by Vivian Arend
Finn examined his leg again. “Hell of a thing.”
He was obviously doped up enough the pain was a low-level buzz, but the sight of the cast made it pretty clear this was nothing he could walk off.
He glanced back at Zach to find his friend staring morosely at the cast. “Everybody else okay? Karen?”
“The rest of us were fine. So is the kitten you rescued.”
“Kitten?” It had to be the drugs. Finn worried for a moment until the memory trickled back in. “Ollie. She found a kitten trapped in the wall.”
“Karen’s got the creature back at her cottage. It’s too little to be alone yet. She said she’d take care of it.”
The mention of Karen’s name washed the lingering question of how the hell did a kitten get trapped in the wall and replaced it with an image of her face. “How is she? This probably set off some bad memories.”
Finally, his friend smiled. “Maybe, but you can ask her yourself. She was here last night until it became clear you weren’t alert enough to remember a thing. I took her back to the ranch for some shut-eye, and the only reason she agreed was I promised to bring her back for visiting hours.”
“She’s here?”
“Got waylaid doing a task for her sister. She’ll be here in a few minutes.” Zach leaned forward, his gaze intent. “You don’t worry about anything, okay? I’ll keep things rolling at the ranch, but if it comes down to it, screw the challenge. We both know Brandon doesn’t really want to have anything to do with the dude ranch. He just wants money. I bet we can work out some deal to convince him to take funds and leave everything to us.”
There weren’t enough drugs in Finn’s system to make that an okay idea. “You know something I don’t? Like, am I stuck in this bed for the next six months or something? Because I don’t see how me breaking my leg means we can’t meet the challenge.”
“Alan called with a deadline. He didn’t know you’d been hurt, but that doesn’t change things.” Zach shook his head. “You’re still not hearing my point. The most important thing is for you to heal, not for you to hurt yourself more trying to stick it to Brandon.”
Finn snorted. “Trust me. I am a fantastic multitasker. I can heal and stick it to the bastard.”
“Just saying. We keep our priorities straight.”
“They are straight. I’ll heal, we’ll get the ranch running, Brandon will go and cry.” He managed to get a laugh out of his friend, but the effort made Finn happy to relax back against the pillow. “Stop holding out. What’s the deadline?”
“Alan insists he did his research, but I’m suspicious he’s also planning to enjoy this. First guests arrive Thanksgiving weekend.” Zach rolled his eyes like a teenager. “I’ll give you one guess who the first guests are. Go on, you’ll never guess it’s a hotshot lawyer who told us he’s a cowboy wannabe. Him and his entire family.”
Finn laughed, choking it off quickly when he realized his ribs hurt too much to follow through. “Fine. Third week of October. That’s not impossible.”
Zach inclined his head. “You’re right, it’s not. But back to that priority thing, we’re adjusting lists. You’ll be pleased to know you’re now stuck on the computer. Plus, you can deal with contract calls and phone orders. I’ll work the front line.”
It was instinct to protest. “Fine. But as soon as I’m up and mobile, we’ll talk about this again.”
His friend rose to his feet, reaching behind him to grab his hat. “Oh, and just to warn you, that whole priority thing means you’ll take the time to heal and to be with important people.”
What the hell was he talking about? “You headed back to the ranch already?”
“Grabbing a coffee.” Zach strode to the door and pulled it open, greeting someone just out of Finn’s sight. “He’s awake and in his right mind. Or at least as close as he gets.”
Karen slipped into the room, and some of Zach’s teasing messages suddenly made sense. Somewhere in there his friend left, but Finn’s attention was focused on the dark-haired woman stepping hesitantly to the side of his bed.
She stopped too far away for him to catch hold of her the way he wanted. She barely glanced at his leg before fixing her gaze on his face.
He crooked a finger, gesturing her closer. “Go on. Check me out. You know you want to.”
Something close to a hiccup escaped as she closed the gap, brushing her fingers over his cheek. “You look like hell.”
“Say something else sweet to me,” he answered softly.
That hiccup happened again, and she swallowed hard. She laid her fingers on top of his and held on. “This is a trip down memory lane I really didn’t want to take.”
“I have a new appreciation of what you went through,” Finn told her. “I’ll be fine. You showed me how.”
Her gaze drifted along his leg, and when she met his eyes again, it was as if she were preparing for battle. “Since you know I’m experienced in these things, you won’t be foolish and fight with me over some little suggestions I have.”
“Zach’s already told me he’s babysitting me at work,” he informed her.
“Knew I liked him for a reason.”
Finn stayed quiet because laughing would hurt.
That determination in her expression showed up again. “The doctor talked to you yet?”
“Nobody but you and Zach that I remember at this point.”
Her chin dipped. “They’ll give you the details, but it looks as if you’re here for a few days. Once they release you, you’re moving into the cottage with me.”
That phrase should have triggered a rush of satisfaction. Instead, he eyed his leg then her. “You damn well better not be planning on babysitting me as well.”
Finally, finally, the Karen he’d been looking for stepped forward and showed herself.
She picked up his hand and lifted it to her mouth. Pressing a kiss to his knuckles, she frowned slightly at the bruises and scratches she found there. But even though she took a deep breath as if bracing herself for battle, when she spoke, it was soft and sweet. “I want to be with you. While I have no idea how that will look, and I have no idea how long it will last, I want to give it a shot.”
It wasn’t everything he’d hoped for, but he was smart enough to take it. Smart enough to relieve the tension shaping her shoulders, making them sit high and rigid.
He lifted one brow. “This isn’t a pity fuck, is it?”
A sharp burst of laughter escaped her before she covered her mouth, glancing toward the hallway to make sure the door was still closed. She twisted back to offer him a classic Whiskey Creek expression. The one halfway between serious and what the hell?
“Who said anything about fucking?” she deadpanned.
He still had hold of her hand and used it to tug her closer, sliding his free hand up her arm to wrap his fingers around the back of her neck.
She came forward willingly, thank God, because an instant later her lips were inches away from his.
He stared into her deep brown eyes. “We’ll take our time. There’s no rush, but I will be there for you. Going to make you remember every little thing that was so fucking fantastic about us. Need to taste every inch of you, talk with you for hours, stare into your eyes as I drive you wild with my fingers and my tongue. And when the time is right, when you tell me that it’s time, that’s when I’ll sink my cock deep into your body where I belong. Where we belong, ma chérie. Exactly how we belong. Connected. Together.”
She barely blinked. Hadn’t swallowed.
Finn lowered his voice and growled out his final point. “And we won’t be fucking.”
He closed the distance between their lips. Or maybe she did, because his hand wasn’t around her neck anymore but cupping her cheek. Lips moving together, tongues exploring gently as if for the first time.
Dear God, every inch of his body ached, but he was still one step shy of heaven. That’s what being with her was. What it meant.
Karen trembled slightly, but her mout
h was on his, a willing and eager participant. Soft murmurs of pleasure teased his ears as her taste swirled into his system.
When they pulled apart, she was panting heavily. Her eyes glowed with heat and something else.
Hope.
10
With an unknown amount of hospital time ahead of Finn, everyone agreed it made more sense to save the visiting for the end of the day and keep work on track as best as possible.
Karen rose early and got into her tasks. When her meetings with contractors and potential employees were done, she joined the work crew, swinging a hammer to put up stalls and finish tasks in the barn.
She rode Starlight and found a new trail, and all of that was as perfect as a workday could be.
Then she and Zach made the hour-plus trip to Black Diamond. That part wasn’t as perfect, because seeing Finn in pain and clearly struggling to stay alert wasn’t good for anyone. Karen held his hand because he demanded it, but other than that, it was a wearying evening.
Zach was the one to suggest a change after the second trip out. “Would you think I was an asshole if we skipped the visits for the next couple of days? If us being there lifted his spirits, I’d be all for it. But I think we’re wearing him out.”
Karen thought back to the first days after her injury and how sometimes company had been more of a pain than pleasure. “We should let him rest and get better. If he wants company, though, I want to go.”
The following morning, Zach followed up, and an official pause was called. Confirmed by a call from Finn to Karen only a few minutes later.
“Hey, you.”
Karen stared over the windswept field beside her, the kitten rubbing past her ankles. “Hey. How’s your day?”
His voice rumbled over the phone, softer than usual and slightly strained. “I might have a second nap after I finish waking up from my first nap. My to-do list is hell right now.”
The ache inside her was rock-hard. “You’re also healing, Finn. That’s on your to-do list in three-foot-tall letters, got it?”
“Got it. Hey, chatted with Zach. I think it’s smart for you to skip the trip out for the next couple of days. I’m still loopy most of the time from the drugs. I have no idea when I’ll be coherent. I’d prefer you spend time with your sisters than my comatose body.”
“I don’t want you to be alone.” Admitting it was hard but good.
Then he knocked her knees out from under her, his voice gone soft. Laced with pain but even more with kindness. “Chérie, I know how much you hate hospitals. I don’t want you hurting yourself coming to see me. I mean it. Stay home.”
She spoke around a throat gone tight. “Okay. But when you’re coherent and bored, call. Or text. You’re not alone, okay?” The need for him to know that was vital.
“I hear you.” Finn’s words faded toward the end. “Now go get in Zach’s way since I’m not there to bother him.”
Not having Finn around placed Karen in a strange sort of limbo, and strangely, it was the time at home that seemed the most off.
What had started as such a treat—a place to call her own and to do whatever she wanted without anyone else’s dictates—wasn’t a treat anymore.
It was lonely.
The kitten Finn had rescued helped fill some of that space. Karen named the little creature Dandelion, and the fluffball slowly took control of his territory. This seemed to involve lots of pouncing, especially on Karen and any parts of her anatomy that happened to be moving.
Her toes. Her feet. Her finger on the table. Her head, first thing in the morning when the hellion decided her nose needed biting.
“He hasn’t had any problems after being trapped in that wall,” Julia pointed out while visiting a couple days after the accident.
“Ollie thinks Dandy is the cutest thing she’s ever seen.” Lisa glanced over her shoulder to where the two animals were circling each other. Or more precisely, Ollie was moving slowly, her tail wagging enthusiastically while the kitten stalked, preparing to pounce. “I have never seen Ollie like this. She chases away all of the ranch cats.”
“By the way, Kelli told me there’s a new batch of kittens in the loft,” Tamara mentioned. “I can take Dandelion back with me whenever you want. I’m sure the mother cat will take him in. I know you’re not keen on animals in the house.”
“He’s okay here for now,” Karen said quickly.
That was the other reason Karen wasn’t completely lonely. Her sisters kept invading, in ones or twos. Or all three. Today Tamara was along as well, having brought supper for the four of them to Karen’s.
“You hear any more information about school in the fall?” Tamara asked.
She and Karen were still at the table as Lisa and Julia worked at the sink, cleaning up from their meal.
Karen thought about the envelope sitting unopened on her desk. “I did, but I’m not worried about it right now. Until Finn’s back, we’re all buckling down extra hard. I’ve been trying to step it up a little to make sure I’m doing my share.”
“I doubt that’s a problem,” Tamara said dryly. “You doing anything for fun? I mean, not that I expect you to go out dancing or anything, because I get that you’re still kind of shocked from the accident and all.”
Currently she was more shocked about what she’d proposed in terms of Finn’s living arrangements—a small detail she hadn’t yet shared with her sisters.
Karen redirected the question. “I went riding a few times. Spotted that wild stallion in the area. He’s definitely set up base in the foothills to the west of here. We’ll have to make sure he’s contained before we bring in a lot of more horses, or he’ll constantly try to steal them away.”
Tamara looked concerned. “That is a problem. I’ll mention it to Caleb and see if Silver Stone can work with the ranch here to deal with them. Also, did you know that Kelli’s been working with that gelding she cut out of the pack? The owners didn’t want him back—said he was too wild to begin with and they don’t want him teaching the rest of their herd any bad habits.”
Karen would never cast off an animal like that. The gelding wasn’t doing anything except what came naturally.
She shook her head. “Good for Kelli. Once things settle down around here, I’d love to come and give her hand.”
“She’d love to see you.” Tamara grinned. “It’s been kind of fun having Kelli hero-worship you every time she comes around.”
Karen was shocked. “She does not.”
“It’s like listening to my daughter go on and on about, ‘Kelli says this’ and ‘Kelli says that.’ Only now it’s Kelli talking and she’s all, ‘Karen says the best way to deal with that is…’ All the Silver Stone ranch hands think it’s hysterical.”
Obviously, Lisa wasn’t the only one of her sisters with an overabundant imagination. Karen reached for Tyler and put him into burping position. “In other news, what’s happening the next couple of weeks? I kind of lost track of time.”
“Canada Day on Saturday. There’re the events down at the park during the day, including the potluck supper and the bachelor auction.” Tamara finished adjusting herself after nursing and glanced up with concern in her eyes. “When is Finn home from the hospital?”
“Hoping for two days from now. That’s Wednesday, right?”
Tamara made a face. “I wonder if whoever is coordinating the bachelor auction heard that Finn’s out of commission.”
Karen’s spine stiffened. “Bachelor auction?”
Her sister frowned. “Remember, I told you about Ivy buying Walker a couple years ago? Zach and Finn got signed up this year because they made a bet with Lisa, and they lost.”
“Finn needs to cancel.”
“Oh, hell no.” Tamara paused. “Let me rephrase that. The one thing I learned when you were busted up was to not assume. Yes, it makes sense for him to cancel, but think how pissed you would’ve been if we had cancelled plans without consulting you first.”
“You did cancel my plans, and I just ab
out—”
Shit. The memory rushed in. Five years ago, in the situation of being broken and bent, she’d blown up hard at her sisters for taking over her calendar even though they’d meant well.
Because having another thing ripped out of her control had only exacerbated the problem.
Karen hated having a hard truth handed to her so neatly. “You’re right. I’ll remind Zach at our morning meeting that it’s coming up, and they can decide what they want to do.”
She didn’t go out to the hospital that night either, staying home and chatting quietly with Julia and Lisa even after Tamara had taken Tyler home to be with her family.
The only message that day from Finn had been a short update.
Doing okay. They took me out of traction and gave me a cast. It’s hugely awkward, but at least I’m not tied to the bed anymore. Hope you’re enjoying the sunshine. Sorry I missed getting your flowers these past days.
Midmorning Tuesday, Karen went riding on one of the back paths at the very edge of Finn’s property. A soft nicker caught her attention, and she slowed, pulling Starlight to a standstill.
The wild herd moved slowly through the trees. They angled toward a gully that led up a nearby ravine. Karen followed cautiously, not wanting to spook the horses into a panic.
By some chance she hit the very edge of the cliff as they moved into a clearing. Counting quickly, she observed the herd covertly.
The stallion was clear. Hands taller than the rest of them, he moved like the cocky bastard he was, adjusting position to crowd parts of his herd and ensure none of his followers loitered behind.
One of the mares in the group was heavily pregnant. She popped in and out of view at the outskirts of the group as they grazed on the fresh grasses of the clearing.
The mare moved slower than expected, and Karen examined her gait closely, wondering why.