Page 18 of When a Cowboy Falls Hard
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll be right back.” She hurried toward the open barn door. “Ah, here comes our hero.” She stepped outside and raised her voice. “Monty, just so you know, there will be plenty of meatloaf and I’ll throw in another potato for you. There’s beer in the fridge for toasting the baby.”
“I appreciate that, Marigold. Thanks.” He came in hatless, carrying an official-looking metal case in one hand, a folded cot under his arm and a large insulated jug in the other hand.
“Is that coffee?”
“Warm water for cleanup.” He set it down along with the case and leaned the cot against the nearest wall. “Where’d Graham and Tex go?”
“They’re rounding up the herd.” And here they were alone. She’d planned they’d have a discussion once the opportunity presented itself. Although tension crackled in the air, now wasn’t the time to deal with it.
“He has cattle stashed somewhere?” He unsnapped his cuffs and started rolling back his sleeves.
“No cattle, just Ginger and Fred.” She glanced away and kept babbling. “Normally Speckles would be out there, too.” She gestured in that direction while offering an unnecessarily long explanation. “Tex calls it rounding up the herd even though the minute he and my uncle show up the horses trot right over, ready to come back to the barn for hay flakes and maybe some other goodies.”
“Sounds like Tex likes it here.”
“He loves it.” She risked looking at him. He’d crouched down to open his case and the motion stretched the faded denim covering his muscular thighs and tight butt. Oh, baby.
Moving closer to the stall, she rested her arms on top of the shoulder-high wall and focused on her horse. Was it possible to make it through this foaling without embarrassing herself?
The jury was still out. She registered the rustle of his clothing, his steady intake and exhale of air. Then a subtle hitch in his breathing sent a shiver up her spine. Was he struggling, too?
Desperate to fill the charged silence, she kept talking. “I thought Tex would miss the kids he went to preschool with. He does, but the excitement of being here overrides the sadness.”
“That’s good.”
“I didn’t count on his dedication to the cowboy lifestyle. We lived in suburbia and I had to board Speckles. When Tex found out Uncle Graham had a ranch with a barn and two additional horses, he couldn’t wait to move.”
“He’s never been here before?”
“When I was pregnant with him, Aunt Adele made it clear she didn’t like little kids. Or kids, period.”
“Lovely.”
“Yeah, she wasn’t exactly the aunt of my dreams. I guess since they’re divorced I don’t have to call her my aunt anymore.”
“If it makes you feel any better, my family didn’t like her, either.”
“It does make me feel better. Thanks.”
“Mom says she married Graham thinking eventually they’d sell this place and buy a condo on the beach in Florida. When she realized that was never gonna happen, she took off.”
“I figured it was something icky like that. He doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“Can’t blame him.” Snapping the case closed, he stood. “I’m ready to make friends with Speckles.”
“Alrighty.” Showtime. Heart racing, she faced him.
He was armed with an orange roll of tail wrap, his jug of warm water, a couple of thin towels tossed over one shoulder and scissors tucked in his pocket.
Nothing about that should stir her up. But damn, he looked good standing there. “What can I do?”
“Since she doesn’t know me, it’ll help if you’ll make the introductions.”
“Happy to.” Lifting her chin, she bravely met his friendly blue gaze. See? They could keep it casual. They….whoa. In a flash, warmth morphed into searing heat. She sucked in a breath.
So did he.
