Prairie Redemption

by Tessa Layne

  A tiny sob escaped before she could swallow it down. She craved the sound of his voice, wrapping around her like a comfy blanket. If she stayed still enough, held her breath, maybe she could will his voice into her tiny sanctuary. But all she heard was Cody’s smoky rasp as he lingered over the syllables of her name. And all she felt was the painful, unwelcome reawakening of a body gone numb.

  She twisted the plain gold band on her left hand, a talisman she hadn’t earned the right to wear, not that she cared. As far as she was concerned, she’d wear what should have been her wedding band for the rest of her life. Society might not recognize her as a widow, but she was a widow in her heart. Where it mattered.

  Below, the doorbell sounded. Carolina ignored it, stripping off her work uniform and exchanging it for the denim and flannel she preferred at home. She’d head out shortly to help her dad with the afternoon chores, find comfort among the horses in the stable, or alone at the far end of their property riding the fence lines.

  The doorbell sounded again, this time twice. A package needing signing? Everyone in town knew to look for her mother at the diner. She drew on her favorite pair of ropers and headed down the hall, hollering as she approached the stairs. “Coming. Sorry.” She yanked open the door, smile freezing her mouth in place as she stared into the same hazel eyes she couldn’t purge from her mind. “What are you doing here?”

  Guilt shot through her as soon as the words left her mouth. Who was she and where were her manners? Her mother would dress her down for speaking to anyone that way, let alone someone who was now part of the family. She pushed open the screen door and gestured into the house. “Please come in.”

  Cody stepped past her into the entryway and removed his Stetson. “Glad to know you’re happy to see me,” he said with a wry smile.

  Her stomach did a loop-de-loop, affirming that yes, indeed, her body seemed very happy to see him. “I apologize. I didn’t expect to see you.” She cocked her head, studying his imposing frame. He looked almost… nervous. Yet, he still carried himself with that signature Hansen swagger. How many buckle bunnies had tumbled into his bed because of that swagger? None of her business. Her relationship with Cody Hansen was strictly professional, and beyond that, strictly familial. Carolina squared her shoulders. Best to get this over with quickly and send Cody Hansen on his way. She was cool as a cucumber. Impervious to the Hansen wit. Just as she’d always been. “Coffee?”

  He nodded, relief flickering in his eyes. “Thank you, kindly.”

  She winced inwardly at the uneven gait that followed her down the hall to the kitchen. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call,” she said too brightly as she poured a mug and gestured to the table.

  “You underestimate yourself, Caro,” Cody answered gruffly as he accepted the mug, fingers brushing hers.

  There it was again. That painful tingle. This time zipping up her forearm like she’d been shocked. “Carolina,” she corrected, the words sticking in her throat. She couldn’t bear to be called Caro anymore.

  Cody’s eyes lit, and the wry smile returned to his mouth. “Carolina.”

  She swallowed hard, tearing her eyes away and turning back to the coffee pot. I am peaceful. I am calm. I am serene. Bullshit. She was as jumpy as a teenaged girl at a boy band concert. She forced a laugh. “Did we forget to cover something back at the office?”

  “I’m here to see Teddy.”

  Oh. She should feel relief, not disappointment, and yet… his comment acted like a pin letting the air out of a balloon. Carolina braced a hip on the counter and studied him over the rim of her coffee mug. He drummed a finger in an irregular pattern on the tabletop, and his mouth pinched slightly at the corners when he wasn’t attempting to charm her with a smile. Was he in pain? Likely.

  He hid his pain well, earlier. Only an eye like hers, trained to detect pain, would notice. And she’d noticed both times when he’d pushed his body past its comfort level. Once, when trying to fully straighten his leg, and again when she’d asked him to stretch his arm as high over his head as it could go. But there was something else lurking in the depth of his hazel eyes, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Is there something I could help with?”

  His jaw set with grim determination, and he shook his head. “I’ll wait, thanks.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Man business, huh?”

  Cody let out a dry laugh. “Sure. You could say that.”

  “Daddy’s a pretty good advice giver.” Living in a house with five women had made Teddy circumspect. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, his words had deep meaning, and you’d better listen up.

  Cody’s mouth twitched at the corner, and Carolina couldn’t help but stare, pulse kicking into high gear. What would that mouth feel like on her body? The stubble-lined jaw scraping her skin? A flush of heat raced across her chest. She dragged her eyes to her coffee, pushing away the betraying thoughts. This was not how she honored Michael - by fantasizing about another man.

  “Don’t need your daddy’s advice. I’m here about the bunkhouse.”

  Carolina’s eyes widened. “What? You can’t stay there,” she blurted. For so many reasons.

  “He can, seeing as I offered,” her father reprimanded as he entered the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot. “Nice to see you moving around, Cody. Been too long since you’ve been over here.”

  “I appreciate the offer.”

  “You know we’ve always considered you family.”

  “B-but, but the bunkhouse is a wreck,” Carolina sputtered, even as she was forced to admit her father was right. Cody and Parker had been like sons to Teddy. He’d stepped in to help their uncles when the boys had lost their father, and had often been a voice of reason when family tensions had run high.

  Teddy gave her a look that brooked no argument. “I’d always intended to fix it up for you and Michael. But with Michael gone, it’s high time I started looking for help. Either that, or it’s time to sell.”

  The weight of his words socked her in the belly. She couldn’t imagine ever selling the property, but her parents were getting older, and neither she, nor her sisters were in a position to take over the ranch full-time. Grief flared brightly in Carolina’s chest, then collapsed into a hard, bitter knot. Hers weren’t the only dreams that had died with Michael’s fiery crash. For years, her father had struggled to run the ranch on his own, relying on occasional help from his daughters, and the kindness of neighbors. But no man his age wanted to do that forever, and Teddy had pinned his hopes on teaching Michael to ranch.

  Cody cleared his throat. “I’m happy to help where I can… sir.”

  Teddy shook his head, mouth kicking up at the corner. “Since when am I sir? I’ve known you since you were in britches, son.”

  “Well, I’d be workin’ for you.” He slid a glance her direction. “At least as much as my physical therapist says I can.”

  Her father looked at her expectantly. “Well?”

  It was clear they were both determined to move forward with their scheme, and as long as Cody stuck with his protocol, she couldn’t legitimately put up a fight. She hardly went down by the old bunkhouse anyway, so it wasn’t like she was going to see Cody outside of his appointments. With a sigh, she nodded. “He still doesn’t have full range of motion, so no weight bearing with his arm until I give the okay, but it’s clear I can’t stop you two.” The men exchanged a gleeful glance, and if she wasn’t so disturbed by the reaction her body had to Cody, she’d have found their collusion charming.

  Teddy slapped his hands together. “Welcome aboard, son. Carolina will show you down to the bunkhouse. It’s in need of some TLC, but it’ll do for starters.”

  Carolina will show you down to the bunkhouse? Who was this man and where was her father? She placed her coffee on the counter. Might as well get this over with as quickly as possible. “I assume you have a bag?”

  Cody nodded as he pushed away from the table. “It’s in my truck.”

 
“I’ll get my coat and meet you outside.”

  She followed Cody down the hall, and paused at the closet to grab her shearling. The February air still carried a bite. Wrapping it around herself like armor, she stepped outside. Cody waited expectantly, bag slung over his left shoulder, Stetson low over his forehead, hands jammed in his coat pockets. He oozed broody cowboy sex-appeal.

  Carolina forced a smile. “Ready?” She walked right past him, ignoring the way her stomach lurched as he dropped into step with her. He still walked with a pronounced limp, something she’d set him to working on first thing tomorrow. She matched her pace to his as they crossed the corral and headed down the path to where the bunkhouse sat in a gentle ravine filled with pin oaks and black walnuts.

  “So what brought you back to Prairie?” Cody asked after a few minutes. “Last I’d heard, you were in Chicago.”

  “I was.” She fought down the lump that rose in her throat. Cody was just making small talk, which was sweet in a way, in spite of the pain it triggered. “I’m sure you know my fiancé died a little over a year ago. My sisters decided it was time for me to come home, and staged an intervention at Christmas. With the clinic expanding, I didn’t feel like I could say no.” How could she ever say no to her sisters? They loved her, and their motives had been pure. She’d merely been existing in Chicago.

  “Do you miss it?”

  “I…” She let out a heavy sigh. “I guess not. There was nothing left for me there.” Nothing but the ashes of hopes and dreams. “Bunkhouse is around this bend.”

  Carolina stopped short as it came into sight. It had been years since she’d been to this part of the property, and she’d forgotten just how dilapidated the bunkhouse was. The porch sagged on one end, but a quick glance showed the broken windows had recently been replaced. In spite of the windows, it still had the air of a haunted house. “Oh my.” She let out a self-conscious laugh. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the house with ghosts.”

  Cody grinned. “Ghosts don’t scare me.”

  “What about ax murderers?”

  “I can take ‘em.”

  She snorted. “You know, my sisters and I used to sneak down here when we were little with flashlights, just to scare the bejeezus out of each other.”

  Cody laughed and shook his head. “So did we.”

  “What? No. Way.”

  He nodded, eyes sparkling. “Yeah. Of course, we kept it a big secret because we were scared your dad would tan our hides, but we used to double dare each other to sneak inside.”

  “Of course, you did. I’m surprised we never ran into each other.”

  “We only did it a couple of times. I think the last time we were down here I was maybe eight, and a storm came up. One of the tree branches snapped and landed on the roof. Scared the piss out of us. We ran straight home as soon as the rain stopped.”

  Carolina grinned back, basking in the warmth of a shared memory. But all too soon, the silence turned awkward, charged with an energy she was too afraid to examine or name. “Well. Shall we take a look?” She charged up the steps, hoping that distance would tame the butterflies flapping in her stomach. The door swung open easily, but the scene on the inside stopped her in her tracks. She gasped in dismay. This wouldn’t do at all.

  Chapter Three

  Carolina’s gasp echoed through the sparsely furnished bunkhouse. Teddy hadn’t been joking when he said the bunkhouse needed a little TLC. It stank worse than a hotel room filled with PBR riders after an all-night celebration. “Holy shit, did something die in here?”

  “You can’t stay here. What was daddy thinking?” Carolina grimaced, waving an arm in front of her face.

  Cody’s mouth kicked up as he burst out laughing. A deep belly laugh, the likes he hadn’t given into since long before his nearly fatal ride. He clutched his stomach as the laughs kept coming. It had been too damned long since his brother had pranked him like this, for in front of the Franklin stove, he’d spied a bag of fresh manure. Park’s words rang in his head. You’re a Hansen for chrissakes, not a quitter.

  Yes, he was. And right now, he deserved a helluva lot worse than a stinking bag of manure, and they both knew it. “This is all Park. Just his brotherly way of lettin’ me know he thinks I’ve been full of shit.” The horrified look on Carolina’s face set him into another paroxysm of laughter. “I take it you and your sisters don’t pull shit like this?” His mouth quirked at his pun.

  Carolina rolled her eyes. “God, no.” She shook her head. “I can’t even.”

  Cody chuckled. “It’s a brother thing. We used to do worse on the circuit.”

  “I don’t want to know.” Carolina crossed the threshold, surveying the mess. “Well, no better time than the present to tackle this.”

  “Wait.” Cody pulled on her elbow, ignoring the frisson of awareness that zipped up his arm. “It’s my place now. I’ll see to cleaning it.”

  She scowled, eyeing the tiny cabin dubiously.

  “I mean it,” he said more firmly. “Will pushing a broom hurt my shoulder?”

  She shook her head.

  “What about picking up trash?”

  “No.”

  Then he cocked his head, studying her. “Why are you all hell-bent on helping me anyway? You chewed me a new asshole this morning with your talk of thumb-sucking and quitting.”

  “Maybe I’m worried you’re going to overdo it.” She snatched her elbow away, inadvertently drawing closer to him. Close enough, he caught a faint whiff of her spicy perfume.

  He inhaled slowly, memorizing the scent. Sweet and spicy, just like her. He liked the way it made his belly dance. “Why would you worry about a thing like that? Caro…lina?” he teased, drawing out her name. “Why not let me learn the hard way?”

  He could have sworn he saw heat flare in her eyes, but it came and went so fast, he couldn’t be sure. Usually, he had no problem sussing out which ladies had him in their sights, and he’d been shameless in his pursuit of pleasure on the circuit. And why not? He was good looking, at the top of his game, and had zero intention of settling down. If some rodeo princess wanted to play bucking bronco and put a notch in her bedpost, he was more than happy to oblige.

  But Carolina was a different story. She was off-limits in every conceivable way, and he wasn’t sure what would get them in more trouble - the fact that she was his sister-in-law, or the fact that he was her patient. One would leave him dead, the other, her fired. Of course, there was also the tiny little matter that she still seemed to be in deep mourning for her late fiancé. He eyed the gold band on her left hand. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The words slipped out as much to remind him to keep his distance, as to convey his condolences.

  She stepped back, jamming her hand in her coat pocket, face pulling tight and twisting in grief. “I… thank you. I should go.”

  She slipped past him, and he held his breath against her heady perfume. “Wait,” he called after her. Damn him to hell for not having the strength of character to leave well enough alone. “See you at the Trading Post later?”

  A look of pure longing passed over her face before she shuttered her emotions, shaking her head. “I don’t go out anymore. See you in the office at ten a.m.” She turned and hopped down the steps, hurrying back in the direction of the barn.

  Damn if he didn’t stay in the doorway watching that sweet ass sway until she disappeared.

  Chapter Four

  It was still dark when Cody’s alarm sounded. With a groan, he hit snooze. He’d learned over the last two weeks that he could hit snooze three times and still meet Teddy in the barn by five-thirty. He had to admit, he hated this part of ranching. It had been years - since he’d been a teenager, that he’d been forced to rise before the sun.

  He missed his old life, the rush of adrenaline as he climbed into the chute, the smell of sweat, testosterone, and raging bull. The cheers and encouragement from his buddies, and the roar of the crowd that hit him in the chest when he hopped to his feet. The early morning silen
ce seemed bigger, louder in its absence of those elements.

  But what still punched him in the gut as he struggled to consciousness in the dark? The knowledge that right now he was little more than a warm body. He could sit a horse and check on the cows, but not much else. He had no purpose here, no deep abiding love of ranching. No passion for early rising or raising beef. The only deep abiding love he’d ever cultivated came from conquering the beasts that had stolen his father and left him half an orphan at too tender an age.

  Worse, he’d started during calving season, which meant everyone on the ranch was sleep deprived - including him. The pregnant cows needed to be checked every four hours, ‘round the clock. Cody didn’t know how Teddy managed, sleeping in two-hour shifts most days. He’d been humbled and frustrated to see everyone closing ranks. Even his brother had taken a turn between shifts at the fire station.

  The alarm sounded again, and Cody swung his legs over the side of the bed. Flexing the heel on his injured leg, he lifted, gritting his teeth as he tightened his quad and worked to fully extend his leg. By the time he’d counted to twenty, his leg shook and sweat beaded at his hairline. With grim determination, he repeated the exercise three more times, collapsing back on the bed at the end, breath ragged.

  “Fuck you, Damnation,” he muttered. “I hope you end up ground beef.”

  He should take this morning as a small victory. His first day in PT, he could barely contract his muscle for a count of ten, and he couldn’t fully extend his leg. Carolina had pushed him to stretch multiple times a day, and more importantly, to concentrate on full extension when he walked. It felt awkward as hell, but for the first time since he’d been off crutches, his limp was less pronounced.