Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings

by Patricia Johns

  The driver’s-side door opened as Ember pushed it for him, and he jumped into the cab, slamming the door shut behind him. He was breathing hard, and he turned the key, the engine rumbling to life.

  “You okay?” He turned toward Ember and she looked as white as paper, her lips trembling. “You aren’t... Ember, you’re hurt—”

  “My ankle—it twisted when I fell in the water, and—” She squeezed her eyes shut. Casey had no idea how bad the injury was, but by the look of her, she needed some medical attention—the sooner the better.

  “I’m going to drive us a few miles away from here, and then I’m going to take a look at that ankle,” he said. “I’m going to need to get out of the truck to help you, and I’d rather not do that with wolves at my back.”

  She nodded mutely, her eyes still shut, and Casey slammed the truck into Reverse, turned around and then started down the road once more the way he’d come, leaving the red truck behind them. He’d send a couple of guys out tomorrow to pick up the truck—with a warning to stay clear of the trees.

  The truck bounced over a bump, and he grimaced in sympathy as Ember gasped in pain.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m being careful—I promise.”

  “I’m okay—” she breathed.

  “Liar,” he retorted. “But you will be. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

  As he drove toward the welcoming expanse of open field, he was filled with relief. Wolves would have a hard time ambushing him from pasture, and the more minutes that ticked by, and the closer they got to the settlement, the safer they were. Once the trees were about five minutes behind them, Casey let up on the gas and pulled to the side of the road.

  He had a first-aid kit in the truck—every ranch vehicle had one—and he grabbed it from behind the seat before he jumped out and headed around to her. He opened her door and put a hand on her knee.

  “Okay, I’m going to lift your foot out of the truck, and we’re going to get your shoe off,” he said.

  Ember nodded, and Casey put a supportive hand under her shoe as he brought her leg out so he could see how bad it was. Her jeans were wet through, as was her shoe. She was already shivering with cold. He pulled a knife out of his belt, slicing through the laces of her shoe in one flick of his wrist, and he pulled the shoe off, then rolled off her sodden sock.

  “I’m going to owe you for those laces,” he said wryly, his fingers moving expertly over the puffy, swollen flesh of her ankle. Her skin was damp and chilled, but there was heat pulsing from deeper in her flesh. “Move your toes.”

  She winced but she managed to move her big toe, so it wasn’t a break. But it was a very bad sprain, and the pain must be excruciating. He dropped the first-aid kit in her lap so that he could keep a hand under that foot. If he let go, she’d probably pass out from the pain.

  “I need you to get out the tensor bandage,” he said. “I don’t think it’s broken, but it’ll hurt a whole lot less once I get this wrapped.”

  Ember fumbled with the zipper, but opened the kit and handed him the bandage roll. He worked quickly, starting at her pale toes and moving up her already bruising foot. He wrapped tightly, keeping her ankle supported until he’d finished the job. Then he gently put her foot down on the floor of the truck.

  “There,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Her voice was soft, and when he looked up at her, he found blue eyes fixed on him with a look of overwhelming gratitude. “You saved my life, Casey.”

  “Oh, hey...” He wasn’t sure how to answer her, so he shrugged. “And my own, right?”

  She smiled, then shook her head. “Play it off all you want, Casey Courtright, but you just faced down a pack of wolves for me today.”

  And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, he realized ruefully.

  “Next time you want to come out here, wait for me and let me give you the ride,” he said gruffly and slammed her door shut, heading around to the driver’s side once more. When he pulled himself back into the driver’s seat, he leaned over and grabbed her seat belt, pulled the belt out long and clicked it into place before he let go. The emergency was past, and the last thing he needed was another one.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right—that was my fault. I was stupid and naive, and—”

  “Hey, it’s over,” he said, clicking his own seat belt into place. He looked over at her, her blond waves tumbling down over her shoulders, the color so pale that it almost matched the whiteness of her skin. Her lips were pale, too, the only color in her face right now that of her glittering blue eyes that were misting with unshed tears.

  Casey reached over and caught her hand in his. He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them, keeping his lips against her skin longer than he needed to. It helped stabilize him a little bit. He’d almost lost her today, and his heart was still catching up with that. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  He lowered her hand and put the truck back into Drive. Then he pulled back onto the gravel road, his heartbeat still not quite slowing down to normal.

  There were dangers out here that Ember hadn’t even thought of. And she wanted to let the land go wild and bring a bunch of city folk onto the property! Maybe after they risked life and limb they’d walk away from here with a little bit of perspective, he thought bitterly, her idea of a therapy center sounding crazier than ever.

  And her idea to come out here alone was even crazier.

  He was angry, he realized, because it was easier than processing the rest of his pounding emotions. And his anger wasn’t about the land being ranched anymore, or even about her father—in this moment, it was about her safety.

  If she’d gone out there and gotten herself killed, he’d have lost something that was only just awakening in his heart. What it was, he couldn’t say, but he knew he’d carry that loss with him for the rest of his life.

  “Let’s get you back to my place, and we’ll get you dried off and warmed up. That’ll help matters, too. Just make sure you bring me with you the next time you go exploring,” he said, glancing over at her.

  “I will.”

  “Promise me,” he pressed. This mattered. It was her safety on the line.

  “I promise.” And those blue eyes met his and his heart stuttered in his chest. Whatever he was feeling for her was a very bad idea. He just wished he had a choice in the matter.

  Chapter Ten

  An hour later, Ember sat in the La-Z-Boy chair, pulled up next to the wood-burning stove in Casey’s living room. Orange flames glowed behind the glass, and heat pumped pleasantly against her aching foot. Her jeans were still damp, but warm now, and steadily drying. The fear and pain from her recent adventure were melting away as she sat in that chair.

  Thank You for protecting us, she prayed in her heart. I could have died out there. If Casey had been a few minutes later, or if the wolves hadn’t stopped when he confronted them... Father, You protected us!

  The babies were sleeping in the matching cradles, and from the kitchen, she could hear Casey clattering away putting together a sandwich for her. That stubborn cowboy was still taking care of her, and she felt so grateful for it all that she could almost cry.

  It was only now sinking in how close she’d come to meeting her Maker. The memory of those white fangs bared, the fur standing up on end, the sparkling, hungry eyes... A shudder ran down her spine. If Casey hadn’t swept her up in his arms the way he had and carried her most of the way to the truck, if he hadn’t faced the wolves himself, roaring back at them as if he could take on a pack of wolves with his own ferocious desire to protect her—

  Casey had saved her life, and he’d proved today what he was made of. He was a brave, good man who would lay it all on the line for a stranger who was going to buy this land out from under him.

  Can I do it? Ember leaned her head back against the chair and breathed out a sigh. Unless she was certain th
is land was the site of the Harper homestead, she couldn’t go through with buying it. One ranch was as good as another for her professional purposes. There would be other options. Unless this was the Harper land, the place where all those family stories had taken place—then she would have a claim on this land and she wouldn’t be able to walk away.

  She’d gotten an email back from the Cascade County Historical Society and found it on her phone when they returned to the ranch. While they didn’t have any information for her directly, they did have a website with scanned early photos from the area. Most were undated and about half had some names attached. But if she wanted to go through the website, she might find some familiar people, or images of landmarks her ancestor had described. For what it was worth...

  She’d asked God to show her something out there at Milk River, and she’d seen the rugged beauty of nature and felt a strange connection to this land...right up until they’d been hunted by a pack of hungry wolves. What did it mean? Was this land for her, or was God showing her how foolhardy she was being over this? She wished the message were clear!

  “Is the aspirin helping?” Casey asked, coming back into the room with a fat sandwich on a plate.

  “It took the edge off the pain,” she said. “Thanks.”

  Casey handed her the sandwich, and she adjusted herself in her chair, sitting up a little taller so she could eat.

  “Aren’t you going to have one?” she asked. The sandwich—turkey, lettuce, tomato and cheese—was sliced diagonally in half, and she took half then handed him the plate. “Come on. We were in that adventure together.”

  Casey accepted the plate with a small smile. “All right. I do make one good sandwich.”

  He raised his half in a sort of salute and took a bite. Ember took a bite, too, her teeth sinking into soft white bread with a tangy crunch of pickle. It was delicious, and she finished half of it before pausing to look up. She found his eyes locked on her, his expression oddly grim.

  “You’re a surprise,” she said, meeting his gaze.

  “Yeah? How so?”

  “I’ve never had a man pick me up and run me to safety before,” she said.

  “A guy does what he has to do,” he said, a smile flickering at his lips. “Getting you into my arms wasn’t such a hardship.”

  “You’re flirting,” she said with a low laugh.

  “Cut me some slack. We could have died out there.”

  “What would you have done if the wolves hadn’t backed down?” she asked.

  “Died?” He laughed softly. “You aren’t supposed to run—that piques their instinct to chase. But I had to get you closer to the truck. When I turned on them, I did what you’re supposed to do—face them, make noise, look big.”

  “And shoot,” she added.

  “If you can. I had one shell left—we got out of there alive because of God. I didn’t have enough time to reload.”

  Ember believed that, too. Their prayers had been answered, but she’d still watched that man stare death in the face in order to protect her. If he’d left her behind, he could have gotten to safety much more easily—but somehow she knew that had never been an option for him.

  Casey put a hand on her wrapped ankle. “How much does it hurt?”

  She shrugged weakly. “It’ll heal.”

  “I guess you got a real, up close view of this land today,” he said.

  “It’s not what I thought.” She heaved a sigh. “I figured I could handle it—whatever dangers might lurk on this land. I didn’t expect...that.”

  “Yeah, well...there are ways to deal with the dangers, but they never actually go away. We’re just careful. We know what dangers lurk, and we’re prepared. I know it’s overwhelming right now, and telling you that you could still do this goes directly against my best interests at the moment, but it’s the truth. You could learn all of this, too—figure out how to really be prepared.”

  “You think I could actually turn this land into my therapy center?” she asked dubiously.

  “I’m saying you could survive it,” he said with a short laugh.

  Casey pulled a stool up and sat down, his hand still resting protectively on her ankle.

  “I didn’t expect you to say that,” she said softly.

  “I’m an honest guy,” he said, and she saw the sadness in his gaze as he said it.

  “I’m not buying this land unless I’m sure it’s the Harper homestead,” she said quietly. “I’m no country woman. I don’t know how to deal with all the dangers of land this wild. It would be foolhardy for me to even try without a really good reason—”

  “I’m not trying to scare you,” he said earnestly. “I need you to know that.”

  “Those wolves—that was scare enough,” she replied with a rueful shake of her head. “I’m not blaming you, Casey. You can’t help it if you were right.”

  Casey’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he froze. He pressed his lips together into a line, then rose to his feet, pulling the phone from his pocket. Whatever he’d been about to say, he’d decided against it.

  “Hey, Bert,” Casey said into his phone, and he walked a few steps away. “Yeah. Okay... Where?”

  Ember finished her sandwich, and as she chewed the last bite, she leaned forward to gingerly touch her bandaged ankle. It was a bad sprain, but the tight bandage was helping to support her joint. Casey was a good emergency medic, and if he could soften up toward her, he’d be a good manager of what remained of the ranch if she did buy the place. She was fast realizing that there would be few others she could possibly trust the way she trusted this man, and if she did open her therapy center here, she would feel safer, more confident, maybe even happier with him at her side.

  Except he’d been clear that she’d never be his boss. If she bought this land then he wouldn’t be staying. Whatever they were starting to feel between them—it couldn’t last.

  “I’ll be there soon,” Casey said, then hung up the call. He looked over at her, his expression conflicted.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “There’s a cow having trouble delivering in the south pasture. The cowboys doing patrol don’t have the equipment with them to help the cow, so I’ll have to head on out there. I don’t want to just leave you like this, and the babies—” He glanced toward the sleeping infants in the cradles.

  Ember gingerly lifted her foot to the ground. She could stand up if she put her weight on the good leg only.

  “It’s a sprained ankle. I’m not exactly out of commission,” she said.

  “Hold on a second.” Casey disappeared up the stairs, and she could hear his footfalls overhead. There was a rustle against the floor, a thump, and then his steps came back down the stairs once more. He emerged into the living room holding a single crutch.

  “You just had that hanging around?” she asked with a soft laugh.

  “What can I say—I’m ready for emergencies. It’s part of the job.”

  “That will help enormously.” She accepted the crutch, and he held out a hand, helping her to stand on her good foot. Then he adjusted the crutch for her height.

  “There you go.” He sounded satisfied, and with the crutch’s support, she did feel a lot more mobile. “Would you watch the babies while I go take care of this?”

  “Sure.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I know this is really hard for you, and I don’t want to add to it. I probably never should have asked for you to help out with the babies to begin with, but—”

  “Casey.” She put a hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine.”

  Casey looked down at her—and she was struck again by just how big this man was. Tall, broad, strong, and those dark eyes were fixed on her with an expression so complex she couldn’t read it. But she didn’t need to read his thoughts to know what kind of man he was. All she knew was that in this room with
him, she felt warmer and safer than she had in her life.

  “If I’d lost you out there—” He clamped his mouth shut, as if biting off the words.

  “But you didn’t,” she said.

  “I’m just saying—” He didn’t want to say it, whatever it was. She could tell by the battle on his face. “I’ve known you a week. This is a strange circumstance—what with the babies and now the wolves... We’re not exactly in an ordinary situation here.”

  “I agree,” she said softly, but his eyes were still locked on hers.

  “So why does this feel like more?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

  It did feel like more. It felt like something deep and undeniable was developing between them, despite the fact that she could never be a mother to his sons, and he could never support her as she fulfilled her promises to God. They were stuck, but her heart kept stretching anyway. Her stubborn, stubborn heart that wouldn’t let go, even when it was for the best.

  Like with her own son that her heart yearned toward, even in her sleep. She’d given him up. He had another family. He wouldn’t even remember her! But her heart wouldn’t stop and she dreamed of his infant cries anyway.

  “Go and do your job. I have it under control here,” she said with more surety than she felt.

  She glanced toward the babies, still sleeping deeply. Will’s tongue was stuck out, and Wyatt was sucking rhythmically on a soother.

  “I’m going to regret this,” he said with a sigh. Then he dipped his head down and caught her lips with his. His lips were soft and warm, and they moved over hers with confidence. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she felt like the room evaporated around them, and all that was left was him and her and the whisper of his breath against her face. He slid his arms around her waist, tugging her closer against him. Then his hand moved up to her cheek as he pulled back and looked down into her eyes.

  For the first time since this whole drama with the wolves had unfolded, she felt a rush of comfort, as if in this tall cowboy’s arms, she’d come home.