Chapter 1
Tansy Fields applied the final layer of her lipstick with a delicate touch, fingers steady as a rock. The only signs of the excitement racing through her system were the flush on her cheeks and the delight in her eyes reflected back in the hall mirror.
The end of the year usually involved a lot of thinking back and planning ahead, but tonight seemed extra special. All week she’d been enjoying a series of one last time moments, and now she was less than twenty-four hours away from a shiny, clean start.
She rushed through the door of her apartment above the Buns and Roses café, all but skipping along the back passageway to the staircase that led down to the local pub.
Last time to walk this way.
A grin stretched her face as the phrase hit again because it was also the last time she’d be able to do this.
Slipping in the side door of Rough Cut pub wasn’t a thing that everyone in their row of housing on Main Street did, but Tansy liked using the short cut, and it was the last time and all.
The rest of the pub had rock-solid security in place, but this internal door? Not so much. Not for her at least. She flipped open the lock with a quick slip of the nail she kept handy, plus a hint of pressure and a hip bump in the right spot.
As she slid into the back of the pub, pulsating music wrapped around her and filled her head until her entire body was one big heartbeat.
She headed straight for the gathering spot where her friends and family usually landed, even though it would be a smaller group tonight. Her sister, Rose, and her sister’s fiancée, Chance, were out of the county for the holidays. Tansy’s doctor pal, Sydney Jerimiah, had volunteered to pull a shift at the emergency room in nearby Diamond Valley, but Petra would be around somewhere.
Rough Cut was rocking. Not only the music, but it seemed everyone who could had come to celebrate and dance away the old year and welcome in the new.
They couldn’t possibly be as ready for this as Tansy was, though.
“Hey, girl.”
“Tansy. Looking fine.”
“Save me a dance,” called another local cowboy.
Tansy waved in acknowledgment at them all. Hugging a friend here, offering a high five there. She felt so good she even might toss a bone to Bryce tonight. Nice enough guy, terrible dancer. He somehow managed to put an extra half beat into every other measure.
Tansy had standards when it came to dancing.
It was New Year’s Eve, though, which meant she was more than willing to be magnanimous and share the bounty that was her with the rest of the world. There was enough of her awesomeness to go around.
A snort escaped as a shot of self-deprivation slipped in. Right. She was not all that special.
“Bullshit. You’re a rock star, girl,” Tansy offered out loud.
No one here would think anything of her talking to herself, if they heard her in the first place, and there were times she absolutely needed the reminder that she did belong. These people weren’t pretending to like her—they really did.
Over twenty years later, it was still hard to turn off the voices in her head put there by people whose only agenda had been to take advantage.
Nope, those were not thoughts that were allowed to intrude on a day like today. This momentous, stepping into the future kind of day.
“Tansy. Want to dance?” Paul, who rated a seven on the Tansy Dance Scale, smiled at her hopefully.
Tansy generously offered her hand and headed onto the dance floor.
Out among the twirling partners, she got an entirely different perspective of the evening. Quick glimpses slid past of all the local regulars and plenty of visitors as her laughing partner kept up a steady monologue about all the things he had planned for the new year.
Tansy let him rattle on, a smile on her own face plus a nod when it seemed appropriate. But her gaze darted everywhere as her thoughts continued to loop into the future as well.
She was so gosh-darn excited, as she would tell the nieces and nephews. Big sister Ivy wasn’t fond of the swearwords her children had already learned prior to being brought into her and her husband Walker’s protective embrace. Tansy didn’t want to be that auntie. Besides, it was fun to make her brother-in-law roll his eyes every time she came up with a new old-fashioned cuss.
Thank God for the internet, that’s all Tansy could say.
She twirled out of the arms of one familiar friend into the next, thoroughly enjoying herself in spite of the stepped-on toes and bruised ankles she’d have by tomorrow. Not curating her list like she usually did was physically dangerous.
“Tansy.”
This time in the pause between songs, a feminine tone rang out, and Tansy turned and looked into the face of one of her best friends.
Petra Sorenson, brunette hair wild around her shoulders and an enormous grin on her face, slid in beside her.
“I saw you earlier,” Tansy said. “But you were moving fast enough to set the globe off-kilter.”
Petra’s fiancé appeared behind her. Aiden Skye also wore a happy expression. “Trying to keep up with you.”
The three of them shuffled their way through the crowd to their usual spot, farther from the speakers so they could hear each other.
“Did I see you dancing with Johnny H?” Aiden shook his head slowly but his blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “That’s not the Tansy we know and love.”
“Hush,” Petra teased. “I’m sure it’s part of some grand karma offering to let out the old and bring in the new.”
“Makes sense. Although why anyone would want to start the year black and blue, I’m not sure.” He winked, tilting his head toward the floor. “Take a spin with me? I promise not to step on you.”
Tansy didn’t mind one bit.
Aiden expertly danced her off, and she offered a moment of thanks to whatever gods of mischief there were that the man had returned to Heart Falls in time to be there for Petra.
The two of them were perfect together.
Not a bad looking couple either, but then, all the Skye brothers, co-owners of the High Water ranch, were good-looking. All with dark hair and strong jawlines and piercing eyes that made direct contact.
Tansy liked a man who looked her in the eye, and not only because she hated holding a dialogue with anyone who talked to her chest.
“You ready for the coming year?” Aiden asked once they’d whirled their way to slightly more open floor room.
“Ready and waiting.” Tansy held her secret to herself, both because it was amusing to know something Aiden didn’t, and because it was the right thing to do. She didn’t always do the right thing, but in this case it was a good idea.
Besides, tomorrow the secret would be out of the bag.
“Hey, favour to ask,” Aiden said, a hint of hesitation slipping in. “I want Petra to have an engagement celebration with her girls. I mentioned it to her in passing, and she mostly waved it off. I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t want one, or she’s not looking forward to planning the details, or if it’s too soon.”
“I can get to the bottom of that for you, my fine young man. Leave it in Tansy’s capable hands, and I’ll find out what she wants.”
His smile faltered. “Thanks. We do talk, but her reaction seemed…odd,” he concluded.
This Tansy could absolutely reassure him on. “Dude, you do not have to justify your relationship. I know you guys talk. Not because Petra gives us a play-by-play or anything, but because she’s happy.” Tansy offered the update as reassuringly as she could. “And anybody who makes my girl happy gets one hundred percent help. I will report back.” She patted his shoulder encouragingly.
The song ended, and Tansy transferred arms again, this time to one of her more consistent dance partners, which meant she once again didn’t need to worry about trying to lead without her partner figuring it out.
The crowd was humming and the music loud, and she lost Aiden and Petra to the side of the room where they tucked their heads together and looked so cute and in love it made her heart pump faster with happiness for them.
Did she want that? The head over heels connection with one person? She still wasn’t sure—
Which was as good an answer for now as any. Ignoring the question of the distant future, she returned her focus to her dance partner and sank in to enjoy the current moment’s good time.
Ten minutes before midnight, Tansy spotted him. Number two in the Skye brother trio. His jaw a little leaner, his eyes a touch more serious. Sometimes he looked as if he’d just lost his puppy, and she always had the irresistible urge to go over and pet him to make him feel better.
Not that he encouraged petting. Oh no, Jake Skye was too independent a man. Plus, he didn’t seem to have a funny bone in his body and took himself way too seriously. Maybe that’s why she found him intriguing, considering that while she could do serious, she had far more of an enjoy today, eat dessert first, dance while you can attitude.
Real or not.
Still, as she was awkwardly guided around the dance floor by her final incompetent dance partner of the year, God rest her shins, Tansy entertained herself by sneaking glances at Jake.
He nursed a beer and never went out on the dance floor, which made her wonder. She knew he could dance. That very first day at the end of summer when Petra and Aidan had been reunited, Tansy had danced with Jake…
Hadn’t she?
No. She’d danced with Declan, oldest brother and a real sweetheart of a teddy bear. The zero chemistry between her and Declan had been apparent from the get-go, so she’d been telling him about one of the guys who was handsy when they danced who’d started to hang out at the café a little too often. Declan had listened earnestly then offered to delimb the bastard at her convenience, which put Declan firmly in Tansy’s good books.
It had been extremely annoying that she’d had spectacularly dirty dreams that night with Jake as the main star.
Tansy cringed as she and her partner bounced off another dancing couple.
No, if Jake was intriguing and interesting, it was because the two of them were oil and water, and Tansy got a perverse satisfaction out of sending his knickers into a twist. He used lists and planned and plotted. Hell, he probably had a five and ten year life blueprint organized and posted in triplicate.
She made plans when appropriate, which meant not often.
He’d wanted to set the timer for the hard-boiled eggs she’d made over at their house one day. A timer. Her. She never used a timer for anything when she cooked.
An announcement broke in overhead as the music paused. “It’s time, folks. Join me as we get ready for the final stroke of midnight and welcome in the new year.”
The countdown began.
Ten, nine…
So many people around, all laughing and shifting. Tansy spotted Aiden as he curled Petra close, ignored the clock, and planted a huge kiss on her.
Amused, Tansy twisted a little farther and came face-to-face with Jake. His eyes widened, lips tightened. As if she were the last person he wanted to see.
Fine. Be that way. She pivoted farther.
Four.
Three.
The cowboy she’d been dancing with—Two Left Feet Malone, Tansy had labeled him in her mind—was a nice enough guy, but as he opened his arms for her to join him for the traditional New Year’s Kiss, the excitement factor was nil.
Ah well. This too was simply a part of one last time before the new year. Because God knew she was never inflicting a dance with him on herself again.
From behind her, someone grabbed hold of her wrist and tugged.
She spun away from Malone, caught an instant later against a massive hard body. Tansy’s palms splayed over a firm chest as she looked into a set of blue eyes that displayed both wild satisfaction and shock.
Jake Skye.
She was in Jake’s arms, and the countdown was done, and she couldn’t have planned a better flip from old to new if she’d tried.
Especially when he leaned down and pressed their lips together and every yes button Tansy possessed clicked on and locked in place. No simple mouth-to-mouth, nearly innocent peck, he dove in wholeheartedly and seared her with heat. A quick nip to her lower lip, a sweep of his tongue. The weight of his big hand on her lower back locking them together so tightly she wanted to purr with satisfaction.
Who knew? The man could kiss.
Tansy wrapped her arms around him and joined in enthusiastically. Hell, she wrapped her legs around him, pressing closer, trying to connect them at as many points as possible. The firm line of him against her body was sexual temptation incarnate, and if they weren’t in the middle of the dance floor, she’d have assumed this was step one toward a very spectacular horizontal dance.
But they were on the dance floor, and as the cries of Happy New Year around them faded, the other part of why this kiss and embrace were so hilarious kicked in.
She hadn’t seen it coming. She’d bet anything neither had Mr. My Backup Plans Have Backup Plans.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for breath, Tansy clung on and grinned right into his face. “See? Sometimes spontaneity is fun.”
**
Jake focused on staying upright as Tansy shimmied her feet back to the ground. He needed to say something, anything. Maybe even apologize.
Nope, couldn’t do it.
“Thanks for the great start to the new year. I’ll see you around.” Tansy patted his cheek then vanished between one breath and the next.
Jake stood there and tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.
A hand landed on his shoulder. A second later, Aiden hauled him in for a brotherly back pounding. “Happy New Year, bro. Petra and I are headed back to the ranch. Don’t call us in the morning.”
He said it quietly enough Petra didn’t overhear. Instead, she offered Jake a hug and a big smile. “Good things coming this year for us all,” she promised before patting his cheek then slipping to Aiden’s side.
She curled her arm around his and they wove their way through the crowd.
“I’m headed out as well.” Declan stood beside Jake. His oldest brother laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly. “Happy New Year. The house will be quiet tonight. Enjoy it while you can.”
Declan was gone before Jake could demand to know what that meant.
Instead, he stood there in the noise and chaos of the partiers and wondered why he’d gotten two cheek pats in the past two minutes. As if he was a dog or something.
He’d been ready to head back to High Water himself, but suddenly the empty ranch house and his unfinished room under the art studio was the last place he wanted to be. He lifted a hand to a passing waitress, motioned for another beer, then stood aside as the crowd resumed dancing and flirting and trying to find a partner to take home. Oh yeah, there were plenty of pickups in progress…
The mental image of Tansy staring at him, breathless from his kiss, popped to mind in far too vivid detail. Did he really have to have noticed the way the left side of her mouth quirked up slightly more than the right? Or that her eyes weren’t simply light brown, but the faintest hint of gold circled the iris? And her hair. A golden blonde that was soft against his fingertips when he’d cupped the back of her neck and kissed those tempting lips, the taste of her—
“Fuck.”
He nursed the beer after it arrived before heading home to toss and turn restlessly for hours.
Which meant the next morning, far later than usual, he stared at the coffee maker and willed it to spit out liquid faster. He felt like shit and still had no idea what had come over him the night before.
Kissing Tansy was not part of any plan. Dirty daydreams, yes, but getting involved with anyone was not on his agenda until High Water was up and running.
He lifted his chin sharply, regretting it instantly. Slow moves were a far better idea. As the coffee trickled into the pot, Jake pulled his focus to the real task at hand.
High Water was ready to kick into gear and start the next stage, which meant he had to get his act together and be ready.
Jake deliberately turned and admired the room and the view out the window, taking in the details of High Water that had already become as familiar as any previous home.
High Water. A place he and his brothers—and now Aiden’s fiancée, Petra—were building into the ultimate pay it forward location.
The ranch had been a working animal rescue, and would be again. They’d spent the past five months building a retreat house where weekend and weeklong escapes for artists would be held. The retreats would provide income for the ranch to supplement their other sources.
More importantly, running these operations would require work. Cleaning, animal care—all of which provided the real reason for the ranch. A place of short-term employment with no questions asked for people who needed a temporary place of refuge. Women getting away from bad situations. Men trying to escape a life they no longer wanted to be involved in.
Yup, it was really about to happen. Which meant his gut rumbled with unease, his entire system out of kilter since nothing was plannable beyond being ready to open their doors.
He didn’t like it when things weren’t plannable.
Regretting his New Year’s Eve choices more than a little, he stood by the coffee maker and drank an entire cup before refilling and easing his way to the table.
Ten o’clock, and no one else had appeared in the house yet. He figured Aiden and Petra had a good reason to be MIA. Declan was up, but in the barn. Their first High Water arrival, sixteen-year-old Jinx Tremont, no longer considered a short-term ranch hand but part of the family, was sleeping over at the neighbouring ranch with her best friend, Sasha Stone.
Well, to hell with it. It was time to set some goals. That’s what people did on New Year’s Day, right?
He nabbed his notebook, automatically realigned the envelopes that had slid slightly outside of the hard cover, and turned to a fresh, clean page. He wrote GOALS at the top and a set of numbers to the side, one all the way to ten. He stared at the page for a moment then in the first spot wrote down, crisp and clear…
- Learn to be more spontaneous.
What the fuck?
He all but glared at the journal. That was not what he wanted to write. That wasn’t what he’d been thinking about at all, and he pressed his hands to his temples, begging for the pounding to die down.
Tansy’s fault. It was the word she’d used the night before, and it had bounced in his head most of the night.
He examined the notebook page with disgust. Everyone had their quirks, and he was honest enough to admit this was one of his. Either he crossed it out and left a visible mark of his mistake, or he ripped out the page, neither of which solutions sat well.
He decided to leave the damn sentence for now and let it annoy him.
Someone knocked on the door. Jake was already on his feet even as he checked the time. New Year’s Day and they had a visitor?
Oh shit. What if it was Danielle, their contact in youth services? What if somebody needed their help?
He hurried forward and jerked the door open, staring in shock at a wildly grinning Tansy. She held a plastic container toward him, jamming it into his hands.
“What’s this?” he demanded.
“Welcome to High Water brownies,” she announced happily, slipping past him and hauling a rolling suitcase after her.
She closed the door then turned back, tugging the container from his fingers. “Thanks. Those are for me.”
“You said they were welcome brownies,” he repeated.
She nodded eagerly. “They are. You don’t know how to bake, and I wanted brownies. Since I’m living here now, they’re welcome home, Tansy brownies.”
She twirled and headed farther into the house.
Jake shook his head, trying to get her words to settle in his brain and make sense. Nope, wasn’t working.
He stomped after her into the kitchen. “What do you mean, you’re living here?”
She put the brownies on the counter before twisting to face him. She brushed her hands together as if knocking off crumbs then thrust one forward. “Declan and Petra hired me. Hi, I’m your new live-in cook.”
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