by Susan Arden
“If this is just for effect, I might need some serious strength training,” she whispered.
“What are you talking about?”
“My hand.” Her eyes were wide and innocent. “You’re almost crushing my fingers.”
Matt let go as though his hand were on fire. “Sorry,” he apologized gruffly. If this was his attempt to lock-down the truth, he was failing miserably. Without looking her in the eye, he grabbed hold of his hat. He still felt the warmth of her hand imprinted on his fingers. It wasn’t his imagination.
Carolina slipped her hand into his. “I don’t mind, just not so tight.”
Using his free hand, he fixed his hat on his head. “That’s a can do,” he said, unable to suppress a grin. Without gripping or dropping her fingers, he held the door for Carolina, enjoying the warmth spreading through his palm and up his arm.
Outside on the porch, Matt paced himself. Aware of how she gazed off into the distance, he didn’t prod or poke. When she seemed ready, they descended the porch, hand in hand. It felt good.
He walked with her to his Jeep and opened the door. “We’ll take a loop around the ranch and then over to the offices. Unless you’d prefer to take the SUV.”
“The Jeep will be great. No holding back. I want to see as much as we can. If that’s possible.” Carolina pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and threaded her hair through a band.
He got in behind the wheel as she was changing from heels to a pair of sandals that she had in her bag. Afterward, he reached over across her lap to buckle her seatbelt. “Excuse me, I don’t intend on losing you anytime soon.”
Her skin flushed a pretty pink. “There wasn’t much online about the size of Evermore. Other than property records that contained warranty deeds. Not available online, though. I checked Google maps. A few other sites which made it seem like you all own quite a spread. That’s the right word. Isn’t it?”
“You don’t lie when you say you liked to be prepared.” He chuckled softly, shifting gears. “This part of Evermore is just over a hundred thousand acres. Takes up most of the western side of Annona. We own other property, several in fact. A portion is entailed to my uncles.”
“Last count for head of cattle was late spring. When is your next report going to be ready?”
“We’re getting another count completed. So far it looks like we’re down to fifty-five thousand head, plus or minus a couple of hundred. This year, viable calving estimates are at about twenty-six thousand. We’re way down on calving. But we’re also due for a fall birthing and hopefully, our numbers will go up.”
Talking with Carolina eased his worry unlike the ranch business conversation with his family that included uncles, aunts, and cousins. Those talks were emotionally charged, no one agreed on a solution, and his father did exactly as he wanted without explaining his rationale.
According to the by-laws of Evermore, they always held a family business meeting in August. Three weeks away. Something had to change. On the agenda, he’d called for a vote. An ironclad agreement on an operating procedure that included substantial technology upgrades so they could continue to run, grow, and compete in the world as it was today, not some cattleman’s handshake and backroom agreement. Wade still used an index card system to keep track of events and people.
His father had a cell phone but rarely used the thing. Not that he could fault his dad on that one. But Matt had gotten the specs for the cell tower. A joint venture. The mobile company was willing to pay a hefty bonus and monthly fee to build it and maintain it on Evermore land. Before he’d left for Miami, he’d overseen the pouring of a concrete pad and the installation of a chain link fence. He’d reviewed all the bids submitted and had whittled it down to one cell phone provider. Then their Wi-Fi dilemma would finally be over. No excuses. It was time to move forward. Matt had sworn last year that he’d solve this problem and he had. Now, it was time to act. The first step was to present a viable solution at the annual board meeting.
They’d driven in silence for a time and he broke by saying, “That’s the herd we’ve had the most problems with.” He pointed to the low country where the cattle were grazing, half a mile off.
Carolina had her cell phone out, snapping photographs. “That’s a pretty large herd.”
“Near to five hundred head of cattle.”
She removed a pair of Pentax compact binoculars from her bag and gazed over to him. “Care for a turn?”
“You enjoy. I’ve seen the herds close-up.” After several minutes, Matt took out his own cell and snapped a photo.
Carolina did a double take. They both had their cells out and were taking photographs. They spent another five minutes, observing the herd. In between, Carolina used a recording app on her cell and she dictated notes.
They made several stops and he explained about the herds. How many losses, the approximate dates and answered her questions. After an hour, both of them were sweating. “Care for one?” He reached in back and brought out two bottles of water.
“Perfect timing. Phew, I didn’t realize how hot summer was away from Miami.” Carolina’s tanned skin was flushed as she sipped on the bottle, still observing the herds from behind the binoculars.
It amazed him that for all the upheaval on the horizon, with her, he felt at peace. At the fork in the road, instead heading to the loop that would take them back to the office, he warned, “Hold onto the hand grip.”
He veered off onto a dirt road. They were jostled by the ruts until he pulled into a grove of trees and parked.
Carolina wore a pleased but surprised look. “Where are we?”
“There’s a place I’d like to show you.”
They climbed out of the Jeep. He took her by the hand but she pulled back.
“There’s no one here, why the pretense?”
“Maybe I’m not pretending. Would that be so bad?”
“No, it’s just.” Her eyes widened as he took her other hand, squeezing her fingertips.
“Carolina, I won’t bite you. Not yet at least,” he teased.
She studied him for a second. “Don’t start something, you can’t handle is all I’m saying.”
“Let me worry about that.” It wasn’t a glib comment.
“Then what about me. What if I can’t handle it?”
Unable to resist, Matt released her to slap his palms together and asked, “Hear that?” He kept up the rhythmic slapping.
Carolina observed him as if he’d gone ‘round the bend. “What’s that supposed to be?”
“It’s the sound of you running away,” he supplied. “Something you do a lot.”
“Ha, ha,” she quipped, genuinely appearing off-balanced.
Matt recaptured her hands, pulling her closer. “Caro, regret isn’t something I want to live with.” Especially when it came to this woman. He’d tasted regret less than thirty-six hours ago, and it sucked. Maybe she needed a reminder of how real it felt when they weren’t pretending. “Can you say the same thing?”
She gave him a tiny nod. It was enough. With her hand enclosed in his, they started down the path. Veering off, they ambled to a worn trail, following a dusty dirt line in the ground, toward a hammock of oaks and walnut trees. There was a faint rush of gurgling sounds before them. The breeze stirred the golden grass, sweeping designs into the surface. Past the tree line, it was shady, and the grass thinned around an embankment where moving water clearly sounded. The connection he felt with Carolina, had poked and prodded, urged him to do something to rekindle it, when they’d been apart. Now, with her at his side, that edgy restless energy smoothed out instead of strangling his concentration.
“It’s beautiful, so serene. Do any of the cattle come here?” Carolina giggled in delight as they stood on the bank of the spring.
“None. They would if they could. It’s the highest point of the property. With the deep gulley on one side, it’s a natural barrier. The electric fencing to the south prevents coyotes
and wolves from crossing over and keeps out the cattle from this little oasis.”
She slipped off her shoes. They walked along the edge and she waded into the water.
“Oh, it feels so nice. Do you ever come swimming here? The water’s crystal clear. We’ve got canals and waterways all over Miami, but they’re sometimes green.” She pulled away and he released her fingers.
As she ventured farther into the water, Matt shoved his hands into his pockets, enjoying the scene of her here and so free.
“Nothing flows upstream, so the water is always pristine. After a day in the saddle, I come here to unwind. I thought maybe you might need a place to escape to.”
Carolina bent down and scooped the water between her hands. Rivulets ran down her arms and splattered her clothing. Matt watched, mesmerized by the sight of this professional vet. She reminded him of a fairy tale water nymph as her hair lifted and swirled in the breeze.
Carolina suddenly stood and laughed. “Come join me.” Her firm round breasts strained against the thin material of her shirt.
“I’m good.” His voice came out in a gravelly pitch as he watched her frolic. Didn’t she know the effect she was having on him?
Her nipples darted her shirt. The sight would send a lesser man over the edge. As it was, all the blood housed in his idiot skull currently headed south of the border. In a heartbeat, this spot changed from serene into a place he’d like to lay Carolina down and drive himself into her over and over.
Watching her was torture, tempting him past the point of breaking. He had to focus on something else other than her sexy curves. Or imagining her naked body warmed by the sun. An impossible feat— given his jackass eyes didn’t seem capable of looking the other way.
This is what he got for not taking Caro straight to the office and let her begin her job. Maybe she had a lab coat in one of those suitcases. If she remained seated at a desk, he might just be capable of ignoring her overt sensuality.
Just when he thought he had a plan and was back in control, Matt got a whiff of her perfume. He looked up and glimpsed the curve of her breasts. Not just a peek. The neckline of her shirt fell away from her chest, revealing a generous expanse of her breasts. It only got worse. Carolina had fistfuls of her skirt hiked up her thighs.
“How long has this stream been here?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
Sweet Jesus! Matt gritted his teeth and moved farther away from the bank of the stream. “I’ve come here since I was a boy. Over there’s my rock. Whenever I had a problem, Miss Louisa would say, ‘To go down to my sittin’ rock.’ It never failed when I was a kid.”
“And now?”
“Maybe my problems got too large for a rock. Some days, it feels like I might need the whole boulder.”
Their gazes met. Locked, really. The air left Matt’s lungs. The unguarded expression that Carolina wore mirrored what he felt.
Matt didn’t have a prayer, if it meant keeping his distance. Not when she looked at him like that. He retraced his footsteps to Carolina. A primal urge surged like a wildfire over his body, pushing him onward. They were inches apart and he lifted her hand. He was almost paralyzed by her exquisite beauty.
Caro squeezed his fingers. “I know what you mean. Why is this so hard between us?”
“It’s not,” he said.
That was a lie. Matt fought to control his breathing, but the rapid rise and fall of Carolina’s chest only brought home the fact that she was just as worked up. Just as on fire. She stepped out of the water, biting her lush pink lip.
Fuck, he wanted to kiss her until they were both at the point of admitting it was ridiculous to keep up this lie. What would it take to start again?
“Are you confused? I am.” Carolina’s admission opened the door and he pushed on through, going to her. She entwined her arm around his, drawing his hand against her soft body.
Consumed by driving hunger, Matt pulled her to him until they were hip to hip. “I’m not confused. I want you. End of story.”
If this woman had any doubts about how much he wanted her, the rock-hard erection in his jeans was unmistakable. Instead of easing away, Carolina pressed her forehead against his shoulder. By doing so, her gorgeous breasts teased his chest and his last thread of self-control.
“Remember our agreement,” she whispered. “Give me a week to run the tests. Then we’ll know what you’re dealing with and you’ll have some answers to all your questions.”
“Some questions are right here, Carolina. And just as important.” At that moment, she was the only answer he wanted. He feathered his fingers over her jaw, cupping her face, and lightly pressed his mouth down on hers. It was a kiss that promised what he couldn’t tell her.
As she pulled back, her eyes searched his face, uncertain and questioning. He was more than aware that she didn’t want to be put into a position of having to prove herself, any more than he did.
Before he took this too far, he stopped. Only because if he scared her, he’d lose twice: this woman and more cattle would die.
“We’d better get going,” he whispered against her mouth. This dual craving was like a knife that twisted between his ribs. “I promise, our deal will remain intact. Your professionalism is safe with me.”
“Some days I’m not sure what the term means. Least ways, not anymore.”
Matt wanted to stay right here and feed this connection they had, in this place where they felt so right, together. “Look, before we go, I want you to know that when this is over, I fully intend to ask you out on a date.”
“You mean a real date, when I’m back in Miami? How’s that supposed to work out?”
“Don’t sweat the details. We’ve got our work cut out here.” Matt prodded himself to do what was necessary and get moving to their next stop — the four walls enclosing his office.
Carolina slipped on her sandals. On the move, he steered her to the Jeep. Behind the wheel, he couldn’t put off brooding over what they’d find tomorrow. The idea of another calf dying twisted Matt’s gut. This unrest and urgent purpose gave him distance and, ironically control.
In no time, they returned to the main road. They passed the open grassy areas that led out to the open fields. The land was flat, mostly golden in the summer sun. They sped past the ranch house and onward to the outbuildings. The barns and stables were a series of white buildings. A large pole barn stood off to the side for branding the cattle. They parked and Matt escorted her around to the holding pins and pastures, explaining as they went. There were various paddocks used for treating the cattle and administering vaccines and medicine, branding and loading the cattle into trucks.
“This was the original barn built by my great-grandfather,” Matt explained. “He started out with just a couple hundred acres and a big plan. By the time my grandfather was born, he’d purchased the surrounding land. But it was my grandfather who divided the ranch all into connecting plots for each of his children. My father comes from a family of boys, but no girls. Probably why he doesn’t talk much. Didn’t need to speak much, growing up on a ranch where the work was back-breaking and the only time to rest was during meals.”
The offices were inside the smaller of the buildings. Still they occupied eighteen hundred feet, along with a loft where his family played poker once a week. They entered the main reception area. The front desk was empty. His cousin, who manned the desk, was out. They walked along the side hall where black and white photographs were hung, picturing Evermore generations back.
“Who’s this big burly man in chaps astride a horse?” Carolina asked, then glanced over to the next photograph, studying the house and porch where a woman in a long dress, wearing an apron stood.
“My great grandparents. Newly married,” he supplied. It had been years since he’d stopped to regard these photographs.
Carolina smiled at another, further down of sunburnt children on horseback. “They’re so sturdy. The future of Texas.”
Matt tappe
d a face in the picture. “That’s my dad and those are my uncles.” At the doorway to his office, he flipped on the lights. “Here’s my home away from home.”
“Whoa. This is beyond a modern set-up,” she exclaimed, entering his office and turning around. “How many computers do you own?”
A forty-inch curved precision monitor sat atop a sleek custom-built desk. At the moment, three screens were visible. A fifty-five-inch LCD flat monitor was hung on the wall. Eventually it’d be connected to Wi-Fi and become a video wall with ten-by-ten tile matrix capability. Using drone technology, monitoring herds would be easier and more efficient.
The fact that Carolina was impressed kicked up his sense of accomplishment. A smile tugged at Matt’s lips and with pride, he supplied, “I refurbished it when I returned from school. Lighting, computer servers, printers, copier, fax, you name it. My only mistake was I didn’t stipulate more changes to keep in-step with the future.”
Her eyebrows winged up, yet she didn’t ask for an explanation. “This is really in-step, if you ask me. My van is modern but nothing like this. Looks like you’re trying to give NASA a run for their money.”
“More is definitely more,” he supplied. “When the family is all on board, it gets pretty rowdy in the offices. This time of year, we’ll have an hour before they descend on the place.”
Standing, Matt brought up the Google calendar for the ranch on his desktop computer, complete with mapping capabilities.
“Ah, I see this is the week for fence repairs,” Carolina said.
“Obviously, a good time to bring you here. Miller is in charge of the accounting. Expect that he’ll pop in and out. My cousin, Trish, is responsible for inventory of supplies and equipment. She’s the daughter of my Uncle Calvin, and out on maternity. Then there’s Cade and Rod, my cousins. They handle large equipment repairs like those on combines and tractors. They’re currently on tour overseas. Marines. My brothers and I deal with the day-to-day operations.”