your boots beneath my bed | JENLISA

Chapter 9

yeah, that 48-hour rule did not matter

Lisa hopped out of her truck and trudged toward the house, feeling her entire body shiver in the early morning air. Snow had fallen all through the night, leaving everything powdery and slick. She pulled out her key to the big house and unlocked the door, reaching in just enough to pull the truck keys off the hook by the door.

Last night, while saying good night over and over and stealing several last kisses, Jennie had mumbled something about having to pick up clients at the airport. She'd grumbled about wanting the budget to hire a transportation service or even just Will, and then had gotten lost in a longer kiss that Lisa had pressed to her lips.

So, Lisa had set her alarm a little earlier. She'd fed the animals before sunrise and was now climbing into the Ruby sisters' truck and cranking it up to let it get warm. She grabbed the ice scraper from her own truck and set to work on brushing all the snow and ice off of the truck Jennie was taking to the airport.

By the time she was finished, she could see a single light on in one of the upstairs windows and knew that Jennie was up for the day and getting ready to go. Lisa climbed back into her own truck where Duke was waiting in the back seat and pulled away from the house to head back to the barn and finish the rest of her morning work. Only when she'd gotten to the barn did she realize that she should probably text Jennie to avoid sending her into a panicked search for the car keys.

lisa [6:04AM]
keys are in the truck. drive safely

jennie [6:08AM]
thank you, you're amazing. hot tea or hot chocolate?

lisa [6:09AM]
hot chocolate always

jennie [6:09AM]
good to know. see you later and thanks for this! i'm really into you <3

lisa [6:10AM]
i'm really into you too

—

Jennie finally had a moment to herself.

After picking up the four gentlemen who were staying at the property for a few days, she drove them back to the property and got them settled with some fresh coffee and the muffins she'd baked the night before.

She and Channing led them on a tour of the property, going over their itinerary and the guidelines of their stay. With Channing and Mikel now with the guests, she finally got a chance to head back to the house.

She chose the largest mug they had, one that she'd used a handful of times to give Lisa a cup of coffee at the house, and set it down on the counter. After heating up the milk and stirring in the hot chocolate mix, Jennie filled an entire thermos with the hot liquid. Adding a small baggie of muffins to the mix, she assembled a bag of the things she was going to bring down to the barn.

It was another cold day and Jennie had no clue how Lisa worked for as long as she did in this weather. It made her hands ache and her body shiver just thinking about it. She hated that Lisa had to be out there for hours on end in the cold, so she wanted to do something small to try and warm her up.

Taking the bag full of the thermos, the mug, and the muffins, Jennie hopped in the truck and headed down to the barn, pulling her coat tighter around her at the chill in the air.

She followed the familiar path into the barn, pulling open the doors and walking past the tack room, her eyes scanning the somewhat warm space for signs of Lisa.

"Lisa?" she called out, leaning against the gate that led to the stalls.

"Hey," Lisa called back from the stall closest to the backside of the barn. It took a few seconds for her head to appear over the stall door and a tired smile to appear on her face.