The Greens of Jericho

A special thanks goes out to Skyrose who betaed for me.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

“Heather, Emily and I are not getting married.”

“Oh.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head before saying, “If this is because you think Emily still has feelings for Roger, I can assure you that relationship is long over. She loves you, not Roger.”

Jake groaned, took off down the steps, and kicked at the gravel in the driveway. The anger in him was building to a boiling point. Heather was too good of a person to see what Emily had done, but Jake understood the darker side of human nature all too well. More than that, he understood Emily Sullivan.

“Jake…,” Heather began soothingly.

“You are a hell of a better friend than she deserves!”

Heather looked away, staggered by the set of his jaw and the vehemence she heard in his voice. “You don’t mean that. Roger was…Roger was after you left.” She cringed slightly, mentioning Jake’s leaving town. It was such a sore spot for Emily and she suspected it was for Jake, as well. She couldn’t help but feel, though, that there was more to that story than she heard from Emily. It was almost like completing a fill-in-the-blank test without a word bank.

“This isn’t about Roger,” he insisted. “This is about Emily telling you that we’re getting married when she knows that marriage is…” He’d been a screw up most his life, but one of the things he took seriously and didn’t screw with was marriage. Of all things, he wanted to get it right, the way his parents had, the way his grandparents had. “…it’s not something we’re ready for. This is about Emily making you think something that’s not true.”

Heather began replaying her conversation with Emily in her mind. How had Em put it? “We’re engaged” weren’t the exact words. Emily had just told her that she and Jake had been together for a month, that it wasn’t based on grief or convenience. Her friend had assured her that she didn’t want to hurt her, but … “Jake is the man I’m going to marry.”

Heather felt foolish. She had been so emotionally wrapped up in their conversation, she failed to comprehend what Emily told her. Emily’s words weren’t an announcement of an engagement; they were more an announcement of her intentions. Guilt washed over Heather as she looked at Jake, his jaw still clenched. “This is my fault. She said that you were the man she was going to marry, and I made the leap.”

But the look of anger on his features didn’t dissipate. She continued, “I am so sorry. I’ve put you in a really awkward position. But please don’t be upset with her. Emily just…”

But even as Heather said the words trying to defend her friend, nagging doubts were infiltrating her mind. In retrospect, Emily had gone out of her way to alternately stake her claim to Jake and tear him down in Heather’s eyes. And to what end? The way Emily spoke, making it abundantly clear that she and Jake were together in every way, marriage was a foregone conclusion.

Or was it?

The renewed relationship between them had seemed to come so quickly, and Emily had been very defensive when Heather questioned the timing. Heather swallowed hard. Was Emily trying to ward her off from him? Was she threatened? And if she was threatened, that could only mean…

Heather’s eyes widened as she turned away from him.

Jake shook his head. “No, this isn’t your doing.” He shoved his hands in his pocket. “What Emily said she said for a reason.”

Heather shook her head in disgust. All those things that Emily told her which didn’t add up she’d been willing to overlook because she trusted in her friend. For that matter, she’d been willing to brush aside her own feelings because she wanted Emily to have happiness in her life. To think that she’d stood and blindly defended Emily to Jake… To think that she’d felt guilty when all along she was being manipulated…

Heather took a deep breath and turned to face him again. “Right. And we both know what that reason is.”

Jake’s brows arched. Was Heather saying what he thought she was saying?

“Don’t look so surprised. It’s like a 12 step program. Once I get through the stages of denial and Pollyanna-itis , my logic kicks in. Then what is clear to everyone else breaks through my naïveté and starts to compute.”

“Are you okay?” he asked. Rather than anger, when Heather looked at Jake, she could see his concern.

What a loaded question. On the one hand, knowing that Jake and Emily weren’t getting married alleviated the heaviness that had weighted down her heart since she encountered Emily earlier that day. On the other hand, she felt guilty for being happy that there was no wedding on the horizon. Didn’t that give credence to Emily’s concerns? And then there was the matter of her friendship. That Emily would try to deceive her tore at Heather.

“I’m fine,” she insisted as she looked away from Jake and back toward the house. “I’m going to get started on the hot water heater.”

Her expression was passive, and it worried Jake. He’d seen it only during those times when she was trying to mask her feelings about something. The first day he met her—that day of the bombs, which seemed so long ago—she’d put on a brave face for the benefit of her students, despite her own injuries, despite her own fears. Then yesterday when they stood outside her burned out apartment building, last night when she found out that he and Emily were back together, and now with this: knowing Emily had manipulated her. A part of him wanted to tell her that it was okay to be angry, that it was okay to cry or want to throw something, but would that make things better or worse for her? Jake wanted to be someone she could turn to, but he also recognized that he was part of the problem as much as he would like to be part of the solution.

“I’ll show you where the heater is,” Jake replied. He was tempted to coax the key to Charlotte from Heather, drive back to town, and ream out Emily. But as he looked around the ranch, he saw chores that needed doing. More importantly, he saw the person he wanted to be around, and her name wasn’t Emily Sullivan.

Heather climbed the small steps and walked back into the house, willing the tumult within her to calm. She would speak with Emily later, once she had the chance to gain her wits about her, but for now, there were other tasks at hand.

Jake followed. “This way,” he said, tilting his head in the direction of the hallway. It was Heather’s turn to follow him, and she did—down the hallway toward the bathroom.

‘Here we go again,’ Heather thought, now that they once again found themselves together in a bathroom. Under different circumstances, she might have found their locale amusing. As it was, Heather didn’t know what to say to Jake. So she said very little as she worked to get her bearings straight and prepared to get the heating elements extracted.

They worked well together, though fairly quietly, repeating most of their actions from earlier in the day, carrying out the draining of the stale water in the hot water heater.

After a few minutes, Jake spoke again. “While this is draining, I’m going to take care of the horses. Do you want to come?” Jake asked.

Heather paused before responding. Part of her thought she would benefit from some distance from Jake. It would be the sensible thing to do, to allow herself time to process what exactly he meant to her. But as she looked up at him, she couldn’t form the words to tell him no. Instead she found herself nodding and speaking hesitantly. “Sure.”

“So do you like horses?” Jake asked as they headed out of the house and walked toward the barn.

That was like asking her if she liked chocolate, the ocean, and power tools. Who didn’t like horses? Her eyes lit up, and the dark cloud that had been looming over her mood lifted. “Please! You’re talking to the girl who had a wide assortment of My Little Ponies as a child.”

“My Little Ponies?” Jake asked choking back a sneer. “I always figured you as a Transformers kind of girl.”

“Well, there was that phase. I had a huge crush on Optimus Prime, which I know is totally ridiculous because he was a cartoon, and I just told you way more than you ever needed to know, and I 

think now I’m going to talk about horses.” Heather took a deep breath, suddenly very self-conscious of her ramblings.

But Jake wasn’t willing to let it go so easily. “Hold up. I want to revisit this Optimus Prime crush.”

“One of many childhood crushes, all of which are silly and not worth analyzing. But he was the only cartoon,” Heather quickly added. She exhaled loudly. No wonder she grew up stripping wires instead of stripping clothes as a teenager. She nervously kicked at the gravel, wishing she could just sink into the ground and disappear. Why did she find herself saying the most ridiculous things around him? ‘Can’t I just once be cool and collected and normal?’

But as Heather looked at Jake, she noticed that he was smiling at her, not looking at her like she was an alien. Oh, his smile. Heather was convinced he had melted innumerable hearts just from that simple gesture. She loved to see him smile, loved how his brown eyes shined, how the cares of the world seemed to melt away. She knew then that she would do anything to keep him smiling.

Jake enjoyed getting these glimpses into Heather’s past and just forgetting the craziness that surrounded them. She was unlike any other woman he’d ever known. Quirky, willing to not take herself so seriously, humble, smart as a whip, and sexy as hell in an unconventional way. He felt like he could lower his guard with her, that it was okay for her to see the other sides of his personality, the aspects that, for the better part of six months, he’d kept buried. He loved bantering with her, teasing her. “So who else made it onto your list?”

Heather shook her head. “My lips are sealed,” she challenged.

“Let me guess. Kirk Cameron.” Jake threw out a name that he was fairly certain would not have been on Heather’s list hoping to get a reaction or clue from her.

Heather shook her head. “Wrong.”

“New Kids on the Block.”

“Please, Jake. A little more credit,” Heather teased back.

“Johnny Depp.”

“Hmmm. All things old are new again, but no. You’re never going to guess, so you might as well give up.”

“Give up? I’ll never give up on you.” Jake paused, and silence fell on them as they both realized his words could be taken in a number of ways. He cleared his throat.

“The Six Million Dollar Man,” Heather said suddenly.

“What?” Jake asked, his mind still racing from what he’d just told her.

She spoke nonchalantly. “You wanted to know who was on my list, and I’m telling you. The Six Million Dollar Man.”

Jake did a double-take. “Wasn’t he before your time?”

“The magic of reruns.” A small smile formed on her face, causing her dimples to appear, he noted.

“…And a little old for you?” Jake continued.

“Funny you should mention that. Lee Majors’s fourth—or is it fifth?—wife is about my age. It seems I would’ve had a chance with him after all. Didn’t you have any childhood crushes?” Heather stopped and looked Jake up and down as though evaluating him. “I’d say…Wonder Woman.”

He groaned. “I’m pleading the Fifth.”

Heather laughed. “Must’ve been her invisible jet that had your attention. You flyboys are all alike.”

Jake cleared his throat. “So what were we talking about? Horses?”

“Or was it her magic lasso?” she continued mercilessly as she lightly elbowed him.

‘It was her dark hair and blue eyes,’ Jake thought, but remained silent.

“I don’t believe it,” Heather marveled, her eyes shining.

“What?”

“For once, I have you flustered.”

“I’m not flustered,” Jake protested. Heather tilted her head, giving him a knowing look.

“Okay, Jake, I’m a pushover, so we’ll go back to horses.” They began walking again, slowly traversing the hundred feet or so that separated them from the barn. “After all, doesn’t everyone like horses? There’s something very graceful, very majestic about them. Though I have to admit, I haven’t been around them very much. I’ve never ridden one.”

Jake shot her a look of disbelief. “You’re kidding me! You live in Kansas!”

A small smile played upon her lips. “Are you stereotyping me, Jake Green?”

He shook his head and returned a lopsided grin. “I know better than that.”

Heather found herself beaming from his words and his expression. “Well, let’s just say I was exposed to horse power rather than horses.”

“Still…” Jake teased.

“Hey! I’m my father’s daughter, through and through. And Dad, well, he was a transplanted city kid when we moved to New Bern. And we lived in a house next to the church building where my father preached. So the chances to be around horses didn’t exactly abound.”

“It was practically ingrained in me,” Jake replied. “I think at one point I rode better than I walked.”

“That early, huh?”

“Some parents teach their babies to swim. My parents made sure I knew how to ride.” Jake’s eyes surveyed the horse barn. It looked as it should, and there was no ostensible sign of other visitors, such as the Pool Guy. “Gramps was all for that.”

“Of course. It kept you close. Your grandfather talked about you with me, by the way.”

Jake groaned. “I can only imagine.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Strange how being back in this place brought back memories of conversations she thought she’d long forgotten. Her friendship with E.J. Green had begun, just as she’d told Jake, when he’d assisted her when she sprained her ankle running along the road that fronted the ranch on one side of the property. She’d brought chocolate chip cookies to him first as a thank you and then as a habit when she discovered that her life was far less lonely with him in it. She’d not known her grandparents well, both because she had been raised so far away from them and because they died long ago. Yet E.J. became the closest thing to a grandparent that she had. He was an incredible storyteller and wealth of information. His stories about his experiences in WWII, his escapades with airplanes, and the adventures of his grandchildren kept Heather entertained and made her feel like she was part of a something beyond herself. He’d even told Heather bits and pieces about Jake one night as they sat on the porch.

“He’s a handsome devil. Takes after his grandpa. He’s got a good heart and a hard head. Wish he’d come back, meet you. Could use a nice girl to keep him grounded and I could use some great-grandchildren. But I suppose he won’t be coming back. Not so long as he’s mad at the world and not until he figures out the answer is right here, not out there somewhere.”

Jake’s words penetrated Heather’s memories. “But it wasn’t all good. It couldn’t have been.”

“Jake, when your grandfather spoke of you, it was with a twinkle in his eye. He adored you. He was proud of you.”

“I didn’t exactly give him much to be proud of,” Jake grimaced. “I let a lot of people down.”

“But not him. I wish you could see yourself the way he saw you. The way I see you.”

A pained expression crossed Jake’s features. “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Heather.”

“I know enough,” Heather replied. “I can sniff out the good guys from the bad guys.” She laughed lightly. “I mean, I had enough sense to like Optimus Prime and the Six Million Dollar Man, right?”

“Is Lieutenant Hamilton one of the good guys?”

“I think he is.”

“Even though he’s working with the military? Occupying our town?”

“Is it an occupation, Jake?” Heather asked frowning. “I mean, if we wanted them to leave, wouldn’t they?” She swallowed hard, the realization sinking in that in alerting the military to the New Bern War, she may have inadvertently made things worse. But then again, without the military intervention, would there even have been a Jericho for her to return to? There were no easy answers. No, nothing was easy like it used to be.

“Haven’t asked yet, but the fact that they’re still here…” his voice trailed off. “Look, I didn’t mean to get caught up in this. There’s a hell of a lot of craziness out there. But here,” Jake said motioning around him, “is a break from all that. Let’s enjoy it.”

“It’s a deal,” Heather replied bending down to pick a spent dandelion. “Look. It’s a wishie!”

“A what?”

Holding the stem, she brought the delicate sphere of white seeds between her fingers and held it in front of her face. “You know? A wishie. You make a wish, blow on it, and if you manage to blow off all the seeds in one gust, your wish is supposed to come true.”

She was such a fascinating contradiction. On the one hand, she could be so knowledgeable and so no-nonsense. On the other hand, she sometimes got lost in reverie, taking him with her as a willing participant. The fact that she could still see so much beauty in the world after everything that had happened to her made Jake want to…God, what did he want to do? Protect her from the cruelties of the outside world? Protect her from himself, from the darkness that at times threatened to consume him? Or draw her close to him, sink himself into her, be surrounded by her light?

Heather was too good for him. He’d thought it last night as they danced, and he couldn’t help but think it now. Jake had no doubt. She had brushed aside his warning that there were things from his past that marred his integrity, marred his conscience. Maybe she had heard bits and pieces, but if she knew the whole story, would she be so willing to walk by his side? Would she be able to smile at him still, or would the looks she gave him be filled with disappointment and recrimination?

“You look so serious! I thought we made a deal to just enjoy the day. And it was your idea, as I recall.”

“We did,” he conceded.

“Then just enjoy it. There is so much beauty here, so much that is right about this place.”

“Sure is,” he agreed, his eyes focused on her. She was beautiful—inside and out—and so completely oblivious to that fact.

She played with the stem of the dandelion, rolling it between her fingers, and felt emboldened. “I’m glad I’m here with you.” There. She said it. No more pretending Jake didn’t matter when he did.

Jake let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. “I’m glad I’m here with you, too.” Maybe she was too good for him, but he wasn’t about to walk away. Not now. Not when he wanted to know everything about her, was hungry for knowledge. Not when she looked at him with those big blue eyes that made me feel warm inside.

He was safe with Heather—and safety had never been so enticing.

Jake watched as she blew the delicate dandelion clock. He suspected the only thing she was accomplishing was the spreading of the seeds, but he couldn’t help but ask her teasingly, “Did you get your wish?”

She let the stem drop back to the ground. “I’ll let you know.”

They stopped outside the barn, and Jake pulled the latch to open it. The two walked inside, and Heather was immediately greeted by the curious stares of the animals inside. The barn certainly smelled, well, like a barn—a combination of straw and animals. But there was something surprisingly pleasant about the surroundings. Heather felt as though she’d stepped back into a simpler time, a time without bombs and mortar shells, a time before they had to wonder whether their government was the enemy or the ally. Jake was right. Being here, one could easily forget the madness of the outside world.

“So this Lieutenant Hamilton…” Jake began as he walked to collect the horses’ water buckets from their stalls.

Heather crossed her arms and gently admonished him. “Mmmm, didn’t we already talk about this? Didn’t we decide that your relationship with Emily and my—whatever it is—with Hamilton are off limits?”

Maybe this particular challenge called for a different tactic. “No, no, no. You decided. It didn’t come up before the committee.”

“The committee?” Heather questioned.

Jake nodded toward the four horses and set down the buckets. “Yeah. The committee. Apollo here,” Jake said patting the quarter horse’s neck, “is the chairman.”

Heather laughed. “Since when do you do anything by committee?”

“Since I’m not getting my way,” Jake replied with a grin. “So we can put this up for a vote. If the committee agrees with me, you’ve got to tell me about this lieutenant.”

“Jake, I hate to break it to you, but these horses aren’t Mr. Ed. They don’t talk.”

“Do you know much about horses?”

“The basic stats. Mammal. Lots of bones. Be careful not to overfeed them.”

“See, there’s a little known fact that horses are among the most intelligent mammals. They talk; you just gotta know how to listen.” He looked at the animals lined in parallel stalls. “Who here thinks Heather should tell me everything I want to know?”

As if on cue, the horses began to nicker and snort.

“Unbelievable!” Heather exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight.

“Told you they talk,” Jake replied, inordinately pleased with himself.

Heather turned to face him, amusement mingling with accusation. “I wasn’t talking about them. I was talking about you! You did something to make them do that!”

“Who? Me?” Jake’s fingers splayed across his chest in a gesture of exaggerated innocence.

“Yes, you. And don’t give me that innocent ‘Who? Me?’ I know better, Mister.”

Jake held up his hands, chuckling. “I don’t have anything on me.”

Heather walked up to him, grabbed his right hand, and sniffed it. “Then why does your hand smell like peppermint? Jake Green, did you flash those horses mints to get them to react?”

“Would I do something like that?”

“Empty your pockets,” Heather ordered pointing her finger at him. “Or I’m going in.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. A part of him would’ve liked to see Heather try. “If I do, you have to tell me what I want to know.”

“And what do I get out of this?”

“Whatever you want to know.”

“What you and Stanley did to Principal Gerhardt?” Heather asked.

Jake looked pained at the thought but finally responded, “Deal.” He pulled red and white peppermints from his jean pockets. “Guilty as charged.”

“I knew it!”

“Yes, you did,” Jake admitted. “I’ll never be able to fool you, will I?”

Heather smiled; then his words sank in. Within them was the promise of a future, more moments like this. But there would be no more times like this. This would not be their habit.

She didn’t want to think of that. Clearing her throat, she brought the conversation back to a different topic. “So back to Lieutenant Hamilton. What do you want to know about him?”

“Is he good to you?” The gently teasing tone had faded to a more serious one as his playful gaze became more intense. Heather thought he could bore a hole through her with that look.

“So far. Yeah, he is.” Jacob Hamilton was a breath of fresh air. So open, so decent. He appreciated her—and after what she’d been through, it was nice to be appreciated, but there wasn’t really that much to tell. “I don’t really know him that well.”

“So it’s not serious.” Jake dropped a peppermint in each horse’s stall.

“Well, I am madly in love with him. We’ve picked out our china patterns and we’re planning a June wedding. Does that answer your question?” she deadpanned.

“So I shouldn’t expect another new roommate anytime soon.” It was a statement, not a question. “Good thing.”

“I know. I heard about the walls,” Heather said, recalling the earlier conversation she’d had with Emily, a conversation that was the poster child for Too Much Information.

“The walls?”

“Nevermind,” Heather replied, brushing aside his question. The situation with Emily was tenuous enough. There was no need to add fuel to the fire. “It’s too soon to be serious with Hamilton.”

“But you could see it potentially becoming serious. You could see a future with this guy?”

“I’m not going to get ahead of myself. I’m just taking everything one step at a time, taking it as it comes.”

“How much does he know about what’s going on out there?”

“He’s told me bits and pieces, but I don’t think he’s told me anything that you don’t already know. We’ve mostly kept things on a more personal basis. Family, friends, that type of thing.”

“Oh? And has my name come up?”

“What if it has?” Heather asked.

“Well…”

Heather looked at the horses. “The committee has only so much power, Jake, especially considering that you bribed them. Now, it’s time to pay the piper. I seem to recall a certain promise for you to divulge information.”

“Ah, yes. The infamous pig incident.”

“Pig?”

“Percival Isaac Gerhardt.”

“Show no mercy Percy.”

“I couldn’t stand that man. Over the years, I’ve thought back to high school, figuring that my views of it and him would change. Can’t say they have. I wanted to leave him with a little something to remember me by before graduation. I dragged Stanley into it.”

“Which probably wasn’t very difficult,” Heather noted.

“Not particularly. So we borrowed a pig from Mr. Gilbert’s farm.”

Heather’s eyes widened. “By borrowed, you mean stole.”

Jake shrugged. “All semantics. But what we did…”

Lieutenant Jacob Hamilton stood outside a single-wide trailer in one of the residential neighborhoods of New Bern. After having been in New Bern for several hours, Hamilton couldn’t discern anything particularly special about the town. It looked like so many others he’d been through, from the looks of weariness on the faces of its citizens to the signs or wear and tear on buildings that were going unrepaired. And a fleeting thought entered his mind. He wondered when he’d grown accustomed to the devastation.

New Bern wasn’t just any small city. It had waged war against its neighbor, and many had been caught in the crosshairs of that situation—including Heather.

Hamilton’s hand moved to his shirt pocket. He could feel the letter Heather gave him still within the pocket. If he concentrated, he could almost remember how it felt when she placed it there.

‘Get your mind on the task at hand,’ he warned himself. The trip to New Bern wasn’t for the benefit of walking down Heather’s memory lane. He’d been sent to deliver Jack Yeargan home, along with a stern warning. Though Hamilton hadn’t been present at the time, he’d been informed of the incident involving this man, how he pursued Tony Schubert on Main Street, how Jake Green spotted Yeargan’s weapon and subdued him. Personally, Hamilton thought it was patently ridiculous to return a man with a vendetta back to freedom, essentially guaranteeing he had another chance to exact his revenge. No amount of stern warnings would dissuade Yeargan. Hamilton had enough personal experience with that to know.

Lifting his right hand to the door to knock, Hamilton was more than mildly surprised when he heard a voice from inside call out, “I don’t want any trouble. I’ve done nothing wrong.” The man on the other end of the voice sounded anxious to the point of fearful.

Hamilton responded loudly so as to be heard through the door. “I’m Lieutenant Jacob Hamilton, A.S.A. Army. I’m not lookin’ for trouble. I’m lookin’ for Ted Lewis.”

“What do you want with him?”

“I have a message for Mr. Lewis from an old friend of his.”

“And old friend you say? Who’s that?”

“Heather Lisinski,” Hamilton called back through the door.

The door swung open, and the wiry man on the other side looked at Hamilton warily. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair stuck out in different directions, and several days’ worth of stubble was spread across his cheeks and chin. “Heather Lisinski is dead.” When he spoke, his voice came out as a near croak. A pained expression crossed his features.

“Heather’s alive, Ted,” Hamilton said, no doubt in his mind that the man before him was indeed Ted Lewis. “She made it back to Jericho a coupla days ago.”

Ted pulled the door open, stood aside, and motioned for the lieutenant to go inside. Hamilton did and watched as Ted closed the door, but not before the anxious man peered around the side of the mobile home to see if anyone else was with the soldier. “I can’t believe it,” Ted stated, somewhat in a daze. “We were told…” his voice trailed off. “After everything that happened, I had no reason to believe she’d be kept alive.”

A chill ran through Hamilton. Something in the other man’s tone alarmed him. “What do you mean?”

Ted shook his head. “I don’t know what I mean.” Like that, the question was brushed aside. “Is she…is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Been through a lot but doin’ okay. She gave me a letter to give to you,” Hamilton said retrieving the folded paper from his pocket. “Phones’re not workin’ to call out of Jericho.”

Ted eagerly grasped the paper from the officer, unfolded it, and devoured Heather’s words. After reading it, he held the letter gingerly. “I’ve um…I’ve got some of her things. Couldn’t make myself throw them out. Don’t know that she’ll want them. The last time here in New Bern wasn’t exactly a happy time for her.”

“I’ve gathered,” Hamilton responded. “But with times bein’ as they are, she’d probably appreciated havin’ them back.”

“Yeah,” Ted said absently, moving toward the small guest room to retrieve Heather’s bag.

Hamilton watched as Ted disappeared and wondered, not for the first time, what was in her letter to him. For that matter, what had happened to her in New Bern that had his Dorothy quaking at the thought of this place, her hometown?

Suddenly, New Bern didn’t look so ordinary anymore.

A few minutes later, Jake and Heather stood outside the barn with the committee chairman himself, Apollo. Jake held onto the quarter horse’s reins. “Now one of the things you’ll want to remember is never walk behind a horse. They can get spooked pretty easily, and when they get scared, they kick.”

Heather smiled, remembering Max, a student she had her first year of teaching. What a trying time that had been! New in town, up to her eyeballs in lesson plans and papers to grade, bustling with ideas she was trying to turn into reality, and attempting to find new and innovative ways to deal with Max McLean. She called him her little kicker because his feet could have been classified as lethal weapons. He was a pioneering child with games he invented, like Kick the Newly Planted Flowers, Kick the Books, Kick the Other Third Graders, Kick the Teacher. Compared to a sixty five pound child, Heather knew the kick from a horse would be much more potent and not something she would chance. “Got it. No walking behind the horse.”

“When you get on, you want to get on the horse’s left side,” Jake continued. “Put your left foot in the stirrup so that the ball of your foot is resting on the bottom of the stirrup,” he instructed. Heather complied. “I’m going to give you the reins. Hold onto these with your left hand, and hold on to the saddle horn with your right hand.”

Heather wasn’t entirely sure what a saddle horn was, but as she looked at the saddle itself and noted the protruding area reminiscent of a horn near the front of the saddle, she figured it out fairly quickly. “Gotcha,” Heather said.

“Now, you’re going to swing your right leg over. Use your legs. Don’t pull yourself up. Be sure to lift high enough so you don’t kick Apollo.”

Heather bit her bottom lip nervously as she nodded. It probably would have been easier for her if Jake would’ve just helped to lift her up, but she remembered the old cliché about giving the man fish versus teaching the man how to fish. Then again, fishing didn’t involve trying to mount a behemoth.

Jake stood close ready to catch her if something went wrong. Testing the waters, she did a few tentative springs to gain momentum before lifting herself onto the quarter horse. “I did it!” Her eyes shone with glee. Then the realization that she knew absolutely nothing about what to do once she got there settled in. “Oh goodness, now what?”

A look of amusement filled his features. “I’m going to get on with you.”

“Oh.” Heather wasn’t sure how he would manage to do that, but before she could think it through, he was there behind her, straddling the saddle.

Almost as soon as Jake mounted behind Heather, he was starting to rethink his teaching methods. He’d intended to maintain a respectful distance from her—and certainly when he’d initially thought it would be easier to show her how to ride a horse in this manner he’d not questioned the advisability of his actions. Now he did. Seeing the curve of her neck, fighting the temptation to wrap his fingers around the stray tendrils of hair that had fallen from her ponytail, wanting to touch her skin—the impulses were coming fast and hard.

Heather felt as though her heart would leap from her chest. ‘This is getting ridiculous,’ she scolded herself. ‘You can’t go to pieces every time he gets near you.’

But the feeling of his warm breath against her cheek, his body so close to hers that she had to stop herself from sinking back into his arms, and his inner thighs against her hips had her mind racing and her heart pounding. No amount of self-chastisement could combat her natural reaction to Jake Green. And then it hit her. She didn’t want to fight against what she was feeling. Being near him felt good. No, that’s not right. It was better than good; it was incredible.

“The trick to riding a horse is balance. Start by sitting in the middle of the saddle with your legs hanging loose on either side like you’re doing.”

“I can handle that.” But she felt like her head was spinning. Balance? How could she possibly feel balanced having him so close to her?

“Okay. Now I want you to slide your feet into the stirrups. The widest part of your feet should rest in the stirrups. Your heels should be angled down but not pressed down.”

Heather nodded as she slid her feet into the stirrups. “Like this?”

Jake looked down. “A little further back.” Her legs looked amazing, stretched out and clad in denim. “You’re perfect.” His shook his head slightly. “That’s perfect,” he amended. “You’re doing a good job not swiveling your feet. Keep that up. You don’t want your toes pointing in.”

“So what do I do with these?” Heather asked holding up the reins lightly. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder stunned by the storminess she saw in his eyes.

Jake reached forward, arms cocooning her, and covered her small hands with his larger ones. His fingers tangled with hers as he worked to position the reins properly in her grasp. “Here,” his voice dropped, volume replaced by huskiness. “I usually just hold both reins in one hand and leave the other free.” He moved her fingers so that reins fell between her pinkie and ring fingers.

Heather found it difficult to form words to respond, so all she could do was nod. His voice—his beautiful, smooth voice had her mesmerized. Truth be told, he could be reciting multiplication tables, and she’d still feel drawn to him. Having him so close, to the point she could feel his heart pounding against her back, had her mouth dry and her limbs feeling cumbersome.

A shiver ran through Heather.

“You cold?” he asked.

For a brief moment, Heather entertained the notion of telling Jake she was cold in hopes he would envelop her in his warmth, but she pushed aside the idea. The last thing she wanted to be was one of those women who manipulated men to get what she wanted. Besides, it wasn’t cold air that made her shiver. It was something else entirely.

“No, I’m good.” Apollo was being incredibly patient, Heather thought, but she suspected that he was eager to stretch his legs in the field before them. “So now I know how to get on a horse, sit on a horse, and how to hold the reins. How do I get the horse to move?”

Jake, pleased that Heather wasn’t shy about trying this new experience, chuckled before explaining the finer points of horse management.

Sometime later, Jake had mounted a different horse—Arrow—and Heather got to go it alone on Apollo. Jake had been an excellent teacher, though Heather was entirely certain that if her teachers in high school had been as handsome as he was, she would’ve been too distracted to learn. Heather noted that Jake did everything right, from explaining the steps, showing her how to cue the horse, and gradually releasing the responsibility to her. They rode Apollo around the inner pasture as Heather became acclimated to the procedures. While she couldn’t say that she was entirely at ease as they now rode separately—it was comforting and thrilling to have him with her—she could truthfully say that she was getting the hang of it, and she was confident that with more practice, she’d grow to love horseback riding.

Beyond the inner pasture, and with her confidence bolstered, they rode in contentment around the perimeter of the ranch, making their way back around the Tacoma River, which provided one of the property’s natural borders. It had been a long time since Heather had been this far out on the property. E.J. Green had taken her for a tour on his Gator a time or two, but this was entirely different.

“We should let them drink,” Jake said halting Arrow near the shore. Heather followed his lead with Apollo.

“Stay there for just a second,” Jake instructed as he dismounted his horse. Taking Arrow’s reins he walked to Apollo and took the reins from Heather. “I’ll hold him steady while you dismount.”

Heather frowned.

“What?” Jake asked, seeing her expression.

“I was one of those kids who really liked to climb up trees but freaked out when it was time to climb down,” she confessed.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he assured her.

Heather nodded. “I believe you, Jake. So, any tips?”

“Yeah. Don’t fall.” His expression was so straight-faced and his tone so flat, Heather was sure that if she’d had something to throw at him—other than herself—she would have.

“You are a stinker!” she protested, her words coming out in a mini-huff mingled with laughter.

“I’ve been called many things in my life, but I can honestly say this is the first time anyone has ever called me a stinker.”

“To your face, maybe,” she shot back.

He shook his head ruefully, stifling his own laughter. “What am I going to do with you?”