Page 27 of Second Chance Saloon

Mitch’s wide grin welcomed her from the rocking chair on the decked porch as she pushed the door open with her shoulder. “Need any help with those?”

She shook her head. “All good.”

He beamed at her, his eyes flicking back to the landscape before them. “It’s so beautiful out here.”

Jackie handed him one of the glasses, sat down and kicked off her boots. Balancing her own glass, she brought one of her legs up on the chair, sitting semi cross-legged. “Yes, it is.”

She wasn’t looking at the barns, the gravel pathway, the paddocks or the bunkhouse where some of the ranch crew lived. Neither was she looking at the vast fields, their greenery and yellowed hues left over from the summer, or the cattle happily grazing in their confines. She was watching Mitch’s profile: his straight nose and green eyes, so much lusher than the bushes and the grass surrounding them, crinkling with wonder as he was soaking in her home.

He turned to her, perhaps sensing her eyes on him. “It must’ve been amazing growing up here.”

Jackie took a sip of her tea. “Yes and no. You see a grand ranch, miles of rolling fields and opportunities to roam. You see peace and nature, right?”

Mitch nodded slowly, once, like he doubted himself.

“Well, it was all that, yes. But it was also very lonely at times.” She glanced down at the glass in her lap, dragging her index finger around its edge. “My parents were away a lot. Mimi’s great, I know she loves me very much. Running a ranch is hard work, though. She was busy, especially after Grandpa died. It all fell on her shoulders.”

“She’s had help, right?”

“Of course. Dustin, our foreman, he’s been here forever. I think he started when I was maybe four or five.” She scrunched up her forehead, casting her mind deep into her memories, back to her early childhood. “Anyway, even though there’s enough people working here now, it wasn’t always the case.”

“Let me guess, your grandmother was too stubborn to admit she needed help?”

Jackie looked at him again and found him smiling. She smiled back at him. “Something like that.”

Mitch let out a breath, sinking lower in the chair. He pushed his booted foot off the decked porch, setting the chair in the rocking motion. “I’d love to have a ranch like this one day.”

Jackie’s brows rose. “I thought you wanted to be a vet.”

“I do. I want to do both. Being a vet comes in useful, you know. With animals at the ranch and all.”

“Yeah, horses you can’t ride. That might be the first thing to tick off your list. No self-respecting rancher would admit to not knowing how to ride.”

Mitch touched the brim of his hat. “Who said I’d admit it to anyone but you?”

“Well, I told you I’d teach you, so that won’t be an issue.”

“Have you ever taught anyone how to ride?”

“No. But how hard can it be?”

His eyes widened in alarm. “Incredibly. What if I fall off?”

“Oh, don’t worry, cowboy. I’ll catch you. But there’ll be no need. You’ll be fine.”

He swallowed a gulp of his iced tea, his forehead still creased with worry. “Tomorrow?”

Jackie rested her head against the back of her chair, closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes, Mitch. Tomorrow. Unless you’re going to obsess over it all night, then we can go right now.”

All she heard next was the thump of a glass being set against a wooden surface and the squeaking of an abandoned rocking chair. She opened one eye and found Mitch standing up straight right in front of her.

“Let’s get it over with,” he said, jaw hardened.

Jackie held her breath as she watched Mitch move his hand up and down Diamond’s bay-roan neck. The gelding snorted, pushing his nose right into Mitch’s palm.

Mitch turned to Jackie, his face split into a smile. “He doesn’t want to eat me!”

She relaxed, propping the heel of her boot on the beam she’d been leaning against. “I told you he’s a sweet soul.”