Claiming the Cowboy for Christmas by Kadie Scott

Author:Kadie Scott [Scott, Kadie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction
ISBN: 9781951190248
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2019-10-07T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

After Ashley left, sleep was as elusive as a UFO sighting. Eventually, around three-thirty in the morning, Jennings gave up and started his day, working at a blistering pace trying to outrun his mind. However, that also meant he wrapped up his morning chores earlier than usual. By four-thirty he was at loose ends.

Not particularly keen on rambling around his house alone with his admittedly brooding thoughts, he decided to head into town. He’d get breakfast at Dahlia’s, which opened early, then do some errands.

But instead of town, his truck sort of pointed itself to the Hughes’ ranch.

The trouble with him was he’d never been a quitter. Clearly, or he would’ve booted Ashley out of his heart a long time ago. But the little girl with dark pigtails who’d laughed at his stupid jokes had grown into a woman who’d stolen his heart before he’d even known he was ready to give it away.

Last night, after she’d left and he’d cooled down, he’d had to admit his inappropriate level of anger might have had something to do with a ten-year backlog of unrequited interest and bitterness at losing her friendship so easily.

Finally, he’d gotten honest with himself and admitted he’d loved her this entire time.

Love. Him. Jennings Hill.

Despite the obvious staring him in the face for eons, that revelation had still come as a shock. He wouldn’t have taken her teenage rejection as hard as he had otherwise, or the way last night had ended.

He was head over boots in love with a woman who, at best, saw him only as a once-upon-a-time childhood friend with benefits, or, at worst, as handy for scratching an itch.

Hopeless.

Jennings had spent most of his chores trying to figure out what in tarnation, if anything, he should do about it, because he couldn’t leave things in their current state. No way was he giving up, though.

He pulled up the Hughes’ long gravel drive and parked next to Ashley’s car, then debated his next move. All the lights were still off, which meant no one was up yet. Five was a tad too early to be knocking on their door, although likely her dad would be getting up in the next half-hour or so. Still, he didn’t want to wake any others who might sleep later. Plus, he needed to talk to Ashley in private, before she said anything to her family.

He glanced at the window over the porch roof—Ashley’s room—and rolled his eyes at the stupidity he was contemplating. “You’re a fool, Hill,” he muttered.

Even so, he got out of the car, shivering at the cold that seeped into his bones. Using the route he’d memorized as a kid, Jennings shimmied up the oak tree which had a large branch that hung over the porch roof. Twice, his boots, slick from the dew on the ground, slipped.

“Dang it,” he muttered, holding back worse expletives.

He was pretty sure one elbow now sported a bloody scratch. Still, he managed to shimmy out over the branch, then swung down, lowering himself to the porch roof.

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