Page 3 of Barn Burner (Love The Game #2)

Brayden

The knot of defeat that had rooted itself in my chest until Jesse arrived has finally unfurled and disappeared.

The views on the way to his ranch are insane.

Fucking breathtaking. The mountains peek out above the canopy of trees, pointing up to the crystal blue sky.

Acres of green prairies as far as the eye can see.

And then there’s the view to my left.

My eyes drift up from the strong hand gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The rolled-up sleeves of his soft-looking plaid shirt show off thick, tanned forearms, covered in a smattering of dark hair.

The fingertips of his other hand idly tap the door frame just below the window as he keeps his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Eyes that are such a pale fucking blue, they almost look like ice.

They are so startling against his dark and rough features.

And damn, is he rugged. Pure definition of a mountain man. All stubbled jaw, dark brows pinched over a crooked nose that looks like it’s been broken once or twice before, and dark hair that’s long enough to curl against the collar of his shirt.

Jesse is fucking hot, and the way he talks with that deep, gravelly, grumpy-ass voice makes me want to do something reckless. Like asking him to pull over so I can lean over and give him a “thank you for rescuing me” blow job.

But considering how shit my luck has been recently, the guy is probably straight and would respond to my advances by kicking my ass out of this beat-up red truck, and I’d definitely be lunch for the grizzly bears then.

“Where were you going?” Jesse’s rumbling voice snaps me back.

“I thought I’d head toward Sheep River Falls, then make my way up until I reached Lake Louise. I hadn’t really decided an exact route. All I knew was I just wanted to explore a bit.” I shrug. “Be outside.”

A muscle twitches in his cheek. “Camping?”

“Yeah, that was the plan.” I nod, then let out a heavy sigh as I slump back in my seat and look out at the straight road that seems to go on for miles.

“I’ve been looking at the mountains from the city and have been so desperate to get out here and see it, you know?

Get rich on the views. Refuel the soul by being in nature. ”

He hums. It’s something he does a lot. The noise sounds like it comes from deep within his chest.

I like it. A lot.

“Do you know if there’s any good camping spots around here?” I find myself asking.

“Yeah, there’s a few, but you’ve gotta have your wits about you. No layin’ yourself on the ground like a ready-made feast for bears to find you.”

My mind latches on to the ready-made feast comment. Does he think I’m a feast?

I smirk, a witty response about happily being a satisfying meal for him is on the tip of my tongue, when something clicks.

“Wait! There really are bears out here?” I almost shriek.

The corner of his mouth hitches up ever so slightly. His eyes quickly dart over to me before focusing back on the road. “What d’ya think? We’re in bumfuck nowhere, ’Berta, Brayden. ’Course there’s fuckin’ bears.”

I snicker at him throwing my earlier words back at me, then let out a low whistle. “Damn, I’ve only ever seen bears in the zoo.”

He frowns. “That’s fuckin’ sad.”

“I know,” I sigh, and silence falls upon us once again until Jesse takes a left into a single-track gravel road.

He hops out of the truck to unlock a metal gate, and then we’re driving beneath an archway built from roughly chopped wooden posts after he locks it again.

A flat piece of wood hangs from the top post by metal chains, with the words ‘Huxley Creek Ranch’ carved into the panel.

I’m not embarrassed in the slightest as I roll my window down and stick my head out like a dog.

Vast green landscape passes by, joining rolling foothills at the base of the mountains and black dots that I assume are cows.

But it’s the smell that gets me. Fresh, clean air.

The smell of the earth and the blanket of trees surrounding the edge of the property line.

If I could bottle this up, I would. No scented candle has ever come close.

We pull up alongside some other vehicles parked in front of a huge two-storey log house with a grey slated roof and a wraparound porch. Excitement bubbles in my stomach at the sight of the Adirondack chairs and boxes full of pretty, colourful flowers attached to the ground-floor windows.

Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love the English countryside.

Quaint stone cottages and thatched-roof homes.

Narrow, cobbled streets and greenery that looks never-ending.

But there’s something so… endearing about this place.

Maybe it’s the novelty of the whole cowboy thing that’s making me giddy, or it’s the fact that this is so far detached from my everyday life, it almost feels like a fever dream.

Either way, I’m grinning from ear to ear as I exit the truck and close the door behind me, taking in the gorgeous scenery before glancing over my shoulder at the stoic man who’s looking at me over his truck. “Wow, Jesse, this place is beautiful.”

He hums again, before saying quietly, “Let me see if I can find Cooper.” With that, he turns on his heel, and I watch as he stalks away toward one of the other buildings further up the gravel driveway.

Not wanting to stray too far but also struggling to keep still, I walk toward one of the fences.

It’s a smaller, closed-off area compared to the others.

A couple of donkeys are grazing near a red panelled building with white windows that has two large doors that open up onto the field.

I squint under the bright sun, trying to see inside, then remember my sunglasses are still sitting on top of my head.

Pulling them down, I use my hand to shield the sun and look back at the open doors.

It looks to be a barn of some kind. Smaller than the others.

Newer, too, but still equally expansive.

Resting my arms against the top of the fence, I lean against it and close my eyes, taking a deep inhale. It’s so fucking peaceful out here. The only sounds seem to be coming from the animals nearby, the clip of hooves against concrete, birds singing, or the occasional moo.

Jesse reappears with a younger guy, who I assume is his brother, Cooper, dressed in dark blue coveralls. They look so alike, except Cooper has short, cropped dark hair beneath a cream cowboy hat.

“Hey there.” Cooper flashes a brilliant white smile. “Hear you broke down, eh?”

I chuckle under my breath, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “Yeah, seems like it.”

“Let me take a look for you and see what I can do.”

Jesse and Cooper move my car into one of the free spaces and unhook it from Jesse’s truck. I feel useless standing here. My dad tried to teach me the basics about cars when I learned how to drive at seventeen, but I only had two things on my mind at that age: hockey and sex.

I guess not much has changed now, either, seven years later, just that the sex pool has expanded to include men as well.

Something I really shouldn’t be thinking about while I watch Jesse step up next to his brother in front of my car, the denim of his jeans stretching tight over his ass as he bends forward.

Damn. That’s one fine ass.

The crunch of stones beneath my shoes lets them know of my presence as I close the distance, just in time to hear Cooper say, “Ah, yeah, this is fucked.”

I wince. “Really?”

Cooper lifts his head, an apologetic smile on his lips. “Yeah. I mean, I can fix it, no problem, but it’s gonna take me a few days at least. I’ll have to order the parts in, then it’ll take me some time to fit them around, y’know—” He motions around him. “—workin’.”

“Shit.” I run a hand through my hair and let out an unsteady breath.

This is going to fuck up my plans on finally sorting myself out.

I’m not ready to go back to Calgary. I need the separation.

I need some time to clear out the mess that’s in my head.

“I really appreciate this. I’ll pay you for your time. ”

Cooper shrugs nonchalantly, a lopsided grin on his face. “I won’t say no to that. Thanks.”

I turn my focus on Jesse. “Is there a hotel around here? Or somewhere I can set up my tent? I’d rather not have to go back into the city if I can help it.”

Jesse opens his mouth, arm raised like he’s about to point me in the direction of somewhere, when Cooper butts in, “One of our lodges is free. It won’t take us long to get it ready, but you’re welcome to stay here ’til I sort out your car.”

Jesse’s head whips to face his brother, and the scowl that morphs onto his face is enough to make a grown man’s balls retreat up into his body, but his brother simply grins at him, completely unfazed by the other man’s glower.

My tongue darts out over my dry lips. It would be awesome to stay here, and it would be a hell of a lot easier to be nearby when Cooper’s finished with my car so I can continue with my plans.

And maybe it’s that reckless part of me that wants to stay because I want to figure out whether this grumpy cowboy is open to a literal roll in the hay.

“If you don’t mind,” I finally answer. “I’ll pay, obviously. I don’t expect a free ride.”

But I really wouldn’t say no to a ride on Jesse.

Jesse grunts again, mumbling something about Cooper being a little shit. Cooper simply laughs and punches Jesse’s bicep before looking over at me. “I’ll sort it all out for you…” He trails off, and I realize he doesn’t know my name.

“Brayden,” I tell him.

“Brayden. Sweet. I’ll come find you when I need some cash for the parts, but ’til then, welcome to the Huxley Creek Ranch!” He holds his arms out wide as he walks backward, then turns on his heel and jogs back toward the barn he came from earlier.

I flick my gaze back to Jesse to find him assessing me with those piercing eyes. I want to ask him what he sees when he looks at me. Does he know I’m a fuck-up? That I lost his team a shot at the Cup? Does he even watch hockey at all?

I inwardly snort.

He’s Canadian, for fuck’s sake. Of course he watches hockey.

Is that why those icy blues are piercing right through me? He’s mad that I failed spectacularly at the one thing I’m paid a lot of money to do?

“Take what you need from your car, and I’ll show you to the lodge,” he husks, already turning his back on me.

“Yeah,” I say lamely. “Yeah, okay.”

I grab my bag, then follow him like a puppy to where the lodges are located, still lost in my thoughts.

I was supposed to be the golden meal ticket for the Calgary Bobcats to bring the championship back to the city for the first time in thirty-six years.

But I didn’t.

The only thing I brought to the city was disappointment, and based on the deep furrow of Jesse’s dark brows beneath his brown leather hat as he barely meets my eyes, I’m wondering if he knows I’m not just a guy who was lost on the side of the road.

Maybe he knows I’m a little lost in my heart, too.