She sensed him shrug. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”
“Not if I see you first,” Emma muttered under her breath. She knew it was childish, but that man was just too - too - ooh - for his own good.
###
The next day, Emma tried to stay out of Cade’s way. She didn’t want any helpful tips from him on how to fetch items from shelves or how to clean a bridle. But that didn’t stop her reliving the way his hands felt on her waist when he’d steadied her on the bucket, or the way she’d quivered when he’d growled in her ear.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if he deliberately sought her out.
She stayed inside the house when he arrived at nine o’clock and watched him walk over to the south pasture where Shadow waited for him. When she judged it to be safe, she headed to the barn to finish mucking out.
She had the last bit of horse manure on her shovel when he appeared in the doorway. A lock of hair escaped from her neat ponytail and fell over her eye. Emma blew it away from her face but the strand of blond hair merely settled back over her right eye.
“Let me.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering.
She caught her breath at his gentle touch. “Thanks,” she murmured.
He cleared his throat. “About yesterday.”
She looked up at him. “Yes?”
“Maybe I overreacted.” He rocked back on his heels.
“Oh?”
“When I saw you jumping up to the shelf - well, I just didn’t want you to get injured.”
“I don’t--”
“I know what it’s like to break an arm or a leg.” A muscle twitched in his jaw.
“You do?” Curiosity crept into her voice.
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “I used to be a bull rider and I also did some roping.”
Emma looked at him with respect. He’d mentioned bull riding when they first met, but to do it professionally… Bull riding was the most dangerous rodeo event. And roping required a lot of skill. “Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “Rodeos were a big part of my life, ever since I was a kid watching my dad in the chutes.”
“Used to be?” She didn’t want to be nosy, but she definitely wanted to know why this tall, powerfully muscled man quit rodeoing.
“A broken arm, broken leg, bruised ribs and concussion can make you rethink your career.” He stared straight ahead, as if reliving some of his injuries. “I eventually realized I was getting too old to keep breaking bones.”
“How long ago did you quit?”
“Last year, when I turned 32.” His lips pressed together in a tight line. “I thought of staying in Texas, but I’m Wyoming born and bred. I saw the Henderson’s ranch on a real estate website and used my prize money and savings to buy the place. It had everything I was looking for.”
His hooded gaze swept over her. Emma suddenly wondered if she was part of what he was looking for. Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. He could probably have his pick of women, in the rodeo or out of it.
Cade looked at the woman in front of him. Brains, beauty and a figure that wouldn’t quit. She seemed totally unaware of the tempting package she made. But what did he have to offer her? Bones that had been broken and a fledgling horse training business. She deserved more. Much more. “Anyway, when I saw you yesterday, I just didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Maybe I was taking a chance,” Emma admitted reluctantly. “But it can be so annoying having to grab the stepladder every time I need to get something from a high shelf.”
Cade tried to hide a smile. She looked so cute when she wrinkled her nose. “It’s not a problem grabbing something off a shelf for you. Just let me know what you need. Anytime.” And anything, he added silently.
“Thanks.” She offered him a smile and his day suddenly seemed brighter.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He took one last look at her, his body tightening, before heading out of the barn. He was in big trouble.
###
In the weeks that followed, Emma grew used to Cade being around practically every day. She had even started to offer him coffee after he finished the day’s training. They’d sip their drinks on the front porch, and although he could still be cocky at times, Emma realized she was developing feelings for him. And she didn’t know if she liked it.
She put on a pot of coffee, her mind flashing back to the first day Cade arrived to train Shadow. She’d been wondering when she would meet her guy, a man she could love and who would love her in return. Well, it seemed she might have found him in Cade, but what did he feel toward her?
Since that day in the barn when he’d apologized, he’d been nothing but friendly. They might have coffee together, but their fingers didn’t even brush when she handed him a mug.
She sighed and reached for the coffee cups. Just her luck that a guy she was developing feelings for didn’t feel the same way.
“Emma,” Cade called out. She heard his footsteps down the hall and turned around.
“Right on time.” She smiled. “Coffee’s ready.”
“Great.” He took the mug she handed him. Emma noticed his fingers were nowhere near hers.
She followed him out to the porch, telling herself it was ridiculous to feel disappointed.
She’d just made a good friend, that was all, and a friend willing to fetch items off high shelves for her. At least she wouldn’t have to bother with the stepladder from now on.
Emma smiled to herself at the thought and sat at the small outdoor table. “How’s Shadow coming along?” She sipped her coffee while she waited for his answer.
“Good. He’s a smart horse.” Cade’s easy grin made her heart flutter. He took a long swallow of the mellow brew. “In fact, I think he might be ready for Bernie in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been expecting that answer. That meant Cade wouldn’t be coming around anymore. Disappointment flickered in her heart.
“Bernie’s recommended me to a few other people, so my horse training business is starting to take off. And I’ve just bought a herd of cattle that’s arriving tomorrow.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You’ve been busy.” But it made sense that word was spreading about his skill as a horse trainer. On the occasions she’d watched him during his sessions with Shadow, she could tell he knew what he was doing.
An impulsive thought struck her. Maybe she could hire him to train Pirate? She immediately dismissed that idea. Pirate was already well trained. But what about buying a filly or colt and hiring Cade to train it?
Emma reluctantly squelched that idea as well. Although it would be a great reason to continue to enjoy his company, buying another horse and paying Cade to train it would really stretch her finances to the limit, particularly when her goal was to buy another brood mare in the next couple of months.
“Hey.” Emma blinked at the softly spoken word. “Where did you go?” Cade gazed at her intently, as if he really wanted to know her answer.
She fought the blast of heat creeping across her cheeks and tried to smile. “Sorry.”
He took another sip of coffee, then set down the mug. “So you mentioned this morning you wanted help moving something in the barn?”
Emma forced herself to focus on his question. It was just as well she’d mentioned it to him today if he wasn’t going to be around much longer. “Yes. I wanted to move the old horse trough in the barn. It’s too easy to trip over where it is right now.”
“Sure.” Cade rose and waited for her to do the same. “Let‘s do it.”
They walked over to the barn, Cade matching his stride to hers. Emma wondered what type of woman he preferred. Skinny brunette? Slim redhead? She guessed it wasn’t curvy blondes.
Entering the barn, Emma directed Cade to the trough. “I’d like to move it over here.” She indicated a bare space a few feet away that wasn’t in the way of animals or humans entering and leaving.
“Sure. On three.” He gripped one edge of
the trough and Emma did likewise. “One, two, three.”
They lifted the heavy trough and carried it over to the new spot, setting it down gently. Emma exhaled heavily, but couldn’t help noticing Cade’s breathing didn’t seem to change at all.
“Good idea,” he remarked, dusting his hands on his jeans.
“Thanks.” A small flush of pleasure surged through her at his praise.
“Anything else I can do?”
Emma looked around the wooden barn. The hay bales were stacked neatly and she’d finished her chores earlier. To her regret, she couldn’t think of a single thing. Except, kiss me. She slowly shook her head. “No.”
“Well, I guess I’ll be going.”
He sounded reluctant. It must have been her imagination.
She raised her eyes, his emerald gaze ensnaring her. He suddenly seemed to be standing much closer to her.
“You’ve got a smudge.” His thumb caressed her cheek.
She couldn’t help the husky tone in her voice. “Is…is it gone?”
“Let me see.” His eyes gleamed with desire as he bent his head toward hers. “All gone,“ he murmured. “Except for here.”
His lips brushed hers. Excitement rippled through her as he deepened the kiss, claiming her mouth. His strong, capable arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer. She surrendered to the kiss, her hands clasping his shoulders as he explored the secrets of her mouth. Her legs wobbled, making her grateful he held her so securely.
He molded her to him, the firm, hard muscles of his chest pressed against her soft breasts. She sighed into his mouth as the kiss grew more intense. She had often wondered what it would be like to kiss Cade, and now she knew.
Incredible.
His hands roamed over her back as her lips clung to his. An electrifying shiver raced through her as he stroked the contours of her derriere.
Emma had never been kissed so thoroughly before. She wound her arms around his neck, her brain fogging with desire.
Cade widened his stance, pulling her into the V between his legs. Emma felt his arousal, his hardness a stark contrast to the soft femininity of her belly.
His hand trailed along her ribs, then cupped her breast, his other hand caressing her rounded bottom. He swallowed her gasp as his thumb brushed back and forth over her stiff nipple through the layers of her t-shirt and bra.
Her toes curled as his thumb continued to graze her nipple. She had never felt like this before, so sexy and desired.
Cade finally tore his lips from hers, burying his face in the hollow of her neck. He sipped at the sensitive skin, causing her to tighten her arms around him.
Emma inhaled shallowly. The only thing she could focus on right now was how much she wanted - no, needed, Cade. His hands and lips felt so good, so right, on her heated skin…
“Not like this.”
Emma blinked as Cade rasped the words. It was as if he had doused her with a bucket of cold water.
She took a shaky step back, out of the circle of his arms. His eyes were hooded and his arms had fallen to their sides. She stared at him, unable to read the expression on his face. But one thing was clear. He didn’t want her.
At first, Emma’s throat refused to work. “You’re right,” she choked out, turning on her heel and hurrying out of the barn. She would not run, but she wanted to get to the safety of the house immediately.
“Emma!” She heard him call her name, but there was no way she was sticking around for more rejection. After that amazing kiss, she actually thought he was attracted to her. Well, more fool her, she thought bitterly, giving up all pretense of walking and racing into the house.
###
Two days later, Emma relived the disastrous scene once more as she bagged up grain at the feed store. Once she had reached the house, she locked the doors, never wanting to talk to Cade again. But she couldn’t help peering out the window, careful not to be seen. Cade had walked out of the barn, rubbing the back of his neck and scanning the property. He’d stood outside the barn for a few minutes, and then headed for his truck. Only when he’d driven away had she allowed herself to feel the full force of his rejection.
“Not like this.”
What else could it mean except that he didn’t want her? She’d had her share of terrible first dates, but at least she hadn’t kissed and clung to the guy like a mindless moron. Wiping the back of her hand against her eyes - they were the tiniest bit moist because of the dust particles in the air - she resolved not to think about it.
Except she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Well, it was obvious Cade wasn’t into curves. Or he just wasn’t into you.
A few hours later, Emma finished work and got into her SUV. Friday afternoon. The weekend stretched in front of her. She still had her regular chores to do on the ranch, but on weekends she usually found time to read a good book or bake something sinfully delicious, like double chocolate fudge brownies. And right now, she needed a good dose of chocolate.
At least Cade wouldn’t be over until Monday. He usually trained Shadow during the week, giving the horse a break on the weekend. Before he kissed her, sometimes he would drop in on Saturday or Sunday, asking her if he could give her a hand with anything, but Emma doubted he would do so now. And she didn’t want him to.
She had managed perfectly well before Cade Winters had arrived in Coldwater Springs, and she would manage perfectly well again.
Emma parked her vehicle in the garage. She’d stopped at the grocery store on the way home to buy chocolate. Tonight she planned to enjoy her brownies while watching Psych. Perhaps Shawn and Gus could cheer her up.
Exiting the garage, she gazed at the horses in the distance. Icy fingers chilled her spine as she noticed the gate to the south pasture was open. Dropping her purse and grocery bag, she sprinted over, her eyes skimming the acreage. Shadow wasn’t there.
Her breath stopped. She prided herself on taking good care of the horses in her charge. She’d never had a missing horse before.
Cade. It had to be. He hadn’t latched the gate properly when he left today and Shadow had nudged it open and decided to explore.
Emma’s hands curled into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. She methodically checked all the other horses were there. Pirate came up to her, nudging her, asking what was wrong.
“I have to find Shadow.” She gave him a quick, loving pat, before closing the gate to the south pasture. Hurrying to the SUV, she had enough presence of mind to pick up her purse and groceries. She would have to drive around and see if she could spot the black quarter horse.
Emma sped out of the driveway, paying attention to her surroundings as she had never done before. She had to find Shadow, otherwise it would be the end of her agisting business. Although it was a side business and her goal was to have her quarter horse stud be the main source of her income in the future, right now, caring for other peoples’ horses gave her some welcome income. And she loved all the horses she looked after.
She drove slowly down the country road, looking left and right. But all she could see was open pasture dotted with livestock. Shadow wasn’t among them.
Turning the SUV at the end of the road, her hands trembled on the steering wheel. She had to find him! Drawing in a shaky breath, Emma drove down the neighboring road. A few large ranches occupied the area, but only an occasional cow looked up to see who was driving past. Once she reached the end of that particular road, she pulled over to the shoulder.
Her hands shook as she dug the phone out of her purse. Cade was the last person she wanted to talk to right now, but Shadow’s safety was more important than her pride. Besides, it was likely that this was all Cade’s fault anyway!
She’d programmed his number into her phone a while ago, so if she ever needed to call him, she wouldn’t have to memorize it. But she never thought she’d be calling him in this kind of situation.
“Emma.” He answered on the second ring and she wondered if he’d had time to check the caller ID.
“No.” He sounded startled. “What’s wrong?”
“Shadow’s missing.” It was painful to say it out loud. How could it have happened?
“When?”
Emma looked at her watch. “I found out twenty minutes ago, when I got home from work.” She had to ask. “Were you there today?”
“No.” He paused. “I decided Shadow and I could do with a day off.”
“Oh.” She was glad he couldn’t see her flushed cheeks, and wondered if the disastrous ending to their kiss had anything to do with him not coming over today, even when he knew she’d be working at the feed store.
“Where are you?” he asked briskly.
“On Northgate Road. I’ve already checked my road.”
“I’ll check my road and then Spring River Road. Stay where you are in case you spot him. I’ll call you when I’m at Spring River.”
She wanted to bristle at his take-charge attitude, but couldn’t deny that she was glad he was helping her without even being asked, especially after Wednesday.
Emma put the SUV into gear and crawled down the road again. She and Cade would have covered a decent sized area by the time he checked those two roads. Shadow just had to be there somewhere!
Forcing herself to stop clenching the steering wheel, she willed herself to take a few deep breaths. Maybe the colt had grown tired of exploring already and was back at the ranch, calmly munching the grass.
Emma came back to the start of Northgate Road. No sign of the horse. Maybe she should go down the next road, Spring River, and meet Cade there. It would be silly to waste precious minutes here and wait until he called her.
She turned left down the neighboring road. No sign of Cade’s truck, but if he searched his own road first, then she didn’t expect there to be.
A flash of black caught the corner of her eye. Her heart pounding, she whipped her head around to the right. Shadow. It had to be. He pranced along the road, his black mane flowing in the gentle breeze, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Curves and the Rodeo Star (BBW Romance - Coldwater Springs 4) Page 2