Most Eligible Cowboy (Peach Valley Romance Book 1) (8 page)

F
or the next half hour
, Jackson taught her how to use the halter and how to use her thighs to move the horse and tell it how fast to go. She did her best. Jackson and Shadow were patient, but it would take at least a few more lessons before she really got the hang of riding.

When they reached the pond, Jackson helped her slide off. Sunlight sparkled across the water. A breeze pushed the water so that it lapped against the shore. It wasn’t quite the same as the ocean, but it still brought a sliver of nostalgia over her. “It’s beautiful,” Maya said when Jackson came to stand beside her. He’d tied the horse to a tree a small ways off.

“Yes, it is. When I first saw that she was having a pond built, I thought she was nuts, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. She can use it year round. There’s fishing and boating, but then when it freezes over, there’s ice skating.” His eyes lit with excitement.

“You like to ice skate?” She tried to imagine what it would be like to go ice skating with him.

“I don’t do it often, but yes, it can be fun.” He smiled down at her and Maya felt her insides warm. “Have you ice skated?”

“No. I grew up in Santa Barbara. I can surf, body board, wind sail, swim, rollerblade, and drive a golf cart, but I’ve never lived in the country.” She took a breath, watching his eyes. He seemed surprised by all she could do. In addition to that, she could see something more. She studied him curiously until it occurred to her that he couldn’t do any of the things she’d mentioned. “I’m guessing you haven’t done a lot of surfing out here in the country?”

Jackson snorted. “I drive a mean golf cart.”

“I see.” Maya giggled as she watched his features soften.
See,
she wanted to say.
I’m not the complete moron you think I am. I just don’t know the country like you do. But if you teach me, I’m sure I can do it.

“I’ve never been to the beach.” Jackson crossed his arms, deep in thought. “But I’ve always wanted to go.”

“You should,” Maya gushed, as her feelings for the ocean rushed through her. “You’d love it.”

He glanced down at her and smiled. “You’ll come with me?”

She wasn’t sure what the right answer was, but she knew what she wanted to say. “Sure.”

“All right then.” He returned his eyes to the water.

“Mind if I take a picture?” Maya had brought her camera to her eye and watched him through the lens. He turned and smiled. She snapped a picture in that second. “Nice.” She bounced on her feet with happiness before showing him the picture.

He shrugged. “The model could use some work.”

“I don’t know about that. You seem pretty perfect to me.” As soon as Maya uttered the words, she knew what she’d done, and covered her mouth. Mortified, she took a step back, unable to believe she’d said the words. Out loud. To his face. Her cheeks got hot and she looked away, fiddling with the shutter speed on her camera.

Jackson smiled easily. “Pictures are two-dimensional. It’s easy to hide the flaws.”

She needed some space, to take some time and recuperate. “I’m going to the dock to get some photos of the boats in the water.” She felt comfortable, like she’d known him for years, and crazy all at once whenever he was around. After several photos, she paused, staring out at the water. The sounds of the boats bumping against each other, and the scent of muddy water along with fish calmed her. She took a deep breath and could smell the peaches too. Further on, past the pond were the mountains. They were exquisite in their grandeur, color, and shape. Everything about them necessitated she take pictures. Putting the camera to her eye, she focused, zooming the mountains in.

“Want to go for a ride?” He came to stand beside her. She paused and gave him a sideways glance. His arms were crossed and his expression was thoughtful.

“I do, but I still need to get pictures of the horses and stable before the sun goes down.” She tapped her camera with a finger. “But maybe another time?”

“You’re afraid I’ll dump you in the water, aren’t you?” He smirked, facing her.

“You wouldn’t dare. I’d lose all of my pictures.” That wasn’t a joking matter. In fact as she had the thought she stepped away from one edge and nearly tumbled off the other side. Jackson caught her, his left arm wrapped around her like he’d dipped her at the end of a dance. “Thank you.” She stepped from his grasp. “I should probably get back.”

“Sure.”

They walked in silence back to Shadow. He was nibbling on grass, and looking up, swishing his tail as they approached. Maya realized Jackson was right. The horse really did like people. She wished she had another sugar cube to give him. Before she got any closer, she snapped a few images of the horse as Jackson walked toward him. The horse seemed genuinely glad to see the man. She couldn’t blame him. She was always happy to see him too.

When they returned to the stables, she went about taking more pictures while Jackson cared for Shadow. Before she got too far, the man running the stables whose name was Benny presented her and Jackson with a bottle of water. As soon as the cool water hit the back of her throat, she comprehended how thirsty she’d been. Jackson drank his all gone. She smiled and took a picture. While he worked she would snap pictures of him and Shadow in between pictures of the barn in the setting sunlight.

Jackson removed the saddle and blanket from Shadow’s back. Cleaned out the horse’s hooves with a scraping metal tool. When he’d finished that, he brushed the horse down again, talking to him the whole time. Shadow’s skin twitched as he brushed, and Maya guessed that the horse was enjoying himself. When Jackson finished, his hair was slick with sweat so that the curls stuck to the sides of his head. Jackson gave Shadow some oats and water, speaking with the stable master while the horse ate. She watched Jackson take out the other new horse, a female called Dahlia. She was ruddy brown and seemed more skittish around people than Shadow had. Maya stopped taking pictures when the large lights came on automatically high above them. They were nice and Patty had been smart for adding them, but it reminded Maya that she’d been busy all day and was exhausted.

Patty came out side then. “I’m going to go inside.” Maya spoke in her aunt’s direction, but hoped she’d been loud enough that Jackson heard.

“Goodnight, honey.” Patty hugged her.

Jackson tipped his hat at her and she smiled. “Thanks for your help today.”

Maya shut her door and immediately went to get cleaned up. She felt hot and sticky, and probably didn’t smell too good either. When she’d finished and had changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top, she made herself some dinner and browsed through the pictures she’d downloaded onto her laptop while she ate.

They were good. She felt confident her aunt could use several for her brochure. She selected the ones she liked the most and put them into a folder so that she could edit them later. That finished, she took her plate to the sink and cleaned the kitchen. It was her way of avoiding the pictures she really wanted to look at. Finally, after she’d poured herself some ice water and put a fresh lemon slice in it, she reopened her laptop and scrolled through the photos of Jackson. She loved the close up. His blue eyes twinkling with happiness, the way his hair curled around his cowboy hat, even the laugh lines at the edges of his eyes. His teeth were white and straight and stood out against his tanned skin. “Very handsome,” she whispered.

Her eyes caught hold of the pictures she’d framed for him. And she decided to do something bold. Something she might have promised herself she wouldn’t do, especially after the tragic end to her first marriage. But offering a silent prayer, she decided to take the pictures to his house. Just knock on his door, wait for him to answer, hand them to him, and see what happened. It was bold but then her aunt had told her to do something to let him know she was interested. She figured going over there would do the trick.

Without debating the idea further, she pulled on her boots, grabbed the gifts, and was on the Bale’s property before she realized it. At that moment she panicked. In the distance she could make out the barn, the large, main house and then two smaller houses off to the side. She didn’t know which house was his. Instinct told her the largest house belonged to Jackson’s mom and dad. That meant one of the others was his, but which one.

His truck,
she thought. She’d see which house the truck was parked in front of. Driving forward, she came to the main drive and noticed what she thought was his truck to be parked there.

“Now what?” Maya debated about what to do. But before she could make a decision, Milly came out. She carried a shotgun. Maya rolled down the window. “Mrs. Bale. It’s Maya Vance, Patty’s niece. I’m so sorry to bother you this late at night.”

Milly paused, squinting as she came forward. “Maya.” She relaxed her hold on the gun. “Hasn’t anyone taught you not to skulk around someone’s house?” She laughed. “I could’ve shot you.”

Maya giggled nervously. “I’m really sorry. I—”

“What’s wrong, dear?”

“Oh, nothing. I—” She struggled to get the truth out.

“You’re here to see Jackson,” Milly finished for her.

“Yes.” Maya giggled again, before realizing how she sounded and stopped. “Not to skulk. I have a present for him.” It was then Maya noticed Milly had her long hair down. It’d been braided and was draped over her left shoulder. She also wore a housecoat. Maya’s heart sank. The woman had obviously been in bed. According to the clock on her dash, it was nearing eleven. For those who got up early, it was late. “I’ll go. I’m really sorry, Mrs. Bale.”

Milly waved away her apology with her free hand. “It’s fine. You startled me, that’s all.” She’d reached Maya’s car and she put her hand on it, steadying herself. “I haven’t been getting as much sleep as I should.”

Maya felt horrible. She had a sick husband, four sons to look after, though they were probably old enough to look after themselves, and a large ranch full of things that needed to get done. “I should’ve called him or texted first.”

“Probably,” Milly said, but smiled. “Might as well go over. His is the house closest to this one. The lights are still on. That means he’s awake.”

“If you think he won’t mind.”

She laughed. “Highly unlikely,” Milly said.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Have a good night, Maya.” She started back toward the house.

“Milly,” Maya called.

“What is it, child? If I don’t get back in bed soon, I’m going to fall asleep on my feet.”

“Real quick. I wondered if I could take a family photo for you?” Milly faced Maya. She didn’t want to seem presumptuous or intrude, but she wanted to give the family a memory, one they could hold onto for generations. She’d also had an idea to take a picture of Jackson’s dad, one where he was younger, and edit him into a photo she took of all of the brothers together. But she’d bring that up later. If the family agreed. “Not now, of course. But sometime, whenever might be good for your family. No cost, either. I’d like to do it as a gift, if I could.”

Milly smiled. “That’s really thoughtful. I’d like that. Thank you, Maya.”

“Welcome.”

“Now I’m going to bed. If you have anything else you need to discuss with this old bird, it’ll have to be tomorrow.”

“Night,” Maya said with a laugh. She waited until Milly was back up the stairs and inside her house. Then she drove slowly, following the gravel road until she reached Jackson’s house. She again debated what to do next. “Buck up, cowgirl,” she whispered and then laughed, having no idea where that came from. “Deep breaths.” She breathed. Turned off her car. Grabbed the photos and shut the door. There were seven steps before reaching the porch. As she placed a foot on the first step, the front door opened. A little girl in pink princess pajamas appeared.

“Hello?” She waved, a big smile on her face.

Maya thought she looked like an angel. “Hi.”

“Daddy it isn’t grammy, it’s a pretty lady I don’t know.”

Maya heard someone walking fast. “Ava.” He swooped her up into his arms before glancing at Maya. Surprise registered on his face. “What are you doing here?” The words hadn’t been uttered in anger, but shock.

“You have a child?” It was the first words out of her mouth.

He nodded once, but Maya noticed the way his jaw clenched and unclenched. He hadn’t wanted her to find out.

“I didn’t know.” Maya stood there frozen, unable to move. It seemed to her that if someone had a child, sharing that information would be at the top of the list of topics communicated with the other person. She knew what type of ice cream he liked for crying out loud, but somehow he’d forgotten to mention that a tiny person belonged to him.

“Daddy, she has a present. Is it your birthday, cuz I know it isn’t mine.” Ava had placed her little hand on his cheek and spoke in a loud whisper into his cheek instead of his ear. It was one of the most adorable things Maya had ever seen. It brought tears to her eyes. She’d wanted children. She and her ex had tried, but it’d never happened. Of course she was grateful now. But somehow seeing Jackson with Ava made her heart hurt. He already had a family. He didn’t need her.

“Yes, she does. And it isn’t my birthday either. Should we ask her to come in and tell us about it?” Jackson’s voice was so sweet. He spoke to her tenderly and with adoration, just the way a father should talk to a child, even one still up so late.

Tears started falling and she couldn’t stop them. “Sorry.” Maya set the gift on the steps and ran.

“Bye, pretty lady,” she heard Ava call.

By the time she reached home, she was crying so hard, there was snot involved. She felt a little out of control. How had her heart grown so attached to him so quickly? How had she let that happen? It made no sense. She hadn’t cried this hard when she caught her husband cheating, and that had been devastating. She flung herself onto her bed, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

J
ackson stood
in the doorway for several long seconds after Maya left. He let Ava retrieve the gift. They took it inside. Of course Ava had to open it. When Jackson saw the framed pictures his heart rocked. She’d given him his favorite photo and hers.

“This one is so pretty,” Ava said of the bumblebee and the daisy. “Can I put it in my room?”

“I think Maya would like that.”

She nodded as she looked at the one of him. “Oh, look at the fire. Did you roast marshmallows?”

Jackson chuckled. “No marshmallows, but we should have. That’s a great idea. Maybe you and me can build a fire out back and make s’mores.”

“And grammy too?”

“Sure.”

“And grandpa?”

Jackson looked at his hands. “I don’t know. Grandpa needs to stay hooked up to his machines so that he can stay healthy.”

Ava nodded, absently studying the photo. “I see Everett. Right there.” She pointed him out.

“That’s right. Anyone else?”

For the next few minutes she found his brothers and the guys that helped them and called them out by name. When she finished, she said, “Let’s put this one here.” She walked over to the fireplace and tried to reach the mantle. Jackson lifted her. She set it carefully between a picture of him and his brothers and one of his mom and dad. Both photos were old, from back when Jackson was fourteen. His parents looked young. His mother’s hair was still blond instead of gray. “Is this good, daddy?”

“Yes, that’s a great spot.”

Ava hugged him.

“All right, young lady. It’s bedtime.”

“No, already.”

“Yes.”

She pouted, even when he put her on his back and did his best horsey impression up the stairs, which was her favorite. Once they were in Ava’s room, his daughter spent ten minutes trying out different locations for the picture but decided to put it on her bedside table. “That way when I wake up in the morning I can imagine stories about the bee and the daisy.”

“I like that,” Jackson said, helping her into bed.

“Why did…” Ava paused, trying to remember Maya’s name.

“Maya,” Jackson filled in, kneeling beside her bed.

“Yes, why did she seem sad?”

“I’m not sure.” Jackson swallowed. He guessed it was because he’d kept Ava a secret. He hadn’t done it as a way to be cruel or uncaring, but his daughter was special. He kept his dad life separate from the rest of his life. He didn’t bring women home, knowing it would make a difference when his daughter became older, especially if he didn’t marry. He wanted Ava to know he respected women and treated them the way he thought was right. It’d been a personal choice he’d made as he’d watched the most beautiful, graceful, and amazing woman in the world die while giving birth to their child. He wanted to honor Diana and figured the best way he could do that was by honoring Ava.

“Did you do something wrong, daddy?” Ava patted his cheeks with her chunky little hands.

Jackson chuckled but covered it up by clearing his throat. Her face was so serious. “I don’t know. Maybe I should talk to her about it?” He covered her hands with his.

“Yes, you should. Use your words, daddy. Kay?” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheeks and then the forehead, they way he did to her each night.

“I will.” He kissed her cheeks and forehead, pulling the comforter up.

“Good.” She started to roll onto her side, but stopped. “Oh my goodness. Prayers. We almost forgot.” She climbed out of bed and kneeled beside him. “Close your eyes, daddy.” He did. “Dear God. Thank you for daddy, grammy, grandpa, uncle Everett, uncle Lance and uncle Blaze. Thank you for the baby cows, the colts, and the baby goats, especially Ned.” She’d whispered the last part because Jackson had told her not to name the goats. He’d explained they would be sold at the fair at the end of the summer. He worried she’d be sad. It looked like it might be too late. “Please bless daddy to make up with Maya, the pretty lady. Please bless mommy up in Heaven. Give her a kiss from me and from daddy. Amen.”

“Amen.” Jackson felt extra emotional and cleared his throat as he tucked Ava in. “See you in the morning, Ava.” He started toward the door.

“Daddy, do the kisses again.” She touched each cheek and her forehead as she spoke.

He kissed her. “Night, Ava Angel.”

“Night, daddy.”

Jackson went downstairs and sat in front of the empty fireplace, staring up at the picture Maya had given him. It hadn’t been that long since Maya came to town. The same day his dad issued the ultimatum. He’d known right away there was something special about her. It was a feeling, a connection he felt whenever they were near each other. He had feelings for Maya, feelings he’d never expected to have again. Not since his wife, Diana had died. In the past he’d never believed anyone could compare to her. That had been why he stopped dating. It hadn’t been fair to the women he believed to be good and even pretty. They just hadn’t held a candle to her.

But then he’d met Maya. And suddenly he was trying to find ways to spend time with her. He’d even called in a huge favor to have those boots made for her. Then he’d gone horseback riding with her. That still surprised him, since that’d been what he and his wife did on their first date. She’d found a way into his heart, or made it bigger so that she fit there too.

With those thoughts came the realization that he should probably cancel the five other dates he’d made over as many days. It wouldn’t be fair to them, especially since he knew he would be comparing them to not only the mother of his child, but Maya too.

“What do you think,” he whispered. A feeling of peace overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling.

Before long, thoughts about what he should do to make it up to Maya occupied his mind. There were grand gestures like flowers and poems and notes and more flowers, but he decided to keep it simple and be straightforward. He would go to her house and he would apologize. Hopefully she would let him explain. That was most important. He needed Maya to give him another chance.