Natural Attraction Read online

  “Wow.” I say to Jen as she swings into the driveway and pulls to a stop near the post with the button for the automatic gate opener.

  “Wow alright,” she replies as she winds her window down and leans out to press the button that then starts the process of swinging the gates open in front of us.

  “That’s cool,” I say lifting my eyebrows and bobbing my head towards her. “I’ve got to get me one of those. It would save me the hassle of getting out to open and shut the gate at my place all the time.”

  “Shit yeah.” Jen approves. “It would also mean that visitors wouldn’t have to get out and be accosted by your crowd of dogs until we were a bit closer to the house. It would mean that visitors would have a fair chance to make a run for it and make it inside before being covered in an inch thick coat of yellow dog hair.”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic. I’ve only got three Golden Retrievers, not a crowd. I’ve also told you not to wear high heels and black dress pants to my house anyway.”

  I scowl at her and then stick my tongue out to add emphasis to my statement.

  Jen grins as she starts to move along the driveway.

  “Oh don’t be in such a foul mood woman, I was only joking. You know I love those dogs to death and I don’t give a shit about the dog hair. I was just trying to get a rise out of you because I know you are cranky and here against your will. It’ll be okay you know. I have heard good reviews about this old guy and you do need to stop buying and selling all these hopeless case horses and just fix the one you have. How are your ribs, wrist and head?”

  “Crap, they are all crap. I just can’t wait to dump this damned horse off and get the hell back home where I can lie on my bed and watch another episode of Sons of Anarchy. Jax is calling to me you know? Is there any chance you can just get Maverick off on your own and plead my case as injured? That way I don’t even have to get out of the car.” I beg unashamedly.

  Jen sighs and nods. “I can try. Only because I love you and I am aware that you are in real pain. I am also aware that you are in need of some SOA Jax loving to get those good healing endorphins running. It’ll probably be quicker anyway. No doubt if you start talking to this guy about Arabians we’ll be here for hours anyway. Just keep in mind that he was insistent you were going to have to ride Maverick for him today. I hope he can just talk to you through the car window to see your poor broken self, and then be lenient and let us be on our way.”

  We drive the rest of the way along the driveway in silence until we have passed the house and roll to a stop in front of the day yards. We both take the time to look around for a few seconds before Jen breaks the silence by announcing the obvious.

  “I don’t see him anywhere.”

  “Ah huh.”

  “He said he’d be near the yards.”

  “Ah huh.”

  “Admittedly, we should have been here three hours ago, so perhaps he got sick of waiting and went somewhere.” Jen says with a worried tone in her voice.

  I think about what she is saying for a few brief seconds and feel a huge grin forming on my face.

  “Perfect! If he’s not here, you can just dump Maverick in the nearest empty yard and we’ll ring Jack later to let him know what we’ve done. This way I don’t even have to try to talk my way out of riding him and we won’t have to stay long. The bonus will be that I get back to my bed, Sons of Anarchy, and my gorgeous Jax even quicker than I first planned.”

  “Ooh, I like your evil thinking woman. Let’s get this over with!” She chirps with glee as she grabs her door handle and launches from the car enthusiastically.

  I watch in the rearview mirror as , like a woman now possessed, she tears around to the back of the float to drop the tailgate. I hear the tailgate thud to the ground and then I hear her yell at Maverick as he throws another minor wobbly. She then disappears into the float to untie him.

  A few seconds later, with much banging and crashing, he comes roaring off the float backwards dragging Jen with him. It is only when he finds himself about five meters behind the float that he finally decides he is safely off the float. Having decided this, he skids to a stop and starts staring anxiously at his surrounds.

  At this point Jen starts looking rather pleased with herself. Clearly it is pleasing to have survived the ordeal of getting him off the float. I feel myself letting a long slow breath out between my lips. A breath which I have only just realized I have been holding.

  “Phew!” I mumble to myself, “That’s the worst part over. I hope when we have to pick him up again he’ll be a whole new horse. One who calmly loads and unloads on the float so I can save myself these oxygen deprivation moments.”

  I then see Jen scan her surroundings quickly. She instantly hones her eyes in on an empty yard close by. Giving Maverick a hefty tug on his lead rope to signal that he should follow, she strides off towards the yards.

  It is at this precise moment that I catch a flash of something in front of the car. I flick my eyes back up from the mirror and get a brief glimpse of a black Nickelback t-shirt. A Nickelback t-shirt that stretches across a lean, broad, set of shoulders. These shoulders belong to a tall, roughly six foot, three inches man with muscle bound, tanned arms. At a guess I would say he is about thirty-five and he is heading straight towards Jen mumbling, “Fucking. Typical.”

  Shit.

  Obviously we have been busted on our little fast track plan by the old cowboy’s hired help. This is going to delay my plans with Jax and my bed.

  Damn.

  Oh well, worse things could happen as the hired help is at least Eye Candy. If we have to experience a delay, at least the view is nice.

  I move my attention to the driver side, rearview mirror to watch the entertainment unfold.

  I can now see that Mr Eye Candy has made it all the way over to Jen. Jen is now leading Maverick into the yard she scoped out earlier.

  Being inside the car and being about fifty metres away from all the action, I can’t actually hear any of the conversation that they are now having. I do however sense the gist of it with Jen pointing at Maverick, then pointing back at the car at me, and then pointing at her watch. I then see Mr Eye Candy nod once as he holds out his hand to shake Jen’s.

  It is at this point that I get a little distracted at the sight of Mr Eye Candy’s back rippling against his shirt while he holds his hand out. I also start wishing that I was uninjured and that it was me who had taken Maverick off the float.

  I then see what can only be described as a ‘cat who found the cream’ smile spread widely across Jen’s face as she asks Mr.Eye Candy a question. She then starts laughing, loudly, as her eyes swing to me and the car.

  Um – what is that look for?

  What the hell could this guy have said that has sent Jen straight into fits of hysterical laughter and has made her look over towards me now?

  I see her respond to a few more of Mr.Eye Candy’s questions, some of which make her shake her head and then she starts looking worried.

  Uh oh.

  I can only assume that something Mr.Eye Candy has said is not aligning with our plan. Perhaps his boss has sent him down to tell us to saddle up and be ready for my demonstration of riding Maverick? Oh well, here goes. Perhaps I can turn my charm on for Mr.Eye Candy and he’ll be able to put my case to his boss, and then we can be on our way.

  I watch him turn and approach the car with long, ground covering strides. He is wearing old faded jeans that fit nice and snugly around his well-muscled thighs. He has his Nickelback shirt hanging loosely, untucked over the top of his jeans.

  As he draws closer I note that he has dark blonde hair with just a hint of red through it. His hair is cut to be short at the back and longer on top. It appears to be overdue for its latest trim which gives him a sexy, messy look. There is a fringe sweeping down over his sunglass covered eyes. He also has what looks like a three, maybe four day growth, make for a gorgeously masculine look like you’d see on a movie star headshot advertising a guy from Fight C
lub.

  Fucking hot!

  No wonder Jen had pulled her big smile.

  I hit the button to start winding the window down as he approaches the car. I am busy watching the window lower slowly when I see him stoop down, grab the door handle, and yank the door open.

  “Ashleigh Thompson?” He asks leaning over and placing his hands on the roof of the car above my head.

  “Yes!” I announce cheerfully.

  Why not be cheerful when the hottest piece of Man Candy I have seen in years is leaning over my car staring straight at me?

  Woohoo!

  Jax and my bed could most, most, most definitely wait.

  “You’re late,” he announces gruffly in a deep rich tone.

  “Um yes. Sorry about that. We had a small communication problem with my horse on the way here, but it’s all sorted now,” I explain flashing him my best rendition of a winning smile.

  “Got that from your friend,” he clips starting to look annoyed.

  Shit.

  Maybe I should have apologized for being late?

  “I assume communication problem means your horse wouldn’t get on the float?” He questions me with an almost exasperated tone. A tone that I get the feeling isn’t going to lead to good things for me.

  “Um yes?” I reply in a much quieter, much less cheerful voice. What is it with this guy? He is starting to look pissed now.

  “That figures,” he sighs and looks back at Jen and Maverick at the yards seeming to resign himself to something. “I’m Jax Walker.”

  What.The.Fuck?

  He is named after the love of my life? How did this happen?

  Thank you God.

  Seemingly all my hard work and injuries are now paying off. How else would I have had a chance to meet this version of Jax without having stacked headfirst off yet another horse? I knew there had to be a higher meaning to my dogged persistence to become an adult equestrian and here-he-is.

  “You planning on getting outa that car and showing me your horse?” He asks impatiently.

  “Um, well that’s complicated. I know that Jack wants me to ride my horse in front of him, but I have a slight problem with that.”

  I lift my bandage wrapped wrist towards his face for his inspection. I notice that his eyebrows lift and a muscle starts to twitch in his cheek.

  “I had a little fall off him a few days ago. In doing this, I sprained my wrist, broke two ribs and got the concussion from hell. I have just spent the last two days lying in a dark room vomiting if I moved my eyes.”

  “I see… That is a complication… Who's Jack?” He asks drawing his eyebrows together and pinning his sunglasses on me.

  “Your boss? I think… the older guy who Jen was referred to by her friend. The guy who is going to retrain my horse for me so next time I climb on him, I can stay there. Is there any chance you can help plead my case to him and get me out of the riding demonstration for today?”

  Well I wasn’t going to say his boss was an old guy, just in case he is one of those guys that have a good relationship with his boss. The last thing I need to do is offend him even more when he already seems pissed enough with me as it is.

  At this rate I doubt he’s going to be receptive to my rapidly forming marriage plans for him. Especially if I say anything else to annoy him more than I already have.

  Jax suddenly throws his head back and starts laughing.

  Loudly and heartily.

  Not exactly the response I was expecting, but boy is it good to watch. His laughter booms over the top of the car and it gives me an opportunity to see the flash of his neat white teeth and bingo, the mother lode, two gorgeously perfect dimples.

  I love dimples!

  Could this day get any better?

  I dreamily stare at his dimples, mesmerized. As I stare, he finally stops laughing and stoops back over the car to look me direct in the eyes again. Well I think he is looking me direct in the eyes, it is a bit hard to tell through his dark sunglasses.

  “Yeah, I can probably do that. Well at least for today anyway,” he chuckles and continues smirking while examining my face carefully.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are a legend. You don’t know how much that is going to mean to me. I’ve been petrified that Jack is going to turn my horse away because I can’t ride him today,” I babble.

  I begin to develop a plan to gracefully exit my vehicle and give him a thank you hug. I have decided that a hug would be an excellent idea. I have decided this because I will then get the opportunity to cop a feel and confirm that his chest feels as hard and muscle-bound as it looks.

  “He is.”

  “He is what?” I ask confused.

  “Going to turn you away,” he returns.

  “Um, how do you know that?” I ask as I swallow softly because a lump is forming in my throat.

  How could he know that?

  I haven’t even spoken to the guy yet. Jax must have his boss’s trust if he lets him make decisions on his behalf.

  “Coz I’m Jack,” he grins cheekily at me.

  “My parents love America and decided to call me Jax instead of the Aussie version of the name, Jack.”

  Mortification hits me and sends ice to my veins.

  Oh my God!

  He’s the old guy Jack? And I called him older? Shit. Jax might be ten years older than me but that would have to be the maximum. It is more likely that he is only about five or six years older.

  There go my wedding plans.

  He must think I’m either a total idiot or a total bitch after saying that.

  Realizing the mistake I have made, my mouth continues to work separately to my frozen mind.

  “I like the name Jax – a lot,” I whisper and lean back into my seat wishing it would swallow me whole. I am too embarrassed to say or think about anything else. At this point it seems senseless to even try to explain my monumental mistake.

  Perhaps God will take pity on me and a massive rift will appear in the ground. This whole car can then descend into the bowels of the earth. That would be a good thing because at least my last Earthly vision would be this demigod of a man before me called Jax.

  “Ashleigh aint so bad either,” he smirks, flashing his dimples at me again, resending me into that stupid dream like trance. My mind is once again sidetracked. This time with thoughts of what his dimples might feel like with my lips on them if I could get anywhere near them.

  He squats down next to the car and looks up at me.

  “Here’s the thing. I am gunna send you and your horse home. For today. Your body is all kinds of fucked up. Your horse has given you physical injuries and probably a shitload of mental ones too. You can come back when you are back in one-piece, physically at least. I’m still gunna want you to ride him for me but you need to be not fucked up to do that. You also need to know I don’t retrain horses. I just work with horses coz I like ‘em. Sure, I can probably do what you are expecting and ‘fix’ your horse. Or make it look like I’ve fixed him anyway. Give him to me for an hour or two and he’ll be a real good horse for me to ride. That won’t mean he is for you. The number one problem with most of the trouble horses in the world is actually the rider. Horses aren’t natural born killers, they’re natural born scaredy cats, and for you to be able to ride him, he has to trust you. You also have to be a confident leader. I need to ‘fix’ you first and then he will fix himself. Do you hear what I am saying?”

  Well this is a revelation. How the hell did he know I wasn’t a confident rider? Is he a psychic? It makes absolute sense though. Rather disappointing sense, but sense nonetheless. I suppose the upside is that he is telling me to come back and I get to see him again.

  “Yes, I hear you.” I respond softly looking at my own reflection in his sunglasses wondering what color his eyes are. “We’ll come back when I am better.”

  Of course we will.

  Even better, I just want to stay here and stare at you for the rest of my life, you gorgeous, gorgeous man.
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  He leans in closer and looks into my eyes looking like he is going to say something else. Close enough that I can feel his warm breath tickling against my face. I swing my eyes to his lips, my mind wandering off to other places where those lips aren’t just close to me, they are on me.

  He sighs then makes a sharp grunt as he swings away from my face and straightens up next to the car.

  “Good. Let’s get this horse back on your float and get you home. I’ll see you next time.”

  He then swings away and saunters towards Jen to help her put Maverick back on the float. He does this leaving me with a huge, empty feeling of loss that I cannot explain.

  Chapter One

  Second Chance

  Jen’s butt has barely touched the driver’s side seat before I am at her.

  “Old? You call that old? What the hell do you think we are? At the age of twenty-eight, I for one do not consider a thirty something, movie star look-alike male old. Now I know you are a full three months younger than me, so to you I am probably the old one out of the two of us, but really?

  Explain yourself woman before I drag you out of this car and bitch slap you to bring you to your senses. In fact, I think I’ll bitch slap you twice because this has to be one of the stupidest things you have ever told me. As well as this, I need you to be clear that I will not, ever, put up with you being stupid.

  I grew up with a family of stupid people. A family so stupid I can barely stand to spend five minutes of my time in the same room as them. It is because of this that I most definitely will not spend my free time hanging around with you. I will not spend my time with someone who appears to be undergoing some sort of adult aged, genetic mutation. A mutation that sees her turning stupid as she grows old.

  In fact, don’t worry one bit about Maverick back there in the float, we need to head straight to the nearest Health Service. We need to do this so I can get you checked out and medicated. We need to do this because I will sure miss the shit out of you if I have to stop seeing you because you have morphed into a stupid person. Where’s my IPhone? I need to look at my GPS app and find the nearest Health Service. Stat.”