Sleigh Bells Ring in Romance by Shanna Hatfield

Author:Shanna Hatfield [Hatfield, Shanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Jess leaned on his cane as he reached down and scratched Pigtails along her back. The little piglet grunted and twisted, clearly wanting him to get to a spot he hadn’t yet reached. Unable to hunker down and give her the attention she obviously craved, Jess made his way to where a small bale of hay sat in the barn aisle.

“Jump up here, baby,” Jess said, patting the top of the bale.

Pigtails squealed and turned in a circle three times before rubbing against his leg and grunting again, little curly tail switching back and forth like the rod on a metronome.

“Come on, Pigtails. Jump right on up here.” Jess patted the hay again.

One of the ranch dogs ran in the barn and leaped on the bale, squirming and slobbering as Jess lavished it with pets and belly scratches.

Pigtails, clearly jealous of the attention Rooster received, squealed again then launched her little body at the bale.

Jess reached down and gave her a boost. The dog licked her face then hopped down and raced back out of the barn when one of the ranch hands called for him.

Pigtails wiggled her bottom, tail bouncing, as Jess pet her. “You’re just a sweet lil’ gal, aren’t you, Pigtails. Yes, you are. A sweet lil’ baby. Are you my best girl? Oh, I think you are.”

“Well, that’s just a shame to hear,” a familiar voice said from the doorway, startling him.

He turned and watched Blayne Grundy walk toward him. Jess recalled years ago when Blayne’s voice had changed. Seemingly overnight, he’d gone from a squeaky adolescent to having a deep gravel-laced voice that sounded like it belonged on a sixty-year-old man who’d spent his life chain-smoking. He knew that voice had driven more than a few girls to distraction during Blayne’s teen years.

Although Doris probably didn’t know it, Blayne hadn’t been the angelic child she’d always thought him to be. He’d gotten into a little trouble in high school, pulling pranks and doing stupid things a group of sixteen-year-old boys tended to do when they got together and had a few illegal drinks.

One night, Jess and Julia had just gone to sleep when the phone rang. Blayne was calling from the police station. He’d been picked up in a car full of boys who’d been drinking and racing a pickup full of hooligans from a neighboring town.

Blayne had begged Jess to come get him and not tell his grandparents. Since the boy hadn’t done anything like it before, Jess went and got him then burned his ears all the way back to the ranch. Rather than drive him all the way home, he made him walk from the road up the long driveway of the Rockin’ G. He figured the hike gave Blayne time to think about what he’d done as well as the promise he wrangled out of the boy to never again be that stupid.

True to his word, Blayne had shaped right up. Jess had never told Doris or Glen he’d been the one to keep their grandson from spending the night in jail.

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