Hard-Riding Cowboy

by Stacey Kennedy

  Get in. Get out. Fast.

  A piercing yowl had him turning to the right into the first stall. He crawled along the wooden shavings then spotted the kittens in the hay pile. He coughed against the thick air, yanking his shirt over his head then placing the kittens inside. Christ. How little and fragile they were.

  Another explosion rippled through the barn. He held his breath, waiting and hoping to hell the barn didn’t crash down around him. When the crackling wood beams held, and with the kittens safely in the shirt against his chest, he crawled out of the stall, noticing the back doors were now engulfed in flames. His lungs screamed for fresh air. Thoughts of Megan blasted through his mind, telling him he needed to act now.

  Straight ahead of him, the black smoke was a low, thick cloud over the top of his head. There was no going out the front or back. There was only one way out now. He crawled as fast as he could with the wrapped-up kittens in one arm toward the tack room, the one door not engulfed in flames.

  When he got inside, the window had flames licking up the curtains. Nash placed the kittens down for a moment and wrapped his hand in the T-shirt then punched at the glass until it shattered. “Here,” he yelled.

  “Nash!” a disembodied voice said.

  “Get me the fuck out of here.” Nash reached for the kittens, ensuring he had all three.

  On the other side of the window, a fireman appeared, wearing a mask. He used his axe to break out the remaining shards of window, then he grabbed onto Nash by one arm and with the other, gripped the side of his jeans. A second later, Nash was yanked from the window, his right shoulder burning in agony as he landed on top of the fireman.

  “We gotta move.” The fireman yanked Nash up, dragging him away.

  Another explosion rocked the ground as the fireman released Nash. He dropped to his knees then flopped onto his back, still cradling the kittens in his arms. He coughed and coughed and coughed, desperate for the fresh air he could taste but couldn’t seem to get into his lungs.

  “Nash!” his mother screamed.

  He stared at the thick black smoke billowing in the air until he spotted his mother’s worried eyes. “I’m okay,” he told her, during a fit of coughing.

  “That was stupid,” his mother chided. “You could have killed yourself.”

  “Still here,” he muttered, and coughed again.

  Nash blinked once, then a beauty filled his vision. Megan stood next to his mother, her hands trembling over her mouth. Her face was blotchy, and tears flooded her face.

  Ma pressed her hand to Nash’s forehead. “You’re really okay?”

  “Truly.” He offered her the kittens. “They need water.”

  “Yes,” Ma said, rising. “Yes, I’ll do that.” She strode away with the kittens, murmuring, “Poor, poor babies.”

  Megan slowly came down to her knees as Nash sat up, continuing to cough. When the last bit of gunk cleared from his lungs, he brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Are those tears in your eyes for me, Freckles?”

  She grabbed his face. “You are stupid. Seriously stupid. What in the hell were you thinking?”

  “Apparently, I wasn’t,” he said, not really sure when he’d become so attached to the kittens.

  Megan leaned in. “You are the sweetest, most incredible, most foolish man I have ever met.” Her lips pressed against his, making everything better in that second.

  When she leaned away, her eyes searched his desperately. “I’m all right,” he told her.

  She looked him over. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again. We need you here. Alive.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a smile, not minding one bit that she worried about him.

  Her intense gaze suddenly shifted to his shoulder, and her eyes bulged. “You’re burned.”

  And in that awareness, blinding pain hit him. He took a look at his shoulder, discovering his skin was bright pink in some places with brown and black skin hanging off. “Fuck. That can’t be good.”

  “Second degree burns,” a low voice said above him.

  Corey, a paramedic who had been in Nash’s graduating high school class, grinned at him. His bright smile displayed white teeth through his thick, brown beard. “Riding bulls to saving kittens. You never stop surprising me, Blackshaw.”

  Nash snorted, lying back down, breathing through the pain. “Speak a word of any of this to anyone and I will gut you.”

  Corey barked a loud laugh and knelt beside Nash, holding an oxygen mask. “I need to put this on you. Don’t give me a black eye.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Corey hesitated, his smile fading.

  Megan snorted. “He won’t hit me.” She took the mask from Corey and slid it over Nash’s head. “You need some good air.”

  Christ, he liked when she looked at him like this. All worried for him.

  Megan asked Corey, “Will he be okay?”

  “I already said I would be okay,” Nash grumbled beneath the mask. “A few times over.”

  “He’ll be all right.” Corey grabbed a gauze pad, and, after wetting it with what Nash assumed was sterilized water, he gently covered the burn.

  Nash hissed.

  Corey rose and offered Nash a hand. “I gotta take you in.”

  “I can—” He took Corey’s hand, then the world spun around him. “Yeah, all right.”

  Corey chuckled then kept Nash’s arm, and carried the oxygen tank with his free hand, while they strode toward the ambulance. He helped Nash onto a stretcher waiting outside the ambulance.

  “I’m coming with you,” Megan said.

  Nash shook his head. His arm blinded him with pain, and the last thing he wanted was Megan seeing him like this. “I need you to do something for me.”

  She stepped closer to the stretcher. “Anything.”

  Corey began strapping Nash into the harness. “Take the kittens to Leah. Make sure they’re all right.”

  “Nash,” she said firmly. “I want to go with you to the hospital.”

  Using his uninjured arm, he used his good hand to crook a finger at her. “Come here, Freckles, come a little closer.” When she leaned in, her face close to his, he added, “Let’s skip the part where we argue. Save that for later, all right? Then you can hit me with that sassy mouth I like so much.”

  Her lips thinned when Corey pushed Nash into the ambulance but she finally relented. “Fine, but expect major sass later.”

  Nash grinned. “I look forward to it, Freckles.”

  * * *

  The barn was burnt stone and smoldering rubble by the time Megan had called Shep and Emma to come and pick up Jenny. Before going to the hospital to be with Nash, they dropped Gus off at Nash’s house. The firefighters had gotten the fire under control quickly, focusing on the house first. Now the side of the house was blackened but safe. Everyone seemed in a state of shock and confusion, with the guests looking slightly bewildered. Megan thought quick and told the staff to take the guests down to Kinky Spurs for an early dinner with a ride on the mechanical bull while the fire department finished putting out the fire. But Megan saw the way the guests looked on, and the disappointment in their eyes. This was just another hit for Nash in making the guest ranch run flawlessly.

  While life wasn’t fair at the best of times, Nash seemed to be dealt hard blow after hard blow, over and over again. To test him? To push him to better himself? To force him to face his demons? Megan didn’t know, but she felt for him. The guy needed a break, something to help him find his way again. All he seemed to be doing was struggling.

  Those concerns stayed with her while she drove toward town with the kittens on the passenger seat of her car, after calling Leah. They looked all right, but who knew how much smoke they had inhaled while they were trapped in the barn. They sat quietly in the basket on the passenger seat, staring at Megan a little dazed. Hell, even she felt a little dazed.

  She’d thought the worst had happened when that barn collapsed. Thinking Nash had been hurt or worse had changed ever
ything. All the boundaries she had to keep distant vanished. She had always known she was in big trouble when it came to Nash. First, she had a crush. Then, she had lust. But after that, emotions developed. That was when things got messy and she’d done her best to shut him out.

  When she thought the building collapsed around him, her world stopped turning. She couldn’t lose him. And yet even knowing how exposed showing her feelings to Nash made her, she wanted to fall into this new thing between them. She didn’t want to run anymore. Not from him. Because he was trying . . . and dammit, she wanted to leave this all be and allow the emotions she fought turn into happiness.

  Truth was, she wanted to give all of herself to Nash for now, for always. He ran into that burning barn with zero hesitation to protect those kittens. Maybe it was time she stepped up too.

  When she’d arrived at the clinic, Leah was waiting for her at the front door. She’d taken the kittens immediately into the examination room, even though there were other people waiting in the reception area.

  For the last twenty minutes, Leah had been examining the kittens, and Megan kept them calm with soft pets to their head.

  “Lucky, lucky kittens,” Leah said, listening with a stethoscope to the gray kitten’s side. “They look good.” She picked him up and opened his mouth, glancing inside with her small flashlight. “I’m not seeing any evidence they inhaled any smoke at all.” She petted the kitten’s head and looked up at Megan. “You said the Blackshaw barn caught fire?”

  Megan nodded. “Burnt to the ground by now, I imagine.”

  “The town gossipers must not have gotten ahold of the news yet,” Leah said.

  The door suddenly opened, and Leah’s assistant entered the room. “Wow. Just heard on the street the Blackshaw barn caught fire.”

  Megan and Leah laughed.

  The assistant blushed.

  “It’s all right,” said Leah, placing the kitten down with the others. “We were just talking about the fire and how no one had said anything about it.”

  The assistant moved closer to the table. “It’s certainly the talk of the town now.”

  Exactly what Nash didn’t want. Megan had been so focused on getting the kittens to Leah so she could be with Nash at the hospital, she hadn’t really thought about how this was going to affect the guest ranch. Reviews and word on the street mattered in the beginning. Megan knew that well after opening Kinky Spurs. Those early days made or broke a business. And the horrified looks on the guests’ faces, especially the older couple, had Megan believing the guest ranch would take a hit, considering the cattle had gone missing earlier in the week too.

  A sudden loud screech broke through the air, sounding like a mix between fighting raccoons and a rabid wild animal. “What in the hell is that?” Megan asked.

  Leah smiled. “I think the mama cat knows her babies are here.” She scooped up two of the kittens. “Wanna grab that baby?”

  Megan gently picked up the black kitten.

  When another piercing cry blistered the air, the kittens began crying back. The sound was desperate and pained, hurrying Megan along. Her heart began racing, emotion rising to her throat. She followed Leah into the back room where the cages were up against the wall. The only cat there, with a couple of dogs in the larger cages below, was a gray cat lying on her side. She was on a soft green blanket and hooked up to an IV on her paw.

  Megan breathed against her tightening throat. The cat looked so weak, not even able to lift her head, but her meows calling out to her babies were fierce. Tears she couldn’t dare stop rose in her eyes as the kittens meowed back. Leah had the cage open in no time and placed the kittens inside against their mom.

  When Megan added the black kitten, the mom began purring, still unable to lift her head. “How’s she doing?” Megan asked, reaching out to stroke the cat’s head, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

  “She’s on the mend.” Leah moved one of the kittens who was getting tangled with the IV line. “She lost a lot of blood, and we’ve had to give her a couple transfusions because she’s become severely anemic. That’s why she looks so lethargic.”

  “But she’ll be okay?” Megan asked.

  “Yeah, it’ll just take some time.” Leah stroked the cat’s head, and her purrs deepened. “I spayed her after we stabilized her, so this won’t happen again.” She turned to Megan, eyes curious. “Did Nash say if he was keeping her?”

  Megan shrugged. “I’ve never asked, but he’s not really a cat person.” She paused. “Of course, he did also risk his life to save the kittens, so maybe he’s had a change of heart.”

  Leah inclined her head. “A conversation for another time, then.” She gave the kittens another look. “I need to see to my next client. Mama will fall asleep soon. She’s only been awake for minutes a time. I suggest you leave with the kittens then.”

  “Okay.” Megan smiled. “Thanks for everything.”

  Leah smiled back then left the room.

  Megan stroked the cat, who began to purr louder now that the kittens were close up against her side. The cat finally opened her eyes and stared right at Megan. Emotion flooded her as she felt a slight kinship with the cat. “We’re a lot alike, you and I,” she told the cat with the green eyes. “We’re both trying to protect our babies. But you trusted Nash. You trusted him enough to know he would keep your babies safe. And he has, hasn’t he?”

  There was no denying it anymore. Nash had proved himself, more than enough. Megan continued to stroke the cat’s head, wondering if maybe she was being tested too. Day after day, she kept waiting for the bomb to drop and for the world to fall apart around her. But it hadn’t, not once. In fact, she felt happier now than ever.

  If fate was trying to show her something, she was listening loud and clear. “I don’t know if you’re here to make me realize that he is standing up to his word,” she added to the kitty, stroking her soft head. “To show me this new gentle side of him. But I thank you for it. And I promise I won’t let anything happen to you or your babies.”

  The cat drifted back off to sleep, and Megan knew she couldn’t run anymore. Everything had changed today. Thinking she had almost lost Nash showed her how much she needed him. Seeing him risk his life for kittens proved so much, though if he ever ran into a burning building again she might kill him herself. She did care for Nash. She cared for him deeply, sometimes maddeningly. Since he found out about the baby, he’d been fighting hard to do the right thing. There was no hatred or anger around her anymore. He never talked about her father, making her believe that maybe they could find a way past the feud, as long as this calmness lasted after they told the parents about the baby.

  Megan leaned her shoulder against the cage and smiled as the kittens purred away, kneading at their mama’s side. “We’re going to be okay.” She placed a hand on her belly. “Nash is right. We’re all going to be fine.”

  * * *

  The past hour and a bit had been a whirlwind of being rushed into the emergency room where a doctor and a couple of nurses examined Nash. After that, they proceeded to nearly murder him while they cleaned the burn. Pain had been something Nash had become accustomed to over the years. Christ, even something he enjoyed, reminding him that he was pushing his limits. Nothing got him more pumped up than the sweet rush of adrenaline racing through his veins.

  What he didn’t like were hospitals. His nose crinkled at the antiseptic scent, and the fluorescent overhead lights always gave him a headache. And he was damn happy Megan hadn’t been there to see the pain he’d gone through.

  Now lying in a hospital bed, more than annoyed, he glanced over the faces of his brothers, Harper, Emma, and his mother, who sat in the chair next to his bed. He saw in their expressions how much they hated this place too. The last time they’d been here was when Dad passed away.

  Nash didn’t even want to think of what his mother had endured, sitting out in the waiting room like she had over a year ago worrying over her husband being alive or dead. The doctor
had given her news of the latter, and while his mom often put on a good front, Nash knew Dad’s death had been a major blow that she never recovered from.

  Fucking fire.

  Seeing the discomfort of his family matched with the thought of the scared guests and the kittens made his jaw work with frustration.

  Something that had only amplified when the doctor checked on him and hovered, examining his IV bag for the third time since he had arrived.

  Doctor Clay Booth, one of River Rock’s longtime doctors, finally turned to Nash with a smile. “You look good. The nurses will come and check on you every couple of hours.” He turned to Ma and his smile warmed. “Will you be staying with him, Ms. Jenny?”

  Ms. Jenny?

  Nash frowned, taking a better look at the doctor. He was in good shape, maybe a few years older than Mom. He had stylish white hair and some hard lines on his face, showing he’d lived well. But it was the doctor’s blue eyes ogling his mother that Nash noticed most.

  “Oh, no,” Jenny said, her cheeks blushing. “He doesn’t need me to stay.”

  The doctor nodded, and his smile grew. “Will you be attending the music festival coming up soon?”

  Shep and Chase exchanged a long look, mouths hanging open. Emma and Harper appeared to be hiding their laughter. Nash was ready to jump out of the bed and kick the doctor out, burned shoulder or not. His mother didn’t want to date. Who the hell was this man?

  Jenny gave a little shrug, sitting taller. “I hadn’t really thought of it, but that does sound like fun, Clay.”

  Clay?

  Nash looked from his mother to the doctor and back again. The soft smile his mother gave had Nash eating his words to protect her. Her eyes pleaded with him to stay quiet. Nash felt his glare melt away.

  “It’s bound to be a fun time,” the doctor agreed.

  Nash controlled his voice and offered, “If she goes, we go.”

  Clay gave an easy laugh then turned to Nash, “I would have expected as much.” To Shep and Chase, he asked, “I take it you’ll be going too?”