Cinderella Screwed Me Over

by Cindi Madsen

  Drew swallowed the bite of food in his mouth. “We had to lasso her and tie her to a post to pull her calf. It was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s why I had to stick my hand up there and help her get him out,” Dwight continued. “And my arm was so numb I could hardly stand it. It’s still killing me.”

  “Yeah, poor you,” I muttered. “The cow’s only having a huge baby, but your poor arm.”

  I’d gotten used to talk like this. Pretty much every guy I ever dated, though, including Evan, the carefree, whatever-goes guy, hated when I spoke of anything remotely bloody while we were eating. Once over dinner I’d started to tell him about watching a surgery on TLC. He’d dropped his fork and said, “Jeez, Darb, not while we’re eating.”

  I glanced at Jake to gauge his reaction.

  “I remember the first time I pulled a calf,” he said. “I could tell the cow was in trouble, so I had to help her out. My arm was sore for days.”

  Wait. What?

  Jake wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The limousine bull my granddad used that year gave us lots of trouble. The calves were just too big.”

  I stared at Jake, wondering what he’d reveal next. Who is this guy?

  Dwight talked about a limousine bull he used to have, then the conversation drifted to the other bulls he’d used over the years, and Jake chimed in with his opinion on the different breeds.

  The entire time he talked, I kept thinking I’d only scratched the surface of who Jake was. And as much as I tried to tell myself that I was perfectly good with what I already knew—that knowing more meant getting in deeper—I wanted to know more.

  I wanted to know everything.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Because the weather was so nice, we’d eaten cake and ice cream in the backyard. I’d left Jake out there with Dwight, Mom, Anne, and the kids, and headed inside to grab a Mountain Dew. And also because I was freaking out a little bit. After everything Jake had revealed at dinner, I wanted to get him alone, yet I was terrified of the idea at the same time.

  Devin and Drew looked up at me as I walked into the kitchen. “You finally brought home someone cool,” Drew said. “Looks like you’re going to settle down after all.”

  “Let’s not get carried away. I’m considering a steady relationship, not settling down. I see what happens to people when they get married and have kids.”

  Devin crossed his arms. “Oh really? What happens?”

  “You know what I mean. I can’t believe you’re not with me on this. You and Anne don’t even get along anymore.”

  “That’s marriage. Sometimes we get along, sometimes we struggle. But I know we’ll work it out because we love each other.” Devin locked eyes with me. “Having kids, the ups and downs. You won’t have those—won’t know the joy that comes along with it—because of your stupid theory on relationships. Not letting that into your life doesn’t make you smarter than me, it just makes you a chicken.” He picked up his can of Mountain Dew and headed outside, slamming the door behind him.

  “Ouch,” I said.

  Drew leaned against the counter next to me. “It’s okay. I’m a chicken, too. Of course, I’m starting to rethink things a bit.”

  “Already? You and Lisa just barely met.”

  “She’s smart and funny and she calls me on my crap. I think about her all the time. I think I’m falling for her, Darby. Strike that. I’m totally whipped and I don’t even mind admitting it. And if you don’t give Jake a chance, you might miss out on something great.”

  I glanced outside, where I could just make out Jake’s profile. I was cracking, I knew—my heart even gave a hopeful flutter as I took him in. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to fight it, despite the overwhelming desire to jump in. “Or I might just get hurt and be forced to start all over again.”

  “I guess you’re going to have to decide right now if you want to be a chicken.”

  Right now my relationship with Jake felt safe. I liked safe. But what if what was beyond safe was…better? Not that I was going to admit that to Drew. I shrugged. “I’m okay with being a chicken.”

  Drew pushed me toward the back door. “Wrong answer.”

  …

  I pulled back on the reins, bringing Major to a halt near the pond. I swung my foot over and dismounted. Jake brought Sonny up next to me and climbed off.

  I draped the reins around the saddle horn and turned to Jake. “You never told me you worked on a farm before.”

  “You never asked.”

  I crossed my arms and tilted my head.

  “Don’t give me that look,” Jake said. “I never know what’s on the approved list of topics. I do recall something about you not wanting to get into my past.”

  “I didn’t mean you couldn’t tell me that kind of stuff. I just meant…” It was hard to clarify when I wasn’t sure what I meant anymore. I decided to change the subject instead of try to explain. “So, you know how to ride a horse and you’ve pulled a calf before. How did you fair in the roping contest?”

  “Not as good as your brothers, but I did okay. My dad wanted me to learn to work like he had as a kid, so I spent a few summers on my granddad’s farm.” He jerked his chin toward Major. “You never told me you had a horse as stubborn as you. Drew and Devin made it sound like I had a smooth ride on him. I was able to get on, but he fought me the entire time.”

  I ran my hand down my horse’s neck. “Major and I have a special bond. He doesn’t trust just anyone.”

  “And neither do you.” Jake grabbed my hand and drew me to him. “I know this was a big deal for you, bringing me home. But I’m glad that you did. I like seeing this other side of you.”

  A knot formed in my chest. “Great. Now you’re making me feel guilty.” I bit my lip. “I have a confession. I invited you because Tina told me to stop wasting your time if I wasn’t going to get serious.”

  Jake’s posture stiffened. “What else did she say?”

  “That’s about it. So I decided to invite you along to put a strain on things. Normally, my brothers drive guys away. My exes and I have gotten into huge fights about it.”

  “So you brought me here to dump me?”

  “No, I brought you here to have a reason to.” I looked up to find him looking down at me. “You messed it all up, though. Now I just like you more.” I grabbed a fistful of his T-shirt, pulled him to me, and kissed him.

  We’d shared a lot of kisses before, but this one felt different. I let myself melt into it and get carried away in every detail, from his soft lips to the brush of his stubble on my chin. The way his fingers dug into my sides, how he took his time exploring every inch of my mouth. I thought of how he seemed to get me, how he’d been patient, even when I freaked out or pushed him away.

  Major nudged me with his nose, whinnying his dislike for not being the center of my attention.

  Jake never took his eyes off me, the desire in them clear. I wasn’t ready to go all the way, but a little less clothing…I thought it was definitely time for that.

  I glanced at the pond, watching the sunlight glimmering on its surface. “Wanna go for a swim?”

  “Now?”

  I took a deep breath and then peeled off my shirt, glad I’d worn my sexy black lace underwear today. I watched Jake’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he ran his gaze over me. I shot him a smile. “Unless you’re scared of a little pond scum.”

  …

  After our swim, Jake and I laid out on the grass to dry off. I knew that shirtless Jake would be hot, but once I saw the real thing—pecs, abs, and a whole lot of skin that just begged to be touched—I seriously reconsidered my decision to wait.

  I rolled onto my stomach and watched his well-toned chest rise and fall with each breath.

  He pointed to the initials on the tree. “Looks like you bring all the guys here.”

  “That’s from high school when I was dating one of my brothers’ friends.” I sat up, pulling my hair to the side and twisting
all the water I could get out of it. “Actually, this is one of my favorite places. I’ve never brought anyone but Gil here because I knew they wouldn’t appreciate it. Not to mention after Drew and Devin got ahold of the others, they refused to get on a horse again.” I put my hand on Jake’s firm chest and smiled. “Since you’re apparently part farm boy, I figured you could handle the horse ride it takes to get here.”

  Jake sat up and kissed my shoulder. “It’s nice. Peaceful.”

  “This is where I used to come to get away from everything and everyone. Moving to the ranch was a rough transition for me.” I told Jake about how things were at first, my brothers coming to my rescue at school, and Dwight getting me involved by training Major. “We’re not your conventional family, but they took me in, taught me a lot about what family really means, and I love them.”

  “What about your dad? You don’t talk about him much.”

  I looked out over the water. I’d only talked about my relationship with my dad with one other guy. “Before he and my mom got divorced, they fought all the time. Still, they were my parents. I didn’t want our family split. When I saw how happy they were apart, though, I finally got it. My mom found Dwight and my dad got remarried and moved to Florida with his wife. For a lot of years, he and I didn’t have a very good relationship, but we finally worked past our issues, and now we talk on the phone and visit back and forth when we can.”

  Jake took my hand and laced his fingers through mine. “I’m sure that was hard. I get how something like that might make you question love.”

  I shook my head. “Even after my parents divorced, I still believed in love. It was all the relationships I had after it that beat it out of me. That taught me better.” My chest squeezed. I wanted to try, I did, but my heart remembered this painful path way too well, and it was shouting a warning at me I couldn’t ignore.

  I can’t do it. I’d rather be a chicken than open myself up to getting hurt again. “We should probably get back.”

  When I tried to stand, Jake tugged my arm, keeping me next to him. “Anything worth having takes hard work and a little risk.” He slipped his hand behind my neck and gently pressed his lips to mine. He kept it short and sweet, but there was enough tenderness behind the kiss that when he pulled away and looked in my eyes, I knew he was trying to tell me that he wasn’t giving up on me.

  Hope rose up, taking the edge off the fear lodged in my chest. I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten lucky enough to meet this guy, and I didn’t know if we could have a real relationship, but I knew I didn’t want to let him go.

  We put on our clothes, climbed on the horses, and rode back across the ranch. After getting oats for the horses, I walked over to Jake and hugged him. It felt like we were under an enchanted spell and I was afraid leaving would break it.

  I knew it was time to say good-bye to my family, but knowing it didn’t make it any easier. When we got inside the house, Jake and Drew started talking, and I went in search of Devin. I found him in the backyard, pushing Ava and Levi on the swings. Anne was standing next to him, her arm wrapped around his waist. I hadn’t seen them like that in a long time.

  Devin glanced back just as I was about to retreat instead of interrupt.

  “Can I talk to you real fast?” I asked. He gave Levi a big push, then crossed the yard to me.

  I kicked at the dandelion sticking up in the grass, sending the yellow flower bobbing. “About what I said earlier, I was out of line.” I lifted my eyes to Devin’s. “I’m sorry.”

  Devin shrugged. “No big deal. Guess I was a little harsh, too.”

  “You know I love you and Anne. And the kids.”

  Devin glanced at his wife, who was now a dark outline against the setting sun. “I know you’ve seen us at our worst, but it’s not always like that. Anne has a hard time with the baby stage. We fight more. Then we work it out because that’s what you do. Every day I wake up and see my beautiful family, I think I’m one of the luckiest people in the world.”

  Devin didn’t do the big talks or show his emotions often. Not with me, anyway. I could tell he meant what he’d said. My heart dropped when I thought about all the times I’d made derogatory comments about his marriage.

  “Daddy, I need another push,” Levi said.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure out what’ll make you happy,” Devin said. “Just don’t be scared to go for it when you do.” He mussed my hair like he used to when we were growing up, then strode over to Levi and got him swinging high through the air again.

  Sometimes, you just need a little push.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  The new layout of the extended-stay suites lit up my computer screen. My eyes were trained on it, but my mind was elsewhere. On the drive home from Longmont, Jake had finally convinced me to let him run the numbers on branching off on my own. I’d sent him all the information I had first thing this morning like I promised I would. But it wasn’t just the future of my career crowding my thoughts. It was Jake. Taking him home had been a chance. One I thought he’d fail. Instead, he’d gone above and beyond my expectations, winning my whole family over. Including me.

  He gave me hope when I thought there was none. He’d stuck with me regardless of all the times I’d tried to push him away. I wanted to call him, even if I didn’t have anything in particular to talk about. I wanted to take him to Stephanie’s wedding. To tell people he was my boyfriend.

  I wanted him to be mine.

  Of course, there was only one way to make that happen… Time to take a chance.

  I knew he’d worked the early shift today, which meant he’d probably be home. The thought of having a serious talk of any kind made me nauseous, but I was going to do it anyway.

  The entire drive home, my stomach churned. Knowing I’d chicken out if I didn’t go straight to his place, I rode the elevator to the top floor. My rapid pulse hammered in my ears as I raised my fist to knock.

  When Jake opened the door, his hair was disheveled, the top few buttons of his shirt undone. A volatile mix of desire and anxiety shot through me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to jump him or throw up on him. Hopefully not both, because this conversation was going to be hard enough as it was.

  “Um, am I interrupting something?” I asked.

  “I’m just going through some reports for Blue, trying to figure out a few things. Would you like to come in?”

  I stood there for a few seconds, trying to kick my pink, glittery pumps into motion—they seemed to be glued to the floor. “Sure,” I said, wishing this wasn’t so damn hard. I’d never been one to wish I was normal, but in this moment, I wanted to be at least functional. Not shaking like a leaf because I wanted to ask a guy to be my boyfriend.

  Jake seemed slightly distracted and also looked like he’d had a long day—still hot, of course, but in a crumpled, tired way. “I was about to grab a drink. You want one?”

  “I’ll just take water.” What am I saying? I need something to calm my nerves. “Or whatever you’re having. Anything’s fine.”

  I sat down on the couch while he went to the kitchen, and I took a deep breath. Even when I was in relationships, I rarely did the big-talk thing. I usually waited until things were out of control before saying anything, and by then, it was too late anyway.

  I can do this, I can do this.

  “I’ll warn you that I might not be the best company tonight,” Jake said as he walked toward the couch, two glasses in his hands. “Rough day at work, and now I’m trying to figure out this new business deal. I’ve got a guy who’s supposed to call. You’ll probably be bored.”

  “If I get too bored, I’ll just find a baseball game on TV and take a nap,” I teased.

  At least that got a smile out of him. He handed me a glass—I took a large sip, disappointed when it was only water. Another sign that I was going crazy. I basically asked for water, he gave it to me, and here I was disappointed. When I went to set the glass on the coffee table, I noticed the papers spread across it. “What’s all this?
”

  “I’m trying to figure out if we should open a restaurant in Salt Lake. Vegas has been doing really well, and there’s this great space in downtown Salt Lake that has good potential.”

  My heart dropped as I realized another deal meant he’d be gone again. “How long did the Vegas location take?”

  “It was built from the ground up, so longer than normal. Supposed to take six months, but ended up taking eight to get it running well enough I could trust it to the management there.”

  I did my best to sound calm and collected about this new information. “How long would the one in Salt Lake take?”

  “The renovation wouldn’t be much. After that, there’s hiring the staff and all that. Hopefully four months. Maybe five.”

  Five months? A tight band formed around my chest, and each breath I took strained against it. Now what was I supposed to do? There was no point in pouring my heart out if he was going to be leaving.

  Jake stacked the papers. “Brent and I just have to decide if it’s worth it. With me gone, he has to do more management and less cooking, which he doesn’t really like. I also need to keep tabs on Vegas. But will another opportunity like this come up? I don’t know.” He tucked the papers into a file. “Sorry, I’m sure this is all really boring to you.”

  All I could concentrate on was how he was going to leave. Just like the last guy. Throbbing pain radiated out from my heart, old and new. “It’s kind of eye-opening, actually.”

  “What do you mean?” His phone rang and he glanced at the display. “That’s my call.” He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and then answered.

  Just when I’d accepted the fact I was in a relationship that might actually be going somewhere, he decided to go somewhere. By himself.

  …

  Having a breakdown in front of Jake wasn’t an option. That was why last night, while he was still on the phone, I’d gone back to my place and had a pity party involving brownies, Mountain Dew, and an overly violent action flick.