It was her tone that caused him to freeze. His eyes locked on Tessa while I began to slowly back away from my spot next to him.
“What?” Jake asked.
“Ask us her middle name,” she said again.
Another long pause.
“What is it?” he finally asked, dread on his face.
“I think you know,” Tessa whispered.
“Tuck!” His arm shot out to grab me, but I was already gone, laughing hysterically while he chased me around the playground equipment. When he finally caught me, we were both laughing too hard to be any big threat. I did agree to do his dishes every night for a week, but as Evelyn Nancy Marten was a name that would last forever, I felt very okay with my penance.
Two more weeks came and went, filling the dude ranch with a new crop of guests, each group with a different vibe. Jake and I spent our free time hanging out on the porch in the evening, shooting guns at lunch, and playing games of lightning while the kids played at the park, and all the while breezily acting like nothing had ever happened. And it hadn’t. Not when the whole premise had been boiled down to a teaching moment from Jake. He even referenced a moment of the kiss like some sort of professor to his student.
Which was great. Exactly what my not-confused-at-all brain needed to hear.
To get me back on track, I dedicated much of my time to examining all of the flaws in Jake’s character. As likable as Jake was, this task was not difficult at all. Like the way he could never seem to put anything away after he used it. Or the way hepiled dishes in his sink without rinsing them first. Socks on the floor. Or the way he swore in front of Sophie sometimes. She’d excitedly demand that he put a quarter in their swearing jar, which I later learned would become money for her to buy a toy, so I strongly suspected he did it on purpose, which totally did NOT negate the swearing.
So you see my confusion.
Even Jake’s flaws were appealing.
I triple-checkedthat I had my sleeping bag before I left on the overnight horseback trip. Stories of Tessa and Logan and a scheming Jake from long ago filled my thoughts. According to ranch legend, before Logan and Tessa had admitted their feelings for each other, Jake had stolen a small tent from Tessa’s pack before he sent the pair off on their own backpacking adventure. Not having two separate tents had worked out well for the pair and was Jake’s crowning achievement in his part of their relationship.
But now, after Tessa had somehow gotten me to confess a little about Jake’s and my relationship, I was nervous at the possibility of retaliation. We weren’t taking a tent because Jake insisted the stars on a mountain top on a clear night would be a shame to miss, so I would be keeping a tight grip on my sleeping bag. I loved Tessa, but I didn’t trust her. I wasn’t even aware a trip like this was part of the dude ranch, but Tessa had assured me it was a new type of excursion.
“What about wild animals?” I asked Jake as we readied the horses in the barn.
Jake only smiled and lifted his shirt to show off his Smith and Wesson .44 magnum six-shooter at his waist.
“That’s a cute little gun.”
“What are you packing?”
I grinned and lifted my shirt six inches to show him the 9mm semi-automatic pistol I had strapped across the side of my stomach. “After our last competition, I knew I’d feel safer if I had my own.”
I was referring to our shooting match from the other day where I completely smoked Jake. Obviously, when I said ‘smoked,’ I meant that I beat him by one shot before running into my cabin and locking the door before he could demand a re-do.
He swallowed, and I felt his gaze dip and slide across my bare stomach.
“Where’d you get that sissy little thing?”
“It’s Chad’s. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s the same gun I beat you with, three to one, during our second-to-last competition senior year.”
He smiled, securing his pack onto his horse. “Second to last means nothing. The final score is the one that stands the test of time.”
I made a face before changing the subject. “Do we need anything else? What kind of animals are up there? Should we bring a rifle? Just in case?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never seen anything up there. We’ll be good with what we have.” When I still looked hesitant, he leaned closer. “I think you’re packing enough heat, Tuck.”
You see?
There.
It was those little remarks Jake whipped out from time to time that rattled my inexperienced head and left me feeling unbalanced.
Before I could register the statement or give rise to the blush no doubt blooming on my cheeks, Jake strode past me to greetthe father and son who paid extra for an overnight camping trip in the mountains of Idaho.