She tethered Marshmallow and moved back to her tail.
“What are you going to do?” Remmy asked, and Jess smiled down at the little girl.
“I’m going to braid her tail,” she said, starting to part the hair. “And we’re going to weave in ribbons and flowers. She’s going to carry the bride for the wedding.”
It was all so romantic, and Jess longed for a horseback wedding of her own. She’d have to figure out how to have a boyfriend for longer than two months, though.
So it was probably hopeless to even think about something like riding a horse toward her anxious groom.
She focused on her work and asked Remmy for the flowers when she needed them. Dallas fed them to his daughter, and she didn’t go more than a few feet from Jess’s side.
Jess eventually relaxed, and she’d dressed both horses in record time with the help of Dallas and his kids.
“All right.” She reached up and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “It’s hot.”
Something was definitely wrong in the stables, and Jess had just realized it. “The air conditioning isn’t working.”
“You air condition the stables?”
“Yes,” Jess said. “They’re temperature controlled, because it can get so hot here.” She sighed and turned around. “I need to check it.”
“I’m really handy with machines,” Dallas said. “I’ll come with you.” He started to say something to his children, and Jess took a few steps away to wait for him.
“They’re going to wait here,” Dallas said. “Lead on.”
Jess took him down the aisle to a locked door and fitted her key into it. “This is the control room.” The door swung open, and a burnt, mechanical smell met her nose immediately.
“Oh, something’s burned up,” he said, stepping past her. He went straight to the air conditioner and started fiddling with the front panel. A moment later, it came off, and Dallas coughed.
“Do you have any tools?”
“There’s a toolbox on the shelf there,” she said, pointing.
Dallas followed her finger and found it, pulling it down with authority. He came alive as he rooted through the box and came away with a wrench.
Jess sure did like watching him, as he had a lot of confidence now when he hadn’t before. He moved with precision, and only five minutes and a couple of grunts later, he swung the whole front of the air conditioner open.
“Yep, you’ve got a belt here that’s come off and burned up.” He looked at her. “I don’t suppose you have spare belts?”
“I have no idea,” Jess said.
“Do you have a ranch mechanic?” he asked. “Maybe someone we can call?”
“No,” Jess said, though Ginger had talked about hiring someone to maintain their equipment. “I’ll call Ginger.”
She really didn’t want to, but Ginger loved the horses as if they were her own offspring. She wouldn’t be happy they didn’t have the temperature controls they were used to.
“I’ll look on the shelves,” Dallas said, and Jess took a few steps away to make the call.
“What’s wrong?” Ginger asked when she picked up Jess’s call.
“How do you know something’s wrong?”
“You said you’d see me with the horses unless there was a problem.” In the background, Jess heard her sisters bickering about something to do with Ginger’s hair.
“The air conditioner in the stables burnt out a belt,” she said. “Dallas has it open and he can fix it, if we have another belt.”
“Dallas?”
“Yeah.” Jess continued to walk down the aisle, but she lowered her voice anyway. “He seems to know exactly what he’s doing with it.” He’d been a natural with a wrench in his hand, and Jess wished she didn’t find that quite so attractive.
“I know Nick bought spare parts,” Ginger said. “I’d look on the shelf.”
“He’s doing that,” Jess said.
“He’s really mechanical?”
“Seems to be,” Jess said, shrugging though her friend couldn’t see her.
“Are we still on schedule?”
“The horses are ready,” Jess confirmed. “I’ve got ten minutes, right?”
“If I don’t kill MARIE,” Ginger whispered. “The sooner, the better.”
Jess laughed and said, “I’ll do my best.” She turned back toward the mechanical room just as Dallas poked his head out of the doorway.
“Got it,” he said. “You want to see?”
“You found a belt?”
“Yep,” he said. “And fixed it.” He wiped his hands on a towel that was probably dirtier than his skin.
“And fixed it?” Jess didn’t believe that, but as she walked into the room, the air conditioner kicked on with a resounding click.
She met Dallas’s eyes, and with that smile on his face, a charge filled the air surrounding them that left Jess’s bones vibrating and desire filling her.
“Thank you,” she said. “Will you please help me get the horses over to Nate and Ginger?”
“You bet,” Dallas said, and they went to retrieve Marshmallow Crème, Texas Tyrant, and his kids.
Ten minutes later, Jess delivered the horses to the preparation tent, and helped Ginger into the saddle. She went around Marshmallow and pulled the train out so it lay exactly right.
Nate sat in the saddle by then, and he looked tall and regal and absolutely amazing in his tuxedo and deep black cowboy hat.
Jess’s emotions clogged her throat again, and she nodded to Ginger. “Give us two minutes to find a seat, and then you’re set.”
“Thank you, Jess,” Ginger said, smiling. She seemed softer today, and Jess was glad. Ginger had so much to be in charge of around the ranch, twenty-four-seven. She had to wear the stern expression and ask the hard questions.
But not today.
Jess hurried into the main tent, where thankfully, the misters and fans had the temperature at a tolerable level. Hannah and Michelle had saved her a seat in the front row, and she heard Dallas’s footsteps behind her as Ted had saved him and his kids seats there too.
So she sat down next to Hannah with a whispered,
