Page 2 of Barn Burner (Love The Game #2)

Jesse

The sound of gravel crunching beneath my boots and blood rushing in my ears are the only things I can hear as I edge closer to the body lying motionless on the side of the road.

Is this guy… dead?

I really fucking hope not, but with how my day is going, nothing can surprise me at this point.

I’m supposed to be leading a trail ride right now, but just as I was about to get my horse, Prince, ready for our ride, my mom came barrelling into the barn like the place was on fire.

It turns out rodents had gotten into the storage room attached to the petting barn, again , and urinated in various food bins.

She refuses to let me put up traps, claiming that they have just as much right to be there as all the other animals on our land.

And that right includes pissing all over the donkey’s food.

But after muttering under my breath that I was going to set up traps while she’s asleep, I figured I’d be a good son and offered to go and get some more as our next delivery isn’t due for another three days, then sent my brother Rhett to lead the trail ride instead.

Except now, I’m regretting my choices. When I arrived at our usual store this morning, they were closed due to a leak that had spoiled all the food I needed to buy, meaning I had to go to their other store near Calgary, almost an hour away.

Now, here I am, with luck clearly not on my side, as I edge closer to a potential dead body.

This is not what I signed up for when I woke up this morning, and I’m definitely going to need to make it up to Prince when I get back if his huffs of disapproval were anything to go by when I left.

As I take a slow, cautious step closer, my gaze drifts to the SUV parked up.

The hood is open. A light trickle of steam is coming from somewhere underneath.

It doesn’t look to have any visible signs of damage.

No dents or scrapes, so he couldn’t have hit anything that might have been crossing the road.

Elk, deer, and bears are common around here, so it’s not unheard of.

There are no tire marks on the road either as a result of heavy braking.

But there he is. Flat on his back, arms spread out wide. Like he’s been crucified on the long, green grass under the high noon sun.

“Hey there, are you alright?” I call out, and my breath whooshes out of my chest when his head snaps toward me.

Okay, so he’s not dead. That’s something, but what the hell is he doing out this way?

People don’t come down this road unless they’re heading to one of the nearby ranches or a detour to one of the hiking spots, but even then, that tends to only be the locals.

Which, I’m assuming by the fact he’s willingly lying on the side of the road for a bear to come find him, tells me he isn’t a local.

“Are you going to kill me?” he asks, and his sudden question has my steps faltering.

I furrow my brows. “Uh, no?”

He lets out a heavy, relieved sigh. “Oh, thank God. With how my day is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.

” With a small chuckle, he sits upright and flashes me a dazzling smile as he jumps to his feet.

He brushes off his jeans, then places his hands on his hips. “Hey, do you know anything about cars?”

I watch him, curiously. His British accent is doing weird things to me, as is his appearance. The guy is fucking gorgeous, with his messy, dark brown hair that looks like it’s overdue for a cut, but it’s his simple… politeness to a complete stranger that’s throwing me off.

Wait. Is he going to kill me ?

I haven’t been in a fight for almost two decades, but I think I could take this guy. I’m bigger than him, both in height and stature. He looks strong, but more in an athletic sense, whereas my strength comes from working decades of ranch life.

“A little,” I answer slowly, steeling my shoulders just in case.

“So, I dunno what happened, but I was driving along, and then there was this bang, then another bang, then all this smoke came out, like—” He waves his hands around in the air.

I’m assuming reenacting the amount of smoke.

“Then I pulled over, and my phone had no signal, and now I don’t know what to do. ”

I blink at him, giving myself a moment to mentally digest his barrage of words, then ask, “What colour was the smoke?”

“White.”

I nod once. “Sounds like your engine overheated.”

He scrunches up his nose. “Ouch, that doesn’t sound good.”

“Mhm,” I hum and round to the front of his car while giving him a wide berth.

I’m not quite sure how to take this overly friendly guy yet, but I can’t exactly leave him stranded.

My mom brought me up better than that. I peer under the hood, trying to look for obvious signs of damage.

I’m not a car expert. That’s my youngest brother, Cooper’s, wheelhouse, but I know some.

Enough to know that the sweet scent that’s lingering in the air is coming from the antifreeze.

I press the back of my hand against the coolant tank, quickly snatching it back when it burns my skin.

Yep, definitely overheated.

“Were you right?”

I stiffen as the guy steps up beside me and places his hands on the front of the car.

Straightening slightly, I turn to face him. He’s so close, the brim of my hat almost touches his nose. He’s pushed his dark sunglasses on top of his head, now showing off beautiful, rich chocolate-brown eyes, laced with flecks of gold.

He really is fucking gorgeous.

“Mhm. Engine overheated.”

“Damn, that sucks. Do I just leave it to cool down for a bit, then I can carry on?”

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t because you could cause more damage, and it’ll wreck your car.”

“Ugh!” He groans, dropping his head forward as he mutters to himself, “This summer fucking sucks.”

The sense of defeat lining his drooped shoulders has pity pooling in my chest. A lot of people come out this way for a vacation.

They visit the various hiking trails around the Rockies or hit up the Calgary Stampede that happens every year in the city.

Usually, I avoid it all. I like to live a quiet life, and my idea of a vacation is taking Prince on a pack trip for a couple of nights.

But judging by the packed car, he was heading out on a solo adventure that has, quite literally, gone up in smoke.

He pulls out of his phone and taps the screen a few times, then lets out another frustrated noise. “Fuck! Still no signal.”

“You probably won’t get any ’til the trees clear,” I say, then feel like a heel for rubbing salt in what I assume is an already sore wound.

He huffs a laugh, one devoid of any humour. “Not that I can use it anyway. I stupidly saved the wrong number for the breakdown service, so it’s not like I can call and hitch a ride, and I don’t remember what the company is called because I never thought I’d have to use it.”

He pushes himself off the car, and my eyes definitely don’t fall to his ass as he goes back to the spot where I first found him and drops down onto the grass.

Well, fuck. Now I definitely can’t leave him here. I don’t want jeopardizing his safety to linger on my conscience.

Just the sight of his ass in those jeans.

Fuck’s sake. Am I really that hard up that I’m eyeing a stranger’s ass? I know it’s been a while, but Christ.

Taking a deep breath, I say the words I hope I won’t come to regret. “I can give you a tow back to my ranch. My brother can take a look. He’s good with cars. He might be able to fix it, depending on how bad the damage is.”

His eyes widen as a hopeful smile spreads across his face. “Really?”

I grunt, and he jumps to his feet again, like an agile cat.

“Wow, thanks. I mean, I really appreciate it.” He shoves his hand out. “I’m Brayden.”

I drop my gaze from his face to his hand, hesitating for a beat before giving it a firm shake. “Jesse.”

“Ha!” He barks out a laugh. “That’s amazing!”

“Is it?” I ask, dropping his hand.

“Yeah! Jesse, and—” He points to my hat. “—you’re a cowboy.”

I frown. Is he seriously going to make fun of me after I’ve just offered to rescue his ass?

Stop thinking about his ass.

“You know, like from Toy Story 2 . Although she was a cowgirl. Is that a big thing around here?”

I quickly pinch the bridge of my nose, then turn on my heel, heading back to my truck to get the tow cables. “Is what a thing?”

He’s quick to follow, falling in line with my steps. “Cowboys,” he clarifies. “To be honest, I just thought they existed in movies. Like the old Westerns.” He points finger guns at me and makes pew-pew sounds.

Yeah, I’m probably going to regret this.

“I take it you’re not from around here, then,” I reply as I drop the tailgate and grab the tow cables.

He laughs. “What gave it away? Was it my accent or the fact I broke down on the wrong side of the road in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, Alberta?”

I glance back to his car. “Looks right to me.”

He rolls his eyes, and I hate that it looks cute on him.

“No, like I’ve been driving on the wrong side of the road.

Everything is all…” He waves his hand again, and I’m starting to realize he’s very animated with his hands when he talks.

“The wrong way around. I drive on the left side of the road back home, but here, I have to drive on the right. The gear stick is on the other side of the car than what I’m used to, and don’t get me started on trying to open the windows.

Everything is opposite, and it’s kinda confusing. ”

I open my mouth to say something but promptly shut it again. I genuinely don’t know how to take this guy. He continues to talk about other things that are different from England as he follows me to the front of his SUV.

“Are you sure you’re not going to kill me?

” he asks again, shoving his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

The move only emphasizes the thickness of his thighs, and I quickly avert my gaze.

Now is not the time to be checking him out.

“I mean, a killer probably wouldn’t admit that, but I think you’re a good guy, even if you’re a little grumbly, which is kinda hot, by the way, but I just need some kind of reassurance here. ”

I pause, one knee on the ground as I tilt my head to look at him from beneath the brim of my hat.

He’s pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, brown eyes sparkling with excitement, but also a hint of apprehension.

He’s trying not to show he’s nervous, but his flighty movements are giving him away.

“Do you want to stay on the side of the road ’til someone else comes along?”

He shakes his head. “Well, no, not really.”

“Then unfortunately, I’m your best bet,” I grunt and make a start on attaching the cable to his tow hook. “And no, I’m not going to kill you. I’m just gonna take you back to the ranch for my brother to look at your car, then you can be on your way once it’s all fixed.”

“Is this like a false sense of security? Is taking me to your ranch like a euphemism?”

I close my eyes for a moment, begging for an ounce of patience before I address him again. “Brayden, either help me with these cables, or go sit in the cab of my truck. I’m not going to kill you. My ranch is literally just that. A ranch. We have beef cattle and horses and a petting farm.”

He sucks in his lip again before giving a firm nod, and thankfully, he goes to sit in the cab of my truck.

I finish attaching the cables to his car before pulling my truck up in front to finish hooking up.

Ten minutes later, we’re heading back to Huxley Creek Ranch, and I can feel his eyes on my person.

Silently watching me with those soulful eyes.

“So, how many brothers do you have?”

My reply rumbles from my chest. “Two.”

“Are they called Woody and Buzz?” He snorts, then slaps his thigh as he bursts into laughter.

I flatten my lips, trying not to let my amusement show at his ridiculous joke. Instead, I roll my eyes and give a small shake of my head.

“Damn, not a Disney fan, then, I take it?” he asks when I don’t answer.

I glance over and arch a brow. “Isn’t it Pixar?”

That rewards me with a beaming smile that hits me in the gut. I force myself to take my eyes off him and return to the road.

And try to ignore the little spark that’s been lit inside my chest at this gorgeous stranger. Because I don’t have time for that .