Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (The Ryan Family #1) by Carolyn Brown

“Take it a day at a time,” Addy said. “You promised me a beer, and I’ve been looking forward to it all evening.”

Jesse stood and rolled his neck to get the kinks out. “Been a while since I fenced that long and hard, but I couldn’t let Mia get done with the stalls before I finished the corral. A good boss works every bit as hard as his employees.”

He went to the kitchen area and brought back two long-neck bottles of beer, then gave one to Addy. She twisted off the top, took a sip, and set the bottle down on the coffee table.

“Want a massage?” she asked.

“For real?”

“I studied massage therapy after I finished my nursing degree. Sometimes, Sonny needs me to work on the muscles in his calves and back to relieve the pain,” she told him.

“I can’t see Dad on a massage table.”

“I do his massages in a chair, but I have a table. We stored it in what used to be the pantry over there.” She pointed toward the door leading into a room where they used to store staples for the hired hands. “If you want a really good neck massage, you can get it out and pop it up. If not, you can just lay on the floor,” she said. “Got any lotion or oils in here?”

“Lotion in the bedroom on my nightstand. Do I need a sheet?” He gave her a sly wink.

“Nope, you just need to take off your shirt,” she said as she headed toward his bedroom.

“How much is this going to cost me?” He stripped out of his shirt and tossed it over on the sofa.

“How many beers have you got?” she asked.

“Two cases of the regular stuff we like, and a six-pack of Jack Daniel’s Watermelon that I picked up when I came through Sherman on the way home.” He crossed the room and found the folding table right where she said it would be. He popped it up in the middle of the living area and stretched out with his face in the hole on one end.

She brought a bottle of unscented lotion from the bedroom and squirted some into her hands. “That might be enough to pay for tonight’s session, but if you want to book another one in a week, you better make a beer run for another six-pack of that JD Watermelon. I like it a lot, and we can’t get it except at liquor stores,” she teased as she began a deep massage on his neck.

“Oh, honey, I’ll buy a case next time for a massage like this,” Jesse groaned.

“You’ve had massages before, haven’t you?” She filled her hands again with lotion and started on his shoulders.

“Only one, and that was two years ago. We’d come in from a tense, ten-day mission and every muscle in my body ached. The doctor on post suggested a massage rather than pain pills. He was right,” Jesse said. “You could make big bucks in this area doing this kind of thing.”

“I don’t need the money, and I’m already committed to being a full-time nurse, part-time ranch hand for Sonny, and a helper for Pearl. Don’t have the time or the inclination,” she told him.

“That means I get you all to myself. Oh, darlin’, right there, that feels so good,” Jesse said.

“I hope this place isn’t bugged. Can you imagine the rumors if Lylah O’Malley overheard what you just said?” Addy giggled.

“Don’t even mention that woman to me,” Jesse growled. “I might not have known about Mia until a few days ago, but she’s mine, and just the thought of Lylah’s son talking her into leaving with him makes me—”

“Tie up in knots,” Addy finished for him. “I can feel it in your shoulder muscles.”

“She caused trouble between us in high school,” Jesse reminded her.

Addy moved down to his sides. “I’d forgotten about that.”

“I’ll never forget it,” Jesse declared. “Those two days were horrible. We didn’t talk, and I was so lonesome for you that I couldn’t even eat. How could you ever forget?”

“I guess I just packed it away and shut the lid on it, but I remember confronting her about the whole thing. She threatened to whip my ass, and I told her to bring her lunch because it would take all day. The whole thing was something over the Student Council election, right?” Addy asked.

“She said that the reason I won over her was that you counted the ballots wrong, and that I paid you to do it. When I stepped down, you got mad and said she was getting her way, and it made me look guilty. I just wanted to protect you,” he said.

Addy moved slowly back up to his neck. “I knew that, but I didn’t need protecting, Jesse. I still don’t. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me. Guys want a pretty little rose, like Mia said, who they can watch over. They don’t want a sassy, independent woman who can take care of herself.”

“Not me,” Jesse said. “I want a woman who loves me for me and who doesn’t see a hunky, retired military guy who can field dress wounds.”

She slapped him on the shoulder. “Your ego is showing.”

“Downright sexy, ain’t it?” he teased.

“Yep, and now, your thirty minutes are up, so roll over and put your shirt on before I start hiring you out as a male escort,” she told him.

“Will you be my first customer?” he asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

“Nope. I got a baby when I slept with you the last time. Now, put the table away while I wash my hands and then drink the rest of my beer,” she told him.