by Jo McNally
But she’d stayed anyway, happily settling into the cottage with Maggie, just to enjoy the company of her friends for a few days and do the farmwork that she’d been missing.
Later that afternoon she put the final touches on the introduction to the cookbook she wanted to write next: Becoming Southern by Bree Mathews. She was going to use Nell’s recipes and a few others from Tammy and the neighbors. She’d write about the country life and why it was perfect for her. Malibu Style was last year’s version of Bree Mathews, but from now on it was country all the way. She stood and stretched, setting her laptop aside.
If Cole Caldwell didn’t want her around, she’d have to find her slice of country somewhere else. There was no way she could stay here and watch Cole live his life without her being a part of it. The sound of a tractor kept her from following that dangerous spiral of thought. She looked out the window and saw activity at the farm across the road. Her heart leaped, but Ty’s truck was the only vehicle parked there.
He was on one of the big tractors, driving it quickly up the driveway and across the road to Nell’s through the pounding rain. That was strange enough to make her reach for her hooded rain jacket hanging near the door. She tucked her jeans into her rubber boots and headed out to see what was going on, leaving an unhappy Maggie behind.
Although the rain was falling in sheets, she could still see Nell’s house, where everything looked fine. Ty was driving the tractor behind the barn and up the hill, with Nell’s truck following. Every muddy footstep threatened to suck her boots from her feet. The air was warm enough that she was sweating under the impermeable jacket. The rain wasn’t letting up, so there was no way she could remove it. She broke into a jog, figuring she couldn’t feel much worse.
By the time she reached them on the hill, the sky was growing even darker, and thunder rumbled in the distance. She was drenched in a mixture of rain and sweat, and her breathing was labored. Damn, she thought she was in better shape than this. She reached out and slapped a shaking hand on the side of Nell’s truck, and Ty turned at the sound.
“What are you doing up here?” He shouted the words against the wind.
“I was about to ask you the same thing. What’s wrong?”
Nell’s window was rolled down, and her face showed nothing but worry. She reached out and grabbed Bree’s hand.
“It’s Trixie and Malibu, honey, and some of the other cattle, too. A big oak came down by the gully, and some of them are trapped between it and the fence line. We need to move the tree so they can get out and move down to the holding pen by the barns where there’s a bit of shelter and I can get hay to all of them. I was trying to get the herd down there when I saw what happened. I was going to move it myself with the truck, but Ty stopped by just as I’d started. He didn’t think it was a good idea for me to try it alone, even though I’ve been running this farm on my own for almost thirty years now.”
Bree caught Ty’s attention and nodded her agreement with him. He leaned into the truck and gave Nell a quick kiss on the cheek. “I need you to get back to the house and call Arlen. Tell him we need his help.”
Nell scowled at them both, but she finally nodded and drove down the hill.
Bree and Ty walked past the idling tractor and examined the downed behemoth of a tree. She remembered it well, and it made her sad to think that the mighty oak would no longer grace the hilltop. The bulk of the tree had landed down in the same gully where she’d help deliver Malibu weeks ago, but the spot was unrecognizable after four days of heavy rain. It was more like a whitewater river, and the tree’s foliage was causing some of the water to back up even deeper behind it, where a dozen worried cows and calves peeked through the branches.
“Ty, did it land on any of them?” She hated the thought of an unfortunate animal being crushed beneath the tree.
He shook his head. “It’s hard to tell, but I don’t think so. Look, I’ve got a chain around one of the bigger limbs. I think the tractor will pull it aside far enough for the cattle to get up the other side of the gully so they can go around the tree and down the hill.”
Bree nodded thoughtfully as if this was a situation she saw every day, trying not to show any panic as the dark water swirled below them.
“What can I do to help?”
He shook his head sharply. “Just stay out of the way and let me know when the tree is clear of the gully. Don’t get between the tree and the tractor, in case that chain breaks loose. Got it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ty. I need to do more than that.” She noticed a long board on the ground next to the tractor. “What’s that for?”
“When Arlen gets here, I’ll have him use that. Let’s see if I can move this thing without it.” He walked back to the tractor and put it in gear, but the tree’s limbs were firmly anchored in the ground, and it was too muddy for the big tractor to get enough traction to budge the heavy oak. Ty climbed back down.
“We need leverage.” He carried the long board over to the tree. Moving to the far side of the trunk, he jammed the board under it and pushed up. He looked at her and nodded. “You might be able to do this, at least until Arlen gets here. The 4x4 will act as a lever pushing the tree while the tractor pulls it forward. Which job do you want?”
She was distracted, staring down at the cattle below them. Some of the adults were belly deep in the swift water, and the calves were milling around on the rapidly shrinking patch of ground between the water and the tree. Malibu was there, staring at her mother and bawling loudly.
“Bree! Are you driving or pushing?”
“Neither!” She threw her hands in the air. “I can’t drive the tractor and I sure can’t push this tree. It must weigh a ton.” She hated feeling helpless. Ty rested his hand on her shoulder.
“You’re not going to be pushing the tree. You’ll put all your weight on this piece of wood right here. A lever gives you superhuman strength. The tractor can rock the tree forward, and if you just keep pushing this farther underneath and push up on it, we might be able to get it moving. If not, I’ll have to go find Cole’s chainsaw and hope I can cut away enough to let them through, but we don’t have a lot of time.” He glanced to the west, where lightning flickered along the horizon.
“Damn.”
“Exactly. Let’s give this a shot, Bree. Show me you’re a real farm woman.”
She nodded with determination as she looked down at Malibu’s broad white face. Lives depended on her.
Nothing happened at first, no matter how hard she pushed up on the board. Her feet were sliding in the mud and she couldn’t get traction. She fell to her knees in the goop, but she was back on her feet before Ty even noticed. And then it happened. Just a little bit of movement, but it was enough. She drove the wood farther under the trunk and pushed up against it with her shoulder. The tree shuddered and moved forward slightly. It was working!
She waved at Ty and pushed the board under the trunk again. The tractor roared and she gave out a yell, throwing herself against the 4x4. Suddenly the board moved dramatically, and the tree started to slide forward. She felt all-powerful as the board pushed up higher than it had before. They were doing it!
With a loud crack, one of the limbs that anchored the trunk in the mud gave way, and the tree rolled forward rapidly. The sudden movement caught her off guard, and she fell forward, sliding feet-first down the slope toward the cattle and the water.
She heard a shouted curse behind her and dug in her heels to stop herself. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back against a hard chest. Hot breath blew across her ear, and her body froze when she heard an achingly familiar voice.
“You don’t have to keep throwing yourself in the water to impress me, Hollywood. I already love you.”
She spun in Cole’s arms. His face was just inches above hers, and she couldn’t think of anything other than how beautiful he l
ooked with his rain-flattened hair falling into his warm gray eyes. She reached up and put her hands on either side of that wet face and smiled widely up at him. Now she knew where that extra surge of strength had come from. Cole must have grabbed the piece of wood behind her and thrown his heft into it.
“You’re here.” At the moment nothing else mattered.
“I am here. And so are you.”
“Yes.”
Ty cleared his throat nearby. “As fascinating as this conversation is, I’m heading down the hill. And I suggest you two do the same before that lightning gets any closer.”
As if to support his words, a rumble of thunder rolled through the low-hanging clouds.
“The cattle...” Bree looked back, but the last of them were scrambling up the opposite side of the gully, which was passable now that the tree was moved. The tractor rumbled back to life as Ty headed off, leaving them standing in the rain.
“Do you really want to talk about the cattle, Bree?” Cole’s warm voice made her melt, and she leaned into him.
“No. What I really want to talk about is what you just said.”
“That I’m here? That you’re here?” His grin grew wider, as if he couldn’t hold it back and didn’t want to try.
“No, not that.”
“That you don’t have to throw yourself in the water all the time?”
“No. That other thing you said.”
He leaned closer and dropped a chaste kiss onto the end of her nose, causing a shiver to travel from her head to her toes. She sighed. “Don’t tease me.”
His lips hovered over hers.
“That I already love you?”
She closed her eyes in a futile attempt to control the adrenaline rushing through her veins.
“Say it again.”
“Look at me first.”
She opened her eyes, her tears mixing with the raindrops on her cheek.
He kissed her softly. “I love you.” His strong hands cradled her face. “I love you.” He pulled her close and just before his mouth pressed to hers, he said it again. “I love you, Brianna Mathews.”
Now she knew how birds must feel. It was as if she could fly from the ground and remain airborne for as long as she wanted. He loved her.
She pulled away. “What happened before...all the misunderstandings... I’m sorry...” But he stopped her with another sweet kiss.
“Don’t. It was me. I wasn’t ready for you to love me.”
“And now?”
A gust of wind blew her wet hair across her face, and he gently moved it behind her ear.
“And now I’m ready. Do you still...?”
Laughter bubbled up as her heart surged in joy.
“I absolutely love you, Colton Caldwell.”
Despite the storm swirling around them, they had been very tender with each other so far. Fingertips touching skin lightly, lips brushing as gently as raindrops. But as they declared their love, staring into each other’s eyes, the gentleness fell away. She threw herself at him and he lifted her into the air and spun her around while capturing her mouth with his. This. This was home for her.
They stood in the embrace until the storm gave them no choice but to dash down the hill to safety. They made it as far as Nell’s barn. As soon as Cole pulled her through the barn door, he closed it with a slam and pushed her up against it, kissing her deeply.
“God, I need to touch you, Bree. I need you. Right now.”
She laughed against his mouth. “Your brother is right inside the house with Nell. And Nell called Arlen.”
“No, she didn’t. I pulled in just as she was heading into the house. I told her not to. And she and Ty both know better than to come into this barn right now.”
An explosion of thunder made her flinch. She captured his face with her hands and frowned.
“You’re better? The treatment was good? The storm isn’t...?”
He kissed her long and deep then rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t tell you I’m all fixed after six weeks, but I’m definitely better. Not cured, but better. It’s a process. One of the exercises I learned was how to replace bad memories with good ones. And I happen to have a very good memory of one particular thunderstorm.” He kissed her again and her knees buckled. With one smooth movement he swung her around and laid her on a soft mound of hay.
“I have some pretty good memories of that thunderstorm, too.” She let out a gasp as his hands slipped under her shirt. His denim-clad leg slid between hers and he pressed her down into the hay.
“Only pretty good?” He kissed his way down her throat. “Sounds like a challenge to me.”
She twisted her fingers into his hair, liking the fact that it was now long enough to do that, and lifted his head so she could look straight into his eyes. She didn’t have to say it. He knew what she needed to hear.
“I’m back, Bree. I’m here, and I’m staying. And you...” He kissed her. “You are staying, too. And we’re going to build a life together right here in Russell. A crazy life full of farming and children and friends and working to help other vets like me.”
“You know about the foundation?”
He sighed and shook his head. “You really want to talk about all of this now? Yes, I know about your plans. Yes, I approve. Yes, I know you sold the Malibu beach house. Yes, I know you said you found happiness on a farm, which I assume means with me. Yes, I know we have a lot to talk about, and a lot of plans to make, and it won’t always be easy and we’ll both have to compromise and we’ll learn as we go. We love each other and that’s really all that matters. The other stuff can wait, but please, Bree, let me touch you and hold you and love you. I’ve missed having you in my arms so much. So much...”
His voice cracked, and emotion overwhelmed her. She laughed through her own tears and pulled him in for a long, hot kiss, where their tears blended together as closely as their bodies did. He’d come home to her.
Home to her in North Carolina. She smiled against Cole’s warm, damp skin as his hands caressed her.
Child, you’re already home.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from BREAKING EMILY’S RULES by Heatherly Bell.
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Breaking Emily’s Rules
by Heatherly Bell
CHAPTER ONE
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, Emil
y Parker would rather be at the cemetery.
Instead, she pointed her truck in the direction of the Silver Saddle because when her sister, Molly, got an idea in her head, she was like a pit bull with a bone. Today that bone was dancing, and she’d cornered Emily into going along.
“You can go to the cemetery any ol’ time. All those dead people aren’t going anywhere.” Molly pulled down the passenger-side visor and smoothed on bright red lipstick.
As if Molly needed any help channeling her inner hussy. “A little respect, please. Some of them might be our relatives. I have a lot of gravestones to inspect if I ever want to complete the Parker family tree.”
Emily pulled into the gravel parking lot filled with cars and eased her truck into a space in the back. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. There might be men in there. There would certainly be plenty of smart women glancing in her direction and whispering. Did you hear? Poor Emily. She didn’t see it coming, but maybe she should have. After all, didn’t everyone?
“Awesome. Friday night and this place is crazy.” Molly unclicked her seat belt. “What are you waiting for?”
Emily didn’t move as she glanced out the windshield from the safe place inside the cab of her truck. Couples were milling around the entrance, fools on a quest for the impossible. “I’m not so sure about this.”
“Why not? You’re not still on the giving-up-men thing, are you? I thought you were kidding.”
