The Last Second Chance by Lucy Score

20

It was a small, inconvenient twist of fate that had Carter and Summer booking a long weekend at Niagara Falls the same frigid week that Beckett and Gia headed to Belize on their honeymoon.

The inconvenience lay in the weather forecast. It also happened to be the same timeframe that the meteorologists started making noise about the first blizzard of the year.

Carter had immediately balked about leaving. He didn’t want to dump blizzard management and cleanup on Jax and Joey, but Jax knew his brother was also painfully aware that it was imperative to pry Summer away from her magazine for a few days for a pre-twin invasion break. The morning of the storm, Jax, Joey, and Colby had staged an intervention and practically packed the couple’s bags themselves while promising to call if they couldn’t handle things on their own.

Beckett and Gia had also half-heartedly volunteered to reschedule their honeymoon to be on hand for the incoming snowpocalypse, but their offer was brushed aside. Phoebe and Franklin would be taking Mr. Snuffles and staying at Beckett’s with the kids and pets to keep their routine as close to normal as possible.

It was amusing—and a little insulting—to Jax that Carter was worried he couldn’t handle the farm for a few days without him. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with a hundred times before while growing up here.

He’d always loved snowstorms, even if they meant extra work. Except for a few trips to Tahoe, he hadn’t seen snow since his move. Despite the extra responsibility a heavy snowfall incurred, he still felt like a little kid staring out the classroom window waiting for the first flakes.

Jax—keeping the latest forecast numbers for the storm to himself—tossed Carter and Summer’s bags in the truck himself and waved them off from the front porch with Valentina and Meatball at his side. Colby ambled out of the barn after Carter’s truck disappeared down the drive.

“We are screwed if this storm is as bad as they’re calling for tonight,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket and grinning.

“Yep,” Jax agreed. “Guess we’d better make a plan?”

“Let’s go see Joey,” Colby said.

“We’ll take the Jeep. It’s too cold to walk.”

Carter had thoughtfully attached the plow to the front of his Jeep, putting Jax and his team a little ahead in their blizzard countdown preparations. When the dogs followed them to the garage, Jax shrugged and let them clamor into the back. Well, Valentina’s long legs clambered. Meatball sat on the ground and barked until Colby picked him up and shoved him in next to his sister.

They pulled up in front of the stables where Jax spotted Joey in the paddock on a pretty little quarter horse. Meatball gave a little woof and squeezed through the door as soon as Jax opened it.

Joey swung down off the horse’s back and headed their way.

“Geez! I thought you were Carter coming to say he changed his mind about leaving.” Joey sighed in relief, her breath coming out in a cloud.

“Nope. We just waved them off with lies that the snow wouldn’t be that bad and that we’ve got everything under control,” Jax assured her, watching as Valentina loped over to sniff Waffles’s ass. Meatball barreled over and the three dogs took off around the stables.

“If they come back covered in horse shit, you’re in charge of bath time,” Joey warned him.

He threw a salute. “Aye, aye.”

She cracked a smile and that was all the invitation he needed to drop a fast kiss on her mouth before she could pull back. They’d spent a few more very satisfying nights together at her house since last week, but Joey still refused to be as affectionate in public as she was when they were alone.

Colby looked away, whistling.

Joey shot Jax a disapproving look, which had absolutely no effect on him. She was going to get used to being his girl one way or another. And Jax knew from experience that Joey responded well to trial by fire.

“You two realize that we’re fucked this entire weekend, right? The latest forecast says thirty-two inches starting after midnight tonight,” she said, leading the horse toward the barn.

“I heard thirty-five and starting at ten,” Colby said as they followed her into the stables.

“Go grab some coffee, and I’ll be back in a minute,” Joey said, leading the horse into the stables ahead of them.

Jax led the way to the office and got busy pouring coffees. Colby made himself at home in one of the rickety visitors’ chairs.

“So I started a list,” Joey said, bustling into the room and flopping down in the chair behind her desk.

“Let’s have it,” Jax said, handing her a mug.

“Snow removal is going to be the priority, obviously. But since we have some advance warning, I want to get all the horses lunged and exercised since they won’t be seeing the pastures anytime soon.”

“We’re going to need some help with that,” Colby predicted.

“I think I’ll call in some favors with the students. If I can get four or five of them in here before lunch, we should be in good shape.”

“Problem solved. What’s next?” Jax asked, comfortable letting her take the lead.

“You and Carter already stocked the straw for bedding, so we’re good there. But we need to double check the furnace in the stable and the barn, and I think it would be a good idea to add some extra insulation to the pipes to make sure nothing freezes. I don’t want to be hauling water to the horses from the house.”

“I’ll see what we’ve got left over from last winter, and then I can make a run into town for supplies,” Jax volunteered.

“Great. I’ve got a shopping list, too, if you’re going into town.”

“No problem. So snow removal—I’m thinking we should keep the Jeep over here to dig out here and at the brewery. We should be able to clear at the farmhouse with one or two of the ATVs. Colby and I can hook up the plows to them today.”

“How about the generators?” Joey asked.

“Gas tanks were filled last week for the brewery. I’ll check yours and the farmhouse while we still have some daylight,” Jax told her. “We’ve got a portable one in the garage we can roll out for emergencies.”

“If we work our asses off today, we just might earn ourselves a nice little vacation,” Colby said.

“I wouldn’t say no to a little R and R,” Jax said, giving Joey a wink.

* * *

Before the first flakes fell,Jax gave Joey a hand turning out the horses. Six students showed up to help lunge and ride in an effort to get everyone’s energy out while they still could. If the forecast was even close to accurate, it would be days before the horses saw the pasture again.

While Joey saddled up one of the spunkier mounts, Jax, Colby, and Waffles made sure the furnaces in the barn and stables were up to the challenge of a winter storm of epic proportions.

In the barn, he gave the pigs, Dixie and Hamlet, some extra bedding and threw a ball in their box stall for entertainment purposes. Dixie’s curly tail wiggled with pleasure when he gave her a quick pat. One stall down, Clementine, the evil goat monster, was safely secured. But that didn’t stop her from charging the gate when she saw Jax.

Her demonic little hooves scrambled at the wood and her ears twitched. Clementine’s creepy yellow eyes glowed under the barn’s fluorescent lights.

“Clearly not enjoying your captivity, are you?” Jax asked smugly. “You’re not so tough when you’re behind bars, are you?” He took a step closer.

He wasn’t sure if it was possible, but it looked like the goat narrowed her eyes at him. Pressing his luck, Jax waved his left hand at her, and when the goat followed the movement with her satanic gaze, he swooped in with his right and patted her on the head.

It wasn’t anything his brothers hadn’t done before. Joey and the girls regularly gave the four-legged beast ear scratches. Hell, Evan and Aurora could hug her around the neck. But one pat on the head from Jax, and the goat lost her shit. She sprang at the door, hooves clamoring. Something close to a scream erupted from her goat throat.

Jax jumped back in case the enraged goat managed to levitate over the door.

Waffles, fearless defender that he was, jumped at the door and barked three short yips.

Clementine stared down the furry bodyguard, and Jax could almost hear her calculating the odds that she could take Waffles in a fight. After a tense few seconds, Clementine must have decided the odds were not in her favor, and she slowly retreated, sliding down the inside of the door and sauntering over to her feed bucket.

“You’re getting an entire plate of bacon tonight,” Jax told the dog. Waffles blinked at him in understanding. The dog returned to Jax’s side, tail wagging happily. They wandered down to another large box stall where Carter’s latest charity cases were happily munching on hay. The two neglected Jersey cows that Dr. Ames had guilted his brother into taking in were already putting weight back on.

“You ladies have everything you need?” he asked, glancing at their bedding and feed and water buckets.

One of them swung her wet nose in his direction and lowed.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll bring you some bread as a special snowed-in treat tomorrow.”

The Jersey’s glossy brown eyes remained interested in him, and she approached the gate. She stuck her nose between the slats and sniffed at Waffles. Accommodating as always, Waffles tolerated the sniffing.

Jax moved on to double-check that the flashlights at the barn entrance had working batteries and then loaded the gas cans and Waffles into the Jeep and fired off a text to Joey before heading into town.

Jax: Taking Waffles with me to town.

Joey responded immediately and Jax chuckled.

Joey: Sure. Leave me the horse-sized one and the walking fart cloud. What does Carter feed this thing?

Jax: How about I pick you up something special at the liquor store to make it up to you?

Joey: I will accept your apology with nothing less than a good bottle of tequila.

Jax: See you in an hour with apology tequila.

Ninety minutes later, he considered just opening the bottle of tequila and drinking it while he stood in the checkout line. If the grocery store had been a nightmare—with a fistfight almost breaking out over the last bottle of kombucha—the liquor store was the third circle of hell.

Everyone in town was stocking up in anticipation of the storm. The line snaked around the register and up and down the last three aisles of the store. Bill Fitzsimmons was currently holding up the line trying to decide which pineapple-flavored vodka was superior. He’d been having a heated discussion with Mildred, the clerk, for the last ten minutes and the townsfolk were ready to revolt.

Jax caught Taneisha Duval’s eye. Blue Moon’s long-distance running star rolled her eyes at him. “I will pay for your tequila if you get him the hell out of here,” she said, jerking her chin in Fitz’s direction.

“Deal.” Jax handed over the bottle and stormed the front of the line. “Is there a problem here, Fitz?” he asked.

Fitz looked over his reading glasses at Jax. “Oh good. Weigh in here, would you, Jax? I was leaning toward the Highland Pineapple but saw this one was on sale. Now Mildred tells me—”

Jax yanked the bottles out of Fitz’s hands and placed them on the counter with a little more force than necessary. “You should do a taste test. At home. My treat.” Jax fished his credit card out of his wallet and handed it over.

“Well, that’s very generous of you,” Fitz said. “But I still need to pick out my mini liquors. I always like to treat myself to a little something special. Now, let’s see…” He leaned in to examine the register’s display of little plastic bottles.

The line behind him groaned, and Jax swore under his breath.

“And now it’s snowing,” someone called from the back of the line.

“We’re gonna get snowed in here, and there’s no TV.”

The grumbling got louder.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Jax swept the entire mini display off the shelf and dumped it into a plastic bag. “Now you don’t have to choose.”

Fitz looked like he’d just hit the lottery. “Well, if you insist—”

Mildred swiped Jax’s credit card so fast he thought he saw sparks. The crowd cheered as Fitz staggered out of the store under the weight of his haul. He waved cheerfully.

“My hero,” Taneisha called from the middle of the line.

* * *

Joey rode Apollo hard,setting a grueling pace around the upper meadow trying to burn off the energy that she knew would turn stubborn sassy mounts into destructive dicks when locked up for a few days. She was thankful the indoor riding ring would give them some room to exercise in the coming days.

The air was thick with the onset of snow.

She thundered back into the yard at the stables, Apollo’s sides steaming from a good run. The flakes were already coating the grass and drive. She’d lived through enough New York winters to know that this storm was going to be the doozy that was predicted.

But they were as prepared as they were going to get. Animals secure, food supply stocked, and every precaution for a deep freeze and a mountainous dig out had been taken.

She dismounted and, flipping the reins over Apollo’s head, led him toward the stable. Joey was almost looking forward to the storm. A cozy night in with man and dogs, fire and food.

The Jeep eased up the lane, windshield wipers flying to clear the fat flakes from the glass. Waffles stood with his front paws on the dashboard playing four-legged navigator. She caught Jax’s smoldering look at her through the driver’s side window.

It would seem she wasn’t the only one planning for an interesting evening.

She detacked Apollo and returned him to his stall before heading up to the house. The Jeep was parked out front and foot, and paw prints led up the steps onto the front porch. She grabbed the last few bags out of the back and followed the trail.

She found him unloading groceries in the kitchen in a cozy scene. Jax, with snow in his hair, was putting vegetables in the refrigerator while Waffles inhaled the remains of his breakfast.

It felt… good, comfortable.

And that worried her. Was she already getting too attached? Or was she just appreciating the fine male form taking care of a domestic task? She’d probably feel the same way if she found Jax folding laundry, which was a task that she didn’t bother wasting time on.

She tabled her concern for the moment and dumped her bags on the island.

“Colby took the dogs back to the farmhouse for now,” she told him. “They got tired running around the stables.”

“I’ll check in on them when I head back out.”

“How was town?”

“I forgot how stupid snow makes everyone,” Jax said, filling a glass with water from the tap and downing it.

“Fistfights over bread and milk?”

“No, but there was almost a civil war over pineapple vodka.”

“Yay! You got the tequila,” Joey said, picking up the bottle. “I should have warned you that the liquor store before a snow storm is busier than Mrs. McCafferty’s mouth.”

“Actually, you can thank Taneisha for the tequila. It’s a long story that involves Fitz, so don’t ask. But I did get you these.” He pulled out a bag of salt and vinegar chips.

“Gimmie!”

Jax handed them over and watched her rip into the bag with enthusiasm. “Oh my God. I haven’t had these in forever.” Joey peered into the bag and frowned. “Why can’t they put more chips and less air in the bags?”

“Because then you’d just have a big pile of chip dust.”

“I’ll eat all of these before dinner.” She sighed mournfully.

“Then it’s a good thing I got you a second bag and hid it already.”

“You sure know the way to a girl’s…” Joey shut herself up before she said anything stupid. She shoved another handful of chips into her face for added measure.

“So have you thought of the living arrangements for the storm?” Jax asked.

“You’re staying here, right?” Joey mumbled through a mouthful of salt and vinegar. “I mean, it just makes sense logistics wise. That way we can tag team snow removal in the morning.”

“I’d have two extra dogs with me,” he reminded her.

Joey shrugged. “That’s what the guest room is for.”

“Okay then. I’m going to finish up some things on the farm, and I’ll swing by the house and get the dog beds and food.”

“Bring pants with an elastic waistband,” Joey said. “You’ll need them after dinner. I’m planning a blizzard feast.”

“Beds, food, and a pair of Summer’s maternity pants. Got it,” Jax said, leaning against the island.

Joey smirked at the thought. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him toward her placing a smacking kiss on his mouth.

“That better be an appetizer of what’s to come,” he said, moving in for another kiss.

She let him take the lead, deepening the kiss on a sigh. The kiss chased away the chill of the storm and brought Joey’s blood up to a simmer. It was just their lips that touched, but she could feel the effects throughout her entire body. Like an engine revving, ready to throw caution to the wind.

He pulled back with a growl and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I need to get back out there and finish up a few things before dark. Hold that thought?”

Breathless, Joey settled for a wide-eyed nod as an acceptable response.

He reached down to adjust himself. “I need to buy roomier jeans if we’re gonna keep this up,” he muttered.

Joey bit her kiss-swollen lip and watched him toss a chip in Waffles’s bowl before striding out the front door.

“Get it together, Greer. You’re not eighteen anymore,” she mumbled to herself and set about unpacking the rest of the groceries.

As the snow fell faster outside her windows, Joey worked her way around the house, making sure she was domestically prepared for a good snow in. The generator was good to go, her propane tanks full, and the fridge stocked. There was a snow shovel at the front and back doors and a pair of snowshoes on the back porch. Pet-friendly salt for the steps and walkways was in a heavy bucket topped with a scoop.

She hustled upstairs and put fresh sheets on the bed and pulled some extra blankets out of the linen closet. She spread out an old picnic blanket, one she’d stolen from her parents years ago, over the bed in the guest room to minimize the dog hair her overnight guests were sure to leave behind.

With Jax taking care of the last check-in for the horses, Joey jumped in the shower before changing into plaid pajama pants and a tank top. She pulled her hair back into an unruly ponytail as she took the stairs back to the first floor.

The kitchen was the place outside the stables that she felt most at home. Recipes made sense to her. She put the right ingredients in the right amounts together, followed the directions, and she was rewarded with exactly what she set out to make. It was the predictability that she found appealing. The predictability and deliciousness.

She’d baked because her mother and grandmother had baked. Her father was always a willing guinea pig and sampled every recipe from her triumphant Boston Cream cupcakes to her failed first attempt at flan. Jax and his teenage appetite had become her second biggest fan. She sometimes wondered if it wasn’t her baking that lured him to her in the first place. Maybe he couldn’t stand the thought of Bannon Bullock having her cookies to himself?

In college, baking had bled into cooking by necessity. Nowadays, in her well-stocked kitchen, Joey could whip up just about anything. Tonight, it was her favorite chili, a hearty recipe she reserved for the dead of winter and snowstorms. She diced onions and peppers with the efficiency of a network food show star, and while they sautéed, she unwrapped the cubed chuck and gathered her spices.

She took a minute to sync up a playlist from her laptop and shifted her cooking rhythm to match Chris Stapleton’s smoky vocals.

Waffles came to investigate when Joey put the chuck in the pan, his nose sniffing with heightened interest.

“Nice try, buddy. You can settle for some tasty chicken and rice stuff.”

Waffles looked disappointed. She was amazed at how quickly she’d gotten used to sharing her life with a dog. Granted, Waffles was probably an anomaly. Gia was full of stories of Diesel the puppy doing his best to destroy their house, and Carter and Summer had their hands full with the medicated Meatball.

But Waffles was the dog that always came when called and sat by the back door when he had to go outside. He’d taken to life on the farm as if he’d been born there, befriending horses and barn cats and entertaining her riding students before class. And at night, he curled into a tight ball at her feet as if he was grateful for it all. But Joey was the grateful one. Whatever happened between her and Jax, Joey knew she’d always owe him for Waffles.

She helped herself to a bottle of porter from the fridge and opened it with the bottle opener mounted on the wall next to her back door. The beer was thick and flavorful. Perfect for drinking and seasoning. She poured a half-cup into the chili and stirred. The smells were making her mouth water, and she realized she’d forgotten to grab lunch. Fueled by coffee and a need to set things in order before white, flakey chaos fell from the sky, she’d blown right past any thoughts of food.

With the chili nicely taking shape in the big pot on the range, Joey turned her attention to starting the cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

The flakes were falling fat and fast outside her cozy home. She kept an eye out the window as day turned to dusk and the snow continued to accumulate. She caught a glimpse of headlights coming up the drive and pushed the second garage door opener button signaling Jax to pull into the bay she’d emptied for him that afternoon. It would save them both time if they didn’t have to dig the Jeep out from under three feet of snow.

Waffles gave a welcoming woof when Jax bustled through the front door a minute later. Valentina and Meatball were attached to leashes looped over his wrist.

Valentina headed straight for the couch while Meatball tried to scramble up the stairs, resulting in a tangle of dogs, leashes, and man. Jax extricated himself and unsnapped the leashes.

“They’re not too wet. Just from the snow between here and the garage,” he said apologetically as damp footprints splattered over Joey’s clean floors.

“Don’t worry about it. The floors will be a mess tomorrow anyway. Consider this the pregame,” she said.

Meatball hurtled up the stairs with Waffles on his heels. Valentina couldn’t be bothered to be interested in her new surroundings. She ambled over to the fireplace and flopped down on a floor cushion.

“I’m gonna grab their stuff. Be back in a second.”

“Do you need help?” she offered.

“If I can get those beasts in here myself, I think I can handle anything.”

Meatball howled on the second floor.

Joey narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to just get in the Jeep and drive back to an empty house leaving me with this motley crew, are you?”

“The thought had occurred to me, but I’d be awfully lonely in that bed by myself.” He winked.

When he returned, he was loaded down with a duffle bag, two bags of dog food, and two dog beds.

“Are you moving in?”

“Eventually. We’ll probably have to add on. I’m thinking a nice, big sunroom off the back with another bedroom and office upstairs. But we’ll talk about that later.”

“You’re insane.” Joey shook her head.

Jax dumped his haul on the floor and yanked off his boots. He set them in the tray next to the door to contain the drips. Snowflakes as big as nickels clung to his head and shoulders. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the hook next to Joey’s.

“It smells like Heaven in here,” he said, coming into the kitchen to investigate.

He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he peered over her shoulder at the stove. “Chili? And what’s this? If you tell me that’s cheesy cornbread, I’m going to marry you.”

“Then no, it’s definitely not cheesy cornbread. It’s boiled Brussels sprouts.”

“Liar. I’m totally marrying you.” Jax turned her around and put his hands on her hips. “Hi,” he said softly, before bringing his lips to hers.

It was a soft, warm kiss. The kind that melted Joey’s insides like chocolate over a low flame. Decadent, delicious.

“Hi, yourself,” she said when he pulled back.

“You taste like beer and beautiful,” he told her.

“What does beautiful taste like?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at the line.

“You.”

“Oh, boy. The snow brought me Mr. Smooth,” she teased.

“Do I have time for a shower before dinner?” he asked.

“Sure, help yourself,” she said, giving him a one-shoulder shrug before turning back to the stove.

“Care to join me?”

“I already had my shower. Why don’t you take a beer up there to keep you company while I finish dinner?”

“Have I told you that I love you?”

“Get out of my kitchen,” she ordered, rolling her eyes.

Jax grinned and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. She pointed at the bottle opener on the wall before he could ask.

“I’m serious about that marriage thing,” he said, taking a swig from the bottle.

“I’m serious about the you getting out of my way thing,” she said lightly.

He pressed a quick kiss to her neck. “I guess we’ll see which one of us gets our way.”

* * *

Jax tossedthe dog beds into Joey’s spare room and took the beer with him into the shower.

Usually only a summer ritual, the shower beer seemed appropriate enough for tonight. His body was sore from the physical demands of the day while his mind revved from the sense of urgency he’d worked under.

He cranked the hot water and let it pelt his aching shoulders and neck. Joey’s shower was a marvel, neutral stone tile walls with jets aplenty. There was room enough for two, possibly more in the walk-in. He felt like he was standing under a tropical waterfall as the water steamed and sluiced its way down his skin.

He was never leaving. He would stand under this water until his body dissolved and flowed down the drain.

He helped himself to a swig of beer and then began to peruse Joey’s bath accessories. He’d been in bathrooms of women with thousands of dollars of bath products, shelves crammed full of bottles that claimed they would tighten, soften, soothe, or protect.

Not Joey. No, Joey’s bathroom had a bottle of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, a loofa, and a bottle of generic body wash. He sniffed it, making sure it wasn’t some froufrou, cloying floral scent before dumping some onto the loofa.

He could deal with smelling like “cool morning cucumber.”

He stayed under the showerhead until his body forgot about the cold of the day and his beer was empty. Twisting off the water, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the two neatly folded towels on the vanity and dried off. He strolled naked into the bedroom where he found Meatball snoring on his duffle bag.

“Sorry, bud. You’re gonna have to move your ass. I need pants for dinner.” He pushed and prodded Meatball until the beagle reluctantly got off the bag and wandered off grumbling.

He pulled on a pair of flannel pants and an old t-shirt, dug out his laptop and charger, and followed his nose back downstairs.

Joey was ladling the steamy chili into a pair of hand-thrown bowls he recognized from Purely Pottery in town. She glanced up at him and proceeded to dribble chili onto the counter.

Jax knew when a woman was interested in him. He’d seen the look in others’ eyes, but it had never been as gratifying or as punch-in-the-gut exciting as when it was Joey looking at him like she was right now.

It hit him fast and bright, how much he loved her. How much he’d always loved her. Being with her in this homey scene sharpened the keen desire he had to make this their everyday.

“You’re staring,” she said in her husky voice.

“Same goes.”

Her mouth curved up the slightest bit and she went back to ladling chili.

Drawn to her—and the kitchen scents—Jax followed his heart and stomach into the kitchen so he could crowd her.

She topped each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and cut thick slices of cornbread to float on top.

“Drinks?”

Joey nodded toward the fridge. “How does dinner on the couch sound?”

“Almost as good as what we did on the couch the other night,” he quipped, holding up two beers. “Did the dogs eat?”

“I fed them all while you were in the shower. That’s some detailed list of instructions Summer left.”

Jax laughed. His brother and sister-in-law had left a long, step-by-step thesis detailing the dogs’ daily routines and medications and the timing thereof. “Yeah, we have to give Meatball his thyroid meds tonight.”

“Already done. I think he’ll eat anything that’s wrapped in cheese,” Joey said, leading the way into the living room.

He followed her to the couch where he stepped in to coax Valentina off it so he and Joey could claim it for their dining pleasure.

Valentina looked devastated for half a second before climbing onto an armchair and attempting to curl up on the seat.

Jax and Joey settled side-by-side on the leather couch, both propping their bare feet on the coffee table.

“She does realize she’s one hundred and twenty pounds of hugeness, right?” Joey asked, eyeing the dog.

“She’s a delicate one-hundred-and-twenty-pound Great Dane flower,” Jax said. All coherent thoughts immediately left his brain with the first bite of chili. “Sweet Jesus, woman. This is the best chili I’ve ever had in my life.”

Joey laughed and blew on her spoon. “I’m surprised you didn’t scald the taste buds off your tongue. Didn’t your mother teach you not to inhale hot food?”

“Caution must be thrown to the wind when something that tastes like this is in front of me.”

“I feel you reaching for a euphemism here,” Joey told him.

“You know me well.”

Joey frowned over her bowl. “Actually, no I don’t.”

“Jojo, you’ve known me since kindergarten.”

“I knew you until senior year. After that, you’re a mystery,” she countered.

He wished more than anything that she could just forget. Forgive and forget without an explanation. Because that explanation, that why, would result in someone being cut out of her life forever, and Jax was no longer sure it would be just him. He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t take that risk, not yet.

“What do you want to know?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. He knew she wanted the why.

“Besides that. Ask me anything, and I’ll tell you.”

“Anything? I like the sound of that.”

His stomach unclenched when she shifted her focus to lighter things.

“How many women did you sleep with after me?”

Jax choked on a piece of cornbread and guzzled down some beer to unblock his throat. “Jesus, Joey.”

She threw her head back against the cushion of the couch and laughed. “Your face was priceless. Do not answer that, by the way. I don’t want any numbers, just like you probably don’t want mine.”

Jax was back to queasy at the thought. And, of course, now he could think of nothing else but the guys who’d… Was he having an aneurysm?

“What was your house in L.A. like?” Joey’s question ripped him out of a waking nightmare imagining Joey screaming someone else’s name in the throes of passion. “Oh, Lester. Yes, Lester.” Where the hell did Lester come from?

“Sorry, what?”

“What was your house like?”

“My house? Uh. I don’t know. Hollywood-ish I guess. Everything out there that hasn’t been bulldozed and rebuilt by incredibly rich, fickle people hasn’t seen a facelift since the seventies.”

“Unlike the incredibly rich, fickle people,” Joey quipped.

Jax grinned. “Exactly. My place was built by some semi-famous architect in the late sixties. Huge windows with a hilltop view, sunken living room. The front yard was a cliff face. I bought it furnished with this very artsy, very uncomfortable furniture.”

“So is that the new Jackson Pierce? Artsy, uncomfortable, rich, and fickle?”

Jax shook his head. “That was a waypoint. I bought it mainly as an investment, which will have done quite nicely if the closing happens next month.”

“You’re going back?” Joey asked.

She’d kept her voice neutral, but Jax saw the way the spoon paused halfway to her mouth.

“Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” he began, his tone serious.

She set her bowl down with a hard clank on the coffee table. “You’re moving back to L.A.?”

Jax was about to point out that she was shouting, but he didn’t have to as three dog heads all lifted from various positions of slumber to investigate.

“What about the brewery and the breeding program?” she demanded.

“You do care.” He grinned, depositing his bowl next to hers. “You like me!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You should see your face.”

“I’m about to punch a hole in yours,” she said, anger shimmering off her. Waffles stretched lazily and wandered over to sit at her feet.

“I’m not moving back. I’m flying back for a weekend to settle on the house and to go to a lame premiere.”

“And then you’re coming back to Blue Moon?”

Jax nodded and grabbed her hand. “I want you to come with me.”

She still looked pissed. “What the hell would I do in California?”

“Me, for one. And you could put on a long, sexy dress and go to a party with me. Not to mention visiting any of the several racing stables and riding academies in the state. Plus, there’s Disneyland, the Getty Center if you’re into art, hiking in the canyons…”

She was staring at him like he was a lunatic.

“It’s sunny there. And warm.”

“Tell me more about this strange place that isn’t under nearly a foot of snow already,” Joey demanded, her lips twitching.

Relieved, he told her about some of his favorite things to see and do.

She shook her head. “It’s just so crazy to me. None of this sounds like the Jax that left all those years ago. You have a tailor.”

“Lots of people have tailors.”

“I bet you own a tux, don’t you? Normal people just rent them, you know. But I bet you had your fancy tailor make you a fancy tux.”

Two actually, but he wasn’t about to admit to that.

“I’m still the same guy you loved in high school, Joey.” And maybe that was the problem. “Look, just say yes. Come with me. We’ll go out, have a great time, laugh about how weird Hollywood is, and then we’ll come home.”

She was considering it. He could tell. “I don’t know if I can get away from the farm,” she said slowly.

“Joey.”

She looked at him, cocking her head to the side.

“What do you think all this is?” he asked, circling a finger in the air. “We’re babysitting the farm during a Mach seven blizzard while Carter, Summer, Beckett, and Gia gallivant around and have sex. We have a free pass.”

She bit her lip in a way that he found so sexy, Jax had to stop himself from leaning over and dragging her to the ground.

“A free pass, huh?”

He nodded.

“And we’d only be gone a couple of days?”

“Three. Four tops.”

She bit again. “Okay, let’s go to L.A.”

“Seriously?”

She shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

She didn’t even see the hug tackle coming.