that Dottie had offered free pie—it was his for the taking. That was the life of an unmarried bull riding champion. Jude and his groupies were a package deal. She needed to keep that in mind when she found herself getting swept up in the current of his charisma.
She stole a glance at his profile as he steered his truck off the gravel drive and down the dirt path that led to the lake. The problem was, all she had to do was spend a little time with him and all of yesteryear’s feelings threatened to flood back, making her feel like she was a teenager again and so in love that she couldn’t tell her own wants from his. She couldn’t distinguish the boundaries between his life and hers.
Because back then, there had been no boundaries.
She wasn’t in love with him anymore, but that chemistry, that electricity that had been the hallmark of their relationship, was still there, stronger than ever. She was pretty sure if she reached out and touched him that the air would sizzle.
And that’s why she needed to watch herself.
The truck bumped along the grooves that had worn into the carpet of green grass. They passed groups of skinny pine trees and the occasional cluster of rocks and boulders. Finally, Jude stopped between the big live oak where the two of them had carved their initials on one of those endless summer nights and the old cabin that had served as their lakeside cabana.
They used to sneak off down here and disappear into their own little world. Everything else would fade away, except for them. God, they’d been two crazy teenagers who had been so hot for each other they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. But even before that—when they were younger and more innocent—they’d always been drawn to each other. They’d rode horses together on his family’s ranch. He’d taught her how to barrel race and she’d taught him the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. He’d held her and let her cry on his shoulder when her dad died. She’d given him advice about how to make his relationship with his own dad better. She was his girl. He was her guy. She couldn’t even remember when exactly they’d made their relationship official. They just always were.
Jude and Juliette.
Juliette and Jude.
Juju.
Juju was interchangeable for them collectively or for each of them separately—one of the sickeningly sweet pet names they’d had for each other.
It had all been great. Until it wasn’t anymore and ten years of silence had stretched between them like an endless ocean cloaked by night.
“The place looks good,” Jude said, leaning forward to look out the windshield and glance around. “Ethan has been looking after it for me.”
Juliette took off her seat belt and shifted so that she was facing him. It would’ve felt so natural to slide over next to him and tuck herself into that nook under his arm where she’d always fit so perfectly.
But no. That was the danger zone.
“Did you not make arrangements to have someone else take care of the place?”
Jude nodded. “Of course I did. I paid the upkeep bills. He just offered to help. You know Ethan.”
She hadn’t meant to sound judgmental. Even though she felt proprietary, the place wasn’t hers and whatever arrangement Jude and Ethan had agreed to wasn’t her business. As an only child, she didn’t know the luxury of leaning on a sibling. She certainly hadn’t been out here to look after the place. Not since...that night.
That fateful night. It had all unfolded in the cabin. She hadn’t realized when she’d come out here searching for Jude that her whole world would change. Or maybe she had. Maybe having a big blowup was the only way she could’ve left.
No, she wasn’t going there. The best way to get herself back on track was to make a joke. “I mean, think of all the hooligans who might come out here and party and skinny-dip and get into all kinds of trouble.”
Jude nodded. “Exactly. I’m sure they’ll thank me later.”
Playing along, Juliette rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they will.”
They got out of the truck and started walking down toward the lake.
“Oh, my gosh,” Juliette said, pointing to a tall tree near the lake bank. “Is that the sapling?”
“It has to be,” Jude said. It was the only tree between the lake and the cabin that wasn’t ancient. “Looks like it not only survived, but it’s thriving.”
“I’m so glad it’s still here,” she said. “We planted that, Jude. You and me. Look at it. It’s beautiful.”
He was looking at her like she was an angel. “At least we did something right. I think it’s a sign.”
She narrowed her eyes. “A sign of what?”
He smiled a knowing smile. “A sign of good things to come.”
She wanted to make a joke and ask him if he meant a sign of good times to come. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A comment like that felt like she was offering more than she could deliver. There was a lot to sort out.
She was rarely at a loss for words, but as she stood there trying to figure out what to say, he turned and started heading toward the lake.
The warm breeze played with her hair and danced on the water, creating gentle ripples. It was the perfect day to be outside. Closer to the spot where the grass gave way to a dirt embankment, the rustling leaves of the river birch whispered a sweet welcome-home greeting. The grass looked as if it had been freshly mowed and the water weeds were so neat, they must’ve been trimmed recently.
A few feet in front of them, a black snake slithered by.
Juliette let out a little yelp as she jumped back and grabbed onto Jude’s arm. The move was a reflex and she pulled away as soon as she realized how good he smelled.
“Snake.” She grimaced. “You know how I feel about snakes.”
He smiled. “I remember. But don’t worry, that black snake is harmless. Even though there are other creatures around here who aren’t. Did we really used to take off all our clothes and swim in that water? At night—?”
“Were we stupid or what?” she agreed.
And crazy for each other.
They’d done a lot more than swim in that lake, but she wasn’t going to remind him. She probably didn’t need to.
The look that settled on his face told her that he was right there with her.
As if reading each other’s minds, they smiled knowing smiles at each other. He was a gentleman and he didn’t bring it up. She knew she should be grateful, but the teenager in her was disappointed.
“I need to check on a couple of things while I’m out here,” he said. “This is one of them. The buyer’s Realtor said the water level of the lake was way down and it was close to drying up. Looks fine to me. He also said there’s a problem with that old foundation slab that my dad poured. Remember how he wanted to build an outbuilding to house the mowers and equipment? The buyer’s agent is using the
