Loving Cara

by Kristen Proby

  He sighs deeply. “I had a few foals born over the weekend. One didn’t make it. A portion of the fence line on the far side of the ranch went down, I have no idea how, and a few head of cattle got out. Had to round them up. It was a shitty weekend.”

  “I’m sorry about the foal,” I murmur, and close my eyes.

  “It happens. Seth took it hard.”

  “He didn’t mention anything about it today.” I pop a kernel of popcorn in my mouth and munch thoughtfully. “What are you up to? Before you called me, that is.”

  “I was reading, gonna call it a night. Wanted to hear your voice.” The last sentence is whispered and I’ve never been more tempted to jump in my car and race over to a man’s place.

  “It’s kind of early to go to bed.” I glance at the clock and am surprised to see it’s only eight thirty.

  “I have to get up at five to feed the horses and meet with my guys before the day gets started.”

  I settle in deeper against the cushions of my couch, enjoying the deep timbre of his voice. “That’s right, you’re a morning person.”

  “It’s habit now,” he agrees with a chuckle. “Are you a night person?”

  “Depends on my mood, I guess.” The back screen door slams against the house again and I walk through the house to secure it. “It’s windy tonight.”

  “Are you okay?” I hear the concern in his voice and I grin.

  “Yeah, the screen door keeps coming unlatched from the wind.”

  “Do you need me to come in to town to help you out?”

  I’m so, so tempted to say yes, just so I can see him, but it’s only a silly storm.

  “I’m fine, Josh, but thanks for the offer. I’ll probably head to bed soon too.”

  Silence.

  “Josh?”

  “I’m here.” His voice is soft and the line is still.

  “What’s wrong?” I whisper.

  “The thought of you in a bed conjures all kinds of images, and you’re a good fifteen minutes away from me right now.”

  I laugh and shake my head, but my nipples have puckered at his words and my toes curl. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I want to see you this weekend, just you and me.”

  “Like on a date?” I lean my head back against the couch, biting my lower lip.

  “Yes, on a date. I want to take you to dinner, in public. Take a walk. Go to the movies. You know, a date. What do you say?”

  “Is this a good idea?” I ask softly, and close my eyes, wishing with all my might that it were a good idea.

  “It’s just dinner, Carolina. Stop overthinking it.”

  “We both know it’s not going to end at dinner.”

  “Fuck, I hope not,” he agrees with a smile in his voice.

  “It’s a date.”

  * * *

  I’m jolted awake by what sounds like warfare. The house is trembling as though I’m under fire, pounding and groaning, splintering wood. It’s pitch-dark, and snow is falling inside my room, but it hurts when it hits my skin. My heart is beating so hard I swear it’s going to come out of my chest, and I can hardly breathe.

  I sit straight up and, to my horror, see my ceiling falling apart above me. Water is spilling inside, along with what looks like snow, but I quickly realize it is insulation from the roof.

  Holy fuck!

  My lungs are screaming in pain from inhaling the sharp shards of fiberglass, and then I don’t feel anything at all as adrenaline kicks in.

  I have to get out of here!

  I leap from the bed and yank the yoga pants I tossed at the end of my bed up over my hips, step into flip-flops, and run outside to the sound of sirens and wind. My neighbors have come out of their homes, and someone wraps me in his arms and holds on tight.

  “Thank God you’re okay.”

  Ty! Ty lives just four houses down from me.

  “My God, Ty!”

  I pull from his arms and turn toward the house. The tree from the backyard has toppled over, its old, rotten trunk splintered in half. It’s lying across the entire left side of my house. The roof is completely collapsed, and the wall to the master bathroom has crumbled.

  I could have been killed.

  A fire truck pulls up, and then another, their sirens blaring. An ambulance approaches behind them, and my street is suddenly in a flurry of activity. More neighbors are filtering out of their homes, gasping and crying, and all I can do is stand in shock, not caring that I’m getting wet and dirty, and not even feeling Ty’s strong arms looped around me, holding me up.

  I’m thankful for Ty, but suddenly all I can think about is being in Josh’s arms. I need him.

  And I don’t even have a phone.

  “My phone is under the tree,” I mutter.

  “Who do you need to call?” Ty asks.

  “Jill. My parents.” I swallow hard. “Josh,” I whisper.

  “I called Josh,” Ty responds with a warm smile. “He’s on his way.”

  I nod and turn back to the house, unable to tear my eyes away from the destruction.

  “Cara, we have to check you over and make sure you’re not hurt.”

  One of the paramedics, Sam Waters, takes me by the arm, pulls me over to the ambulance, and sits me down inside. Ty stands vigil at the ambulance door and speaks into his phone.

  “She’s getting checked out now.”

  Who’s he talking to?

  I can’t bring myself to care. I don’t feel anything.

  Sam and his partner are running their hands over my arms and legs, checking for breaks and scrapes.

  “Wow, there’s hardly a mark on you. You’ll have some little cuts and scratches from the insulation, though.” Sam’s face is worried as he looks into my eyes. “Her eyes are dilated.”

  “She’s in shock.”

  Someone wraps a thin hospital blanket around my shoulders, making me frown. Should I be cold?

  “Cara.”

  I don’t respond.

  “Cara.” Sam shakes me, forcing me to look up into his face. “Maybe we should take you to the hospital anyway.”

  “No.” I shake my head and grip the blanket around me. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

  “Cara,” he begins again, but I clamber out of the ambulance and down to Ty, who wraps his arms around me again and kisses my temple. The rain has stopped, but the wind is still vicious.

  “Where is she?” someone is shouting in a panic, and my heart fills with joy at the sound of Josh’s voice. I turn to see him pushing his way through the crowd, his eyes wild with fear. “Where the fuck is she?”

  “Josh!” He wraps his arms around me and I burrow into his chest. For the first time since waking up, I feel safe at last.

  CHAPTER

  Five

  JOSH

  “ ’Lo?” My voice is groggy as I answer my phone and check the time: 2:09 in the middle of the damn night. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Ty. I need you in town now, man.” I can hear rain and voices around him. I immediately jump from bed, pull on my jeans and a shirt, and pull my shit together. “We’re gonna need your generator and lights too.”

  “What’s wrong?” I ask again, my voice hard and awake.

  “I heard a loud boom about two minutes ago and came running outside to find a tree lying across Cara’s roof.” My heart stops as I pause in tying my boots. “The power’s out and it’s black out here, man.”

  “Have you called 911?”

  “Of course, and they’re on their way, but—”

  “Is Cara still in there?” I close my eyes and pray that he says no, that she’s right there next to him. Please, God, let her be okay.

  “Yeah, she’s not out here yet. Jesus, man.” I hear the fear and the shock in his voice and it spurs me into action. I grab my jacket and keys and run out to my truck.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen.” I end the call and immediately dial Louie, our head ranch hand, and instruct him to call the other guys, grab the lights and generato
r, and come to town.

  There’s no way in fucking hell I’m wasting time gathering that shit when I need to get to Cara. Now.

  Jesus, what if she’s hurt?

  I punch the accelerator on the way down the long driveway, swerving around fallen tree limbs and other debris thrown around by the windstorm. Once on the highway I punch it hard, driving much faster than is safe, especially in this weather, but I don’t care. I have only one thought in my head: get to Carolina.

  Ten minutes later my phone rings again.

  “Ty!” I bark.

  “She’s out and she’s okay. Shaken up, but not hurt.”

  I close my eyes with relief. The knot I didn’t even know was there loosens in my chest, allowing me to take a deep breath.

  “Have the paramedics looked at her?”

  “She’s getting checked out now. How far out are you?”

  “I’m almost there. Louie and the other guys are bringing the equipment.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  I hang up and toss the phone on the seat beside me, relieved to see the edges of town in my headlights. People and official vehicles and barricades at both ends of the block stop me as I approach Cara’s street, so I jump out of the truck and run. The crowd in the street is surprisingly thick and full of movement and flashing lights and confusion, and the more I have to search for her, the more panicked I become.

  “Where is she?” I yell, and push neighbors aside, frantically searching the crowd. “Where the fuck is she?”

  “Josh!”

  I see her now, not far from the ambulance with Ty; his arms are around her as though he’s holding her up. Her beautiful hair is covered in white, and she’s wearing nothing more than a black tank top and yoga pants. She flings a thin hospital blanket off her shoulders and pulls out of Ty’s arms to run to me. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, pulling her close.

  “She’s covered in insulation, man. Be careful.”

  I watch Ty’s serious face over Cara’s head and nod gravely. I want to bury my face in her hair and breathe her in, but I won’t do her any good if I’m in the hospital from inhaling fiberglass, so I just run my hands up and down her back, soothing her.

  “A tree fell on my house,” she mutters, her voice thin and flat.

  “I see, honey.” My calm voice masks the fear coursing through me. Holy fuck, the tree practically sliced her house in two.

  I could have lost her, and I just found her.

  “It fell on my house,” she repeats, and I look down to find her cheek pressed to my chest and her eyes glued to her house. I turn her away and tilt her head back with my fingers, needing to look her in the eye. Her eyes are wide and glassy with shock.

  “You’re fine, baby.” Her eyes fill with tears, but she swallows and blinks them away. “It’s okay. The house can be fixed.”

  “Where am I gonna go?”

  “You can stay with me, Cara,” Ty begins, but I scowl at him and wrap my arms around her again, pulling her into me. I’ll be damned if I’ll let her out of my sight.

  “She’ll stay with me.”

  She frowns up at me and I can see the wheels turning in her gorgeous head. “I have a spare bedroom, Cara.”

  She looks back at Ty, who just smiles and shrugs, and then she turns those amazing amber eyes back at me. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” I cup her face in my hands and brush the white flecks on her cheeks with my thumbs, feeling tiny pricks on my skin. “In fact, we need to get you out of here and cleaned up. You’re going to get cut up from this insulation.”

  She frowns as if she’s just now realizing that she’s covered in it. “It stings.”

  I growl and bend her over, shaking it out of her hair the best I can, ignoring the pokes on my own skin. She sways on her feet when she rights herself, and I lift her easily in my arms.

  “I’m taking her home.”

  Ty nods and waves at my men as they pull up with the equipment. “Thanks for this, Josh.”

  “This is what we do. Call if you need anything.” With that, I carry Cara, her head resting on my shoulder, to my truck and set her carefully in the passenger seat. I buckle her in and frown when she doesn’t relax against the seat. She’s begun to shake, her eyes still pinned to her house.

  I need to get her the hell out of here.

  I wrap my jacket around her, jog around the truck to climb in the driver’s side, and head off toward home.

  By the time we reach the ranch Cara is trembling violently, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. I need to get her into a hot shower quick. Jesus, I have to do something.

  “Come on, baby.” I smile down at her as I lift her out of the truck, carrying her through the house to the master suite.

  “I thought I would have my own room,” she murmurs, her voice thin and trembling.

  “You will, but we need to get you cleaned up.”

  “You’re not showering with me.” She clenches her eyes closed and shakes her head.

  “Hey, Cara, stop this.” I set her carefully on the closed toilet and kneel before her, gripping her shoulders in my hands. “You’re in shock, baby. I can’t let you take a shower by yourself. It’s okay.”

  “I’m so embarrassed,” she whispers.

  I sigh. “No need. You’re gorgeous, but I’ll be good. Let’s get this fiberglass off you.” I turn and quickly turn the hot water on in the shower, giving it time to heat up. I turn back to her and my heart clenches. She looks so small and defeated. I grip the hem of her tank in my hands and pull it over her head. Her breasts are as beautiful as I knew they would be, but I keep my face calm and focus on the task at hand.

  She stands and strips out of her yoga pants, and I gather the ruined clothes and shove them in the garbage.

  I’m thankful that when I built this bathroom, I installed a separate walk-in shower and bathtub. The shower is large enough for two. When the bathroom is steamy, I shuck out of my own clothes, leaving my boxers on, and guide her into the shower and under the hot water.

  “You have shorts on,” she states matter-of-factly.

  “Yep.” I grin down at her.

  “Why?”

  “To make sure you behave yourself.” I raise an eyebrow as I guide her under the hot water and wince when she flinches.

  “Too hot?”

  “No, my skin is just really sensitive.” She won’t look me in the eye, and I know she’s embarrassed.

  This is not how either of us envisioned seeing each other naked for the first time.

  She leans her head back into the stream of hot water, and when I’m satisfied that she’s no longer in danger of being cut, I wash and rinse her hair and soap up a washcloth, running it over her curves and soft skin. Despite the hot water, she’s begun shaking violently again and her skin is covered in goose bumps.

  As I wash her hair for the third time, she looks up at me with wide amber eyes and bites her lip, watching my face as I rinse the suds from her thick locks.

  God, she’s so fucking beautiful.

  “You’re good at this,” she whispers.

  I smile down at her gently and cup her cheeks in my hands. “Are you still cold?”

  She shakes her head but continues to shiver. Her eyes fill with tears. “Thank you for being so nice to me,” she stutters.

  “Come here.” I pull her into my arms and we stand here, under the scalding water, pressed against each other. I’ve never before felt so close to another person, not even when I was making love to one.

  Not even when I was inside one.

  She breaks down into sobs, her forehead against my sternum, and lets go.

  “It’s okay, baby, let it out. You’re safe.” I continue crooning to her, gently rubbing her back and her arms, kissing her wet hair, until the shivering slows and she takes a big, deep breath.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What do you have to be sorry for?” I tilt her head back to look me in the face, and her eyes fill with fresh tears.

  Go
d, she’s killing me.

  “For everything. Making you bring me here, falling apart. We’re naked, for God’s sake!”

  “You didn’t make me do anything, Cara. I want you here. I’ve wanted you here for a while. You needed to fall apart, and having you naked is a fantasy come true, although I was planning on it being under very different circumstances.” Her shoulders relax and I lean down to plant a chaste kiss on her pouty lips. “Let’s get you dressed.”

  I lead her out of the shower and begin drying her with soft towels. “How does your skin feel?”

  “A little raw and it’s really itchy.” Her arms, face, and chest are irritated from the insulation, but her face is still far too pale, and I’m suddenly filled with more rage than I’ve felt in months.

  She could have been killed.

  “I don’t even have any underwear.” A single tear falls down her cheek and she just looks so defeated.

  “You can borrow some of my things for the rest of the night, baby.”

  I take her hand in mine and lead her to the bed, then step away from her to shuffle through my dresser drawers, pulling out a T-shirt and a pair of boxers and handing them to her.

  She quickly pulls my T-shirt over her head and steps into the boxers, all way too big for her.

  Even scared and upset she’s fucking adorable.

  I lift her in my arms again and climb into my bed with her, pull the covers up over us, and turn her away from me, tucking her against me.

  “You don’t need to keep me in your bed,” she whispers, but nuzzles more securely against me.

  I’ll be damned if she’ll sleep one night in that damn spare room.

  “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Cara.”

  She looks over her shoulder at me, surprise written all over her face as she turns fully and wraps her arms around my waist. “Are you okay?”

  “Don’t worry—”

  “Are you okay?” she demands again, small tremors wracking her body.

  “I’m better now that I know you’re safe,” I respond truthfully. “You scared the shit out of me.” I pull her against me and run my hands down her back. She rubs her sweet, small hands up and down my back at the same time, her amber eyes watching me. How she can try to soothe me after all she’s been through in the past hour is beyond me.