“You know,” Doc called, “Cassidy could probably use a little help making sure she’s taking care of these two lambs correctly.”
Doc matchmaking? Jarrod couldn’t believe it. First Tru and Bo and now Doc. “Yeah, and aren’t you the helpful one?” He couldn’t help but grumble.
Doc chuckled. “You work too hard anyway. Won’t hurt you to go check on that pen.” He opened his office door and went inside, his shoulders shaking, he was laughing so hard.
Jarrod rubbed the back of his neck, his thoughts full. Then he climbed into his truck and drove toward Pops’s place. And whether or not she liked it, Doc was right. He needed to check out Cassidy’s pen.
Cassidy wasn’t real sure she’d left Plano, Texas, with all her marbles and screws in place. She had a house that was still clutter central, a barn interior that could possibly be featured on one of those trash-to-treasure TV shows, and if she didn’t get busy on it she was going to have a herd of folks lined up in her drive and nothing ready to pawn off on them. And she still had a house to finish clearing out and then painting to start and decorating to dive into.
But now, on top of all she had to do, she had just adopted an injured dog and two—repeat two—orphaned lambs.
And she wasn’t even going to think about the fact that Jarrod continued to trouble her. He’d drawn her like caramel drew chocolate, and it had been undeniable several times. It made her feel weak.
The fact was, Jack would have an affair and then he’d lie. And then when it was clear that what she’d suspected had really happened, he’d try to make her feel like it was somehow her fault. Or he’d make her think he couldn’t live without her. And that was all so confusing.
The worst part was she’d given in to him and she’d stayed. She wasn’t even clear why he wanted her to stay. But she believed it was a power issue. He liked knowing he had the power to make her stay, and he used all kinds of mind games to make it work. The man had been full of these. Even suicide threats.
But Jarrod didn’t fit into that same mold as Jack. So why was she still holding a grudge against him?
Because he tempts you so much to turn your back on your decision to remain single and in control of your life.
The lightbulb went on.
Cassidy stomped the brake and came to a jarring halt in the driveway as understanding dawned.
Even if Jarrod hadn’t broken her silly, young heart, he would still be a red flag to her. The best thing to do was to keep her distance from him, which was more important now than ever. When she came back here, she believed she was over him. That he was no risk for her.
Foolish.
Roxie had avoided all of these problems by simply remaining single.
Cassidy needed to get a handle on this right now. Nip it in the bud, as Roxie would say—obviously something Cassidy had a problem with if her miserable, pathetic excuse of a marriage was any indication. It had taken her years to nip that in the bud, but when she finally had, she’d done it well and good.
She walked away with virtually nothing. Jack controlled everything, and though they were separated for a year, they weren’t divorced because he kept dragging his feet and wouldn’t agree to any terms. She’d finally changed that by walking out after she’d come out of her coma. She had funds for now, though not what she’d been completely entitled to, which meant the funds she had would run out. If she couldn’t make a go of it here she might have to sell, and that, she’d come to realize, would be heartbreaking. This was her home.
Just like Roxie had wanted it to be.
But though Roxie had put it in a trust to protect it from being part of a divorce settlement, there were provisions that she could sell if she were single. It was a complicated transaction that had shown that Roxie knew how to hire great advisors.
If only Cassidy was smart enough to know how to make her own vision for the place come to life and pay off, she’d be doing okay.
Not wanting to think about Jarrod or Jack or losing the place any longer, she went straight to the pen attached to the barn when she got home and surveyed it with fresh eyes. Oh dear.
It was in terrible shape. But she had to do something. Maybe if she started hammering a few of the loose boards back into place it would look better.
She was hammering loose nails in the wooden gate thirty minutes later when Jarrod showed up.
How, she wanted to know, could she stop thinking about him when he refused to go away?
“Hey. I took Pops home and thought I’d come see if I could help,” Jarrod called as he got out of his truck. Cassidy was inside the pitiful pen with hammer in hand, and she wasn’t looking real happy to see him.
“I’m doing all right—” she said.
“Hold on. Don’t send me away. I know you don’t want my help. I’ve gotten the message. But since you don’t really have a lot of time, I took a chance.”
She looked conflicted as she looked from him to the pen. Her shoulders slumped as she held out the hammer to him. “I would appreciate your help.” She said it with less than welcoming enthusiasm.
He took the hammer. “Smile. You rescued a dog and two lambs today.”
She gave a soft laugh. “You’re right. I did rescue them, at least the pup.” She waved at the pen. “Please help me pull this disaster together. But”—she held up a pointer finger—“after that you can go back to not helping me.”
He laughed. “It’s a deal.”
He took her place beside the gate and studied it for a moment. Then he lined the nail up and pounded it into the wood in two swift, precise smacks of the hammer before propping the hammer head on his hip.
He had realized on the way home from the vet clinic that he owed her an explanation.
“I need to say this. I know I messed up all those years ago. I kissed you and then I ran off, and obviously the kiss didn’t mean that much to you. But I need to tell you . . . that I’m sorry. I kissed you that night, and then I ran like a scared rabbit and didn’t explain. I—”
She sank to the rickety bench beside the gate. “I know that. I’m not sure I want to talk about this. It was just a kiss, after all.”
He placed a hand on the fence post and stared into the distance. “Yeah, okay. I still needed to say I’m sorry, I didn’t handle things right. Not the way I should have.” He’d almost told her that the kiss had meant more to him. So much more that it had sent him running scared. But he understood from their conversations that if he told her, revealed how much he cared, it would be Cassidy who did the running this time.
Cassidy rubbed her suddenly damp palms on her jeans. This was not what she needed to hear right now. “It happened a long time ago. And I was a confused young woman. I’m still a confused woman, just not so young anymore.”
He placed a nail on another loose area of the fence and slammed the hammer to it, sending it home with one blow. “You’re not old. And that was what scared me most. That you were confused. Look.” He knelt down to the base of the fence and rested an arm on his knee. Her heart slammed into her throat, seeing him on one knee.
“The thing is, I know you’ve gone through a rough time. I just think it would be best if we get this out in the open and then we can move forward and be . . . friends again. We were once, remember?”
Her insides were tumbling like rocks off a mountain. Hitting hard and rolling around all jumbled together. “It’s forgotten.” Liar. “You need to know I’m not looking for anything other than friendship. And I can do without that if I need to. I’m serious, Jarrod. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea or anything. My whole life has been wrapped up in bad results from what most people consider blessings. Love, romance, marriage—I’m not interested in any of that anymore. I’m interested in living a quiet, fulfilled life here, and I need you to understand that. Just in case you were entertaining other ideas, you know. That kiss was a mistake just like you said it was that night.” Her tone hardened on the last sentence. She’d lived with the memory of his words all these years. Tha
t kiss had meant so much to her and he’d said it was a mistake and then he’d left for Montana the next morning. Left her feeling just like she had for most of her life—that she was the mistake . . .
He held out his hand. She stared at it, conflicting emotions warring inside of her. And then, not exactly sure what he was doing, or what she was doing, she took it. His callused palm was warm and rough as it met hers, and it sent a shiver through her.
“Friends.” Sincerity darkened his eyes.
She swallowed hard, trying to ease the dryness of her throat. “Friends,” she managed to say without croaking too badly. Before he could feel her hand tremble, she pulled it from his and fought down the rioting reaction she was having to his touch.
She popped up from the bench, a knot lodged in her chest as she fought to gain control of her sanity. He stood too.
“That should do it on the fence gate. Now let’s check the slats on the fence.”
“Sure.” Cassidy hurried to the far side of the pen from him, glad for the momentary distance to gain her senses back. They both studied the fence post and then began to work on repairing it. Having gotten control of her adolescent reaction, when she found a loose board she held it while he nailed it in place. Friends. They were going to be neighbors and friends. She could handle that.
She could.
When he declared the fence lamb-safe—not pretty, but safe—he checked out the shelter in the corner and gave it a thumbs-up.
“Why don’t I pick you up tomorrow and we’ll go get the lambs together? I’ll bring some hay and we can get the other supplies from Doc.”
She needed to refuse him. To do it on her own. But they’d just made a truce of sorts and he had been so helpful. A standoff by her was going to do nothing but cause undue stress, and it was childish. “That would be helpful. What about work?”
“I run the ranch, Cassidy. I have men who take care of things if I need to be somewhere else.”
“Then I’ll see you about two or three. I have something to do until then.” She realized she was already looking forward to his company. As friends. This was much better than being angry about their past. At one point in her life she’d blamed him for the mistake she’d made marrying Jack, but that was unfair. She had been the one who’d been a fool.
But that was all over.
He touched the brim of his hat, then walked toward his truck.
“Thanks,” she called. And meant it.
“My pleasure, ma’am,” he said over his shoulder, but he didn’t look back.
Cassidy forced herself to turn toward the barn. She had work to do. A lot of work to do. It was already Wednesday, leaving her only two days until the sale.
She worked late into the night. Might as well since she wouldn’t have been able to sleep for worrying that she’d just let down her guard and she was going to live to regret it.
12
By noon the next day Cassidy felt better about the sale that would start bright and early the next morning. She was surprised when Maggie and Abby showed up to work mid-morning. They’d brought a playpen along for Levi, who entertained himself by watching them move things around. They priced and moved the smaller items onto the temporary tables she made out of some old doors and plywood she found in the barn.
The playpen didn’t last long, though. Levi wanted in on the action. Cassidy scooped him up out of the playpen and let him play stickers with her. She wrote a price on a sticker and he stuck it anywhere on the item he wanted to. He loved it.
They stopped to eat a quick sandwich and then got back to work.
Cassidy started checking her watch about two.
“Is something wrong?” Abby asked. “You’ve been checking your watch a lot.”
Cassidy stuck a fifty-cent price tag on a small wind chime. She’d told them about the lambs she was supposed to go pick up, then added, “Well, I was actually expecting Jarrod. He said he would take me to pick up the lambs.”
“Oh really,” Maggie said, questions in her eyes. “I’m kind of liking this.”
Abby came out from the barn carrying the bassinette Cassidy hadn’t tossed out for some strange reason. “Hey, Maggie, look at this antique cradle. If we cleaned this up and gave it a new coat of paint, it would be darling for a new baby. What?” She halted in her tracks and looked from Cassidy to Maggie. “Okay, what did I miss? You two look like something good was being discussed.”
Cassidy eyed Abby. “What did I miss? Is someone having a baby?”
Maggie beamed. “Abby, Jarrod is going to show up any minute to take Cassidy into town to pick up her new baby sheep. And, Cassidy, I’m expecting a baby in about two months.”
“Jarrod, over here again.” Abby spoke with unabashed enthusiasm. “He is certainly spending a lot of time hanging around you. This is pretty exciting.”
Cassidy was in too much shock over Maggie to care in that specific moment. “You don’t look seven months pregnant. Really?”
Maggie chuckled. “No, no,” she managed to say, still chuckling. “We’re adopting. I work with Over the Rainbow a few miles from here. It’s a home for unwed, pregnant teens. One of the teens asked us to be the parents of her baby, and after much prayer and consideration we decided to do it. We want kids so much. We’re really excited.”
“Wow, I’m happy for y’all.” Cassidy couldn’t think of anyone who would be a better mother.
“So spill,” Abby said after patiently waiting for Maggie to finish talking. Before anything else could be said, though, Jarrod pulled into the driveway. Abby shot her a pleased smile. “Interesting.”
Cassidy ignored her.
“So how’s it going?” Jarrod asked as he strode across the yard to them. “Y’all going to make some big money?”
“You bet we are,” Abby said. “This is very neighborly of you to take Cassidy to pick up her animals. Cassidy, you go on and don’t worry about anything. Maggie, Levi, and I will just price away while you kids are gone.”
Jarrod looked suddenly leery of his sister-in-law.
“Don’t look so worried, Jarrod.” Abby smiled. “I’m glad you’re taking some time off from working constantly.”
Cassidy was very uncomfortable now about the whole situation and beginning to worry that she’d made a mistake letting him help her bring the lambs home.
“You sure are quiet today,” he said after they’d driven about halfway into town.
“Just a lot on my mind. I’ll be glad to get the sale out of the way and have one more thing off my list.”
When they reached the vet’s, Clara Lyn was standing on the porch.
“Well, hi there, you two. What are y’all up to?” She was looking from one to the other.
Extremely self-conscious for fear everyone would start to get the wrong idea about the two of them if they were seen together too often, Cassidy over explained. “I’m getting two lambs from Doc and Jarrod is helping me get them home. You know, they need extra care to make sure they make the ride home without too much trauma.” What?
Jarrod’s lip twitched and Clara Lyn grinned.
“Sure they do. I’m quite certain Jarrod doesn’t mind at all. Hey, here you go.” She handed Cassidy a white flyer with red, white, and blue fireworks exploding all over it, announcing the Fourth of July celebration the following week.
“We want to make sure you’re aware of this. It’s going to be a great day. You’re bringing your peaches?”
“Yes, I should have some ripe ones by then.”
“Great. Jarrod, maybe you can go help her pick some.”
“I’d be glad to.” His dark-blue eyes crinkled with amusement.
Cassidy’s temper rose. He was finding it funny that people were starting to do exactly what she wanted them not to do. “I’ll talk to you about it later, Jarrod. I have lambs to get now.” She didn’t wait around for more blatant hints of matchmaking. Instead, she strode through the door and immediately heard the tap, tap of the pig’s hooves on the tile floor in the hallway.
A Wet Floor sign stood in the middle of the empty waiting room, but she didn’t think anything about it until the pig came barreling around the corner. Clover saw her, squealed gleefully, and never stopped running. One second Cassidy was standing and the next the pig was sliding across the wet floor like a bowling ball. She struck Cassidy in the ankles with such force that Cassidy’s feet flew out from under her and she went airborne.
It all happened so fast that Cassidy wasn’t prepared, and she came down hard on the tile floor. The fall in the yard that first night at Strawberry Hill had nothing on this.
Her hip hit first and pain shot through her.
“Cassidy!” Jarrod rushed inside and knelt beside her. “Don’t move.”
“Oh my goodness!” Clara Lyn exclaimed, dropping her flyers as she hustled to her side, bangles jingling as she knelt down too.
Cassidy’s hip throbbed. Clover instantly stuck her snout in Cassidy’s ear and licked, making not moving impossible. She jumped.
“No, ma’am,” Clara Lyn admonished, throwing her arms around the pig and pulling her away. “You’ve already caused enough trouble, young lady.”
“What’s all the ruckus in here? Missy leaves and I can’t get a dadgum thing done—” Cassidy saw Doc’s eyes widen in dismay, seeing her sprawled on the floor. “Oh. What happened here?” He bent down to join the others.
“Clover slipped on the wet floor. I’m fine. My hip is sore, but I’m fine.”
Doc, as gruff as he was, looked worried. “Missy mopped before she took the afternoon off. I’m sorry about that. Let’s look you over. Don’t move just yet.”
“You didn’t hit your head, did you?” Jarrod sounded grave, and his gaze probed hers intensely. She became aware that he was cradling her head in the crook of his arm.
“No. I don’t think so. I’m glad. I already had one concussion recently, and I wouldn’t want another one.” The words were out before she realized she was saying them.
Kissed by a Cowboy Page 10