Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Last night, when Jesse dropped Garrett and the boys off at home, he wanted to talk to Hazel. He wanted to explain whatever Emily had told her, but Frankie intercepted, saying that Hazel needed some time to herself. Frankie looked like she didn’t want to give Jesse that news, especially because Jesse could see that the light was still on in Hazel’s bedroom. He wanted to go knock on her bedroom door. Instead, he reluctantly drove home and got the worst night of sleep ever.
Today was the last day of Maple Bay Days. With it being Sunday, Cowboy Church was first thing in the morning. Jesse rode in the church service, carrying the flag before the sermon sung out over the arena. After the service, he helped a whole load of excited kids climb aboard sheep for mutton-busting.
Throughout both events, Jesse looked for Hazel. She’d attended the church service, sitting next to Frankie and Joyce in the stands, and he’d caught glimpses of her in Myra’s coffee trailer afterward. However, Jesse had yet to talk to Hazel about what happened at the dance. And he needed to. When the rodeo finally ended, Jesse dropped Charlie off at his parents’ and went straight to Frankie’s. Hazel wasn’t there. She’d taken Grace into town to get groceries, but Jesse decided to make himself useful until he got a chance to speak with Hazel. By the time she pulled up to the house in Frankie’s truck, Jesse had cleaned all the horse stalls. He also had Indy saddled and ready for a ride. He watched from the round pen as Frankie helped Hazel bring bags of groceries inside.
Just as he was about to untack Indy and head to the house, Hazel stepped off the back porch and walked toward the barn. She was carrying a bag of carrots.
When she neared the round pen and saw Jesse, she stopped. He was leaning on the top rail of the fence, watching her.
“Can we talk?” Jesse asked.
Hazel took a breath and walked over. She set the bag of carrots on the ground. “I thought it was weird that Frankie asked me if I could take a bag of carrots out to the round pen for the horses.”
Jesse’s gaze flicked back to the house. Frankie was peering out a window. She disappeared when he looked her way, and Jesse was thankful for her little scheme. She was a good friend.
Hazel crossed her arms over her chest, and Jesse couldn’t tell if she was mad or sad. Either way, he wanted to pull her into a hug and ease her worries.
“Can we talk about last night?” Jesse prodded, and Hazel bite her lower lip. He needed to know what had made her shutdown. “Is Grace okay? Was she upset about what Charlie said?”
“She was upset, but mostly because she thought I was hiding something from her.”
Jesse nodded, still leaning on the fence rail. He sympathized with Grace. He didn’t like it either—hiding his feelings for Hazel from everyone he cared about. He wanted to show the whole world how he felt. He wanted to hold Hazel’s hand in public. He wanted to kiss her goodnight, good morning, and good afternoon. He wanted to be open with Charlie and Grace.
“I don’t want to hide anything from the girls,” he confessed, and Hazel narrowed her eyes at him. Not the response he was looking for.
“But you want to hide things from me?”
“Hide things?”
“Who is Emily, and why would you have dinner with her and not tell me?” The question spilled out of Hazel, like she’d been sitting on it all night.
Jesse suddenly understood the look Hazel had given him last night, when she’d run into Emily. “She said we had dinner together?” he asked. Hazel tipped her head at him, waiting for more of an explanation. “That would be a bit of an exaggeration. She stopped over Thursday night. I didn’t know she was coming. She brought burgers from the diner for Charlie and me.”
Hazel’s forehead wrinkled. “Why would she do that?”
Jesse ran a hand through his hair. He should’ve told Hazel about Emily, but he didn’t want to rehash the past when it was long gone. “Emily and I were engaged. It was before my sister passed. Before I adopted Charlie. And there’s nothing going on between Emily and I. We broke up when Charlie was young—before she could even walk.”
“But Charlie acted like she knew her.” Hazel’s statement sounded like a question. “She hugged her. Emily said she painted her nails.”
Jesse’s heart sank, realizing how bad this looked. “Charlie knows her, but only as a friend. Emily and her family help with Maple Bay Days as well. I should’ve known she’d be back in town this weekend and I should’ve given you a heads-up. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want you to find out this way. She stopped by to say hi. It would have been a very short conversation, but Charlie convinced Emily to paint her nails and I was trying not to be rude.” The worry lines on Hazel’s forehead were still present. “Hazel, I want you to ask me all of your questions. I want you to feel comfortable knowing that you are the one on my mind. No one else.”
Hazel was quiet for some time before she asked, “Why’d you break up?”
Jesse shifted against the fence. “She wasn’t the one for me. At one time, I thought she could be. She wanted to get married so badly, and I thought that was the next logical step in my life. But I didn’t understand what I really wanted or needed in a partner. We were together for five years, but we grew apart. We wanted different things. I was ready for a family, to set down roots and raise Charlie. She wanted to travel and rodeo.”
“But . . . is she trying to get you back?”
“She’s called a few times in the past year, wanting to start something up again, but we never did. And, frankly, it doesn’t matter what she wants. I wish her the best, but I don’t want to be with her.”
Jesse offered up his hand, over the fence, not wanting to talk about Emily anymore. “Will you come in here with me? Please.”
“In the round pen?” Hazel’s arms were still crossed over her chest, but the stark tension in her body had loosened.
Jesse moved to the gate and opened it for her like a door. “I want to show you something. With Indy.” The buckskin gelding stood behind him, curious as to what Jesse was doing. Indy wore a saddle, but no bridle or halter. Hazel looked skeptical, but walked over and put her hand in Jesse’s. He led her through the gate, closed it, and turned her toward Indy. “When Indy first came to Frankie’s barn, he was scared. He’d been hurt in the past and didn’t want to trust anyone.” Jesse linked his fingers into Hazel’s and raised their intertwined hands. He brushed them over Indy’s soft nose and the horse blew warm breathes on their hands. Without a bridle or halter, the buckskin gelding wasn’t being forced to stay put. He did so voluntarily. “At first, he wouldn’t even allow me to touch him or catch him in the field, but look at him now.” Jesse rubbed both their hands over Indy’s forehead, and then his neck. The gelding stood, eagerly awaiting the scratches.
“Are you comparing me to a horse?” Hazel asked, reading between the lines and getting Jesse’s point.
Jesse lowered their linked hands and turned to face Hazel. “I’m trying to tell you that I’m a very patient man. I’ll go as slow as you want, but I want to take steps forward with you, Hazel. Even if they’re baby steps. I’ll take all the time in the world to show you that you can trust me.”
Hazel was quiet. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder and fell across her chest, which had started to rise and fall at a faster pace. She looked like she wanted to tell him something.
“What is it?” he asked. “You can tell me.”
“My marriage ended when I found out Bill hadn’t been faithful to me,” she said, looking pained. “I had no idea he was having an affair, but he’d been seeing a woman he worked with for a year. I was completely blindsided when he told me.”
Now Jesse felt beyond horrible about not mentioning Emily. He could see why Hazel had recoiled from him, especially if she thought Jesse had met up with his ex-fiancé for some kind of secret dinner date at his house.
“I didn’t tell you about Emily only because seeing her didn’t matter to me. If I’d known it would bother you this much, I would’ve run the second I saw her coming. I promise you that.” He put his hands on her arms. “And I hate to hear that anyone would hurt you like that. You deserve to be loved by a man that will give you the world.”
Hazel glanced up at Jesse. He wanted to be that person for her. He wanted to protect her heart from ever being hurt again, if only she would let him. Jesse slid a hand around Hazel’s waist and gently tugged her toward him, knowing that taking it slow with her was difficult, but he’d do anything to make her comfortable.
Hazel set a hand on Jesse’s arm. He kept his thoughts to himself, afraid she was going to push away.
Instead, she whispered, “I need you to kiss me.”
Jesse obliged without a second thought. Hazel tipped her chin up and he pressed his mouth to hers. She tasted just as sweet as he remembered, but there was something different about this kiss. As soon as their lips touched, Jesse felt like the dirt below his boots disappeared. Hazel ran her hands up his chest and looped them around his neck, and before he knew it, Jesse had one hand wrapped in her silky hair. The other arm pressed her body to his, and he didn’t want to ever let her go. He deepened their kiss, and when she returned his need, Jesse thought fireworks lit off inside his chest.
Hazel let a hand fall to his shoulder. She eased back slightly. “Jesse?” she asked, breathless. “I want—”
Jesse hung on each word, needing to hear what Hazel wanted, hoping it was him.
Just then, Indy startled and jumped. Jesse jolted out of his daze and turned so that his back became a barrier between Hazel and the horse, just in case Indy kicked out as he spooked.
As Indy leapt away from them, Hazel buried her head into Jesse’s neck. He reveled in her warm breath against his skin. He also discovered the source of Indy’s spook. A little silver sports car had driven up alongside the barn. It abruptly stopped, and a well-dressed couple got out. The man and woman started walking toward the round pen. Were they were lost? Jesse wished they’d get back in their car and drive away, so he could go back to kissing Hazel.
“Hazel?” the man called, and Hazel went ridged in Jesse’s grip. She peeled herself out of his embrace.
“Bill? What are you doing here?” She stood straight and smoothed down her shirt, which had inched up during their kiss.
This was this Hazel’s ex-husband? Jesse eyed Bill like an intruder, especially because Hazel had just told Jesse how badly Bill had hurt her. Why was he here? Bill looked like he’d just walked off a golf course. The woman with him was awkwardly ambling in heels that kept sinking into the grass. Finally, she gave up and let Bill approach the round pen. She waved excitedly from a distance, like she was greeting an old friend. Then she busied herself with her phone.
Bill gave Jesse a once-over and dismissively turned his attention back to Hazel. “Cynthia and I were in Bemidji for the weekend, visiting her parents. We thought we’d swing by on our drive home. I plugged the address you gave me into my GPS. When we pulled in, I saw you over here.” He looked around, like he had no idea why Hazel would be standing in the middle of a corral. “This place really is out in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it?”
Jesse didn’t like Bill’s tone.
“What are you doing here, Bill?” Hazel repeated.
“I can’t come visit my little girl?”
“Of course, you can. Anytime,” Hazel replied. “I just wasn’t expecting you.”
“Obviously.” Bill gave Jesse a leering look, and Jesse checked himself before he said something he might regret.
The backdoor of the house opened, and Grace ran out. “Daddy!”
“There’s my little girl!” Bill yelled back and opened his arms wide. When she reached him, he spun Grace into the air. “How are you?”
“So good!” Grace was all smiles, and Jesse forced himself to smile as well. “Now I can show you the barn, and the horses I’ve been riding, and the lake, and the carriage house.” Bill set her back on the ground.
“Grace, go put some boots on,” Hazel said. Grace’s feet were bare.
Grace gave an excited nod. “Wait here, Daddy. I’ll be right back.”
“Perfect,” Bill said as Grace ran off toward the house. “Then I can see the carriage house and get a better idea of the value. If you want me to put it up for sale in September, we’re going to have to take pictures of it by the end of August. Will it be ready then?”
“I-I’m not sure,” Hazel replied. “Maybe you could look at it later this summer?”
“That’s silly.” Bill laughed. “I’m here now. I mean, you’re still looking to sell it, aren’t you? Like you told me?”
Jesse felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Hazel was already making plans to put the property on the market? She already knew for sure that she wouldn’t keep it?
Hazel looked ashen, which was a feat because her cheeks had been flushed a few minutes ago. But she didn’t say a word as Jesse backed away. Her silence told him all he needed to know.
Jesse walked over to Indy and haltered him. He tipped his head at Bill as he led Indy out of the round pen. “Sounds like you two have a lot to talk about.”