by Em Petrova
She snorted and kicked at the bottles. He already knew her stance on cleaning up after him. Not that he asked her to.
After throwing the truck into park, he cut the engine and jumped out. As he headed to the rear to fetch a bucket full of items including a voltmeter to test the electric fence he’d been having issues with, he heard Liberty’s door close more softly. He glanced up to see her drifting toward the fence.
“Don’t touch it—it’s live wire,” he called out.
She threw him a look. “I’ve been on a ranch before, Mr. Bellamy.”
“Aidan. If we’re gonna work together, call me Aidan.”
Without responding to his request, she turned to the cattle again. They clustered around the feeding spot, waiting for their daily supplements.
Gripping the bucket, he moved up to the fence. He put the voltmeter onto the wire and saw it had full juice here.
“What are you doing?” Liberty asked.
“I keep having some loss of power along this fence. Haven’t figured out the problem yet, but today it seems to be fine, at least right here. I’ll check the rest in a bit.”
“What happens if the power’s down?”
“Then I got cows with no reason to stay inside the fence and they’ll break through.”
“Has that happened before?”
“Coupla times. I don’t want a repeat.” He edged up next to her to check the fence, forcing her to tolerate his close proximity or move away.
She stepped aside.
He didn’t know why that bothered him, but it did. Women her age were generally known to be on the prowl for husbands, though she hadn’t flirted once with him. Maybe he wasn’t her type.
Not to be a cocky dick, but he was pretty much every woman’s type. At least that had been his experience since the age of sixteen when he started garnering notice from the females not only in school but older women in town too. Being a teenager that all his friends’ moms stared at had been a hell of an ego boost.
In his twenties, he had his share of pretty ladies vying for his attention. When he hit thirty and still wasn’t tied down with a wife and kids, the single ladies seemed to make it their personal goal to lasso him.
The more time he spent alone, the more he realized when he got into company that he didn’t mesh with that life. He didn’t want to stand around chatting after church—he strode to his truck and made a quick getaway before he was forced to discuss mundane things that didn’t interest him. And if a man wanted a damn coffee, he should be able to walk into a shop and buy a cup without having a waitress write her phone number on his paper cup.
However, Liberty hadn’t done more than glance his way. He saw no indication that she thought him attractive or wanted anything from him.
Some of the calves milling around their momma’s legs started a game of chase, romping through the pasture. Aidan found such a sight impossible not to smile at, and when he glanced over at Liberty, he saw a smile had lit her features too.
He never saw her smile before now.
The expression changed her face. Her high cheekbones seemed to become more pronounced, bringing more notice to her freckles. He hadn’t realized how wide and full her mouth was either.
What he wouldn’t give to plunder those wide, sweet lips just once.
Damn, he must have grabbed onto one too many live electric fences in his lifetime. The last time he even thought such a thing about a woman, he barely had hair on his balls.
“They’re so cute,” she said.
“Uh.” His grunted reply didn’t touch on the things going on in his body from seeing that smile.
“You don’t think they’re cute?” She turned almond-shaped golden brown eyes on him.
His gaze traveled over her upturned nose dotted with light brown freckles and the bow of those lips that threw him for a loop a second ago. “Yeah. Cute.”
He wasn’t referring to the calves.
After he set down the bucket, he returned to the truck for couple bags of supplement. As he passed by Liberty, he twitched his head for her to follow him. He opened the gate. “Close that behind us,” he told her.
A couple cows closed in on him, wanting that supplement.
“Now’s the moment to show what you’re made of,” he tossed out to Liberty.
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Slap that cow in the rump and move him away.”
Without hesitation, she stepped forward. “I…slap him?”
“Slap his ass.”
She stretched out a hand and delivered a slap that sent the cow trotting forward. When another came too close, she smacked it too.
Aidan’s lips twisted in amusement as he tore open the bags.
“What are you supplementing with?”
“Only minerals and salt. It’s been dry, and I think the lack of nutrition made the herd susceptible to illness.”
“Makes sense. Can I help?”
He dipped his head toward the other bag. “Open that up and dump it out on the ground.”
“Here?”
“Yup.”
As she did what he asked, he took note of her movements, fluid as a dancer. He’d bet money on the fact she was as graceful in the saddle. Thinking of her round rump bumping up and down in the leather had a twist of desire jolting through his gut.
Probably wasn’t a good idea to start burning for his new ranch hand.
He turned aside so she wasn’t in view when she bent over and put her ass on full display. Her ass that filled out those jeans to the best advantage. Her cheeks were like two ripe fruits ready to drop into a man’s big palms.
He dumped the supplement and shook out the bag. She followed his lead. When he hauled a couple more bags from the truck, he tossed one over the gate. Liberty didn’t hesitate to heft it into her arms and haul it to the dumping spot. Within minutes, they made quick work of the task that normally took Aidan a lot longer.
Liberty settled her hands on her hips and surveyed the cows that had gathered to eat. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“You do that daily?”
“Until we get them moved to a new pasture, yeah. I’m hopin’ to set that fence on the Windswept and move them over there to summer.”
Her lips pursed at the mention of the ranch she’d just lost. It seemed he’d known her a lot longer than a few hours. Workin’ with a person did that, he’d found.
“When do we get to the horses?” she asked with a glint in her eyes.
“That’s next on the list. I’m runnin’ a bit behind today. I’ve usually finished all this by lunchtime, but since I was at the auction all morning…”
Their gazes met and then hers skittered aside.
He felt like an ass again for outbidding her.
“C’mon.” He opened the gate for her to pass through. The heavy metal clanged as he latched it behind her.
During the ride, she seemed to sag in her seat more as she looked out her window without speaking.
He didn’t typically dwell on a woman’s mood shifts, and he told himself he only started a conversation so he wouldn’t be working with a sullen ranch hand. “You say you grew up around horses?”
“Yes.”
“How long’s it been since you rode?”
“Few weeks. I did a trail ride in Pine Mountain.”
“Haven’t been that direction in a coon’s age.”
When she looked at him, he saw sadness in the faint smile she wore. “My grandpa used to use that expression.”
“Used to? He passed?”
“Yes, a month ago now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. So you’re from the Pine Mountain area?”
She shook her head.
“Is that where your grandpa lived?”
Again, a slow shake of her head was her only answer.
He changed tacks. “What did you do before coming to Crossroads?”
Silence hung heavy in the space.
Great—now I’m saddled wi
th a female drifter. Probably running from a bad boyfriend or husband.
As they bumped down the narrow road leading to the ranch, he started to believe the woman was more difficult than he originally thought. He’d take her tears and sass over the locked doors routine.
When he thought she wouldn’t speak more on the subject, her words reached him. “I helped run a company in computer sales servicing half the coast.”
“Interesting.”
“No, it really wasn’t.” Her reply caught him off guard with its sarcasm, and he chuckled.
She swung her head to look at him.
“At least you speak your mind. I can’t stand a person who holds it all in.”
She nodded at him. “You won’t get that with me. I don’t mind telling someone how it is,” she said with some heat.
He cut a grin at her before turning his attention to parking the truck. “Sounds like we’ll get along just fine,” he drawled out.
* * * * *
Walking through the rooms of a house and not picking up the clutter, stopping to do a sink load of dishes or run the vacuum cleaner went against Liberty’s ingrained behaviors. Which she spent the past year away from Redding trying to break.
She’d been in Aidan Bellamy’s home all of half an hour and her old habits threatened to surface. She would not touch those dishes, run the vacuum or attempt to straighten out the man’s clutter.
Yet, living here under such conditions would be rough. After all, she was meant to share that dirty bathroom with him, and the kitchen too. They’d need to arrive at some agreement so she didn’t lose her mind.
At least the bedroom she’d been given was devoid of all clutter. Aidan didn’t reside in this area of the house, and the space hadn’t become a dumping ground like so many spare rooms did.
She found the closet empty. Since she didn’t own hangers, and the closet didn’t come equipped with any, she simply made tidy stacks of her clothes on the closet floor until she could buy some hangers.
After standing back, she surveyed the stacks of T-shirts, sweaters, work clothes, jeans and a few dressier items she hadn’t gotten rid of in the past year. However, every single suit and all her business clothes had been shoved into a Goodwill box, effectively erasing that portion of her life.
This is all I have.
Of course, it wasn’t true. She owned her truck and a key to a storage unit where she kept some odds and ends from her former life or tidbits from her grandpa’s house.
And since she didn’t buy the Windswept Ranch, she still had a nice-sized bank account too.
She felt the effects of a long day and the hard work that’d come with it in her tired muscles. She couldn’t wait to step into the shower and fall into the bed she’d made up with some fresh sheets and blankets Aidan handed her out of a linen closet in the hall.
She peeled off her top and shifted her arms behind her back to unclasp her bra. A knock on the door stopped her.
“Uh, yes?” she called out.
“Neighbor called. Said he saw my cow down near the fence. I could use your help.” The gritty tone of his voice sent her into action, grabbing for her top again and yanking it overhead. In two strides, she whipped open the door and faced the rancher.
His gaze dipped over her and up to her face.
“What happened to the cow? Do you think it’s the same sickness you’ve been dealing with?” she asked.
He gave her a brusque nod and started toward the front of the house. She hurried behind and jammed her feet into her boots.
“Better wear a coat. Sun’s down and no tellin’ how long we’ll be out there.” Aidan grabbed his own flannel coat off a peg by the front door.
“My jacket’s in the truck. I’ll grab it.” When she tried to push past him to the door, he moved at the same moment, bringing her up against his hard chest. She bounced backward—actually bounced.
Aidan grabbed her shoulders to keep her from toppling over. “Sorry.” His voice took on an even gruffer edge.
Pulling free from his touch, which seemed to burn through her cotton shirt and into her flesh, she reached for the door handle. He wasn’t kidding that the air had grown colder. As she jogged to her truck to retrieve her jacket, she sucked cold air in and out of her lungs.
At that moment, she also felt the telltale headache starting deep in her skull that reminded her she’d forgotten a very important part of her day. Crap, how could she have forgotten?
With the day’s work and a lot of stress, no wonder she hadn’t given her condition a thought.
She reached into her console compartment and pulled out a plastic container. Even in the dark, she found the syringe and medication. Holding it up to the light, she managed to pull down the plunger on the syringe to fill it to the exact dosage.
“Liberty!”
“Coming.” Dammit, she needed to hurry. She pulled up her top, pinched what fat she had on her stomach and plunged the needle into her skin.
“What the fuck are you doing? Drugs?” Aidan stood at the truck door, face totally blackened by shadows.
She raised her head. “Insulin shot. I forgot to give it to myself, and it’s best I don’t get out of control in the field.” She dropped the items to the seat without placing it in the container again, and she grabbed her coat off the passenger seat.
When she turned to face him, she found his head bowed. “Sorry,” he gritted out.
“It’s okay. You think you hired a junkie. Let’s go.” With irritation guiding her, she crossed the yard to his truck. He caught up and they jumped into the truck.
When he reversed out and hit the road, she gripped the armrest to keep from being tossed around.
“Sorry again,” he said, quieter now.
She waved a hand. “It probably looked bad, me sneaking to the truck and stabbing myself with a needle.”
“How long have you been diabetic?”
“Since I was ten. It’s under control, as long as I have my shots twice a day. I forgot this evening.”
He swung his head her direction, and she didn’t need to see in the dark cab of the truck to know he was staring at her. “You’re all right now?”
“I’m fine.” She patted her jacket pocket for the snacks she’d need if her insulin shot took her too low.
He looked at the road again. The headlights lit up the night, splitting the darkness ahead of them as they sped toward the downed cow.
“The cow—you think it could be ill from the nutrition problems you’re addressing with the supplements?”
His sigh was so heavy it could create a windstorm in the truck. “I believe that played a part, but I believe this might be the same cow as last night. I shoulda brought her to the barn to watch over, but she was doing so well today, I thought she’d turned a corner and was better off in the field. Moving her would have caused more stress.”
“Is it bloat? Or some cow disease spreading through your herd?”
“God, don’t even say that.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Two cows were sick. One had bloat and the other seemed weak, not accepting the nutrients I’ve been feeding.”
“Maybe it’s only weak stock.”
He nodded. “Could be. We’ll find out.” He stopped the truck and cut the engine. Then he leaned across Liberty to pop the glove compartment. His big, warm arm pressed into her thigh as he rummaged around and came out with a big flashlight and a headlamp.
He passed her the flashlight and straightened up. Long after they left the truck and walked through the field, she felt the place where his arm had lain on her thigh. She could reach down and trace the outline of it with a finger.
The black hump of the cow lit up with the beam of light she held. “There.”
“I see her.” His quick strides carried him away from her, and she ran to keep up with him.
Aidan grabbed the cow’s ear and read the tag. “Damn, it is the same cow. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“Well, it means it’s not affecting the
rest of the herd, so I’d say it’s good.”
“Yeah, but losing one will cost me a couple grand come auction in the fall.”
She looked at his face, a pale glow in the light she held and the headlamp he wore around the band of his cowboy hat. “What do we do?” she asked.
“First thing is get her up. The longer she lays here the more chance she has of dyin’.”
“We push her up?”
“You got it. Lay the light down and get on this side with me.”
He pulled off a rope clipped to his belt and got it around the cow’s neck. “First we’ll push and if that doesn’t work, you take her by the rope and pull with all you got while I push from this end. Got it?”
“Yes.” Her heart thumped with the adrenaline that came with emergencies, whether involving animals or people. And watching the big man in action, realizing he cared so damn much about his herd that he was out here a second night in a row to care for one sick cow, caused her belly to dip with warmth.
“Ready? Push.”
She quickly dropped to her knees and pressed against the cow’s side. Together they put their strength into the effort, and after three hard shoves, the cow stumbled to its feet.
A small cheer of victory passed through Liberty’s lips.
Aidan looked at her hard. “It’s a start.”
Why did she get the feeling he wasn’t talking about cattle?
Chapter Three
“You sure it’s okay to sleep? The cow’s all right for the night?” Liberty concealed a big yawn behind her hand.
“What’s left of the night, yeah. With the cow in the barn and antibiotics administered, it’s all we can really do for now.” Aidan paused at Liberty’s bedroom door. “Sleep in. I’ll take care of mornin’ chores.”
The woman was dead on her feet, swaying with exhaustion. He didn’t like that she might not be taking care of herself, with her diabetes and all.
She turned to him, her hair long fallen from her ponytail and framing her face in strawberry blonde, messy waves. He followed a wave where it lay on her cheek and down to her delicate jaw.
Christ, did she have any idea of her allure right this minute? A man took one look at that mussed, just-been-loved-hard-and-thorough hair and those full, wide lips and he would want to push her back into her bedroom and have his way with her.