by Kate Pearce
Cauy took off his hat and shoved a hand through his flattened hair. He knew what his dad would’ve done, but after the age of five he’d never wanted to be like him.
“Okay. I appreciate the offer. What do you want me to do first?”
* * *
As they worked Rachel let Roy direct Cauy’s movements while she made sure the interior posts and walls were secure. After clearing out half the barn she could see the structure clearly. The floor was solid concrete and the drainage channels were usable. At some point the barn had been solidly constructed and well looked after. From what she’d heard about Mark Lymond, Rachel guessed he was the one who’d let everything go.
Even though Cauy was doing exactly what Roy asked him to do, Rachel sensed he really didn’t want them there. His continued resistance stuck in her craw and made her want to stride over, knock his hat off his head, and kiss him silly.
She paused. Kiss him silly? Where the hell had that stupid idea come from? She glared at the back of his head. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. It would certainly shock him.
But what if he kissed her back?
How would he kiss—with that quiet stubborn certainty hidden beneath his remote expression, or would there be more? She’d never dated a man older than herself, and if Ruth was correct Cauy was almost thirty.
“Everything okay, Rachel?” Roy asked.
Flustered, Rachel took a step back and collided with the stone wall. “Yes, all good here. The structure looks great. All we need to do is make sure the drainage is working, and we’ll be good to go.”
“You mean Cauy will be good,” Roy joked. “How about I go back to the ranch and grab some basics for the horses while you finish helping our friend here?”
“Okay,” Rachel said cautiously, her gaze colliding with Cauy’s, who didn’t look very keen on the idea of being alone with her at all. Irrationally, her urge to jump him only intensified. “I’ll check the water flow.”
While Roy went back to his truck she walked around to the rear of the barn and studied the rusted pipes before attempting to turn on the faucet connected to a rotting hose.
“I’ll get that.” Cauy reached past her, his shoulder brushing against hers, the warmth of him shocking after the coldness of the wind. “It’s probably rusted in place.”
She stepped back, stuck her hands in the pocket of her fleece-lined jacket, and watched him wrestle with the water pipe.
“You didn’t need to stay.” Cauy didn’t turn around to speak to her. “I could’ve done this myself.”
“It would’ve taken you at least a week to move all that stuff by yourself,” Rachel pointed out. “Why are you so reluctant to accept help?”
“Maybe I’m just not used to it being offered to me.” He swung around to face her, wiping his gloved hands on his jeans. The stubble on his chin was so long now it almost qualified as a beard. “I also didn’t expect to be surrounded by Morgans.”
“My family are good people.”
He shrugged. “That’s not what my father said.”
“And your father was so well-liked and respected in this community.”
“He had cause to dislike the Morgans.”
“Because Chase offered to buy him out?”
“You heard about that, did you?” His wry smile was a surprise. “That’s the only reason I’m standing here now. If Chase hadn’t offered him all that money, my father would have sold the place and left me nothing.”
“I don’t get it,” Rachel said slowly.
“My father would’ve done anything to thwart a Morgan. Even when it hurt him most.”
“Then he was a fool.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Cauy walked over to his truck. “I need something to loosen this up.”
Rachel stood there like an idiot biting her lip and waited for him to return with a can of something in his hand. He tried to open the screw top and couldn’t quite manage it with his gloves on.
“Give it to me.” Rachel took the can and unscrewed it.
“Thanks. I could’ve—”
“Done it yourself, yeah, I know that, Mr. I Don’t Need Anybody.” Rachel carried on talking, aware that she was treading on dangerous ground, but kind of enjoying it anyway. “Have you ever had a real relationship?”
“Like with another human being, you mean?”
“Exactly.”
He held her gaze. “Yeah.”
“As in?”
“A wife?”
Rachel winced. “You’re married?”
He looked around the desolate barn. “Like I’d be here if that was the case. She divorced me. I deserved it.”
“Oh.”
His smile was a challenge. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“Did she divorce you because you insisted on coming out here?”
“Nope, but she would’ve hated it.” He squirted stuff on the rusted faucet. “She left me about three years ago.”
“Do you miss her?” Rachel blurted out.
“Nope.” He gave the handle an experimental twist, and it screeched like a banshee in protest. He detached the rotting hose and looped it over his arm. “I’ll get the new one.”
He came back with a bright green hose and Rachel darted forward to help.
“I’ve got this,” Rachel said as he again struggled to pull apart the packaging with his gloves on. “There’s a tab right here.”
“Thanks.”
They were so close she only had to look up to be staring right into his eyes.
“What, no qualifiers about doing it all yourself?” Rachel said breathlessly.
The side of his mouth kicked up. “I know when to quit.”
Her gaze fixated on his lips, and she inhaled the warm scent of his skin. Unable to stop herself she leaned in.
“What do you want from me, Rachel?” he asked so softly she barely heard him.
She knew he was giving her the opportunity to step back, no questions asked, but she stayed exactly where she was, her mouth an inch from his.
With a stifled sound he closed the gap between them and kissed her, the shock of his cold lips swiftly dispelled by the heat of his tongue as he took possession of her mouth.
He kissed with an intensity that stopped her breath and made everything inside her go quiet, and then hot, and needy. She grabbed for his shoulder to keep him exactly where she wanted him, and he dropped the coiled hose on her booted foot.
“Ouch!” Rachel yelped, and ripped her mouth away from Cauy’s.
* * *
The shock of her loss made him rock on his heels until he realized she was hopping around like a demented chicken. He looked down at the hose and grimaced.
“Sorry.”
“No problem,” she gasped as she leaned back against the wall and pressed her fingers against the toe of her boot. “It’ll be fine in a moment.”
Seeing as she had good sturdy boots on, Cauy was pretty sure she was going to be okay. He moved over to where she stood and held out his hand.
“Do you want to go into the kitchen, take your boot off, and check out the damage?”
“You mean like go inside your house with you, right now?” She made a face. “I’m not sure I could take the risk.”
“The risk of what?” Cauy asked. “I’m not the kind of guy who presumes anything.”
“Not you.” The look she gave him was withering. “Me.”
“Hey, it was just a kiss. No need to get bent out of shape about it,” Cauy offered. He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up kissing her and needed to get away before his body demanded he did it again.
“Sit down on that bucket over there then, and check your foot out. I’ll go and get the medical kit.”
He skedaddled up to the house, Rachel’s taste on his lips, and his body humming with need. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t about her. It was just that he hadn’t had sex for three years. Not that there hadn’t been offers, but he’d never been interested.
In the bathroom,
he took off his gloves and washed his hands before studying himself in the mirror. He looked more alive than he had in weeks. He traced the scars on the left side of his face half hidden by his stubble. He’d been pretty once. The fact that he cared that he wasn’t pretty any longer annoyed him immensely. Rachel was too young and innocent to stir his interest, and he’d better remember that.
She was also a Morgan. He could almost see his father turning in his grave at that little kicker.
He grabbed the medical kit off the shelf. Maybe this was just his body’s way of letting him know he was ready to get laid again, and nothing to do with Rachel Morgan at all.
Yeah, right.
He returned to the barn and found Rachel sitting where he’d told her to, one boot off and her sock draped over it. She was gingerly touching her toes as if making sure they were all there.
Cauy went down on his knees and placed the medical kit on the floor.
“How’s it looking?”
“Not too bad,” Rachel said. “I probably shouldn’t have taken my boot off because now my toes are swelling up a bit.”
Cauy feared she was correct. “Even if they are broken, they don’t do much for them these days. Either they buddy them up with tape, or put you in one of those stupid boots. The best thing to do is get the swelling down and go and see Dr. Mendez if things don’t improve soon.”
She grimaced. “Good job I didn’t ride over.”
“Yeah. Roy should be back with his truck soon so you can go home in that.” Cauy got to his feet. “I’m just going to connect the hose and give the barn floor a good clean. Sit tight.”
“Cauy?”
He braced himself. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, the goddam kiss or his useless medical advice, but he wasn’t going to inquire too closely. The truth was, he wanted to kiss her again, and that wouldn’t be a good idea for either of them.
He attached the hose to the faucet, turned it on, and busied himself cleaning out the barn as if his life depended on it. The roar of Roy’s returning truck made him look up and turn off the water.
“Come and give me a hand.” Roy beckoned to Cauy to join him. “I’ve got a load of straw, a couple of buckets, and some feed for the horses in the back.”
Cauy put down the hose. “I think you should start a tab for me.”
“It’s all good,” Roy replied. “Where’s Rachel?”
“She hurt her foot on the hose so I told her to stay put in the barn.” Cauy came over and grabbed two bundles of straw. “Water’s running, and the drains are working so I think we’ll be okay to put the horses in.”
“Good job.” Roy took the buckets and bag of feed. “I’ll take Rachel home as soon as we’re done.”
It didn’t take long for Cauy to spread the straw and fill the feed buckets while Roy walked the horses up from the field. He kept an ear out for Rachel, but she seemed happy enough supervising from her perch on the bucket. She didn’t look to be in much pain either, which made him feel a lot better.
Eventually, Roy stomped off for one last check on the horses, and Cauy went over to Rachel. She’d taken off her hat and her short blond hair framed the sharp angles of her face. She smiled as he approached, and he felt it right in the gut.
“Can you give me a hand to stand up? Then we’ll be out of your hair.”
He bent low and swept her into his arms.
“Eek! You’ll put your back out!” She grabbed hold of him; one hand wrapped around his neck, the other on his shoulder. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, cowboy.”
He didn’t answer, his senses too full of the feel of her in his arms to care about mere words. She smelled right. She smelled like she belonged with him, and that was ridiculous.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” He started for the truck.
“My boot!”
He swung around and let her pick it up before resuming his journey. He took his time, enjoying the warmth of her body cradled against his, and the strength of her fingers against his skin.
Roy had left the passenger door open so he eased her up onto the seat. For a long moment, they remained locked together until he could persuade himself to let go.
“Thank you,” she murmured against his throat, and he wanted to groan as her teeth grazed his skin. “Thanks for everything.”
“Dropping the hose on your foot? Kissing you?” Cauy asked.
“Yeah. That.” She smiled at him and kissed his nose. “Good times, eh? Sorry I’m such a klutz.”
“I’m the one who dropped the hose,” Cauy reminded her.
“True.” She searched his face, her blue eyes watchful. “But I shocked you into it. If that hadn’t happened, would you have kissed me again?”
“Maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place,” Cauy murmured, and then wanted to kick himself as the teasing light in her eyes disappeared.
“Maybe you dropped it deliberately.” Rachel eased completely out of his grip and put her seat belt on. “Good-bye, cowboy. Have a nice evening.”
Roy climbed into the driver’s seat and winked at Cauy.
“See you tomorrow, Cauy. I’m bringing Ry over.”
“Ry who?”
“Rowdy Yates Morgan. Haven’t you met him yet?” Cauy shook his head. “He’s the deputy ranch foreman, and he has a proposition to put to you.”
“Great,” Cauy muttered as the truck pulled away. “More Morgans.”
Would he ever be rid of them, and did he even want to be? Rachel Morgan was way too alluring for her own good, and she seemed to like him way more than she should.
But then he liked her, too, and that was even more unexplainable.
Cauy went to check the horses in the barn and picked up the medical kit. The place was starting to look like an actual ranch again, which should make him happy, but all he could think about was Rachel Morgan. This wasn’t how he’d wanted things to work out at all.
Chapter Six
Rachel wiggled her toes and eased her foot into her boot. The swelling had gone down and she was fairly sure her toes weren’t broken. Ruth had taken a look and after a lifetime of experience doctoring cowboys on a working ranch had agreed with Rachel that there was nothing to worry about.
She’d slept well and eaten a huge breakfast with the rest of the family. She liked starting her day around the kitchen table while everyone talked about their plans. It made her feel so included. Her mom had never been great at sharing stuff and seeing as she’d obviously had a lot to hide, Rachel could kind of understand why now. But she’d always felt like an outsider—that if she didn’t exist her mom would’ve just gone on happily without her.
Billy knocked on her bedroom door. “Do you want to help me in the barn this morning, Rachel?”
“Yes, that would be awesome. I’ll meet you out there in a minute,” she called out to him.
Part of her wanted to find out why Roy was taking Ry up to the Lymond Ranch, but she hadn’t asked. Her brothers would be way too interested as to why she wanted to know, and Roy was something of a talker . . . Had he noticed there was something going on between her and Cauy? From his conversation on the way back to the ranch on the previous day she suspected he might.
When she’d kissed Cauy she’d touched his neck and traced the scar tissue that disappeared beneath his collar and up into his crisp curling hair. What had happened to him? Everyone said that working on the oil fields was a dangerous business, so had he been hurt? The mere thought of it made her stomach tighten.
She put on her thickest fleece, found her gloves, and went down the stairs to collect her coat and hat from the mudroom. The scent of bacon still wafted through the house, but the kitchen was now quiet as everyone had dispersed to their day jobs and Maria had gone off to school.
The air outside was so cold it hurt to breathe. She rammed her hat down hard on her head to cover her ears. Frost gli
nted on every surface and the gloomy gray sky made the landscape harsh and unwelcoming. Ruth told her it would get worse before Christmas, and that she should expect the snow to cut them off completely.
As she walked down to the barn, Rachel tried to imagine her mother living on the ranch, doing all the tasks Ruth so obviously enjoyed, and found it impossible. Annie had been such a fastidious city girl that she must have found ranching life really hard. She’d loved crowds, shopping, and going out, and none of those things existed out here.
Rachel found Billy in the tack room, hands on his hips as he surveyed the packed wall of saddles, bridles, halters, and reins. He turned to smile at her, the lines around his eyes crinkling.
“Hey, you. Chase wants this lot sorted out. The current crop of guests is a messy bunch. Do you want to help me?”
“Chase is very detail-oriented, isn’t he?” Rachel said diplomatically.
“That’s one way of putting it. His brothers aren’t usually so kind.” Billy’s breath condensed in the cold air. “I must admit that I quite like seeing things in order myself, but don’t tell the rest of the boys.”
“Mom was really untidy,” Rachel said, and then wondered why she’d mentioned it. Perhaps because her mother was very much on her mind right now.
“Yeah,” Billy said, shaking his head. “To be honest, it drove me nuts.”
“Me too.” Rachel met his gaze. “Even when I was little I was always the one cleaning up after her.” She paused. “I can’t imagine her here at all. It’s really weird.”
“I should probably never have brought her here. We met in the city when I was at agricultural college.” Billy sighed. “It never occurred to me that she wouldn’t love this place as much as I did. But by the end she hated it.”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said impulsively.
“What have you got to be sorry about? Wasn’t your fault.” He held her gaze. “I bet she was far happier in the city, wasn’t she?”
“Yes, she refused to go on vacation to anywhere that wasn’t a city or on the beach—not that we had much money for such things when I was small, and it was just us.”
Billy grabbed a handful of lead ropes and started coiling them up. “That must have been tough.”
