Page 29 of Score to Settle (Oakwood Ranch #1)
NINETEEN
HARPER
MIA: Where are you?
HARPER: Jake’s just dropping me off. Be with you in a sec.
MIA: I’ve ordered you a cocktail.
HARPER: It’s barely lunchtime.
MIA: What’s your point?
Notes for feature: Jake Sullivan has spent his life wanting the approval of one man—his father.
With Harry Sullivan’s tragic death when Jake was just ten years old, it seems as though Jake coped by deciding that without his father, he wouldn’t be seeking approval from anyone else.
Jake will say he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of him, and while a part of that is true, it’s important to recognize that not caring what people think isn’t the same as not caring, because Jake cares deeply about his family, football, and his friends.
The following Tuesday, we’re back in Jake’s truck as it rumbles down the dusty road away from the ranch, the midday sun streaking across the fields and hitting the dark crags of the hills that stretch toward the distant mountains.
I catch a glimpse of the lake, just visible through the tall spruce trees, the water glistening in the sunlight.
I’m going to miss this view when this assignment is over.
I’m going to miss the ranch too, and Mama.
Jake’s got one hand draped over the steering wheel, the other resting on the open window frame.
I know I’m staring at his muscular forearm.
It’s been five days since we kissed in Atlanta and I can’t stop thinking about the moment our lips touched and it felt like the entire world disappeared.
Even if Jake has been true to his word and acting like he’s forgotten it ever happened.
He’s been his usual easygoing self. A little bit cocky.
A little bit flirty, but never taking it any further.
Last night, Mama cooked pot roast as a farewell dinner for her and Dylan. They left early this morning for LA and the specialist ACL treatment center, and I’m trying really hard not to think about the fact that Jake and I will be alone at the ranch for the next week.
“You gonna miss me tonight?” Jake asks as we hit the highway to the city.
I roll my eyes. “Please. I’m looking forward to a break from your ego.”
He chuckles, unfazed. “Ouch, Cassidy. You wound me.”
I can’t help but smile. His playful banter is growing on me, though I’d never admit it.
“So what’s the deal with Mia?” Jake asks.
I shoot him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”
“She used to do barrel racing in the rodeo and now she’s some corporate hotshot. That’s a hell of a change.”
“Yeah.” I remember the tears. The inconsolable sobs shuddering through my best friend’s body after another fight with her mom.
The realization that no matter what she did, Arquette Media would be hers one day.
“She felt she had a responsibility to carry on the family legacy, which meant going to college and getting an education and starting on the bottom rung of the business. If things had been different, I think she’d have gone all in and dedicated her life to competing at the rodeo professionally. She loved horses.”
“She doesn’t ride anymore? Not even for fun?”
I shake my head, feeling a pang of sadness. “I think it was too painful for her. If she couldn’t have her dream, she wanted to forget it was there.”
Mia has a great apartment and a great job.
She has Edward too, who treats her like a queen, even if he is the polar opposite of her first rodeo boyfriend, Cole.
Not to mention she’ll be running a media empire one day.
She’s happy, I think. It’s just not the same kind of happy I remember from when she was leaping onto a horse and entering an arena.
As we hit the outskirts of the city, my phone buzzes with a text from Mia.
She’s at the restaurant already. I fire a reply before shooting another look to Jake.
I’m not going to miss him, but there’s no denying it will be strange not to see him for twenty-four hours.
After Jake drops me off for lunch with Mia, he’s going to Stormhawks Park—the training facility—and after lunch I’ll head to Mia’s apartment to get ready for Dad’s awards dinner.
It’s being held in the top-floor banquet suite of the Arquette Media building, just around the corner from Mia’s.
It makes sense for me to stay in the city tonight and meet Jake at practice tomorrow.
I thought I’d look forward to a night in the city and sleeping on Mia’s couch, but I miss the ranch already.
The weeks I’ve spent there have made me realize I’m ready to find my own place.
I can see now that sleeping on Mia’s couch has been a form of denial that my dreams of a New York life are over.
I need to move on. Denver is my home now. It’s time I started acting like it.
We pull up outside Bill’s and I see Mia already in our favorite window booth. I hop out before Jake can park and jump out to open my door. I’m still not used to that level of chivalry and I know Mia’s jaw will hit the table if she sees it.
“See you tomorrow,” I call.
“Hey,” Jake says, and I turn back. “Have fun tonight.”
A wave of discomfort hits me at the thought of Dad’s awards dinner and what all those people will be thinking of me.
Then there’s the matter of my ex, Scott.
I can already picture the slimy smile on his face and those hands reaching to touch my skin.
I’m suddenly regretting the backless dress I plan to wear.
There’s a nagging sense that I haven’t been entirely honest with Jake about Scott, but as I shout a thanks and wave goodbye, I shove the thought away, along with my concerns for tonight.
I’ve been looking forward to my catch-up with Mia for days.
I push open the heavy wooden door of Bill’s and the familiar warmth envelops me.
I love everything about this place, from the cozy leather booths with their soft lighting to the black-and-white photos of old Denver on the walls.
There’s a rich smell of sizzling meats and fresh bread in the air that immediately makes me feel famished.
Christmas lights twinkle around the dark, polished wood bar and mottled mirrors, sitting behind gleaming bottles of liquor.
It’s a reminder that Christmas is just around the corner.
With my strained relationship with Dad, Christmas has always felt like something to get through.
More often than not, Dad’s away and I spend it with Mia and her mom anyway.
Mia looks up from her phone as I approach, grinning as I slide into the booth opposite her, the leather cushion creaking softly.
Two Moscow Mule cocktails are already sitting on the table in tall glasses filled with ice and a wedge of lime balanced on the side.
Mia has twisted her black braids up into a sophisticated bun, and in her pale gray suit jacket, she looks ready to take over the world—not just her family business.
“Hey,” I say, matching her smile. Mia is more like a sister to me than a best friend, and being around her feels like a warm hug. Like coming home after a long day, which is probably why I’ve spent the last four months sleeping on her couch.
“How are things?” I ask.
She waves a hand dismissively in the air. “Exactly the same. Working all the hours. Missing living with you.”
“No way. You have your living room back.”
“I never minded. And neither did Edward. And you’re coming back, right? When the feature on Jake is done?”
My five weeks tailing Jake officially end next Sunday after his game against Chase’s team—the Kansas City Trailblazers.
There are still twelve days left, but with Christmas in between, I’m not sure how much time we’ll actually spend together or why every time I think about the end, something heavy sinks inside me.
I smile at my best friend. “I think it’s time I got my own place.”
Mia makes a dramatic sad face. “I guess I knew it couldn’t last forever. Well, let’s drink these and you can tell me everything about the devastatingly sexy tight end you’ve been spending all your time with.”
I laugh. “It’s my job, Mia.”
“Yeah, yeah. Now spill. What happened when you spent the night in the hotel room together?”
Just thinking about that night makes my stomach flutter.
“Nothing happened,” I say, taking a long sip of my cocktail, enjoying the fizz and spice of the ginger beer next to the kick of lime and that instant hit of vodka.
It’s a drink that will always remind me of this restaurant and these moments with my best friend.
It was the first drink she ordered for me when I returned from New York, feeling like my life was over.
Mia’s expression is one of utter disbelief. “Harper Jane Cassidy,” she says with all the authority of a fifth-grade teacher who knows she’s about to get a confession. “I’ve known you since you were twelve years old, don’t you lie to me.”
I groan. There’s no way Mia will let up until she has the truth. “Fine. We kissed.”
Mia punches the air and gives such a loud, “Yessssss,” that every head in the place turns. “Tell me everything.”
And so I do. It doesn’t take long before I’m done and we’re ordering food.
“He must really like you,” she says.
I shake my head. “He pulled away first. He said we shouldn’t. It was a stupid mistake.”
I’m about to explain all the reasons why someone as hot as Jake isn’t interested in me, why the two of us can never work, when a figure passes by the window. Dark hair and broad shoulders filling out his black sweater in a way that makes my mouth go dry.
“Oh God,” I say as realization hits. “Mia, I’m begging you—don’t embarrass me.”
“Why?” She follows my gaze, her face lighting up as Jake pushes through the doors and in four long strides is sliding into the booth beside me. Our legs touch and there’s a shot of electricity that reminds me why I’ve been trying to keep my distance from him this week.
“Hello ladies, mind if I join you?”
“Yes,” I mutter as Mia shakes her head.