Chapter 1


    Jake


    ‘Fuck!’ I curse under my breath when I feel something sharp enter the back of my right shoulder.


    I quickly lift my arm up to inspect it. There’s already some blood siphoning through a tear in my short sleeve. Annoyed, I glance over at the wooden post of the corral where I see part of a rusty nail sticking out. I quickly turn my attention towards my horse, who was grinding against the fence beside me just a few seconds ago, to see if he’s injured as well. A thorough inspection of his flanks assures me that Duke is fine, but by the time I''ve finished examining him the blood is already trickling down my hand.


    ‘Zane?’ I call out to our newest ranch hand, who has been working alongside me today.


    ‘Yeah, Jake?’ he shouts back, while I tie Duke to the fence a couple of feet away from the dangerous nail.


    ‘Can you get this fucking nail out of here before it wounds any of the animals? I just caught my arm on it.’


    I use my already dirty shirt to wipe some of the blood off my arm. Zane hurries towards me with a concerned frown on his face. He’s a really good kid. He started working on the ranch here this summer, right after he graduated high school. He told me he hated being stuck inside a school building all day and prefers to be working outside. It was like I was hearing myself, back when I was his age. I couldn’t wait to be done with school either.


    ‘Shit, are you okay, Jake?’


    ‘Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a little scratch,’ I tell him. ‘I just don’t want anyone else to get caught on it. Can you take care of it while I clean myself up real quick?’


    ‘Sure thing,’ Zane promises, before he runs away to the barn to grab a tool box. I follow him out, but instead of walking towards the barn I turn left and head for the horse stables. There is a sink in there with, hopefully, a reasonably clean towel.


    ‘Great start of the fucking week,’ I mutter, annoyed, as I walk inside.


    I use my left hand to keep pressure on the scratch in order to prevent more blood from dripping down my arm. I’m about to curse again, but I swallow the words just in time when I realize I''m not alone in the stables. A blonde girl is standing in front of a horse stall with a mare and her young foal. I’ve never seen her before, but she’s in the presence of two children I know very well. She’s carrying Olivia, the one-year-old daughter of my boss, on her hip, while the second youngest girl, Violet, holds onto her fingers. Her gaze meets mine as I walk past her. I automatically slow my step for a second to nod at her in greeting, but then I hurriedly continue my way towards the sink.


    ‘Oh no, are you alright?’ the blonde asks in a worried tone.


    I glance over my shoulder and see the girl—young woman is probably more accurate, given the enticing curves of her body—looking at the blood on my arm with what seems like genuine concern in her eyes.


    ‘Yeah, it’s nothing,’ I assure her as I start washing the blood away. I smile politely to confirm that it’s really not a big deal. ‘Just a little scratch.’


    ‘What happened?’ the young woman asks, while she steps towards me with both girls in tow.


    ‘A rusty little nail in the fence,’ I explain.


    ‘Well that’s not good,’ she says, scrunching her nose. It looks kind or adorable. ‘You should really have that cleaned, or it could get infected.’


    ‘I’ll be fine,’ I shrug. It''s far from the worst injury I''ve had since I started working here. Minor injuries are just part of ranch work.


    ‘No, it’s absolutely not fine. If you don’t care for it properly that wound could get infected or you could get tetanus,’ she corrects me sternly. ‘Let me help you. Do you know if there’s a first aid kit in here? Otherwise I’ll go grab one from the house.’


    I glance at the small cut on my arm. It doesn’t seem worth fussing over, but I’m certainly not going to object if this pretty girl wants to put her hands on me.


    ‘Up there,’ I say, nodding towards a high cabinet a couple of feet to my right.


    The girl inadvertently bites her bottom lip while she glances up. She’s not very tall. Probably not more than five-two or five-three. With an amused grin I see a flash of determination cross her face, as she sets Olivia down on the ground.


    ‘Violet, can you please hold Olivia’s hand for a moment, while I help this nice man?’ she asks the toddler kindly.


    I’ve seen Violet terrorize some of the toughest guys on the ranch with her impressive tantrums, but this blonde woman apparently has some magical abilities. Not a single protest escapes Violet’s lips when she steps closer and takes her younger sister''s hand. I slightly lift my eyebrows in surprise, but the blonde girl already walks towards the other side of the stable to grab a stool. She quickly puts it on the floor in front of the cabinet and steps on top of it to grab the first aid kit. She still has to stand on her tiptoes to be able to reach it.


    ‘Got it!’ she exclaims triumphantly after finding the small white box, and I can''t help but let out a chuckle. She steps down with the kit in her hand and glances around the stable. Her eyes land on the feed storage chest. ‘Would you mind taking a seat over there, please?’ she asks, pointing towards it.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ‘Uh… Yeah, sure,’ I say, as I obediently follow her directions.


    ‘Come on Violet, you and Olivia can help too,’ she says brightly.


    She gently nudges the two children towards the chest. She puts the first aid kit down next to me. I suddenly realize I still have no idea who she is. I extend my right hand while keeping my left pressed against my arm.


    ‘I’m Jake, by the way. Jake Harmon,’ I introduce myself to the curly blonde.


    ‘Amber Scott,’ she replies with a polite smile. She gives my hand a brief shake, her small hand nearly disappearing in mine, before opening the first aid kit and pulling out a few packages. She tears open a gauze packet and hands the empty wrapper to Violet.


    ‘Do you think the two of you can put this one in the bin for me?’ she asks the girls with an earnest expression, as if she is giving them a very important assignment.


    Violet nods fervently and grabs the wrapper from Amber’s hand. She enthusiastically pulls her sister along while she heads towards the bin. Meanwhile, Amber uses the gauze to clean the blood around the wound. She frowns, casting a hesitant glance my way.


    ‘I can''t properly reach it. Your sleeve is covering part of the cut,’ she says shyly. ‘Would you mind taking your shirt off?’


    ‘Not at all,’ I answer amused. ‘Although I usually have to buy a girl a drink first, before she asks me that,’ I say with a smirk.


    Her cheeks redden as I reach behind my head and pull the bloodstained shirt off. I notice Amber’s eyes flick briefly towards my chest and abs before she refocuses on the cut on my arm, her face flushing even deeper. I try to stifle a chuckle—alright, Amber’s definitely a bit shy. Her fresh-faced girlish innocence forms an interesting contrast with the enticing curves of her body, which is definitely all woman. Her green checkered blouse hugs her rounded breasts and is neatly tucked into her jeans. Her hips are a bit wide for her small frame, making her ass fill out those jeans in a way that’s hard not to notice. She catches me looking and blushes even more, but stubbornly keeps her gaze fixed on my arm.


    ‘Do you have hurt there?’


    Little Violet and Olivia have returned to us and Violet looks up at me with curious eyes. She points towards the cut on my arm that Amber is working on.


    ‘Not at all,’ I tell her.


    ‘Yes, Violet, Jake has hurt himself a little bit,’ Amber corrects me, briefly sending me a stern look before she turns her attention to the girls. ‘But that’s alright. It’s always good to tell people when you’re hurt, so that they can help you make it better. Isn’t that right, Jake?’ Amber asks, raising her eyebrows at me.


    ‘Yes, right, yes! Absolutely,’ I quickly follow her lead and nod solemnly towards the curious toddler. ‘You should always tell people when you’re hurt.’


    ‘Violet, do you remember what we talked about the other day? What would be a nice thing you could say to someone who is hurt?’ Amber gently reminds the girl, while she continues to clean the cut on my arm.


    Violet furrows her brows as if she has to think hard about that question, but then her face suddenly lights up. She walks towards me, letting go of her little sister so abruptly that Olivia stumbles and falls down on her butt. She looks around a little dazed, while Violet gently pats my knee. ‘Is gonna be oooooookay, Jake.’


    ‘Exactly,’ Amber confirms. She sends Violet an approving smile.


    ‘Thank you, Violet,’ I chuckle.


    ‘Good job remembering that, Vi,’ Amber says, leaning sideways to open another package of gauze. She uses it to apply more pressure on my arm in order to stop the bleeding.


    ‘Whatcha doing, Amber?’ Violet asks with a frown.


    ‘I''m trying to make Jake’s arm feel better,’ Amber explains, now taking a wet wipe to clean the blood around the wound while she continues to put pressure on it with some gauze.


    ‘Like, give it kiss?’ Violet asks innocently.


    ‘No, I''m going to put a band-aid on it,’ Amber corrects her.


    ‘I don''t know. Violet might be onto something. If I get to choose, I think I prefer the kiss,’ I say with a cheeky grin.


    ‘Why am I not surprised,’ Amber mumbles, while she briefly glances at me. I don’t think her color is going to return to normal anytime soon. It’s almost impossible to resist the urge to tease her a bit more when she acts so shy and innocent.


    ‘Mommy always kisses better,’ Violet challenges her. Olivia has managed to stand back up and stumbles towards her sister, to grab her hand again.


    ‘Yes, Amber, Mommy always kisses it better,’ I repeat with a twinkle in my eyes.


    ‘That is wonderful, but since I’m not your mommy, I think I''m going to stick with the band-aid,’ Amber replies with a suppressed chuckle.


    She opens another package and presses an antiseptic swipe against my cut with slightly more force than necessary. I can’t hold back a small wince when the alcohol bites the exposed flesh on my arm.


    ‘Mean!’ I say, raising my eyebrows at her.


    ‘Maybe it’ll teach you not to tease me when I''m trying to help you.’ Amber gives me a mock scowl, but I see the corners of her mouth curling up.


    ‘Fair enough,’ I grin.


    ‘Jake, I got the nail out like you asked,’ Zane calls as he steps into the stable. ‘Do you want me to—’ He stops abruptly when he spots me sitting on the chest, shirtless. His gaze shifts to Amber, and his cheeks turn even redder than hers were a second ago. ‘Oh, hello, Miss Scott.’


    Amber’s blonde curls dance around her shoulders when she raises her head to look up at him. She offers him a kind smile.


    ‘Hi, Zane, it’s nice to see you again,’ she greets him. ‘Didn’t I tell you to just call me Amber? Nobody else calls me Miss Scott around here.’


    ‘Sorry, old habits,’ Zane replies awkwardly. He watches her with wide, longing eyes while Amber continues to clean my wound, seemingly unaware of his gaze. I glance at Zane and raise my eyebrows in amusement. Our newest ranch hand clearly has a crush on this girl.


    ‘There you guys are,’ another voice comes booming in from the other side of the stable. I turn my head and see Ray walking towards us. Raymond Jenkins and his wife Marjorie are the owners of the ranch.


    ‘Daddy!’


    Both Violet and Olivia run towards him and Ray catches them both. He easily lifts them up, one in each arm.


    ‘Hi, girls. What a fun surprise to find you here!’


    ‘Hello Mr. Jenk–Raymond,’ Amber says, quickly correcting herself. She offers him the same bright smile as she did Zane.


    ‘Good afternoon, Amber,’ he nods. Then he notices the residual blood on my arm from the elbow down. His expression turns into one of concern. He walks towards us and gently places his daughters back on the ground. ‘First day back and already injured, Jake?’


    ‘Nothing to worry about,’ I quickly reassure him, before Amber can say anything. ‘Just a minor cut. Good thing you hired a nurse while I was on holiday, Ray,’ I joke.


    ‘A nurse wouldn’t nearly be as helpful to us as this one,’ Raymond says heartily. He briefly places a fatherly hand on Amber’s shoulder. ‘Amber started two weeks ago as our new nanny,’ Ray tells me. That explains why I haven’t seen her on the ranch before. I definitely would have remembered her if I had. She’s definitely good-looking.


    ‘Hold this here, please?’ Amber interjects gently, while she presses some fresh gauze against the cut. I do as she asks and she swiftly and efficiently takes some adhesives from a package.


    ‘How was New York?’ Ray asks me, while we wait until Amber is finished.


    This is my first day back after my holiday, and I haven’t spoken to him yet. Ray was busy doing administration all morning and left our foreman Gary in charge of handing out the work assignments.


    ‘It was fine. Very loud and bloody expensive, though,’ I answer. I’ve taken a trip there with my younger brother Nate. It was fun for a couple of days, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of anyone actually wanting to live there.


    ‘I hear that,’ Ray smirks.


    ‘There! All done,’ Amber declares. Finally content with her work she takes a step back. ‘If you haven’t had a tetanus shot in the last five years, it might be a good idea to get a booster shot,’ she advises me.


    ‘No worries, I got one last year,’ I reply.


    ‘Then you should probably be fine.’


    ‘Told you I was,’ I wink at her.