“You don’t play fair.” Jasper narrowed his eyes, but there was a heat in them that made her want to both lean in and run away.
“Never will,” she murmured, then before she did something really stupid like kiss him again, she ducked into the car and locked the door.
Kessed was in over her head, and she didn’t even know how she’d gotten there.
As she drove home, her thoughts lingered on the day and on Jasper. He was annoying, and irritating, and stupid as hell to eat that sandwich, but in the strangest way possible, it added to his charm. And that charm of his was working its way under her skin, terrifying and enticing her all at once.
As she took a shower and washed away all the dirt crusting her skin, she decided that she was probably just too tired.
The sun was too hot.
A thousand excuses, a thousand reasons.
Surely, tomorrow would be different.
At least a little bit, right?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jasper pulled up to the ranch house, his eyes still feeling as if he’d washed them with sand. Damn Benadryl always did that to him, but at least he’d been saved from the hives. If he had to deal with the loopy, sleepy feeling Benadryl always left behind, at least he wouldn’t be itchy as well.
Damn, he’d kill for a cup of coffee.
He’d slept in later than usual and forgotten to pour a cup before he dashed out the door. After pestering Kessed about being up early, he wasn’t about to arrive late at the ranch.
He put the truck in park and killed the engine. Before he could walk to the door, it opened and Kessed gave a small wave. “Rough night?” she asked by way of greeting.
“Benadryl kicks my ass.” He leaned against the doorjamb, regarding her.
Dark espresso hair was braided to the side, showing caramel highlights that accentuated her olive skin. Her face glowed, and if she wore any makeup, it wasn’t obvious. Her eyebrows arched in question as he realized belatedly she’d said something.
“Missed that. What?” he asked, closing his eyes then opening them slowly.
She tilted her head. “You’re not planning on operating heavy machinery today, are you?”
“Just my truck and your coffeemaker. I didn’t grab my mug before I headed out the door.”
Kessed opened the door wider, stepping aside to let him pass by. “And you warned me about being on time.”
“I blame the Benadryl.”
“Sure, sure,” she patronized from behind him.
Jasper smiled all the way to the kitchen and pulled down an old RDO tractor mug then poured a cup of coffee. He took a deep sip, closing his eyes and wishing he could take the stuff by IV.
“Should I leave you two alone?” Kessed teased, and his eyes opened to glare at her.
“As if you have any room to talk,” he replied.
“Whatever. What are we doing today? Fences are done, so what’s next?”
Jasper took another sip. “The cattle are coming tomorrow, so we need to get the hay delivered and make sure the pasture gates are open so that all the different divisions of the range have access to water. When the steers arrive, we’ll need to cold brand them and then set them out to free-range. From there, our work will be minimal.”
Kessed nodded then set down her mug. “I think we can handle that.”
“Let’s hope so. We don’t have much of a choice. I have to duck out early today too. I have several appointments I need to manage before the cattle arrive.” He took a deep breath and stretched, rolling around his neck for good measure.
“Sore?” Kessed asked.
He shrugged. “Not any more than expected. I thought my shoulders would be screaming at me from the damned posthole pounder. But I’m not too bad. You?”
“I’m walking,” she said by way of an answer. “Let’s just say I’m sore in some places I didn’t know had muscles.”
Jasper chuckled. “Been there.” He drained the rest of his cup and set it in the sink. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. What’s first?” Kessed set her cup with his, and he followed her to the door.
“Let’s get in the pickup and make sure all the gates are open. Hay will be delivered in about two hours, giving us plenty of time.” He headed to the passenger side door and opened it.
“Thanks.” Kessed gave him a curious glance but didn’t remark further and got in.
He shut the door and walked around, biting back a grin. Soon they were driving down the now-familiar dirt road and toward the main gate to the pasture. Within two hours, they had gotten in and out of the truck at least twenty times. The gates had all been closed, but now they were swung wide open so that the steers could free-range all over the canyon, within the fence. The creek that ran along the north side would be more than enough water for the fifty head of cattle coming tomorrow, and now they all would have access to it.
The wind had kicked up, and the dust had been merciless. Jasper’s eyes were no longer feeling like they had been washed by sand, but literally had sand in them now.
But to her credit, Kessed hadn’t complained, though her hair was more of a brown than black tone by now.
They rounded the bend, and Jasper saw a gate they had missed. “Damn, I thought we were finished.”
“No more dirt!” Kessed finally complained.
Jasper chuckled. “Done with it, princess?”
She glared.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll drop you off at the house and then do a final check to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Sound good? The hay truck should be there soon, and I want him to make sure he puts it under the covered shed.”
“Sign me up.”
“Was that sarcasm?” Jasper glanced to her.
“No,” she replied with heavy sarcasm.
“Your sarcasm isn’t sexy,” he teased as he put the metal post-pounder in the back of the pickup.
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m not trying to be sexy for you.”
“Sure, sure,” he goaded her. He heard her loud sigh as he turned the truck toward the house.
“Not every girl falls for the country charm, Wranglers, and boots.”
“You forgot abs of steel and a killer smile.” He beamed at her meaningfully.
“You’re impossible.”
“So, you admit it. I have the killer abs and smile. It’s okay. I saw you looking yesterday.” He winked.
“We are not having this conversation.”
“We kinda are.” He nodded once and shrugged.
“Against my will.”
“Eh, you’ll get over it.”
“Laken is my friend… Laken is my friend… Laken is my best, best, best— hell, she owes me so much for this.”
Jasper turned his face to the window, hiding his grin before clearing his throat. “You’re fine. Stop complaining.”
“You’re so kind,” Kessed replied with heavy sarcasm.
“That’s me. Always thinking of other—”
“Of course.”
“Hey, can I finish?” Jasper speared her with a patient gaze.
Kessed nodded, then extended a hand magnanimously.
Smart ass. “Any hay-buck worth his salt should figure out that he has to put the hay under that shelter, but you never know.” He pointed at a metal-roofed, twenty-foot-tall, lean-to building.
“Fine. I think I can handle that.”
“Good. I’d be kinda embarrassed for you if you couldn’t… just being honest.”
“Can I go now?” She glanced to the house and back meaningfully.
“Already missing me?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Jasper pulled the truck into the drive and hit the brakes just before Kessed bolted out the door and strutted to the front porch. Jasper again watched the sultry way her hips sway
ed. And damn if she didn’t look amazing in those red boots. He threw the truck in gear and headed back down the road. As much as his body was protesting, he appreciated the hard labor. It was the perfect distraction, the perfect outlet for the tension that crackled whenever he was around Kessed. His body responded far too enthusiastically, and he needed to channel that excess into something safer, something that wouldn’t irrevocably destroy whatever tentative truce they’d developed.
Time. He needed time.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what he had—at least today.
Less than an hour later, Jasper was following the same road back to the house, his body aching, sweaty, and sun-kissed. His stomach was rumbling with an empty hunger, and his jeans were the same color as the dirt he’d just driven over. An empty drop-deck trailer was driving away from the ranch, and Kessed was standing near the haystack, studying it.
The stack was arranged in a series of one-ton bales, stacked three high and four wide. At about fifty tons, it would carry Cyler through the winter with his new herd. Kessed turned as he arrived, and he couldn’t help the flip in his stomach as she smiled. He hadn’t mentioned the kiss yesterday; he’d been tempted to at least a hundred times, but something warned him to keep his mouth shut. Call it intuition, call it fear to push his luck—either way, he kept his thoughts to himself. But he’d be a liar if he didn’t hope, or at least wonder, if maybe she was softening a little toward him.
A kiss means something, doesn’t it?
He parked the truck and killed the engine. “How goes it?” he asked as he stepped out into the sunshine.
“Well, I’ve never seen a tractor trailer move that fast.” Kessed gave a slightly concerned grin. “But he slammed those bales over like they were on fire.”
Jasper chuckled. “Yeah, they usually move like a bat outta hell. Those guys are pretty crazy but good at what they do.”
“Anyway, they already knew where to put it, and boom! It’s done. All the gates open?” she asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yup.” He nodded. “I’m thinking we should break for lunch and then stop by the feed supply to pick up a few salt licks. We should be done for the day after that.”
Kessed hitched a shoulder. “I’m game. There’s food involved, so you can almost always count on my participation.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Not exactly what I meant.”
“It’s kinda what you said, sweetheart,” Jasper teased then opened the cab door for Kessed.
“I see disappointment in your future,” she replied as she stepped into the truck.
“So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” he challenged, shutting her door before she had a chance to use that razor-sharp wit of hers.
She was gunning for him when he got in the truck. “Overconfidence always lands you on your ass, just sayin’.”
Jasper chuckled then started down the drive. About a mile away from Ellensburg, his phone vibrated. He slid it from his pocket and handed it to Kessed.
“Answer this for me? Just in case it’s an emergency.”
Kessed’s gaze flickered from the phone, to him, then she took the device. “Hello. Jasper’s Vet Service.” She gave a wry grin as he held back an eye-roll at her antics.
“I see. Hold on.” Kessed’s amusement faded, and she held the phone down. “The guy says it’s an emergency, something about a cow’s stomach?”
Jasper slowed the truck and pulled over then took the phone from Kessed.
“This is Jasper.” He listened closely and quickly figured out his suspicion was correct. One of the Van Pelts’ dairy cows had a twisted stomach. It wasn’t difficult to fix, but it was time sensitive, and the cow was suffering.
“I’ll be right over.” Jasper handed the cell back to Kessed, checked his mirror, and turned the truck around. He headed away from Ellensburg and farther north toward the dairy.
“So, no lunch?” Kessed guessed.
“Not yet. Sorry about that. Typical LDA, but I need to get her fixed up before she gets worse. It’s pretty painful.”
“In English?” Kessed’s tone was dry.
“Twisted stomach. You know how cows have four stomachs?”
“No, actually, I didn’t know that,” Kessed replied.
“Now you do. Well, the larger of the stomachs can move a bit, especially if the cow hasn’t been eating properly. When that happens, it creates a twist in the gut, and gas gets trapped, and digestion halts completely. It’s one of the easier maladies to diagnose and not too difficult to fix. It’s just an inconvenience for the cow and the farmer.”
Kessed nodded silently. “Sounds fun.”
“Sure.” Jasper gave her a sarcastic grin.
He took a left and pulled into the large Van Pelt Dairy. He was more than familiar with the layout. Vince had shown him his first day. The Van Pelts were one of the largest clients in their practice.
“You can stay in here or come along. It’s up to you, but I shouldn’t be more than a half hour, I’d guess.” Jasper hopped out of the truck then opened the quad cab and took out a small leather bag.
As he strode to the barn, he heard the pickup door shut and held back a grin. How true to form. Kessed hated to be left out.
“Is there something I can do to help?” she asked as she jogged to catch up.
“Says the girl who didn’t know cows had four stomachs,” he jibed.
“I’m a quick learner,” Kessed retorted.
“Hi.” Jasper lifted a hand in greeting at the herdsman.
Manuel was a stout brick of a man. He wasn’t tall by any standard, but Jasper wouldn’t want to piss him off. He could manhandle the bulls and shove around the cows. Few people knew how much strength that took. “You’re quick, Vet. The vaca is over aqui.”
Jasper followed Manuel as he strode to a stall in the hospital of the barn.
“You think it’s twisted?” Manuel asked in his thick Latino accent.
“One way to find out,” Jasper replied, then knelt. “Manuel, this is Kessed. Kessed, Manuel.”
“Hola.” Manuel extended his hand, and Jasper almost winced in sympathy for Kessed.
“Hey.” Kessed took his hand, and Jasper hoped that Manuel moderated his strength. The last time he’d shaken Manuel’s hand, he’d almost fallen to his knees. Not a proud moment, but there’d been mutual respect since.
Kessed didn’t wince, so Jasper sighed in relief and took out his stethoscope. He put the ends in his ears and leaned forward, setting the speaker end on the cow’s stomach and flicking his fingers against her distended abdomen.
Sure enough, it pinged, making an echoing sound.
“LDA for sure. I think though…” He listened a little more, moving around the stethoscope and flicking his finger again and again, trying to determine just where everything was situated.
“What’s up?” Manuel knelt beside Jasper, evaluating the cow.
“Let’s roll her. I think it’s a softer twist, so if we just give it the chance, it will move back into place. Then we can do a quick suture, tie it off, and give her a dose of fluids. You have something on hand to get into her stomach right away? We don’t want a repeat.”
“Sure, sure.” Manuel walked away, giving Jasper a moment to shave and sterilize the site of the toggle.
“What are you doing?” Kessed asked, keeping her distance.
“Can you hand me my bag there? Actually, just reach in and grab the kit that says toggle.”
A few seconds later, Kessed handed him a sterile package.
“Thanks. Basically, I’m going to roll the cow to get the rumen to float back into the right position in her belly then tack it into place.”
“Oh,” Kessed remarked. “I’m thinking it’s harder than you’re making it sound.”
“All set.” Manuel set down a
bag of fluids and nodded to Jasper.
“Great. Let’s get her rolled.”
Working with Manuel, they rolled the cow onto her back at a ninety-degree angle, waiting for the stomach to float back into place. With quick movements, Jasper used the toggle to pierce through the skin of the cow, tacking the rumen into place. “I think we’re good.” He double-checked his work and stepped back as the cow slowly rose from her awkward angle.
“I’ll finish up with the fluids if you need to go.” Manuel shook Jasper’s hand.
Out of anticipation, Jasper winced. “Sure thing. Let me know if she doesn’t improve,” he added.
“Speed-dial, man.” Manuel grinned and walked toward the cow.
“Ready?” Jasper turned to Kessed, studying her expression at her exposure to his world.
“All in a day’s work,” she teased as she followed him to the truck.
“Saving the world, one cow at a time.”
“You’re the Superman of the bovine culture.”
“I have a cape that’s colored like a dairy cow.” He chuckled at their random line of conversation.
“I’d pay money to see you in that.” Kessed raised her eyebrows, clearly amused. “But first, let’s eat.”
“It’s always food for you, isn’t it?” Jasper asked, starting up the pickup and heading away from the barn.
“Always. And the sooner you learn that, the sooner we can be friends.”
“Friends,” Jasper repeated, testing the word, regarding her reaction from the corner of his eye. It was loaded.
“Friends,” Kessed affirmed, but she glanced away, turning her head to gaze out the window.
He opened his mouth to protest, to push the issue…
But paused.
Time. He’d give her just a little more time. Because her words said one thing.
Her actions said another.
And actions always spoke louder than words.
She might say friends.
But he was still wearing her kiss.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kessed glanced at her phone, picking up with a smile as the familiar ring sounded.
The Courage of a Cowboy Page 7
