She bit her lip. What had he asked about earlier? Paddleboats. But those always got anchored by six, and it was almost eight o’clock now. Surely they wouldn’t try taking one of those out? There’d be no way they could get anywhere since the boats would be tied down.
Her blood rushed, pounding through her veins in frantic bursts. There’d also be no one there to make sure they didn’t attempt it. Or fall into the water trying...
“Kayden mentioned something about paddleboats earlier.” The words broke past the lump in her throat.
Dominic’s brow furrowed. His mouth opened but no sound emerged, a worried glint in his eyes.
That was enough to warrant her fears. She jerked out of his grasp and flew from the barn, her jeans pocket snagging on the handle of the wheelbarrow and tipping it over in the process.
“Cissy, wait.”
Ignoring Dominic’s call, she tore across the field back toward the paddleboat dock. It was fast approaching dark, making it difficult to discern more than just the outline of the boats in the distance.
Please let them be all right. Please.
“Kayden?” Cissy struggled to shout. Her chest burned. She panted and pushed forward, ignoring the shooting pains in her thighs. “Jayden?”
“Aunt Cissy!” Jayden’s frightened voice drifted on the air whipping by her ears.
She reached the dock, her shoes pounding across the wood slats. Two yellow-and-white paddleboats were tied down on the right side of the dock. Her eyes fluttered shut as she sighed. They were still anchored.
She rushed to the other side of the dock, shoulders lowering at the sight of another anchored paddleboat. Then she saw a loose rope rising and falling with the swell of the water. Panic surged through her again.
Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, “Jayden?”
“Over here.” It was a breathless gasp.
Cissy ran around the dock house to the edge of the platform and peered across the pond.
Jayden’s head bobbed above the water several feet out, his arms waving above him. “Kayden fell. Hurry.”
She choked on a panicked sob and scanned the area around the paddleboat. Swift splashes broke out against the surface of the water. Kayden’s drenched head appeared for a moment before it sank beneath the surface again.
Cissy plunged headfirst into the pond. She stabbed through the murky depths with her arms and legs, ignoring the sting of the water that splashed into her eyes. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of them.
She reached Jayden first, gripping his arm tight and tugging him to the paddleboat bobbing nearby. A painful heave and he tumbled safely into it. She darted back through the water toward Kayden, his broken struggles becoming a dark waterlogged blur.
“Kayden...” His name spluttered out with a mouthful of water.
It became harder and harder to move. The heavy pull of her soaked jeans weighed her legs down, and her arms had about as much strength as jelly.
She kicked harder, crying out when her calf muscle cramped up. Instinctively, her body curled in on itself. Her hands wrapped around the lower half of her leg, and her head tipped back, leaving her to gasp for air.
“Ka—” The water rushed in, filling her ears and mouth. She spit it out, kicking her free leg to rise another inch out of the water. “Kayden...hold on...”
Kayden’s splashes subsided. The surface of the water no longer sprayed with his movements. He was sinking. And she couldn’t move.
“Aunt Cissy, help him,” Jayden cried. He leaned over the edge of the paddleboat, his outstretched arm shaking.
“Kayd—”
“Help him,” Jayden sobbed.
Cissy’s chest tightened to the point she thought it’d rupture. Kayden was feet away and she couldn’t move. No, please, no...
A loud splash sounded in the distance. Followed by another. She gulped in one last deep breath before the water rolled in over her face again, struggling with her free leg to kick back to the surface as the murky darkness swirled in.
The waistband of her jeans jerked back and up, digging into her belly. A firm grip yanked her to the surface before letting go.
“Get her in the boat,” Dominic rasped, giving her bottom a hard shove before he turned and dived beneath the water.
A strong arm wrapped around her chest, underneath her arms, and pulled her backward.
“Breathe, Cissy,” Logan instructed against her ear.
She craned her neck, straining to catch a glimpse of the stretch of water where Kayden had disappeared.
“Lie back.” Logan’s voice turned firm. His grip tightened when they reached the paddleboat where he lifted her arms up to the edge. “Can you pull yourself up?”
Cissy nodded shakily. Her throat burned. She wrapped her fingers around the edge and strained, Logan’s hands lifting at her waist. Jayden’s fingers dug into the collar of her T-shirt and pulled until she fell in a heap inside the paddleboat.
Jayden whimpered at her ear, tears pouring down his face. “I can’t see him anymore,” he whispered.
Cissy gulped in deep draws of air and pressed on Jayden’s shoulders to lift her head and stare down at the dark depths.
Her stomach heaved. She couldn’t see him, either.
* * *
DOMINIC THREW HIS arm out, grappling around underneath the water in a desperate attempt to locate Kayden. His lungs seized and sharp shards of pain shot through his chest.
He hung motionless as clumps of mud and algae danced around him. Kayden’s small lungs would hold a lot less air than his. He kicked hard and dived deeper.
Come on, Kayden. Come on.
A wisp of clothing brushed his fingertips. He stabbed an arm out and managed to curl his fist into the boy’s shirt. He tugged hard, bringing Kayden’s body close and shooting to the surface.
Kayden choked and sputtered when they broke through to open air, fighting and succeeding in capturing much-needed oxygen.
Thank God. Dominic almost wept with relief.
Tremors racked the boy’s frame.
“Easy, Kayden.”
Dominic shifted, floating on his back and clutching Kayden to his midsection. He forced himself to loosen his tight grip.
Hardheaded kid. If Cissy hadn’t thought to come looking for him here—
Cissy. His eyes shot to the paddleboat. She was safe inside, sagging with relief, arms wrapped around Jayden.
Kayden’s second bout of coughing vibrated against his gut, commanding his attention and reminding him to get a move on. Dominic executed gentle kicks, being careful not to jostle the boy any more than necessary as they made their way to the edge of the pond.
He lifted Kayden out of the water and propped him on his side in the grass. The boy’s slim arms and shoulders heaved in a quick rhythm on each cough and spit of dirty pond water before he became quiet and resumed normal breathing.
Dominic smoothed back the wet hair plastered over Kayden’s eyes and cheeks, the buzzing in his blood making it difficult to maintain a steady hand.
Defiant, hardheaded kid. A minute or two more and Dominic would’ve been too late.
“Kayden, look at me.” Struggling to keep the biting edge in his tone under control, he waited until Kayden lifted his head, the boy’s blue eyes wide and fearful. “Do you have any idea how close you cut that?”
Kayden blinked several times, then nodded. “I’m sorry...” His chin trembled. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Oh, you meant to all right.” Dominic dug his hands underneath the boy’s armpits and lifted him upright. “That paddleboat didn’t untie itself. And what did I tell you about that?”
Kayden dropped his head, his words muffled against his soaked shirt. “Not to go by myself. And to always have a life per-suh...”
“Preserver,” Dominic stressed. “If you’d had one of those on, you wouldn’t be like you are now. And if you’d stayed put like your Aunt Cissy told you to, none of it would’ve happened to begin with.”
Kayde
n wrapped his hands around Dominic’s forearms and looked up at him, regret flooding his features. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Dominic’s anger fizzled, his heart melting.
Sweet, defiant, hardheaded kid. Who was he to judge anyway? His screw-ups had started long before he’d reached Kayden’s age and hadn’t stopped yet.
Sighing, he drew Kayden in and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing the solidness of his back and arms to assure himself that the boy was safe.
Jayden appeared, hovering at his elbow. Tears poured down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. “Is he okay?”
Dominic nodded, leaning back and releasing Kayden. The boys fell into each other’s arms with slight sniffles.
The soggy slap of denim sounded. Cissy limped toward them, Logan close on her heels. Her face was drawn and her mouth tight. The honey-colored strands of her hair hung in soaked clumps.
She dropped to her knees beside the boys and tugged Kayden out of Jayden’s embrace. Pinning him close, she held him for a brief moment before jerking him back and squeezing her hands around his upper arms.
“How could you do that?” Her voice rose. “I told you to stay in the barn. I told you.”
Kayden’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry, Aunt Cissy.”
“No, you’re not.” She shook him, her pale arms and slight frame quaking. “You’re not sorry. You’re never sorry. You just run wild and do anything you want. You never listen to a word I say.”
A pang of sympathy traveled through Dominic’s chest. Fear had overtaken her. “Cissy—”
“How many times do I have to tell you to listen to me?” The shaking turned fierce. “To just do what I ask?”
Her accusations became shrill. The tremors racking her small build grew more violent. Jayden sobbed heavily, his hands reaching out in an attempt to wrench her grip from his brother.
“You could have died,” Cissy shouted, her voice hoarse. “And what about Jayden? He could’ve drowned as easy as you. You could both be at the bottom of that pond right now.”
“But I’m okay, Aunt Cissy,” Jayden pleaded, patting the soggy shirt plastered over her shoulders and trying to put himself between the two. “I’m okay,” he choked out.
Dominic’s heart constricted. He winced at the terrified looks on the boys’ faces. As much as he understood her anger, it was hurting rather than helping.
“That’s enough, Cissy.” He reached out and pried her hands from Kayden, forcing her to rise.
“Let go of me.” She shoved her shoulder into his chest and struggled to break free.
Her elbow caught his rib. Dominic pushed back, being careful not to hurt her with his tight hold.
“Stop it. You need to calm down. You’re scaring them and you’re gonna make yourself sick.”
“Let me go!”
He met Logan’s eyes over her head and jerked his chin in the direction of the boys, now wrapped around each other behind him on the ground. Logan nodded, moving past him.
“Calm down, Cissy,” Dominic repeated gently, walking her backward. She stumbled several times, favoring her left leg. He stopped and smoothed his hands over her back, his fingers fumbling over the drenched folds of her T-shirt.
“L-let me g-go.” She stammered the words over and over but her fingers clutched at him, pulling him to her.
At last, she grew silent. Tears wobbled on her dark lashes and her face contorted.
“It’s okay,” Dominic murmured, running a hand over her brow and pushing her wet bangs back. He stooped and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over to one of the benches lining the pond.
She gasped when he set her down and braced her hands on the edge of the bench.
He apologized softly, running his palm down the back of her leg. “What’s wrong here?”
“Ch-charley horse.” Her teeth chattered. “I—I got it when I was in the water.” She shuddered, her leg jerking beneath his fingers. “I w-was so c-close to him...but I couldn’t...I couldn’t—”
“Hey,” he whispered. He looked up, squeezing her slim thigh and urging her to look down and meet his eyes. “Everything’s okay.”
Cissy nodded and dropped her head back against the wood bench. Dominic refocused on her calf, dragging the soaked leg of her jeans up to her knee. The muscle was tight. He wrapped his hand around it, rubbing the knot with the heel of his hand. She jumped and tried to pull away.
“Easy,” he soothed. “I’m going to rub it out but you’ve got to relax. Otherwise, it won’t work.”
Her muscles drew tighter and her face clenched.
He had to distract her. She had her emotions bottled up to the point of bursting. If she didn’t loosen up, she’d do some damage to herself.
Dominic conjured up a small smile. “You know, when I was a kid, I was just as bullheaded as Kayden. Logan was always the good boy. But I disobeyed every chance I got. Sneaked off on my own. And if I couldn’t find trouble, I’d make some.” He rubbed again, digging deep into the muscle. “It’s a wonder I survived past ten. But I did.”
The knot in her calf eased and her leg relaxed against his grip.
“What did your mom do?” she rasped.
An old, familiar memory flashed. The swirl of a white skirt and flip of a red handbag. A brush of lips on his cheek and a soft whisper—Bye, Dominic.
“Nothing.” His stomach roiled. “She wasn’t here for most of it. Left when I was eight...”
He paused in surprise, his words whispering off. As best he could remember, this was the first time he’d spoken of his mother to someone other than Logan. And that was rare at best. Their mother was a taboo subject at Raintree. One they all avoided at every opportunity.
It was too difficult a thing to revisit. Too hard to remember how easy it had been for his mother to smile, wave and walk away. Right into a waiting car and into a new life. Leaving all three Slade men standing in shocked silence in Raintree’s dirt drive. Leaving Dominic to watch as she left without any of them. Without his shaken, grief-stricken Pop. Without grim, stoic-faced Logan. And without him, tears and all.
Because none of them were enough for her. And she hadn’t needed them.
It hadn’t taken long for Dominic to decide that he should leave at the first chance, too. That he had to get his own ride out of Raintree and stay the hell away. Away from the memories of his mom not needing him. And from the knowledge he’d never be able to measure up to Logan’s stringent model of what a man should be.
His palm still moved at Cissy’s calf but no longer rubbed. It glided along her soft skin. He found the action comforting and it appeared to do the same for her.
“Not that it mattered when she left,” he tacked on, swallowing hard. “If you trust Logan’s take on it, she wasn’t much of a mom anyway.”
A soft cry brought his head up. Cissy’s hands obscured her face and her shoulders shook.
Dominic rose swiftly and scooted in beside her on the bench. “Hey, come on now,” he soothed, pulling her hands down and clasping them in his. “What’s this?”
“What if I’m like that? What if I’m not much of a mom, either?” Her questions tumbled out in shaky bursts, jerking her small body. “What if I’m not fit to have them?”
“Okay, now, that’s enough,” he admonished, caressing the back of her neck with the pads of his fingers. “None of that is true.”
“But—”
“But what? The only reason those boys are still breathing is because you had the instinct that told you something was wrong. And you were the only one that thought of looking for them at the pond.” He smoothed his thumb over her cheek, brushing away a tear. “You know those boys like the back of your hand. And that doesn’t come easy. It takes a lot of attention and a lot of hard work.”
She examined his features. Almost as though she was trying to peer inside him and pick his thoughts apart. Her eyes moved beyond him. He followed her gaze to the field behind him where Logan’s shadowy figure headed toward the house, Kayden in hi
s arms and Jayden trailing behind.
“Dominic?” Her voice was soft and hesitant.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she whispered.
Warmth flooded his chest and spread through his body. How many times had he acknowledged that to himself over the years? Questioned his actions? His path in life?
Dominic shook his head and grinned, drifting the blunt tip of his finger over the delicate seam of her mouth. “Who does?”
She returned her attention to his face, her lips parting with a smile of her own. She moved into his arms, pressing her cheek to his chest and brushing her arms under his to cradle his back.
Dominic stilled. Something pleasant unfurled inside him and streamed through his veins.
He’d held a lot of women. Felt their soft curves against him. Excited them with his touch. But he couldn’t remember a woman ever putting her hands on him for a reason other than sexual gratification. Or his wallet.
None of them had ever had such a gentle touch. And none of them had ever held him.
Breathing her in, he smoothed his hands over her hair. The strands, still wet, were straw-like and released whiffs of pond water and dirt. He nuzzled his face against it.
No cloying perfume or artificial pretense here. Just an honest, earthy bundle of woman.
He stayed silent for several minutes, savoring the experience and half afraid she’d bolt given the chance.
“I don’t want to hear any more talk about you not being a good mom.” He lifted her chin with his knuckle. “Matter of fact, it’s only fit for one thing. And that’s for tossing in that wheelbarrow of yours.”
Cissy blinked, then closed her eyes in dismay, her shoulders drooping.
“What?” he asked.
“I just remembered.” She gave a frustrated smile. “I knocked the wheelbarrow over on the way out of the stall. Every bit of what I cleaned up is probably all over the barn floor. It’s going to take forever to get it all up.”
He chuckled. “That’s a perfect job for two disobedient boys. Especially since they put us knee-deep in it today.”
Twins for the Bull Rider Page 7