by Miley Maine
“Hello?” She’s always cheerful, that woman.
“Hello, Tina. Jake here. How are yah and the boys?”
“Oh, all great Mr. Downton. You wanna speak with Emmett?”
Before I have the chance to respond, the sound muffles and I hear “Emmett! Emmett, it’s Jake Downton on the phone.”
A few muffled murmurs follow and he takes the receiver.
“Hello, cowboy.” He chuckles. “Tell me it ain’t the birth already ‘cause I’m ‘bout to eat.”
“No, no.” I chuckle. “It’s more of a favor, really. My brother, Frankie, needs a checkup for his herd. His doc’s down with somethin’.”
“Oh yeah, old Levi. I’ve always warned ‘im ‘bout the long walks at night at his age. Lucky he’s got Betty takin’ care o’ him.” He paused. “Sure thing, have Frankie call me and we’ll work it out.”
“Thank you so much, Doc. See you soon.”
Barefoot, I walk over and make my way up the stairs. When I make it to the bedroom, I let my jeans drop to the floor as I toss the shirt onto them, sliding down my boxers as I step into the shower.
As lucky as I consider myself, having been given this great home and farm to work on and make a living, Emmett’s words ring in my head. Yes, Levi is lucky to have his wife of thirty years still by his side. Not only does she accept his whacky work hours, but she also accommodates his strange hobbies and the aftermath that follows.
After all these years, she takes care of him when he’s sick.
While the water rains over me, I catch a thought lingering in the back of my mind.
Will I ever have that?
A woman so faithful and loyal to stick around through thick and thin, love me at my best yet look after me at my worst.
Shaking my head, I—once again—recall the gorgeous Belle and the way she briefly showed me a great deal of tenderness and care after my fateful drop.
After a long, hot scrubbing, I go downstairs and eat dinner alone. I think about my brothers and how each of them seems to have his life figured out. But then again, what do I know? The way the Downton men dealt with trouble or emotion is far too complicated to decipher, and I have long learned to accept the things they say at face value.
My life, if I think about it, seems perfect to the outside world. But the scars my father left me with go far beyond gnarled discolored physical tissue. They rendered me apprehensive and cautious.
Too cautious for my own good, if you ask me.
I finish dinner and take the dishes to the sink. After a few minutes of contemplation, I decide to go upstairs and listen to some tunes while I clear my head.
Everything is so confusing. It has been since she appeared in my life.
At my home office, I flick on the side lamp and settle in the chair by the record collection. My fingers sift through one, two, three records, all by Hank Williams.
“God,” I whisper to myself, shaking my head as I struggle to decide what I’m in the mood for.
And, then I recall something Belle said about loving Diamond Rio. My fingers rummage through the lines, reaching the only record of his that I own.
I put it on and start the song, sitting back in my chair and closing my eyes for a moment.
Oh, beautiful Belle… beautiful music.
I make a mental note that I should buy more of his records. But then again, what if it doesn’t work out? The worst feeling is to listen to a song that reminds you of what could have been.
Shaking the thought out of my head, I get up and make my way over to the mini-bar at the corner of the room. Pulling out a cold beer, I smirk as I pop it open and go back to the chair. Right before my bottom touches the cushion, something catches my eye outside.
A sparkle of sorts.
I walk over to the window with the beer in hand, gazing out into the black night sky that throws a dark blanket of nothingness over the vast landscape ahead.
Was it a shooting star?
Is it too late to make a wish?
As Rio’s voice fills the room, I open the window and close my eyes, drawing in a deep breath, smelling the night and taking it all in, the character, the feel, and the scent.
“They don't make hearts like they used to.
These days a heart ain't worth a dime.”
I bob my head to the music and take a big sip of beer, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of Belle in that shirt. Only this time, in my imagination, she wasn’t wearing anything else.
She dances and sways in an iridescent green meadow that my mind has expertly crafted, the sun bouncing off of her milky white skin as her black locks flirt with the breeze and dance around her face.
Her fingertips glisten as she keeps time with the music, her wrists waving in undulating movements, the small diamond hanging from her thin necklace twinkling.
Every move she makes tickles my senses with a brief glimpse of what’s underneath that blue and grey shirt. Silky smooth curves and bends that seamlessly slide under the shadows of a fabric made by someone completely oblivious to the goddess that was destined to wear it.
My eyelids suddenly shoot open as my mind refuses to let me sink any deeper into a fantasy that I yearned to be reality.
Belle Frances is—most certainly—the finest looking woman I’ve ever seen in my life. She also clearly carries volumes of care and affection that promise to make her man the luckiest on Earth.
But here is the pickle.
Why would she be any different from the rest of the world? Couldn’t she be another harsh woman looking for a prosperous future with a wealthy man?
Am I paranoid?
My father sure played a number on me, rendering me skeptical of people’s good hearts and better intentions.
Going back to my chair, I reach over and turn off the light, leaving nothing but the dim traces of moonlight to invade the darkness and give me faith.
Faith that the god that created this world had better plans for all of us. That the things that were and the things that will be, can be polar opposites. That whatever it is that weighs on my heart today, may be gone tomorrow.
Taking another sip, gulping it down this time, I relax back in my seat and let myself slide gently down until the back of my head rests atop the back of the chair.
I close my eyes and sing along, a personal prayer to the power that be to bring her closer to me. To make her good. To make her mine.
I exhale and close my eyes.
Hope you loved the excerpt of Jake. You can read the full story here!
Also by Miley Maine
Billionaire Bosses Series:
Baby Bump || Boss Me Forever || Pregnant with Boss’s Baby || His Forbidden Secret || Accidental Hook-Up
Downton Cowboy Series:
Danny || Jake || Frankie || Gus
Sinful Temptation Series:
Fake Boyfriend || Love Undercover || Maid By Mistake || Dad’s Best Friend || Damaged Hearts
Her Protector Series:
Bodyguard || Worth the Wait
Perfect Kisses
The Christmas Proposal || Stranded || Her Secret Santa || The Perfect Reunion
Boxed Set’s
Perfect Kisses || Billionaire Bosses
Standalone’s
Damaged
Any book by Miley can be enjoyed as a complete standalone. So, you can choose your own reading order for her books within a particular series!
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