“We didn’t invite anyone but family,” she said. “He has a lot of brothers, and the deck was full.”
“That’s what Cheyenne said.”
“Cheyenne Wool?” Beth asked, surprised. “How would she know?”
“I don’t know. That’s just what she told Henri, who told me.”
Great, Beth thought. Everyone in town had been talking about her. She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.
“You know,” he said, still feeding cable down the drain. “I thought about asking you out, but I wasn’t sure if it would be weird.”
Beth blinked, because she had not given Danny’s best friend a second thought. Her heart started to pound, and she certainly didn’t know how to respond. She tried to back up simply to put a little bit more space between them, but there was nowhere for her to go.
“I don’t know if it would be either,” she said quietly.
“Guess we’ll never know.” He flashed her a smile and reached the end of his cable. The case teetered and started to slip. They both lunged for it, because it was a very expensive piece of equipment, and she didn’t want it to get broken on her ranch.
His boots had plenty of mud on them from his trek around the edges of the frozen water, and he slipped. He grunted as his hip hit the floor, and Beth tripped over his now-splayed legs.
She landed right on top of him, a cry coming from her mouth. He steadied the case with one hand and said, “Don’t move. It’s right against your back.”
Beth froze, though she wanted to scramble around until she could find solid ground and get to her feet.
He strained to balance the case, and when he did, he relaxed onto the ground. He started to chuckle and said, “Ow. I’m old.”
She laughed too, relaxing into her position though her kneecap was resting uncomfortably against the cement and one hand pressed on Jake’s chest.
Their eyes met, and Beth knew she needed to get out of that shed right now. “Okay,” she said. “Let me—”
“What’s going on?” someone asked, and she whipped her attention over her shoulder to see Trey standing there, his tall frame and wide shoulders filling the doorway and blocking her only escape.
Chapter Twenty-One
Trey couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His heartbeat had been accelerating minute by minute since he’d picked up TJ forty-five minutes ago. He’d been looking for Beth for the past twenty minutes, and now he had to find her laying on top of another man.
“There you go,” that other man said, and Beth managed to press one hand against the wall and get to her feet. She faced him, taking the single step toward him to close the distance between them.
Behind her, the man got up, and Trey finally saw who it was. “Jake Harguss?” he asked, his eyes flying back to Beth. “You and…wasn’t he Danny’s best friend?”
“Can you back up?” she asked, her voice pitching up.
Trey did what she said, because he wasn’t sure what else to do. He’d stayed at the homestead last night, unable to face coming back to this farmhouse. He’d never intended to stay away forever, though.
He’d always planned on picking up TJ and bringing him home for lunch. He, Beth, and Trey usually ate lunch together, but today, the house had been empty and there had been no lunch. He’d told TJ he’d be right back, and knowing the child, he was probably scrambling eggs and burning down the house by now.
He actually glanced toward the farmhouse to check for smoke. None rose into the sky, and he turned his attention back to his wife. Beth had left the shed, though, and she’d walked away from it. She stood several paces away, staring out over her ranch.
Jake came out of the shed too, a black case that looked like a bulky briefcase made of hard plastic. “Nothing here,” he said. “Where should we look next, Beth?” He glanced at Trey. “The stables?”
Beth didn’t move, and Trey stuck out his hand. “I’m Trey Chappell. I’m not sure we’ve ever met formally. My brother probably handles all our issues. Spur?”
“Sure,” Jake said, smiling. “I’m Jake Harguss.” The two shook hands, and Trey gritted his teeth so he wouldn’t squeeze the other man’s hand too hard. “You’ve got a leak somewhere here. I’m just trying to find it.”
“It’s not my ranch,” Trey said automatically.
“What?” Beth demanded, and Trey hadn’t realized how closed she’d come. “This is too your ranch.We’reworking the ranch together.”
He looked at her, trying to decide if he was going to get into this with her right now. He didn’t decide fast enough, and Beth threw her hands up and scoffed. “Let’s try the stables, Jake,” she said. “Are you going to take TJ to Bluegrass, or should I go check on him? Jake doesn’t need my help to find a leak.”