by Kat Martin
“Yeah, well, it’s worse than it looks. It’s nice of you to offer, but—”
She gently squeezed his shoulder. “I’m from Wyoming, Kade. I’ve worked in conditions like these. You need a hand. I can do the job.”
He didn’t want her to do it. He already had a man down, and he didn’t want Ellie getting hurt. He started to shake his head.
“Let me help you, Kade,” she said softly.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, felt the roughness along his jaw. “I need a couple of hours’ sleep. Seth and Turtle came in with me. They need to eat and get a little rest before we go back out. If you’re still willing, I’ll have Billy saddle you a horse.”
“I’ll get my things together. I can do this, Kade. If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have offered.”
Already regretting his decision, he finished his meal and headed upstairs to bed. Two hours later, his alarm went off. Ignoring the wet, muddy clothes he had discarded in a pile on the bathroom floor, he put on his long underwear, jeans and boots, and a heavy flannel shirt, snapped his chaps up the sides, and went back down to the kitchen.
Seth and Turtle were already there. Kade paused long enough to down a mug of hot coffee and grab a couple of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. He set the empty mug on the kitchen counter as Ellie arrived in jeans, a turtleneck sweater, and a pair of scuffed brown cowboy boots. He could tell by the fuller shape of her body that she was wearing long underwear, which told him he had spent way too much time checking out her sexy curves. At the moment, he was just glad she was dressed warmly.
“Looks like you’re all ready to go,” he said.
“I was raised on a ranch. I came prepared.”
Turtle cast a sideways look at Ellie. “Boss, you sure about this?”
“Kade might not be sure, but I am,” Ellie said. “I’m ready any time you are.”
Kade strode to the door, grabbed his hat and tugged the brim down low. Ellie grabbed a heavy down jacket off the back of a chair and slipped it on.
“You got a hat?” he asked.
She picked up a battered felt cowboy hat off the table next to the coat and settled it on her head as if she had done it a thousand times.
Kade looked at the woman in front of him, and heat rushed straight to his groin. Jesus. The shot of lust was totally unexpected, completely out of place, and definitely unwanted.
“Rain gear?” he asked.
“Seth found me a slicker that’ll work.”
“All right, let’s go.” The men walked outside into the pouring rain. Kade stopped Ellie as she started past him. “Stay close. Where I go, you go. Okay?”
She just nodded and headed out the door. Kade followed, the rain slamming into him as he walked next to her toward the barn. Billy had saddled four fresh horses. The kid stood just inside the barn holding the reins, Smoke close beside him. He’d be staying in the bunkhouse till the storm quieted enough for him to go home.
Kade strode toward his second mount, a big bay gelding named Kojak. Billy had saddled a spotted mare named Painted Lady for Ellie—a good choice, Kade figured. The mare was strong, dependable, and easy to manage.
Ellie made a cursory examination of the equipment, checked the bridle, the front and back cinches, and the length of the stirrups Billy had shortened to fit her. Kade blinked when she ignored the stirrups, grabbed the horn and vaulted into the saddle, then looked over at him and grinned.
Kade laughed. He was freezing his ass off, his eyes gritty from lack of sleep. The rumble of mirth coming from his chest completely surprised him. And he appreciated it more than she could know. He touched the brim of his hat in salute, gigged the bay, and they rode out of the barn into the rain.
Kade wasn’t laughing an hour later when the wind picked up and the rain turned to sleet, then snow, blowing sideways in a full-on Colorado Rocky Mountain blizzard.
* * *
Ellie had forgotten how cold a snowstorm like this could be. Now her fingers and toes were numb, her cheeks chafed and burning. Her hat was gone, replaced by a wool cap pulled low over her ears. She drew up the handkerchief that had slipped down around her neck and nudged the paint horse forward.
She knew Kade was somewhere close by, but she couldn’t see him though the blinding white. She nearly missed the calf that had slid into a depression filled with mud and was almost completely hidden by the falling snow.
Ellie climbed down from the mare, grabbed the coil of rope off the horn, and slogged her way through the tall drifts to the downed animal. She slipped a noose around the calf’s neck, remounted, and dallied the rope around the horn.
Tugging lightly on the reins, she urged the mare backward, her gaze on the calf. “Come on, sweetheart, get on your feet.” The rope went taut, and the calf slid a little out of the icy mud, but the animal was half-frozen and barely able to move.
She started to dismount when a second loop dropped over the calf’s head; then the rope went taut as Kade’s bay horse moved backward. Working together, they pulled the calf out of the slushy mud. The calf bellowed and struggled to its feet. Kade removed the ropes, and the little guy trotted off toward its mother, who stood a few feet away.
“Let’s move them back with the others,” Kade said. “We’ll push them all up into the draw out of the wind.”
Ellie nodded, and they drove cow and calf back to the herd in the north pasture, then pushed the animals up into the canyon, where the wind wasn’t so deadly. Ellie sighed in relief as Kade rode up beside her.
“Let’s head in. You’ve done more than your share, and the snow’s letting up. Most of the cows have been moved someplace they can weather the storm. That’s all we can do for now.”
Ellie just nodded, too weary to speak. It was dark as she rode next to Kade across the pasture back toward the barn. The rest of the hands were also heading home, nothing more than fuzzy dark spots in the distance.
As they reached the fence line nearest the house, Ellie spotted a small, dark shape lying on its side, almost completely covered by snow. She touched Kade’s shoulder, pointed to the fallen calf, rode over, and swung down beside it.
Dread rose as she recognized the black-and-white pattern of Smoke’s heavy coat, his face barely visible beneath a layer of snow. Her eyes burned as she crouched and ran a hand over the dog’s cold, still body. She looked up to see Kade standing beside her, long legs splayed, rain slicker blowing in the wind, his jaw as hard as granite.
“It’s Smoke,” Ellie said. “He’s dead.” Her throat felt raw and so tight she could barely force out the words.
Kade crouched beside her, leaned over, and brushed the snow off the dog’s familiar face. Ellie started to help so Kade could take Smoke home when a faint whimper escaped.
“He’s alive!” Ellie shouted into the wind.
Kade scooped the animal into his powerful arms, lifted Smoke against his chest, and started striding toward his horse. “It’s okay, boy. I’ve got you now. We’re going to get you home, and you’re going to be okay.”
Kade stepped into the stirrup, swung a leg over the horse’s rump, and settled in the saddle, holding the dog against his chest.
“Go ahead,” Ellie said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Kade whirled the big bay and thundered away as Ellie swung up on Painted Lady and hurried to catch up with him. He paused to look over his shoulder, making sure she was all right. Then the big horse leaped forward as Kade raced for the house.
Billy was waiting. It was Friday night. The boy had spent the night instead of going home. His mother worked at a bar in Eagle and didn’t pay much attention to where he was or when he got back. Kade looked out for Billy and kept him safe.
“Is that . . . is that Smoke?” the boy asked. “What . . . what happened? How bad is he hurt? Is he . . . is Smoke gonna be okay?” Billy loved Smoke even more than Kade did. Ellie’s heart went out to him.
“We’re going to do our best, son.” Kade dismounted and strode toward the house, the dog secure in his a
rms. By the time Ellie had helped Billy take care of the horses, Kade had a blanket draped over the kitchen table. Smoke lay silently on top while Kade examined him.
“Can you tell what’s wrong?” Ellie asked as she walked up to him.
His jaw firmed. “I can tell, all right. Smoke’s been shot. Got to be the same bastard who killed my steers.”
“God, Kade. How bad is it?”
“The bullet entered just in front of his right front leg and kept going. It tore the muscles and tendons, but it didn’t break any bones. He’s hypothermic, and he’s lost a lot of blood.”
“Can we get the vet out here?” Ellie asked.
“In this weather? Not a chance. I’ll clean the wound and stitch him up while we try to get him warm. Best we can do.” His eyes found hers, and she could read the anger he was fighting to hold inside. “I could use your help.”
“Of course. I’ll put some water on and find some towels, get things ready for you. Just let me know what you need.”
Kade nodded. He’d been raised on the ranch. Ranchers handled all kinds of animal emergencies. Ellie wasn’t surprised that Kade planned to tend to Smoke’s injury, which included sewing him up.
Maria appeared in the doorway, her arms full of towels, what looked like an old sheet, another blanket, and a heating pad. She set them on the end of the breakfast table.
“Thanks, Maria,” Kade said.
Billy shoved open the kitchen door, letting in a blast of icy air. “I brought the vet kit. Can you fix him?”
“Thanks. I’m going to need that. We’re going to do everything we can to take care of him.” Kade looked down at the dog, whose chest barely rose and fell. “He’s still alive, still responding.” He started cleaning the wound, cutting away the fur and swabbing the area around the bullet hole with alcohol. “Keep him covered except where I’m working.”
Ellie and Billy held Smoke steady while Kade gave him a shot of lidocaine to numb the area around the wound, and also a shot of penicillin.
“Once I get him stitched up, we’ve got to get his body warmed up to room temperature.” But at the moment, the cold was working in their favor, keeping the dog sedate while Kade worked over him.
While Kade finished cleaning the wound, Ellie threaded a needle. Kade wasn’t the only one who’d been raised on a ranch. She handed him the needle, and he began pulling it through the dog’s flesh, sewing the entry wound good and tight, then the exit wound. When he finished, Ellie moved the heating pad up to cover a little more of Smoke’s body, then covered him with a blanket.
“Best we can do for now,” Kade said. “Once we get him warm, we can move him to his bed in my study.”
Maria turned and started for the door. “I’ll go in and get it ready for him, make sure it’s clean and warm.”
Kade just nodded.
Ellie watched the careful way his hand gently smoothed over Smoke’s body. The shooter had chosen a precious target tonight, one dangerously close to the ranch house. How far was the man willing to go? Who would be his next victim?
Kade took a last long look at the dog who meant so much to him and everyone on the ranch. At the hard glint in his whiskey-brown eyes, Ellie knew exactly what he was thinking.
She felt no pity for the man who had become Kade’s enemy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE STORM RAGED FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS, BUT THE WINDS HAD died down, and the temperature had risen enough that the cattle were no longer in danger of freezing. Aside from a few stray head that the hands rounded up and drove back to herds in various pastures, the danger had mostly passed. Keeping track of four thousand cows wasn’t an easy job, but the men were used to it, Kade included.
And every day Smoke continued to improve. He was still sleeping in his dog bed in the study, but he was alert and eating. Kade figured that by tomorrow the dog would be up and moving around. With Billy hovering over him, Smoke couldn’t be in better hands.
Riley Parker was back at work. He couldn’t ride a horse, but he was in good spirits and eager to help. He could drive an ATV. Wyatt had come up with a dozen jobs he could handle.
Hungry and tired at the end of the day, Kade joined the men in the kitchen. Ellie was back working with Maria. Tonight they served a hearty meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy, with berry cobbler for dessert. After the long hours the crew had been working, the food tasted especially good.
The men were just about finished, relaxed and joking, when Kade pushed back from the table. He still had work to do in his study, and he wanted to check on Smoke. He flicked a glance at Ellie and felt a familiar stirring.
He’d wanted Ellie Bowman since the day he’d walked into her office in Denver. That want had only grown stronger during the time she had been working on the ranch. With a frustrated sigh, he went into his study to check on Smoke. The dog was peacefully sleeping. Kade ran a hand gently over Smoke’s thick coat, then sat down behind his desk and got to work.
A few minutes later, a familiar knock had him lifting his head. Ellie. His pulse kicked up. “Door’s open. Come on in.”
She walked in and closed the door, her gaze going to Smoke. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s sleeping. Looks like he’s going to be okay.”
“That’s great, Kade.” She was wearing a soft yellow sweater that clung to her full breasts and sent arousal burning through him.
“I just got a call from Conner,” she said. “Conn tracked down Frank Keller’s military records.”
Kade rose from his chair. “Tell me.”
“Keller was army E.O.D, Kade. Explosive Ordinance Disposal.”
Kade thought of the bomb in the mine that had wound up costing a man his leg. He thought of Smoke and how close the animal had come to dying. “That rotten sonofabitch. The explosion in the tunnel, the shootings . . . has to be him.”
“Keller was dishonorably discharged four years ago for failing a drug test. According to Conn, because of the danger involved in handling a bomb, EOD is especially concerned with that.”
“Drugs. Not smart in his line of work.”
“That’s for sure. Last known address was an apartment in Denver. Moved out the end of summer.”
“Before he came here.”
“No record of where he is now.”
Kade grunted. “Somewhere close enough to kill two steers, blow up a mine shaft, and shoot my dog. I’ll call Carver and let him know.” He’d phoned the sheriff the morning after they’d found Smoke, but with the severity of the storm, Carver was up to his ass in alligators. Kade understood that. Now he had the name of a likely suspect. With any luck, Carver would find and arrest him.
“I’m heading into town in the morning,” Ellie said. “I know you have plenty of work to do here.”
He couldn’t argue. “That’s an understatement. I haven’t really had a chance to thank you for what you did out there.” He rounded the desk and walked toward her. He closed his hand into a fist to keep from reaching out to touch her.
Ellie looked up at him. “I’m glad I could help.”
“I promised to take you dancing at the Elkhorn,” he reminded her.
Ellie smiled. “The storm had other ideas.”
He wanted to say more, tell her how impressed he had been with the way she’d handled herself, how grateful he was for what she had done. He looked into her pretty face, but instead of speaking, his hands encircled her waist, and he pulled her against him. In less than a heartbeat, his prized control faded, and his mouth came down over hers.
Ellie stiffened for an instant, then her lips softened under his. Her palms slid over his chest, and she kissed him back, opening to invite him in. She tasted sweet as honey and a little bit naughty, and the desire he’d been fighting broke free.
Kade deepened the kiss, turned it wet and hot and erotic. Cupping her round behind, he lifted her into the vee at the front of his jeans and let her feel his arousal. Ellie moaned, and her nipples budded. He was hard and throbbing as he slid his hands bene
ath her sweater and unhooked her bra, then filled his palms with her soft, full breasts.
He wanted to put his mouth there, feel her smooth skin against his tongue. He wanted to strip her naked, drag her down on the rug, and bury himself inside her.
“I want you so damn much.” He kissed her again, a deep, taking kiss that Ellie returned full measure. Lust pumped like a drug through his veins, and his groin tightened. Ellie’s fingers dug into the muscles across his shoulders, and a soft moan slipped from her throat. Her body melted into his, fitting him even more perfectly than he had imagined. Then she broke away.
“Kade . . . I-I . . . can’t. We can’t do this.” She was breathing hard, and so was he.
“Why the hell not? You don’t want me? Because I think you do.” He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again. Ellie softened and kissed him back, then turned away.
“Please don’t, Kade.”
Reluctantly, Kade let her go. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not the kind of man who takes what a woman isn’t willing to give.”
Ellie sighed. “I know that. It’s just . . . you’re a hard man to resist, Kade, and even if you were interested in a relationship, which I doubt, I’m not the docile, meek sort of woman you need. I value my independence too much.”
Amusement trickled through him, easing some of his frustration. “You think that’s what I need? A meek, docile woman I can boss around?”
“Well, you can’t deny you’re used to giving orders.”
“True enough. But one of the things I like about you, Eleanor Bowman, is your strength. Unlike most of the women I know, you’re not the least bit intimidated by me.”
“Well, no, but—”
He bent and kissed her softly one last time. “Think about it, Ellie. Maybe you being you and me being me might work out just fine.” He ran a finger down her cheek, turned and walked over to the door. Kade pulled it open. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
Ellie moistened her lips, which were plump and pink from his kisses. His erection throbbed as she walked past him out of the study.