Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Dahlia was currently sleeping, and I almost cried at how peaceful she looked. Katie laid her hand on my back, a soothing gesture. “I’ll leave you to it. Dahlia should sleep awhile yet. If you need me, I’ll be out front.”
“Thank you,” I said, never taking my eyes off Dahlia. The emotions that had plagued me for the last several hours began to drift away the more I watched her. She was alive. She was healing. Everything was okay.
My shoulders sagged, releasing all my pent-up tension, and I laid my arms on the top of the stall door, dropping my forehead on them, and just breathed. I could release the anxiety now; it was over.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been standing there when I heard the faint sound of a door opening and closing behind me. I didn’t even have to raise my head to look. I knew who had just stepped into this private section of the barn with me. The hairs on the back of my neck only stood up that way for one person.
Without turning I said, “I didn’t break in this time. I have it on good authority from Katie that my visit was preapproved.”
Jasper didn’t respond, and the silence had me twisting to face him. I wanted to scream when I did, because it didn’t matter how many times I saw this man, my body responded in the same way—heart racing, pulse pounding, and me finding him the most attractive person on the entire planet. Even now, with his dark hair disheveled and free from his flat cap, dressed in his well-worn Barbour jacket, jeans, and boots, he looked like he could have just walked off a runway.
But that’s not what had me most captivated. It was his eyes. His midnight eyes that right now were fixed on me, the intensity of his stare sending shivers down my spine. I cleared my throat. “Was it?” I said, trying to get him to talk. “Was it you who gave me permission to be in here?”
Jasper was leaning against the closed barn door, but I saw the tug of a smile pull on his upper lip. “I thought it best, because God knows you never do as you’re told.”
In this moment, I let go of the anger I held toward him. Whatever ill thoughts I harbored for my “boss,” the tired expression on his face and defeated body language told me no one felt worse about him than he did himself.
“True,” I said, and turned back to the stall when Dahlia moved. I scanned over her body and relaxed when it became clear she was just shifting in her sleep. Suddenly, the scent of sandalwood and mint came from behind me, and I closed my eyes. I’d never smelled anything better.
“Hallie?” Jasper said, his voice only inches from me. I schooled my features and glanced back at him over my shoulder. Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, seeming uncomfortable. “Can we talk?”
I furrowed my brow in confusion, wondering what he wanted to discuss. I worried this was dangerous territory for us. We’d never been much good at talking without it ending up explosive. But curiosity won out, and I nodded, following him to the bench that was opposite the stall. I sat down beside him, leaving a suitable distance between us. The barn was completely quiet but for Dahlia’s steady breathing and the distant sound of Katie stacking shelves at the barn’s reception.
Jasper stared down at his clasped hands for a moment, then on a fortified breath, met my eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Hallie.” Those softly spoken words seemed to take flight and land right inside my heart. My lips parted and shock trickled over me slowly.
Jasper must have seen my surprise, as his eyes appeared pained and he rubbed his hand over his face. He laid his elbows on his knees and said, “The man I’ve been of late . . .” He shook his head, then looked me dead in the eye. “You probably won’t believe me, but it’s not who I am.”
His voice was so broken and laced with sadness that it made my chest ache. I clutched on to the edge of the bench seat like was a lifeline. I didn’t say anything in response. As harsh as it sounded, I needed him to give me more than that. He had been hot and cold since I’d come here, kind and then cruel. I was done with the back-and-forth. I was far from a pushover, and I wasn’t going to start with him, even though this man got to me like no one had before.
He must have read that on my face, as he sighed and said, “Things have just been . . .” His words trailed off, and he stared at the floor, lost in thought. When he turned his attention back on mine again, he said, “A fucking shit show,” and his terminology made my lips twitch in humor. Jasper was so well spoken, so posh, that those words didn’t seem right coming out of his mouth.