too late to do anything about it.
“Sorry, bro. It’s just the thought of you saying that to Faith Jenkins. Shit.” He starts laughing again.
If we weren’t airborne, I’d be tempted to put my fist through the wall next to me. As it is, I’m about to soar thousands of feet above the ground. The adrenaline’s pumping, and I blame the momentary violent thought on it.
No matter how often I skydive, the anticipation is always worse than the first leap. We’re dropping out at 13,500 feet, and I’m pulling my cord at three thousand feet. In other words, I’ll be on the ground in less than sixty seconds. And then it’ll be back to listening to Logan’s shit again.
Brothers can be such pains in the ass, and I have fourteen of them, thanks to my foster dad’s overly generous heart and big ranch. And because Dad offered each of us our own ten-acre plot of land on his homestead, there’s no getting away from my family.
I look up as a burst of air enters the cabin, announcing the opening of the plane door. Wolfe sticks his head out, checking our landing spot and giving the thumbs up. He’s spotting today, but it’ll be me next time.
