quickly. Though he was supposed to be meeting the wildlife biologist out on the north hundred, he went in search of Zane instead.
God almighty, when he’d walked into the house after his breakfast meeting and heard Carmen’s shriek and then seen where Jasmine was, he’d damn near had a heart attack. He knew yesterday’s incident had a profound effect on Jasmine, but now he wondered just how deeply she was wounded.
He found Zane in the utility shed gassing up the four wheelers. He didn’t waste time with a greeting. He went straight to the point.
“What the fuck went on with Jasmine last night?” he demanded.
Zane stiffened and turned around, his expression glacial.
Seth held up his hand. “I don’t mean physically. I want to know what happened to send her to your room. Was she upset? Did she talk to you?”
Zane folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the four wheeler. “Why do you want to know?”
Seth related what had just happened. “She said she was tired of him winning, and I don’t know what the fuck that means. But I thought you might.”
Zane’s hand clenched and unclenched. His entire body was tense, and anger rolled off him in waves. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.
“What?” Seth demanded.
As Seth listened to Zane recount the events of the night before, his jaw got tighter and tighter until his entire neck ached.
Zane ran a hand through his long hair and shook his head. “She really jumped in the pool?”
Seth nodded grimly. “Yeah, she did. Scared the shit out of me. She just didn’t look all there. I mean she was there, in the pool, but she didn’t look or act like she had a clue where she really was.”
“It took a lot of guts to do what she did,” Zane said quietly. “You know how terrified she is of the water.”
“Yeah, I do.”
They stared at each for another long moment. There was a lot unsaid, but Seth didn’t want to pursue it any further. The last thing he wanted was for Jasmine to become a bone of contention between them.
“I’ve got to go meet Brad,” Seth finally said. “I think I’ll ask Jasmine if she wants to go. It might do her good to get out for a while.”
Zane nodded in agreement, but he stared at Seth a little too intuitively for his comfort.
Seth strode out of the shed and headed toward the house. When he walked into the kitchen, he found Carmen hovering over Jasmine while she ate.
“I’m heading out to the north hundred to meet Brad. You want to go?” he asked.
Jasmine looked up at him, her eyes lacking the haunted shadows of earlier. They were bright and clear. Shone a luminous green.
“Do I have time to run up and get my camera?”
He nodded. “Of course. And finish eating. I’ll wait.”
Jasmine gulped down the remainder of her food and shoved her plate forward. She gave Carmen a quick hug then raced upstairs to retrieve her camera. Seth wasn’t avoiding her entirely. Granted he used to extend regular invitations like this, and she used to tag along behind him like a lovesick puppy, but she knew he was seeing her differently. He never seemed to be so uncomfortable around her.
She got her camera bag then tugged on a pair of jeans and hiking boots that were more suited for the terrain than her shorts and flip-flops. She hurried back downstairs to find Seth waiting for her at the garage door.
“You ready?”
She smiled and nodded, a surge of excitement rushing through her veins at the idea of spending the day with him.
They climbed into his four-wheel-drive truck and headed down one of the many dirt roads that crisscrossed the ranch property.
The land was beautiful and barren. Dry. Rocky. Few trees dotted the dusty landscape, but there was plenty of scrub brush and cactus.
Sweetwater Creek was barely a trickle when they forged the nearly dry bank. After a rain, water would often overflow the banks and run angry and swollen for a few days before rapidly dissipating.
Ahead, jackrabbits, as well as a few
God almighty, when he’d walked into the house after his breakfast meeting and heard Carmen’s shriek and then seen where Jasmine was, he’d damn near had a heart attack. He knew yesterday’s incident had a profound effect on Jasmine, but now he wondered just how deeply she was wounded.
He found Zane in the utility shed gassing up the four wheelers. He didn’t waste time with a greeting. He went straight to the point.
“What the fuck went on with Jasmine last night?” he demanded.
Zane stiffened and turned around, his expression glacial.
Seth held up his hand. “I don’t mean physically. I want to know what happened to send her to your room. Was she upset? Did she talk to you?”
Zane folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the four wheeler. “Why do you want to know?”
Seth related what had just happened. “She said she was tired of him winning, and I don’t know what the fuck that means. But I thought you might.”
Zane’s hand clenched and unclenched. His entire body was tense, and anger rolled off him in waves. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.
“What?” Seth demanded.
As Seth listened to Zane recount the events of the night before, his jaw got tighter and tighter until his entire neck ached.
Zane ran a hand through his long hair and shook his head. “She really jumped in the pool?”
Seth nodded grimly. “Yeah, she did. Scared the shit out of me. She just didn’t look all there. I mean she was there, in the pool, but she didn’t look or act like she had a clue where she really was.”
“It took a lot of guts to do what she did,” Zane said quietly. “You know how terrified she is of the water.”
“Yeah, I do.”
They stared at each for another long moment. There was a lot unsaid, but Seth didn’t want to pursue it any further. The last thing he wanted was for Jasmine to become a bone of contention between them.
“I’ve got to go meet Brad,” Seth finally said. “I think I’ll ask Jasmine if she wants to go. It might do her good to get out for a while.”
Zane nodded in agreement, but he stared at Seth a little too intuitively for his comfort.
Seth strode out of the shed and headed toward the house. When he walked into the kitchen, he found Carmen hovering over Jasmine while she ate.
“I’m heading out to the north hundred to meet Brad. You want to go?” he asked.
Jasmine looked up at him, her eyes lacking the haunted shadows of earlier. They were bright and clear. Shone a luminous green.
“Do I have time to run up and get my camera?”
He nodded. “Of course. And finish eating. I’ll wait.”
Jasmine gulped down the remainder of her food and shoved her plate forward. She gave Carmen a quick hug then raced upstairs to retrieve her camera. Seth wasn’t avoiding her entirely. Granted he used to extend regular invitations like this, and she used to tag along behind him like a lovesick puppy, but she knew he was seeing her differently. He never seemed to be so uncomfortable around her.
She got her camera bag then tugged on a pair of jeans and hiking boots that were more suited for the terrain than her shorts and flip-flops. She hurried back downstairs to find Seth waiting for her at the garage door.
“You ready?”
She smiled and nodded, a surge of excitement rushing through her veins at the idea of spending the day with him.
They climbed into his four-wheel-drive truck and headed down one of the many dirt roads that crisscrossed the ranch property.
The land was beautiful and barren. Dry. Rocky. Few trees dotted the dusty landscape, but there was plenty of scrub brush and cactus.
Sweetwater Creek was barely a trickle when they forged the nearly dry bank. After a rain, water would often overflow the banks and run angry and swollen for a few days before rapidly dissipating.
Ahead, jackrabbits, as well as a few
Similar Books
