He was close enough that she could smell the soap he showered with and faint perspiration.
“I don’t need more time,” Sydney said. “My friends are leaving tomorrow anyway.”
His brows lifted slightly, and a smile played on his face. “Are you sure you want to come?”
“Trying to change my mind?”
“Definitely not,” he said, and then he took a side step closer to her and leaned down.
“Sydney, there you guys are,” Maria’s voice called out. “Your phone’s ringing. It looks like your mom.”
Sydney didn’t move for a second, and neither did Jake. His gaze had gone from her eyes to her mouth, then back up. If Maria hadn’t interrupted, Sydney wondered if Jake would have kissed her.
“Coming,” Sydney said, glancing up at Maria.
Maria lifted her hands, flashing a grin, then turned back around to go inside the condo.
When she looked back to Jake, he’d straightened again, and his expression was neutral. Maybe she’d been imagining things, hoping for the impossible, making herself a fool twice.
“We’ll come with you to unload,” she said. “Give me a second.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice completely serious.
She hurried up the stairs, a thrill running through her at Jake’s words. She burst into the condo to see June and Maria, who were spying out the window. They both jumped back, their faces red.
“Save me,” Sydney whispered, shutting the door behind her. “I think I have a crazy crush on my ex-fiancé’s brother. How insane is that?”
Maria gasped, then laughed, and June’s eyes about bugged out.
“I am sooo sorry I interrupted you two,” Maria said. “My timing is horrible.”
“Maria told me he was about to kiss you,” June said.
Sydney waved a hand in front of her face, as if she could create a cool flow of air. She sank onto the couch. “I don’t know. This is all making my head spin. But, you guys, he asked me to go to his family’s ranch with him tomorrow to help talk to his parents about Rian.”
“Meet his parents?” Maria asked, her brows skyrocketing.
Sydney puffed out a breath of air. “Not like that.”
Maria and June laughed. “I like him,” June declared. “I don’t care if his brother dumped you twenty-four hours ago. Jake’s a keeper.”
Sydney hung her head. “Why did I have to meet Rian first?”
Maria and June settled next to her on the couch, and Maria draped an arm about her shoulders. “I guess it was the only way to meet Jake.”
Burying her face in her hands, Sydney groaned.
“Come on,” June said. “Let’s get out of here. We’re finished, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Sydney-saga.”
Sydney lifted her head. “I told him we’d help him unload at the storage unit.”
June rubbed her hands together and smiled. “Sounds good to me. Maybe Maria and I can grab lunch on the way and meet you two there, give you some more quality time alone.”
Sydney slapped June’s leg. “This is serious. I’m drowning here. If you were better friends, you’d be helping me, not teasing me.”
“Isn’t it the same thing?” Maria said with a grin.
Sydney’s phone started ringing where she’d left it on the mantle. “Oh, yeah, my mom. Great timing.”
“Just tell her not to worry, you’ve already moved onto the next guy,” June said.
Maria laughed. “Talk to your mom while I drive us over to the storage lot.”
Sydney grabbed her phone and answered. Her mother’s questions came at her like an open firehose. Sydney followed Maria and June out of the condo and climbed into Maria’s car.
“I can’t return the wedding dress,” Sydney told her mom as they drove. “I’ll sell it online or something.”
“Or keep it,” June whispered from the front seat. “Jake will like it.”
Sydney glared at her friend. “I’m all right,” she assured her mother, who was asking how she’d slept and if she was eating. “Maria and June are taking care of me. In fact, we’re helping Rian’s brother clean out the condo.”
There was a significant pause, and Sydney regretted telling her mom that fact. “I know what you’re thinking, but Jake’s nothing like Rian. In fact, I’m going out to the family ranch tomorrow.” She continued to explain recent events to her mother while Maria pulled into a fast food stop and ordered several items from the menu.
Once they had their food, Sydney had convinced her mom that she wasn’t making dumb decisions.
“I like your mom,” Maria said when Sydney hung up.
“Because she still thinks she can tell me what to do even though I’m twenty-six?” Sydney asked with a scoff.
“Pretty much,” Maria said as they pulled into the storage unit lot.
“I like her too,” Sydney said. “I probably shouldn’t have told her about going to Jake’s ranch, though.”
Maria looked over at her and winked. Three rows down was Jake’s truck, and he was already at work unloading.
“I think you’re going to have a lot more fun than you think on that ranch,” Maria said.
June chimed in. “I’d be surprised if he doesn’t kiss you in the next couple of days.”
“Why would you say that?” Sydney asked, not wanting to get her hopes up while at the same time telling herself she was jumping way ahead of where she was emotionally.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” June continued, looking back at Sydney with raised brows.
“Mmmhmm,” Maria added.
“How?” Sydney said as Maria parked the car not far from the truck and turned off the engine.
“He just seems... very aware of you,” June said.
“Agreed,” Maria said, then opened her door, cutting off all further conversation.
“Wait,” Sydney hissed, and Maria pulled her door shut again. “What should I do? I mean, I need to figure out what went wrong and where to go from here, not be caught up in some rebound crush on my ex-fiancé’s brother!”
“Don’t overthink it,” June said. “Go with your gut. That’s what I did with Lance in Maui.”
“She’s right,” Maria said. “Crap happened to you, but maybe it wasn’t all bad. Maybe it happened for a reason, and the reason is that man over there.”
“So you guys don’t think this is creepy?” Sydney pressed.
“If I didn’t understand the circumstances and didn’t see Jake for myself,” Maria said. “But June’s right. And if you move to the next step with Jake, I’m okay with it.”
“I’m okay with it, too,” June said, smiling.
“You guys are no help at all,” Sydney complained, although her heart thudded with hope and anticipation.
Maria grinned and opened her car door again. “Time to help rebound man.”
Just go with it, Sydney told herself more than once that morning as she got ready to go to the ranch with Jake. Don’t overthink it.
Twenty minutes ago, she’d hugged her friends goodbye before they set off back to their cities and jobs and boyfriends. Then she caught up on a bunch of emails that had been piling up during her two days off. Even though she’d created an auto-responder, some of them were urgent.
That morning, Jake had texted to see if he could pick her up so they could drive together and have a chance to put their plan together. He told her he’d bring her back whenever she was ready.
At first, Sydney had hesitated. What if things went sour and Jake drove her back home in a cloud of silence? This made her feel more determined to keep things platonic between them even though she’d been awake half the night thinking of everything he’d said to her and that almost-kiss out in the parking lot.
When they’d unloaded at the storage unit, Jake had been friendly to Maria and June like usual, and Sydney also noticed that he paid special attention to her. It was like he was watching her constantly. So maybe what June had said was right
. Several times she’d caught his gaze on hers, and each time she felt a little warmer at the attention.
Rebound guy. Is that what he was? At least in her mind? She couldn’t imagine going to his family’s ranch and meeting his parents and trying to hook up with him. Maybe this was her heart and mind’s way of protecting her from the crushing pain of Rian’s betrayal. She was locking that away and hyper-focusing on the thing or person closest to Rian—his brother. Not that they had a close relationship, but they shared the same DNA and same childhood.
Sydney’s phone buzzed with a text.
We love you and have fun. It was from Maria, but June was included in the group text.
Before Sydney could reply, someone knocked on the door. Jake was already here. She grabbed her overnight bag and purse and headed to the door. She opened it, and her breath stalled. He wore jeans again and a button-down shirt. His hair was combed but in a rebellious sort of way.
But it was his smile that made her pulse drum.
She couldn’t ever remember feeling like this when she saw Rian. It had been more of looking at their relationship from a logical standpoint.
“Ready?” Jake asked.
“Yeah,” she said, wondering if she sounded as breathless as she felt. All of her thoughts about Jake during the night didn’t really do justice to the man in the flesh.
“Great,” he continued, oblivious to the turmoil of her thoughts. He reached out a hand and took her bag.
“Thanks,” she said, then shut the apartment door and locked it. Apparently they were having a one-worded conversation.
“I grabbed some coffee on the way,” he said as they headed down the stairs to the parking lot. “Unless you’ve already had yours?”
She had in fact, but she said, “Sounds great. Thanks.” Could she sound more awkward?
“Are your friends already gone?” he asked.
“They left a few minutes ago,” she answered and opened the passenger door as Jake set her bag in the bed of the truck.
The smell of the interior of the truck had become familiar, and Sydney realized that she was feeling relaxed, where she had been a bundle of nerves before Jake had arrived. She took a sip of the coffee, then set it back into the drink holder.
Jake climbed in and started the truck, then looked over at her. “Thanks for doing this.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Sydney said. “I want to be helpful to your parents as much as possible.”
He gave a thoughtful nod, then backed out of the parking slot. As he pulled onto the road, he said, “They’re going to be heartbroken, but I’m glad you’ll be there to ease the pain. Rian has been hurting them long enough; at least with him leaving the country, maybe they can begin to heal.”
“What about you?” Sydney asked, wondering if the question was too personal.
Jake was quiet for a moment as he navigated through the morning traffic and headed for the highway. “I was livid when I first got his texts and when I found his condo abandoned.” He glanced at her, then moved his focus back at the road. “Spending time with you has changed everything.”
Sydney couldn’t speak for a moment. “For the better, I’m hoping?”
“Definitely.” He gave her a half-smile, then reached over and squeezed her hand.
She didn’t move after he released her hand; she could barely think or breathe as it was. She wanted to ask him to explain himself more. But she was afraid to hear her answer.
“This is a beautiful area,” Jake said as he pulled onto the highway and they passed grove after grove of trees. “Was it your job that brought you here?”
“Yes, I was recruited out of college, and it seemed a great place to live,” Sydney said. She told him about her last few years working for the software firm. “When I was promoted, my work hours suddenly multiplied. Rian hated my long hours, and it was always a struggle to get together without feeling stressed about what I’d left behind at work. Over the last few weeks, though, Rian had been busier than usual. Now I know why.”
Jake’s lips tightened into a thin line. “If he ever returns to this country, he’ll be indicted.”
Sydney leaned her head back against the seat and looked over at Jake. “Your poor parents. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes.”
“That’s why I’ve tried to be the buffer as much as possible,” Jake said. “They don’t know everything that I do, but they know enough. And I can’t keep this latest disaster from them.”
They were quiet for a moment, the only sound the hum of the tires on the road and the faint music coming from the radio.
“So, why are you different?” Sydney asked. “Why are you the good brother?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really see it that way. It’s more of a question of why does Rian do what he does. I’ve done research on mental illnesses, but nothing seems to really fit. He doesn’t think about the consequences of his actions; it’s like he has no conscience. And it doesn’t make sense. We grew up the same way, but our paths have been completely different.” His voice grew lower as he spoke, as if he was trying to keep back emotion.
Sydney grasped his hand, and he linked their fingers together. This time, neither of them pulled away. It felt comfortable, and Sydney was only mildly blushing. Holding Jake’s hand felt natural, despite the fact that he was Rian’s brother. In a way she couldn’t explain, she felt in sync with Jake.
The drive went by faster than Sydney expected, and soon they were pulling into a long driveway that led to a sprawling ranch-style house, surrounded by acres and acres of grazing land.
“Wow,” Sydney said, straightening in her seat. “This is gorgeous.”
Jake had released her hand a few minutes ago to make the turns, but she still felt as if his touch were imprinted on her skin.
The house was a deep red brick with white trim and a huge wraparound porch. Several barns spread out behind the house, and other smaller buildings dotted the property. What seemed like miles of fence separated the fields from the dirt road that ran the length of the property.
A row of garages sat on one side of the house, and Jake drove toward them. This gave Sydney a better glimpse of what was behind the house: a well-kept stable. “You have horses too?”
Jake laughed. “It’s a ranch, honey.”
Honey, Sydney thought. She didn’t think Jake understood what he’d exactly said. If anything, he was teasing her.
“Do you ride?” Jake asked, parking the truck inside the garage he’d opened by remote control.
“In an arena,” Sydney said. “Not really nature, I know.” She didn’t tell him she’d tried to get Rian to ride with her, before her work had become so busy, but he’d always come up with an excuse and of course had never told her he’d grown up on a ranch, where apparently his family owned horses.
Jake was looking at her with interest. “We can fix that.” He rested a hand on the head rest of her seat, bringing his clean scent much closer to her. “I feel like I should warn you about something,” he said.
Sydney looked into his gray eyes and saw complete calmness there.
“My mom can be excitable,” he continued. His fingers touched her hair, and even though she could barely feel his touch, warm shivers traveled through her. “She’ll see me arriving with a beautiful woman and assume a lot... even when she discovers that you were engaged to Rian.”
“So you’re saying she’ll think that Rian’s ex is fair game?” Sydney asked. The truck seemed extra warm, and he seemed extra close, even though they’d been sitting in the same places for an hour.
“What I’m saying is that my parents are going to like you a lot.”
“You sound pretty sure,” Sydney said, trying to hold back a smile.
“Our tastes are similar, and since I like you, I have little doubt they will too.” Jake’s fingers rested on her shoulder.
“So if I like you, then I’ll like them,” she said.
His lips lifted at the corners. “I hope so.” He
leaned forward, and for a breathless moment she thought he might kiss her.
But then reality slammed into her. She’d been dumped, duped, and discarded two days ago by this man’s brother. She had no business kissing Jake. Breaking his mesmerizing gaze, she reached for the door handle.
Jake didn’t move, just watched her, and for once his gray eyes were murky—unreadable.
Jake had been one-hundred percent right, Sydney decided. When they walked into the kitchen, they found his mother sitting at the table with a laptop and papers strewn all over. Her light brown hair, streaked with plenty of gray, was pulled into a messy bun, and right in the middle, she’d stuck a pencil. Jake’s mother reminded Sydney of a school teacher in a Norman Rockwell painting. She was slim like Rian, although her eyes were the gray of Jake’s.
When she saw Jake, she jumped to her feet. “Jake!” Then she threw her arms about his neck. “You’re back, and...” She peered around him, glanced at Sydney, her eyes widening, then said, “Where’s Rian? And who’s this?” She looked back at Jake and waggled her eyebrows.
“Mom, this is Sydney,” Jake said, holding up his hand. “But before you ask her a million questions, we need to sit down and talk.”
His mother covered her mouth with her hand, and tears filled her eyes. “Oh my goodness! You didn’t!” She rushed forward and hugged Sydney, nearly knocking her off balance. Then she drew back, leaving Sydney speechless. “Did you two elope?”
Jake’s mom started to laugh, or cry. Sydney wasn’t sure which.
“Mom,” Jake said, wrapping an arm about her shoulders and steering her to the table. “Sit down. Sydney and I aren’t married. She’s a friend. Where’s Dad?”
His mother frowned. “You’re engaged then?” Her expression softened. “I’m so sorry to jump to conclusions, Sydney. It’s just that Jake—”
“Mom, where’s Dad?” Jake cut in again in a firm voice. “This is really important, and please stop asking Sydney questions that are making her really uncomfortable.”
His mother snapped her mouth closed. Then in a rush she said, “Your father’s upstairs. He was washing up for dinner. But he’s probably fallen asleep—he’s been up there for a while now. Oh that reminds me, the casserole.” She rose from her chair and hurried across the kitchen, then opened the oven to peek inside. “It’s perfect, maybe a tad overdone, but that’s perfect in my book.” She turned off the oven and grabbed oven mitts.
Falling for Sydney Page 4
