For now, a change of clothes would do, and before bed she would have a shower. Or maybe soak in the pool. She’d seen something about a pool on the website, right?
Jasmine changed into something a little more relaxing. Yoga pants and a cashmere sweater, she tied her red hair into a ponytail, needing a few bobby pins to keep some of the layers out her face. The rest she just let fall into her face without worrying too much about it. She slipped into a pair of running shoes and headed out of her small room to the mess hall just like Ben had told her to.
When she got there the lights were still off.
“Hello?” She called out into the dim light. Nope. No answer.
She flicked the lights on. Well, guess I beat him here. She thought as she padded throughout the long room. It wasn’t so much big, but it was very long. At the back she could see a kitchen. It looked outdated like most of the ranch was, but as she made her way back there she discovered it wasn’t so bad. There was a large fridge, filled with some food and that was what mattered the most.
Jasmine pulled out a couple of stakes from the fridge and set them out on the counter. I know he said he’d make something- but if he’s going to take forever to get here then he will have to suffer with my cooking. And if he doesn’t like then that’s just too damn bad for him. She thought as she pulled out two types of veggies- corn and green beans.
As she let the steak come to room temperature she peeled and cut some potatoes before getting the water on to boil.
The door opened just as she was adding the potatoes to the water.
“Hello?” He called.
“Back here!” Jasmine called back.
Seconds later Ben was standing in the doorway. “I thought I told you I was going to make dinner?” He smirked, his arms crossing over his chest.
Jasmine shrugged, dismissing his comment. “I figured I’d get started since you weren’t here.”
His eyes sparkled as he closed the distance between them. “Well thank you, I have to admit, it’s nice having a set of hands around here to help out.”
Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat. I could do that. She thought.
Wait, why? What would make her think that?
Sure, she could stick around here. With her blog she could pretty much work wherever she wanted, but why would she want to come here? I mean sure, it was pretty. But… Jasmine stared at the man in front of her. She swallowed dryly.
Sure, he’s cute. But he probably isn’t interested in someone like me.
Maybe it was the level of success, most men didn’t like a woman who could afford to buy herself things. Or maybe it was just her, she was probably too much of a city girl for his liking, hell for all she knew it could be the color of her skin- it wouldn’t be the first time that happened. Whatever his reason, he probably wouldn’t be interested. And that was fine, it’s not like they even knew each other.
“You know,” She cleared her throat. “I’m sure you could get the place up and going again. With a little help of course.” She looked away from him, suddenly the corn became very interesting. She studied every cranny of it.
Growing up, Jasmine’s mother always said she had a bad habit for trying to take on projects and fix everything. Maybe that’s just what this was. Just the ranch, though. She told herself. This was about the ranch, not about the man who owned it.
Jasmine cleared her throat. “What I mean, is that your website is kind of outdated. And with a little refreshing, it would be perfect. I also noticed, you guys don’t have a Facebook page.”
Ben stared at her blankly.
“Er, what?” He finally said.
Jasmine laughed softly as he looked up from the corn. “See, that’s the issue.” She smiled. “You’re not marketing. That’s all businesses are about these days. You used to get by on hard work and providing something good for people, now it’s all about the marketing.”
Ben stared at her blankly.
She could tell, the words were going in one ear and out the other. She smiled. “Uh, I used to run a business with my ex.” She swallowed dryly. “I picked up a thing or two. I wouldn’t be against sharing those things.”
After all, this place was cute, and Ben was working hard. It wasn’t fair that he had to struggle. She wanted to help him out. He deserved to be successful.
“I thought you were on a vacation.” He’d used that line on her already.
Jasmine turned her attention to dinner. She shrugged, dismissing the comment. Some people had a hard time leaving work at home on their vacations. She couldn’t help it. She liked staying busy.
“But you know, you’re right. I don’t even remember the last time I got a website done up for dad… well, that says it all. Dad was still around.”
Jasmine didn’t dare ask how long it had been. After all, it was none of her business.
“I guess, if you have someone you could put me in contact with I’d consider getting a new website. But I’d have to figure out what to even put on it.”
He laughed softly.
Jasmine's eyes sparkled. She already had a couple ideas, and she knew just who to contact about it.
Ben padded into the kitchen. “So, a business with your ex?”
“Yes.” She picked up on the hint for more information. “I did the bookkeeping for him and, well pretty much everything else though he won’t admit it.” She grinned. “We worked really well together, until he decided he wanted an assistant. And then he decided he wanted the female one, and then he decided he wanted to fuck her.”
It was so cliché Jasmine felt like it was right out of a book.
“Wow. What an idiot.”
Jasmine snorted. “The worst part? It actually took me months to see it. Three friends told me what was going on before I was willing to look close enough and see if for myself...” She tried not to sound as hurt as she still felt. “So I quit. I let her to clean up all his messes and I hope she’s having a hell of a time.”
“You quit? Just like that?”
Jasmine turned to see Ben seasoning the steak. Her heart skipped a beat. Her ex had never helped her cook. And despite the fact that they both worked the same hours- well actually Jasmine normally took her work home- he always expected her to have dinner ready for when he wanted it.
It was nice seeing a man in the kitchen.
“I always kept a steady savings going. You know, just in case something happened. I didn’t think it would be that Eric and I broke things off but… well, that’s what it was. When I quit I decided I was going to take a risk and try to…” She trailed off realizing she was about to tell him about her blog. Everyone laughed when she told them.
“Try to what?”
Jasmine could already feel the laugh coming. No. That was her making things up.
“Well, if I tell you, you’ve got to promise not to laugh at me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’ve always wanted to work for myself, and a few years back I read a blog about a woman who makes her income off blogging. Her blog did so well that she actually gets paid to write on other people's’ blogs. I thought that was just amazing. I’d been thinking about doing it for ages, but I worked 14 hour days. I didn’t really have time and then on the weekends I would have to deal with you know, other life stuff… so I kept putting it off. When I broke up with my ex I decided I was going to give this blogging thing a shot.”
No laugh. Not even a snort.
“That’s amazing. A lot of people aren’t willing to give their dreams a shot.”
“What about you?” Jasmine took the chance to get the conversation away from her. She got a pot of water boiling and added the corn, then got a pot going for the veggies. She stared down at the beans. “These are so fresh.”
“My dream is the ranch,” Ben admitted. “We get all our fruits, veggies, and meat from the farmers market. That way we are sure they are as fresh as they can be.” He sounded proud of that.
A smile touched Jasmine’s lips. Good to know. She thought a
s she set the beans in the pot and checked the potatoes. That would be something to add to the website.
Ben headed over for the grill and got the stakes going.
It didn’t take long for everything to cook, and soon the two of them headed outside to a small dining table.
“It’s where the staff used to sit for their smoke breaks.” He explained as if that would allow Jasmine to make sense of the rough shape it was in.
They ate in silence for a long time, until Jasmine was done her meal.
“I’ve got to admit, that was one of the best meals I’ve had in a very, very long time. Thank you. The stake was amazing.”
Ben shrugged as the sun set around him. “I can’t take credit for most of it. The guys who raise the cattle do a wonderful job. When a lot of ranches in the area started switching to big chain stores my dad thought they were stupid. I tried to convince him to do it too since it would be a lot cheaper. But my dad wouldn’t have any of it. He said we had to keep the money in the pockets of the ones who deserved it. I was young then, I thought he was stupid and I told him so- now… now I get why he did it and I wouldn’t think of ever changing over to a big chain store.”
He was probably right. It would probably save them a lot.
“One of the reasons I picked your ranch is because I saw a lot of bad review about food for other places.”
“Reviews? Online?”
“Yea.” It didn’t seem like he even understood the internet fully.
“Huh.” H sounded so impressed.
“They have websites dedicated to it.” She said almost teasing. “I didn’t see much about this place, but I decided to take that as a good sign. People are more likely to leave a bad review than a good one.” Jasmine paused. “And I have to admit, I’m glad I picked this place.”
Being here, the only one. It was something that she would never forget.
“Since we’re admitting things.” Brian paused. “I gotta admit, it’s been nice to have ya around.” His accent had vanished for a little while, but now it was back in full swing. “It’s been a long time since I had someone around the ranch. A long time since I have a good tour like I did today. The schools in the area still come ‘round here for classes once in a while. But that’s about the most attention we get these days. Except a few old friends of my dad’s.”
Chapter 3
Jasmine’s heart skipped several beats.
It had been a long time since she felt helpful to someone else, and even longer since she hadn’t felt used by them. After they finished dinner Ben insisted that he would do the dishes, and when Jasmine mentioned taking advantage of the pool before hitting the hay Ben jumped on it.
He insisted she go check the pool out, saying that it was one of the newest additions to the place. Finally, Jasmine agreed to let him do the dishes and headed for her room where she changed into her bathing suit.
When she arrived at the pool her jaw dropped.
She had been expecting something… well, less than what this was.
It was all enclosed with glass, and when she stepped into the large glass building she found it warm. She quickly saw the thermostat and padded over to it. Yup, it was on and heating the place.
She looked around. On a table lay a fresh towel with a piece of paper on it. She padded over there and glanced down at it.
Hope the place is nice and warm for you.
Thank you so much for helping with dinner, now it’s time for you to relax and enjoy your vacation.
If you need ANYTHING I will be in my office, feel free to come let me know.
Beside the note was an unopened bottle of beer.
Jasmine grinned as he took the beer, opened it and headed for the headed for the pool. Already, her skin was warm from the air around her. She placed her phone down by the pool and slipped into the water, the perfect temperature to go with the room. After a couple swings of her beer she settled down into the water, letting it soak into her and relax her body.
She hadn’t realized just how sore the horseback ride had made her until now.
After a couple seconds she placed the beer down behind her and reached for her phone, making sure her fingers weren’t too wet. She fired off a few quick emails about a potential website- and all the ideas she already had.
After what felt like an hour of soaking in the water, Jasmine slipped out, grabbed her empty beer bottle and her phone and padded over to the fresh towel Ben had left out for her. She wrapped herself in it and allowed the fabric to soak up the water on her skin.
She made her way to the thermostat and turned it off before striding to the door and letting herself out, making sure it was closed behind her.
She glanced down at her phone, her eyes widening as she stared at it. It had been three hours. How could it have felt like so little time?
She mentally shook herself. I must have really needed to relax. She thought as she headed towards her room. As she passed the main office she saw the light still on. Her head tilted to the left. Was he still working? Of course he was. What was she thinking?
He was probably the type who worked until he went to sleep. In some way or another. Between the horses and the paperwork he probably had to.
Why doesn’t he just hire someone to do it? She wondered.
Without realizing it she was heading for the office. The towel wrapped around her and the empty beer bottle in her hand.
She knocked a couple of time before opening the door.
Ben looked up from his desk. Paper cluttered it around him. But that wasn’t what she stared at it. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of black glasses.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Is everything alright?”
He sounded so damn worried.
“Oh, yes. Of course.” Jasmine cleared her throat. “I um, just saw the light was still on and….” And what? Why had she come over here? Because I wanted to see him. Yea, she wasn’t going to say that.
Ben stared at her. His eyes locked on her.
Jasmine realized she still hadn’t given a reason for stopping by. “I wanted to say thank you. For the towel.”
“Oh.” He sounded relieved. “You’re welcome.”
Jasmine padded into the office. She caught sight of a mini fridge in the back corner. Without a word she walked over to it and opened it, after placing her phone and the empty beer bottle on top.
She bent down and grabbed two bottles.
Ben’s eyes locked on her ass as she bent forward. He could just see the bottom as her towel raised. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away.
She was a client staying here at the hotel. His daddy always told him not to hang flings with the girls who stayed here, otherwise you might get caught one day when two of em return at the same time.
Of course, if he listened to his own words of wisdom he never would have met ma.
Jasmine closed the door to the bar fridge. The sound snapped Ben back to reality, his heart skipped a beat as he heard the noise.
Jasmine closed the distance between them and held a bottle of beer out to him as she rested against the desk. She looked around. “That’s a lot of paperwork.”
Jasmine was itching to get at it.
It wasn’t that she loved reviewing number or anything. It was that urge to help him. To go over the numbers and help him find a way to keep things going. Just one more way she wanted to help him, between this and the website, if she could leave this place a little better than how she had found it she would be happy. It was just that simple.
She reached out, her hand touching a paper ever so gently.
Her eyes locked on his. “You know, I really wouldn’t mind helping.”
“I’m not going to ask you to help during your vacation.”
“And what if I’m offering?”
“Too bad. I won’t say yes.”
Without a word Jasmine stood. She sat herself down right on his lap and reached for a log book. Her brow furrowed. God was it out of date.
He stared at her. Wide eyes and a dropped jaw.
That wasn’t the only reaction he had, though. With just a towel covering her Jasmine was sure she could feel something twitch between his legs.
A jolt of desire hit her. She licked her suddenly dry lips and turned her attention back to the document she’d reached for.
Her mind raced. Arousal ran down her spine. She tried to focus on the book but couldn’t seem to think about anything other than what was under her. She swallowed dryly, taking another long swig of beer. She had just enough in her for it to be a bad thing. Jasmine knew she wasn’t drunk, but she was relaxed enough that she wasn’t worried about anything she might do- and that was a bad sign.
Jasmine turned to Ben, wiggling her hips against him as she moved. She cleared her throat.
“So, clearly your papers are super out of date.”
Her eyes locked on his and she lost her train of thought. She was going to say something. Damnit. What was it? She cleared her throat.
“So… uh…” She got lost staring into those eyes. Butterflies filled the pit of her stomach and arousal ran down her spine.
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a rough hand touch her leg. Maybe it was by accident. It was barely even a touch after all.
Jasmine glanced down at his hand on her knee, then at him.
The hand slipped up her leg, just a fraction of an inch.
God.
Ben was so fucking horny.
It had been a long time since a woman sat on his lap. He didn’t want to push her, or scare her away. He didn’t want her to feel like he would take advantage of her. His hand stopped at a somewhat respectable distance.
Jasmine’s hazel eyes locked on his. She licked her lips taking a deep breath as she cracked her neck, a soft moan passed through her lips.
Ben’s heart skipped a beat. He could feel his erection growing under her. God, I hope she can’t feel that. He could see her looking him up and down, her eyes resting on his face. On his scars.
He felt his heart drop. Of course she was looking at his scars. That is what everyone looked at. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
No Choice but to Marry: A Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Page 6
