Cowboy on the Run by Devon McKay Page B

swelled beneath the surface.
    “I waited for you. Every day, I waited. Hoping—no praying —you would come back to me, or at least return for Cinnamon’s sake,” Jessie confessed, her throat burning from held back tears.
    “But you never came back, Nate.”
    He didn’t make a move either to console or turn away, so she continued. “And then one day, your dad took Cinnamon. My dad let him...just handed over the reins excusing your old man’s behavior by saying he was righting his wrongs.”
    Nate stepped onto the tractor then, his weight causing the heavy machine to shift. He pulled her into him, but it only managed to bring more hurtful recollections to light.
    “Righting his wrongs?” She spat the question, pushing him away, embarrassed by her emotional display. How could she be so weak? “The Walker men are full of wrongs.”
    He jumped down, giving her space.
    “I hated them for taking Cinnamon. I hated you...” ... for leaving me. She started the engine with an angry flick of her wrist. “But I forgave your dad, Nate,” she hissed with hard bitterness. “At least he stuck around.”
    Damn him . Damn Nate for bringing up bad memories. She slammed the tractor in gear, driving into the fields.
    Jessie didn’t glance back, didn’t have to, knowing what she would see. He would be standing there waiting for her to change her mind, expecting her to run back to him. Again. Like she had done so many times before.
    No, she had better things to do, like throwing herself into work for the rest of the day and not sparing one more thought on him. The east side of her property needed a trench, not to mention the daily check of the fence line.
    Both chores would take her through lunch, just in time for dinner and then a shower before her shift at Ed’s bar. Perhaps if she stayed busy, she could forget about Nate. However, she knew it would be an impossible feat.
    Still, for the next several hours, she tried to do just that, throwing herself whole heartedly into her work. But taking her frustration out on the land couldn’t erase the haunting memory of his smile when he came riding up on his horse. Or the joy she’d seen when he spoke of Cinnamon.
    And now with the additional memory of Nate fixing the fence the other day, every post she checked reminded her of one of his kisses or a gentle stroke of his fingers on her skin. By the time she returned to the ranch, she was hot, sweaty and in one very sour mood.
    William was in the barn stacking hay while her father and her daughter sat on one of the squares eating oranges. Jade dropped the peels on the dirt floor as soon as the tractor appeared.
    “Mama! Mama,” the child squealed, running toward the machine.
    Jessie stopped the vehicle, allowing her eager child to climb aboard. Jade landed in a rushed heap on her lap, planting sticky kisses all over her face, the air filled with the fruity scent of citrus.
    “Can I have a ride, Mama?” her impulsive daughter asked, smiling as sweet as the fruit she had just devoured.
    “I don’t have time, sweetheart. I have to go to work. Maybe grandpa can take you for a ride later.”
    Instantly, a pool of tears filled Jade’s dark green eyes and her bottom lip trembled, protruding into a gut wrenching pout. Jessie felt her heartstrings tug. No wonder the child was such a handful. No one was able to tell the youngster no, not even her own mother.
    “Okay, but only a quick ride. Got it?”
    Jade nodded her head in elation, bouncing up and down on Jessie’s lap.
    “And this time, I’m driving.”
    Her daughter responded with a song about the tractor. Jessie drove straight through the barn, out the back door, unable to hide the smile her daughter’s off key singing had inspired.
    The short ride turned into an hour around the east side section of the property, which highlighted the scenic view of the Madison mountain range. She’d allowed Jade control of the steering wheel and let the child drive where she wanted to. It was