Innocence Lost (Lone Mountain Ranch Book 1)

Chapter 20

The emotions Jax had for Kylie were not the same ones he had for his previous lovers. With Kylie he wanted to share everything with her, his hopes, his dreams, and his fears. He wanted to fall asleep and wake up next to her. He was forlorn that she was only there for the weekend and hoped this would not be the last time he saw her.

These were new feelings for Jax, and he was incapable of putting them into words. He was cautious of having his heart broken again after what happened with Blaze and Kate. That was why he did not want to kiss Kylie yesterday. He felt a connection with her, and he wanted more than just a one-time fling. He thought she felt a connection between them, too. She looked so lost when he first met her, and now she looked found.

Jax felt a connection with Kylie. They shared similar pain, and it made him want to connect with her more. The conversation between them became easier, and he was able to be himself around her. He never told any of the previous women in his life about his horse, Blaze. He rarely mentioned his family or his time in Wyoming. He liked opening up to her. With her it felt natural to be honest and share his story. He could not explain it. He liked Kylie. He wondered if this was what love felt like. He had never let himself fall in love with a woman before, so he could not be sure.

With the other single, female guests he made small talk and listened politely. He tolerated the flirtatious comments they said to him, but he did not have any interest in pursuing things on a more personal level. With Kylie, the flirtation felt natural. More than the flirtation, she was sincere in her attempts to get to know him better and figure out who he really was under his tough persona. Even though he tried to act otherwise to save his ego, Jax was interested from the minute he saw her when she drove up the driveway of the ranch.

Jax was lost in his thoughts about Kylie and did not know how long his hand had been wrapped around hers. He released his grip and used his hand to take his hat off and run the other one through his sweat covered hair. She missed his touch as soon as it was gone. It was comfortable between them now, but he was an employee of the ranch. She was a guest. He was trying to stay true to his promise not to hook up with guests at the ranch, besides Mrs. Warren.

Kylie felt the pull between them, too. Her body became heated every time she looked at Jax. He was so hot and so sexy, which was apparent from the second she saw him fixing the fence the day she arrived. He looked like trouble. She knew it would be smart to stay away, since she was technically a married woman and bad boys were her type.

Something pulled her towards him, and she could not resist the temptation to spend as much time with him as possible that weekend, which was why she was glad that she booked him for her private rides. The first time they met by the fence, his polite indifference towards her made her think he was not remotely interested in her. Maybe it was a defense mechanism from being alone all of the time, traveling from place to place, never making any real connections. It must have been a lonely way to live, no matter how amazing the scenery and the horses were.

She thought differently now that Jax showed her a softer side lurking underneath his hardened exterior. He seemed like a very caring individual. He just seemed like he was a bit lost in life. His family left him to be a man when he was only eighteen. It could not have been easy. It seemed like he had been searching for a family ever since. He seemed to be very at peace at Lone Mountain Ranch. Jax did mention yesterday he was finding it hard to leave the ranch. Perhaps, he finally found his home, a place where he truly belonged.

Kylie felt like she belonged at Lone Mountain, too. It was as if her entire life happened, so she could end up at Gonzo's Point overlooking this gorgeous landscape with a handsome wrangler sitting next to her, holding her hand. At least he was holding her hand until he removed it to run it through his hair. She knew it was the only way he could think of to release hers without making things super awkward between them.