by Penny Wylder
“Yup.”
Why did she come here?
I feel on edge. I'm waiting for her to just spill it and tell me why she showed up here like this.
“So, you know of any other hotels close by? Or do you think maybe you could call your sister and get her to rent me a room for the night?”
“You want me to fix your problem? Is that why you're here?”
Jenna's gaze freezes as her brows furrow. “I'm asking for a small favor, that's it.”
“Why don't you just hop on your private jet and fly home? I mean, I'm not going to sell the farm to you, so there's no point in you even being here.”
The words come out too fast for me to stop, and I regret them instantly. Her face softens as she flinches with my harsh tone, her eyes turning glassy as tears bubble up over the surface. I'm not usually this mean, but she's acting like this is somehow my problem to fix for her.
Jenna inhales a deep breath and swallows hard. Clearing her throat, she shakes the tears away, pulling up her armor. “I'm not leaving, Ryder. I'm staying until I can convince you to see reason. This is the right thing to do. You know it and I know it.”
She wants to convince me. All right, I can play a long for a little bit.
I have an idea. One that causes an immediate grin on my face. She won't go for it, but it'll be fun to see the look on her face.
“Okay, how about this? You stay here.”
“What?” she asks.
“Stay here. You can sleep in one of the guest rooms and stay here as long as you're in town.”
Her jaw drops as her chin crooks to one side. “You're not serious. You're screwing with me, right?”
“I'm serious, but there is one catch.” Leaning forward, I hold my mug in both hands, a slick smile on my face. “You have to earn your keep, just like when we were kids. You help around the farm, and in exchange, I'll hear whatever pitches you have for me.”
“This has to be a joke. You're not serious.”
“No it's not, I mean it,” I answer. “But,” I quickly say, holding up a finger, “I'm not making any promises, I'm only agreeing to listen. You have my ears, but it doesn't mean I'm selling. I'll hear you out, though.”
She sits in silence. Her eyes staring me down. She's reading me, studying me intently. So, I do the only thing I can. I stare back. I'm still as a statue. She isn't going to see whatever it is she's looking for.
After a few long seconds of quiet, I calmly shrug a shoulder. “You can always hold up for the night at the rest area up near the highway. I'm sure it'll be cozy enough in the backseat of that sports car you're driving. The bears and psychos out there won't bother you at all.” Grabbing the mug of coffee, I take a long sip.
Jenna isn't good at hiding her emotions. She never has been. I know exactly what she's thinking right now. She's running scenarios through her head. Weighing her options.
Her eyes jitter in their sockets as she nibbles anxiously on her bottom lip. It's sexy watching her think like this. There's a vulnerability to her. And I like it.
“I accept.”
Is she really saying yes to this?
“What now?”
“I accept your offer. It's not like I'll be here long. I'm going to have you signing the paperwork in no time.”
“I think you're underestimating me, Jenna.”
She gently lifts the coffee to her lips and smirks. “And I think you might be overestimating yourself.”
Smirking back, I stand up. “Okay, it's settled. Let me show you your room.”
“What about your sister? Won't Melody be upset to find me here?” she asks, following me up the stairs.
“She's hardly here anymore. The girl is seventeen and spends a lot of time working at the motel. Most nights she just crashes there because it's easier. And when she is home, she's studying.”
I can visibly see the relief as it lifts off her shoulders. My sister isn't easy to deal with. She's head strong, and she isn't afraid to tell you exactly how she feels. I don't blame Jenna for being intimidated by her.
I'm sure it's weird to be challenged by a girl who was seven the last time you saw her. And if the last decade of your life people were bending over backwards to appease you, a mouthy teenager who doesn't take shit is a shock.
“Do you have a suitcase in the car? I'll go grab it for you.”
“No, I just have this.” Holding up a small tote, she tips her toe into the floor and looks down.
“Well, you have your own bathroom. There are clean towels and anything else you might need. My sister is pretty good about making sure our rooms are stocked like the motel,” I say, laughing out loud.
“That's not a bad thing.” Jenna has a warm smile as she giggles.
Fuck. I missed that laugh.
It didn't hit me until right then how much I missed about this girl. Her laugh. Her smile. The way her nose crinkles up when she's thinking. How she arches a single brow when she's cracking a joke. All the little things that no one else used to appreciate but me. She used to have such a bold and fun personality. I find myself wondering if that girl's still in there somewhere.
I'm staring at her and she notices, causing her eyes to lower curiously. Glancing away quickly, I shake the thoughts away. “If you get hungry, help yourself to whatever you can find.”
She nods, rocking her bag back and forth across her waist. There are million things running through my head. Questions I have. Words that I want to scream in her face. I hold it in, letting the silence between us become awkward.
“Well, it's getting late,” Jenna finally says.
“Yeah. I still have a few things I need to take care of too. There's no down time in a farmer's world. I'll leave my number on the fridge in case you need me for anything.”
I start to shut the door, when she suddenly says, “Thanks for this, Ryder. I do appreciate it.”
“This isn't a favor; this is a trade for work. But you're welcome anyway.” Winking, I take a step back into the hall. “We have an early day tomorrow, so get some rest.”
Closing the door behind me, I leave her with a smile on my face. There's something about this that excites me. She's here. She's so close. Jenna Snyder has walked back into my life, even if it's only for a little while.
My excitement is a mix of lust and torture. The opportunity for revenge is in the palm of my hand. And in the same dark breath, having her under my roof opens the door for a different kind of trouble.
A trouble that's forged in my blood. The lust burns in my gut like one hundred proof alcohol. I'm hot all over. My dick pulses in my pants. Sweat is beading up on the back of my neck as I think of all the things I could do to her.
I'm not the boy she left behind. I'm a greedy man with no remorse.
And I'm willing to watch her sweat a little to get what I want.
This is going to be fun.
5
Ryder
As soon as I think Jenna's settled, I hop in my truck and head to town. Shoving the door open at the motel, my sister perks up and smiles the second she sees me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asks, setting her book down on the counter.
Shaking my head, my jaw crooks to one side. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Her brows furrow instantly as she cocks her head into her shoulder. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know what I'm talking about.”
Holding out her hands, she drops her eyes. “Look, it was only one drink. I swear I didn't drive either. I spent the night, and—”
“What?” I cut in. Melody's gaze shoots back up, and there's confusion all over her face. “I'm not talking about whatever it is you did. I'm talking about Jenna. But we are going to talk about your little confession later.”
“Jenna?” As if a light pops on in her head, she laughs. “She told you? What did she do? Run right to you to rat on me? Wow, what a little cry baby. The girl doesn't get her way and she thinks telling you will change something. What
a joke.”
“This is serious, Melody. You shouldn't have done that.”
“And why not?” Stiffening her shoulders, she lifts her chin in protest. “I saw what she did to you. I might have been young, but I wasn't stupid. You were hurting, and it was all her fault. And now she's here trying to take the farm from us?” Her voice is getting louder and louder as she speaks. “I'm not going to let someone like that around me or you or anyone else. She's an outsider, and she needs to just go back home. We don't need her here.”
Stroking my jaw, I take in a slow breath, choosing my words carefully. “Look, I appreciate you looking out for me and for the farm, but let me handle this. This isn't your battle, it's mine. And doing childish things like refusing her a room, it doesn't solve anything.”
“Maybe not, but it sure did make me feel good.”
“Well, maybe this will make you feel even better. Because of your little trick, she's staying at the farm.”
“What? You're kidding me?” Her jaw hangs open wide, eyes bulging from her head. “Please tell me you're joking.”
“I'm not, she's there right now. I told her she could stay.”
“For how long?”
“Until it's time for her to leave.”
“And when is that?”
“I don't know, Melody, but it's done.”
She side-eyes me, her lips pursing tight. “There's more to this than you just coming to her rescue. What are you not telling me?” Her eyes jump around my face. “You still have feelings for her, don't you?”
“No.” Slicing a hand through the air, I cut her down. “It's not like that at all. I just don't want her sleeping under a bridge because of you. You turned her away, and I made it right.”
Smirking, she drops back into her seat and puts her feet up on the desk. “Bullshit,” she says with a giggle. “You still like her, I can see it.”
“I do not like her.”
Grinning big, she sings, “Ryder and Jenna sitting in a tree—”
“Stop it,” I say firmly.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes—”
“I said stop it.” Shoving her feet hard off the desk, she spins in the chair. Melody is laughing hard, rubbing her eyes as they tear up. “It's not that funny.”
“It is to me.”
“What are you, eleven?”
“Sometimes.” She spins around in the chair on her own. “But aren't we all a little childish at times?” She stops herself so she's facing me, gripping the edge of the desk.
“Are you coming home tonight?” I ask, changing the subject. I'm not having this conversation with her. I love my sister, but sometimes I can't deal with her.
“No, I'm here until one and back at eight. I'll probably just grab a room and spend the night.”
“All right, but call me tomorrow.”
“Yes, Dad,” she says sarcastically.
Shaking my head, I say goodbye and head back to my truck. My sister is a good kid. Melody's responsible, determined, and smart as hell. I feel bad she had to grow up so quick.
After our mother got ill, my father and I still needed to keep the farm running. We couldn't just drop everything. Melody really stepped up, she became our mother's caregiver, helping her with everything up to the day she died.
She had just turned fifteen when our mother passed away, and six months later she finds our father in the barn. He had a heart attack, something none of us saw coming. My sister thinks he died of a broken heart, but I don't. He worked his ass off for years, the stress of everything finally got to him.
But I hate that she found him. That kills me the most.
It should have been me that found him, not her, but I went into town to run some errands. Errands that weren't really necessary, but I wanted to escape for a bit. It's my fault. Maybe if I had been there, he would still be with us. Maybe if I hadn't been so selfish, Melody wouldn't suffer the pain from that memory.
I'm going to do right by my sister. She's going to get to live the life she wants, not the one that's been forced on her. I want her to go to college. I want her to travel the world and create her space out there somewhere.
I want her to do the things I never got the chance to. But I always want her to be able to come home. To her home. To the home we grew up in. I won't take that from her.
Which is why I'm never selling this farm. This place will always be ours.
Sitting in my truck, I'm not ready to go home. I'm not ready to be in the same house with Jenna. I can feel the desire and lust building inside me. It's clawing up my spine with its sharp talons. I need to get my shit together before I go back.
Pulling out my phone, I text my best friend Mark, and he agrees to meet me for a drink. Mark and I go back a long time. We've been friends since we were nine. Born and raised two farms over, he's the only other person I ever hung out with aside from Jenna.
He's someone I can count on. An incredible mechanic and handyman, Mark's a country boy with talent. He can rebuild a carburetor with his eyes closed. Anything that needs fixing, he can do.
I'm at the bar working on drink number two by the time he shows up.
“Hey asshole, you started without me.” Mark slaps my shoulder and slips onto the stool beside me. “A beer and two shots of your choice for me and my friend,” he says to the bartender. “So, what's going on?”
“Man, you have no idea what happened to me today.”
Mark looks at me, his face falling flat. “You all right? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. It's just someone came to try and make another offer on the farm today.”
“And I'm sure you told them to fuck off, right?” The bartender slips his beer in front of him and he picks it up to take a sip. “Same as always.”
“Of course I did. You need a job still, too. Whose tractors would you work on if I wasn't here?” Mark nods in agreement and laughs. “But that's not the crazy part,” I say. “The crazy part is it was Jenna who showed up.”
He almost spits his beer out of his mouth, forcing himself to swallow it fast. “Are you shitting me? Jenna? The Jenna from when we were kids?”
Shaking my head yes, I add, “And to top it all off, she's staying at the farm while she's here.”
“Wow. I didn't see this coming.”
“Me either.” Hanging my head, I sigh. “I feel like an idiot. I don't understand what the fuck is going on with me. She left when we were kids. We were too young to really know or understand things like love. So why the hell does her being here twist me up so much inside?”
Mark shrugs his shoulders. “I don't know.”
“It still hurts. I can still feel it like it was yesterday. All I can think about is breaking her down to see if she ever felt like I did. It's hard to think I'm the only one who felt this way. She had to feel something too. Right?”
“I don't know, but that's life, Ryder,” Mark says, pushing the shot in front of me and lifting his. “We can't choose how we feel about people. And for you. . .” He pauses, pointing a finger at me. “You never got closure. So, get that closure now while you can. You might only get this chance once, don't let it pass by.”
He might be right. I have all these questions floating through my head, and they deserve an answer. If I waste this opportunity, I might never get another one.
Mark lifts his shot glass high and nods his head for me to pick up mine. Clanking them together, we both swallow the shots. We spend the next couple hours drinking, shooting pool, and just having fun.
I'm in no shape to drive once it's time to leave. Mark offers to take me home and promises to have my truck back to me in the morning. Reluctantly, I agree. I don't like the idea of leaving my truck there, but I can barely stand straight without wobbling on my feet.
The house is dark as he pulls up the driveway and parks out front. “You fine to get inside?”
“I'm good. Thanks. I'll call you in the morning.” Closing the door, I stand and watch him leave.
Stumblin
g into the house, I'm not as drunk as I was before, but my skin still feels hot and clammy. Feeling around on the wall, I flip the switch in the hall. Pulling my jacket off, I stagger into the kitchen and stop in my tracks.
Rubbing my eyes, I'm not sure if I'm hallucinating or not. I swear Jenna is standing at the sink in a tiny pair of black shorts and a pink tank-top. She looks at me surprised as she shuts the faucet off and puts the glass down in the sink.
“I'm sorry, I'll get out of your way. I just wanted to grab a quick drink.”
Without a word, I'm across the room, forcing her back against the counter. I can't stop myself. I lost all the control I have over myself.
My hands run down her arms, touching her silky smooth skin. She's so soft, I just want to touch her all over. My fingertips slip back up, following the curves of her shoulders to her throat.
Jenna inhales a sharp breath as I reach her chin and run the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. I can feel her trembling. Her skin erupts with goosebumps as my hands move from her face to her hair.
Holding her head, I dig my fingers into the base of her skull and say, “Have you thought about me over the years? Did I ever cross your mind at all? Because I've thought about you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.”
Her eyes dart back and forth between mine, and her lips part as if she wants to answer but can’t find her voice. Jenna tilts her head into my hand, her eyes glued to mine, glistening under the light over the sink.
Before she can even utter a sound, I kiss her. I kiss her because I have to. The need is overwhelming, consuming me instantly, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
To my surprise, Jenna kisses me back. Her body rolls against mine, pressing her soft breasts against my chest. Pressing her harder against the counter, our kiss turns savage.
My tongue is in her mouth, her tongue is in mine. She's breathing heavily, and exhales with a soft moan.
No, you can't do this! The voice inside my head screams for me to stop.
Pulling away from her quickly, I take a long step back. Looking down on her, her chest is rising and falling rapidly, and her eyes are sultry. Jenna lifts her fingertips to her mouth, touching her lips lightly.
