Page 73 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“She’ll be fine,” he said. “Cattle are incredibly tough animals.”
“I’ve never seen one so little before.”
“He’s a cute one.”
“Now what?”
“Now we hang out for a bit. Make sure he takes a teat. Then do a lap through the calving pasture to make sure all the other cows are in good shape.”
“Sounds good.”
We stood in silence for a while, watching as the little calf slowly got up on his wobbly knees and stumbled over toward his mother to nurse. I had never witnessed something so miraculous before. Yes, it was just a cow, but still, I had watched a new life come into this world tonight.
“Do you still love it? Ranching?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Things would be better if Dad and I were getting along and we had more help, but I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
“What do you love most about it?”
He thought on my question for a few moments before answering. “The land and the animals. The purity of producing something tangible with my own hands. That, and being a steward to the land. I like that I’m helping to feed people. When I was in Iraq, I saw a lot of people without much. Women. Kids. We’re not feeding the world or anything, but I like our purpose.”
“You’re a good guy, Silas Grant.” The best, actually.
His eyes softened and he trailed his fingers across my cheek, leaving tingles in their wake. I pushed off the railing, standing tall to stare into his eyes. They were darker than normal and full of heat. I imagined mine were much the same.
Again, his hand came to my cheek but this time his fingertips didn’t stop. They traveled up and across my forehead, then lightly down the bridge of my nose to the tip.
When they traced my top lip, a shiver rippled down my spine. His fingers rubbed a little harder against my bottom lip and it fell open with a hitched breath. Even though he’d only touched my face, my entire body had come alive. The throbbing between my legs had me swaying slightly on my feet.
“Lis,” he whispered, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. If I spoke, it might make him take his fingers away from my lips. I didn’t want to risk losing them, not until his lips were there instead. So instead of telling him how much I desperately wanted his kiss, I just nodded.
His other hand came up and framed my cheek. I leaned my head into his palm, giving him its weight. His mouth inched down toward mine. The soft and gentle brush of his lips was almost torture but I didn’t push for more. I stood unmoving as they glided across my top lip and then my bottom, just like his fingers had done.
We were both panting when Silas’s lips finally parted against mine. His tongue darted out and I’d barely felt its warm, wet touch when a dog started barking outside and headlights flashed through the crack underneath the sliding barn doors.
Silas growled “fuck” against my mouth before pulling back and turning to the door.
No! The universe was playing a sick and twisted joke on me.
After catching my breath, I followed Silas out into the cold night. The bright headlights were aimed right at us so all I could make out of this visitor was his silhouette. His frame was tall and broad, reminding me somewhat of my brother’s.
“Hey, princess,” the man called.
Was he talking to me? I had no idea who this person was but Silas was grinning as he said, “Hey, cupcake.”
The visitor stepped in front of the car’s beam and I could finally make out his handsome face. He had black hair and dark eyes framed with long lashes. His stubble was at least a week old and he looked to have some Hispanic heritage.
He was not a relative. Maybe an old friend?
The men stared at one another for a moment until they both started laughing. They shook hands, and after a few pumps, Silas pulled the man in for a back-slapping hug.
“Good to see you, man,” Silas said.
“Good to be seen.”
“Come inside.” Silas grabbed my hand and tugged me along as he led us all to his loft.
