"That's what Jenna said. I like her." Maria drew herself up to her full height. "Then I'll do my best." She looked up at Blue. "Can I go and tell Billy?"
"Sure. Maybe he could help you as well."
"He probably could." She skipped off in the direction of the house and Blue went across to the last stall where Sunflower, January's mare, resided.
"Blue? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
He turned to find Jenna behind him.
"What's up?"
She tugged at the end of her ponytail in a way Blue had come to recognize as a sign of discomfort. "I wanted to explain."
"There's nothing to explain. Actions speak louder than words, right?"
She took a hasty step closer. "I . . . panicked, okay? I tried to imagine how I was going to come down those stairs and look Ruth in the eye when I'd abused her hospitality and . . ."
"Shagged her grandson?"
"Well, I wasn't intending to admit that out loud, but I assumed she'd work it out as soon as she saw me. It's just so unlike me to behave like that. It was so unprofessional."
"So you're going to pretend it didn't happen."
"That's not what I said."
"You ran away."
"I . . . made a tactical withdrawal in order to spare you, me, and your grandmother an embarrassing family moment."
He studied her for a long moment. "So which is it, Jenna?"
"I don't understand."
"Are you the woman who came to my bed, or are you just the family vet?"
"Can't I be both?"
"You tell me." He picked up the wheelbarrow handles. "Excuse me. I have to get this to the manure pile."
She didn't follow him, which was probably wise because he wanted to kiss her and throttle her at the same time. He wasn't going to do either of those things until she made a decision about who and what she wanted. Okay, he was pushing her, but she already knew he didn't deal in grays. If she wanted to have a relationship with him, they had to be completely on the same page. And seeing as she'd been the one to totally rewrite the verse and chapter they were currently on, surely he had a right to ask for some guarantees?
He dumped the manure and stood staring down at the steaming pile. Unless she'd really meant the bit about him just being a booty call . . .
Maybe he didn't know her at all.
* * *
Jenna turned back toward her truck, her footsteps slowing as she thought back through what Blue had said to her. Was she being a coward? That was what he'd implied. But it was all so easy for him. He knew who he was and never doubted his place in the world or that he could get what he wanted.
She'd never had that certainty. And every time she'd attempted to be brave and strike out by herself, she'd ended up worse off because she made stupid, reckless decisions.
Like sleeping with Blue Morgan.
She went to open the truck door and stopped. But did she regret that choice? She closed her eyes as her body remembered exactly how perfectly she and Blue had fit together and the pleasure he'd given her. Was she willing to give that up? Was she ready to stand up and declare they were a couple?
Jenna turned on her heel and headed back for the barn. There was no one around apart from Blue, who was busy in Sunflower's empty stall replacing the flattened straw with fresh sweet-smelling grasses.
"Hey."
He looked up at her, his blue gaze wary.
"You can't just go around making sweeping demands like that when I don't know where I stand with you."
He propped the rake against the wall and faced her. "You voluntarily came into my bed."
"That's where I stand. Or lie. But what about you?" She hesitated. "Maybe I forced the issue. I should've considered your perfectly legitimate objections to having a relationship with anyone at this point."
"I think we're beyond that now, don't you?"
"Not unless you want to be." She held his gaze. "I shouldn't have rushed you."
"I didn't exactly turn you away."
"You're a man. Of course you didn't."
He stiffened. "You're suggesting I would've been quite happy to see any woman turn up in my bed?"
Good Lord, now she'd offended him. "No, of course not. I just meant that I made a unilateral decision without adequately consulting with you first."
"Come again?"
She sighed. "I shouldn't have jumped you in your own bed."
He leaned one shoulder against the door frame and regarded her steadily. "Do you make a habit of it?"
"Jumping into men's beds? God, no."
"So you weren't just using me to scratch an itch."
The idea was so ludicrous that she actually gaped at him. "You're kidding, right?"
He shrugged. "Nope. Believe it or not, there are quite a few women who specialize in collecting men in uniform."
"Like a military buckle bunny?"
"Exactly."
"I'm not one of those." She held his gaze. "Is that how I made you feel?"
He half smiled. "Put it this way, leaving my bed without telling me was something of a clue. I suppose I should be glad I didn't find a twenty-buck note under the pillow."
"You're worth far more than twenty bucks."
"Yeah?" His smile this time was slower to come and more genuine.
"Not that I would've paid you because I don't think of you as a booty call-unless that's what you want me to think of you-because you aren't in the right place for a real relationship."
He stepped forward, stripped off his glove, and cupped her chin, his thumb tracing her lower lip.
"I've been meaning to tell you I changed my mind about that. Your preemptive strike last night kind of put me off my stride."
She grimaced. "I thought I'd pushed too hard and that you'd be glad to see me leave. I never meant to hurt you."
"Let's set a few things straight between us, shall we?" Blue said. "I know this isn't a good time for us to get together because I'm not at my best, but I don't want to be just a booty call."
"Okay."
"I want to be the only man in your bed, and I want us to be a couple. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Despite everything?"
"Yeah." He kissed her nose. "It's not going to be easy, and I think we need to keep it on the down-low until we sort out what's going on with Maria and get through Chase and January's wedding."
"Agreed."
"But I do want us to be together. Is that okay with you? Is that what you want?"
She nodded.
He searched her face. "I hate it when you go all quiet and acquiescent on me."
"It's only because you have overwhelmed me with your masterful logic."
"Masterful, eh?"
"Yes, please."
He kissed her properly this time, and within seconds she was pressed against the wall and his big body was covering her. His Stetson went flying when she wrapped her hand around his neck to hold him as close as she could.
"Ahem."
Jenna opened one eye and looked past Blue's shoulder to the door of the stall where Roy was watching them, a big grin on his face.
"So much for being discreet, Blue."
"You two should get a room." Roy chuckled. "Darn, I've always wanted to say that."
Blue bent to pick up his hat and then turned to Roy. "Keep this to yourself, okay?"
"You disrespecting Miss Jenna, BB Morgan?"
Jenna hastened to Roy's side. "No, there's just a lot going on at the moment and we don't want to make a big deal out of this until we see how we're getting along. I have just come out of a long relationship with Nate, so Blue might just be my rebound boyfriend."
Blue snorted.
Roy nodded as if she made perfect sense, which considering how much reality TV he and Ruth watched might actually be true.
"If he messes you around, young lady, you come and see me and I'll set him to rights."
"You going to put me over your knee and spank me, Roy?"
Roy looked Blue up and down. "If I have to."
"I'm sure it won't come to that," Jenna said hastily. "Now I have to get going. I promised January I'd meet with Yvonne in town to go over the menu for the wedding luncheon."
Blue caught her hand and reeled her back in for a kiss. "Come back here for dinner, okay?"
"I'll text you. I've got to help Uncle Ron with a surgical case this afternoon, and that could go on for a while." She paused. "You could come over to my place. I can cook you dinner."
"You cook?"
"Sometimes."
He gave one of his decisive nods. "Then let's do that. Text me when you're ready and I'll come on over."
Chapter Thirteen
"So what was he like?"
Jenna frowned at Yvonne. "I'm not telling you that."
"Was he bad? Did he suck and not in a good way?"
"He was . . . everything I've ever wanted in a man."
Yvonne sat back, her muffin forgotten in her hand. "Wow."
Jenna shrugged as her cheeks heated. "We're keeping it quiet at the moment, so don't go telling everyone, okay?"
"Keeping what quiet?" January joined them at the table, holding a large white binder with the word "Wedding" on the front.