Redeeming the Texas Rancher

by Sands, Charlene

  “I can’t do that, Cole. And honestly, I don’t think you can do it either.”

  “Day, I have to. We have too much family history together. We’re friends. You’re the best employee I have on the ranch. I need you. I can’t screw up this relationship. It means too much to me.”

  “Are you telling me you’re afraid of our mothers?” Day almost chuckled.

  Cole winced. “Hell no.”

  “You are.”

  “I’m not willing to disappoint anyone I care about, Day. Leave it at that.”

  “Why are you fighting this so much?”

  “I don’t have…those kinds of feelings for you. Not in the way you’d want.”

  “Yet, you’re here, late at night and pleading your case. You were jealous thinking I was expecting Brett, which is so untrue by the way, and the way you touched me today, as if you’d wanted to for a long time, it all makes me think you’re lying.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you, Day.”

  “No, not to me. You’re lying to yourself.”

  Cole’s lips formed a thin line as he thought about that. “Even so, I’d better go.”

  “Or…”

  “Or what?” he asked on an impatient sigh.

  “I can walk into my room, put on those baby dolls and put your theory to the test. If you can walk away from me tonight, I’ll get your message loud and clear.”

  Cole strode over to her, grabbed her arms and gave his head a shake. “You don’t get it, Dakota. I’ve already imagined you wearing that sexy outfit five times since we’ve been talking and believe me, the things I want to do to you in and out of that lingerie would probably shock you. And just so we’re clear, it’s not that I don’t want you. It’s that I’d hurt you and I can’t do that to you. You’re different than most of the women I see.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Thanks.”

  “It was a compliment.”

  “I think you should go.” She strode over to the door and opened it.

  “Day, it’s better to be a little bit hurt now, than a lot hurt later.”

  She didn’t need his big-brother lecture. “Goodnight, Cole.”

  He strode out the door and turned to face her, hat in hand. “I’m sorry.”

  She nodded, noting regret in his eyes, and then shut the door in his face.

  *

  Cole’s hands trembled as he braced the steering wheel and drove away from Day’s house. He should fire her and be done with it. Then he wouldn’t have to fight these overwhelming feelings that were beginning to sap his good judgment. But firing Day wasn’t an option. He really did need her as head wrangler, office manager and part-time foreman on the ranch. She was the best person for the job and not only did he admire her talent, he trusted her as well. Besides not having grounds to fire her, their mothers would have a shit fit, and Cole didn’t want their wrath brought down on him. What would he say to them? He had the hots for Dakota so badly he had to toss her off his ranch just to keep from bedding her?

  Nope. That wouldn’t wash.

  But damn it, it wasn’t any of those things. Not really. He couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing Day every day, not talking to her. Her simple presence on the Circle R gave him a measure of peace. He wanted her at the ranch. She was familiar and safe. Well, at least it had been that way until recently. He kinda longed for those days again, when Dakota didn’t take up so much room in his head.

  He thought about Sarah and the check he’d just written and mailed off. He should dwell on that and not on images of Dakota Jennings wearing that send-a-man-to-his-grave baby doll lingerie.

  “Get a grip, Colby.” He clenched the steering wheel even tighter.

  He’d forced himself to walk away from Day tonight, and when she’d slammed the door in his face, he should’ve been glad. But instead he’d wanted to pound on that door and announce he would take her up on her challenge. Man, how he wanted to see Day dazzle him in that sexy outfit. And the thought of never seeing her like that soured his mood even more.

  He would’ve never mustered the willpower to leave her.

  Twenty minutes passed by quickly, and when Cole drove up the road to the Circle R, he was still at loose ends. Coming home to an empty house he was struck by an uncanny bout of loneliness. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Maybe he had to remedy that. Ease his strife a bit. Give him some perspective.

  Cole walked into the house and went straight to the parlor where he housed his whiskey. He needed a shot of the good stuff he kept hidden in the cabinet, behind an array of amber bottles of decent but lesser quality alcohol. At seventy bucks a bottle, this liquor was reserved for special occasions, like a Christmas Eve nightcap, or to toast a lucrative cattle contract. Both happened but once a year.

  And tonight, he hoped he could purge his memories of what happened today with a shot or two, maybe three…whatever it would take to give him peace and a good night’s rest.

  He was on his second round when he walked out of the parlor and into the TV room. His nerves raw, he plunked down on the sofa, grabbed the remote and turned on the flat-screen television. Channel surfing, nothing interested him tonight. He wasn’t big on television shows anyway, considered it a waste of time, unless the Cowboys or Rangers were playing. It was bedtime, he should be worn out by now, but sleep wasn’t going to happen for him. At least, not right now.

  “Ah hell.” Pushing the OFF button, he tossed the remote onto the sofa and found his flashlight. He grabbed his jacket by the front door, throwing his arms through the sleeves and lifting the lamb’s wool collar to cushion his neck. Fresh cool November air shocked him as he stepped outside. The temps had gotten considerably cooler since he’d come home more than an hour ago. He picked up his pace, heading up the path that led to the stables. The place was half torn up and Day had doubled and tripled up the horses in the paddocks to accommodate them today.

  Sliding the barn door latch to one side, he opened the doublewide door and entered with his LED light spotlighting his next steps through the darkness. He made his way to a stall housing two of his mares. They were sleeping soundly, but an unsettling sound at the far end of the barn had him moving in that direction.

  He shined the light on the last stall and found Lady there on a bed of straw, heaving hard breaths.

  Unfastening the gate, he entered carefully and crouched down close to her. “Hey, girl. Are you foaling early?”

  She lifted her head to take a look at him and then rested it back down. “Yeah, you are.” Cole gave his watch a glance. It was approaching midnight. Too late to call and wake up his equine veterinarian, Maddie Walker. He wouldn’t disturb her in her last few months of her pregnancy. Funny thing was, in less than two weeks, he’d have to call her out to the ranch with a fake reason so the women could throw her a surprise baby shower. “Looks like it’s just you and me, pretty Lady.”

  He could do this. He’d birthed many calves in his day and a few foals too. It came with ranching. There wasn’t always time to get a vet out to the ranch. So long as everything went well, he and Lady should do fine.

  *

  Dakota gunned the engine in her car and made the twenty-minute drive to the gates of the Circle R in under fifteen. She’d really pushed it. It was just shy of three o’clock in the morning and the roads were still dark, but clear of traffic. When Cole had called, waking her out of a sound sleep, his voice was rough and panicked about Lady going into labor early. Usually Cole never panicked.

  She drove past the house and braked at the front entrance of the main stable. After slamming the car door, she raced into the barn, grabbing a battery-operated lantern on her way. She made it to Lady’s stall and slid to her knees in front of her.

  “Thank God you’re here,” Cole said, giving her a quick glance. He was wearing latex gloves, sitting on the ground at Lady’s back. “She’s nervous and agitated and breathing hard. She’s been getting up and then lying down, trying to get into a comfortable position. I’ve nev
er seen a mare so darn nervous.”

  Day checked the horse’s underbelly. “Her udder’s full, so that’s a good thing,” Day said. “She’s just trying to get into a good position for the perineum.”

  “Yeah, I know. The foal is taking its sweet time and Lady’s being impatient.”

  Day scooted to cradle the horse’s head in her lap. “It’s all right, Lady girl. You’re gonna be fine,” she cooed. She slid her hands across Lady’s flank. “She’s warm and damp. Sweating is a good sign.”

  She gave Cole a glance. He was flustered too. “I’ll calm her down, Cole.”

  “You’re the only one who could,” he said.

  It was a statement born out of admiration and trust and Day’s heart swelled a little. Cole had so much faith in her.

  “I didn’t want to call Maddie in the middle of the night, until you got a chance to look at her.”

  “I think she’s going to be fine, Cole. I’m glad you called me though. Lady and I have a special relationship.” She spoke softly into the mare’s ear, “Don’t we, girl? This isn’t your first rodeo. We’ve done this before.”

  Two years ago, Lady delivered a sweet baby colt they’d named Shadow. Now, he was part of the remuda, the string of horses that worked the Circle R.

  Day spoke softly to the mare for the next fifteen minutes, stroking her gently, calming her down. Every so often, she would ration a glance at Cole and find his eyes on her. It was so peaceful here under the dim lantern light, sitting on a thick cushion of straw, waiting and watching for the miracle that was about to happen.

  A short time later, Lady rose to her feet and Day signaled for Cole to meet her at the far end of the stall. Lady was ready to deliver and she needed space and freedom.

  Cole walked over to her and leaned against the wall. His hand dangled by his side close to hers, and as they continued to watch Lady push her young one out, Cole entwined their fingers. The birth happened quickly after that, Lady working hard to make the final pushes and then deliver her foal. It was a filly and the baby girl lay on her sternum on a bed of straw, taking her first real breaths.

  Both she and Cole lowered to the ground, bracing their heads against the wall, their hands still linked. Bringing new life into the world always touched her, deep down into the sweet burrows of her heart. Cole too, seemed just as affected. The miracle before them unfolded when after just a few minutes of struggle, the filly rose up on her skinny wobbly legs to full height, finally embracing the world the way a regal animal should, on all four limbs. She was a beauty too. Her reddish brown coat would catch the sunlight in a bright shine, but her most striking features were the white stars that flanked both of her shoulders, almost equally as if they’d been marked perfectly from the same stamp.

  The filly moved around her momma in an almost desperate search for the teat. The endearing search went on for several seconds as the filly nipped at other parts of Lady’s anatomy until she finally struck gold and suckled for all she was worth.

  A quiet chuckle escaped Cole’s throat and Day turned to look at him. He smiled at her. She smiled back and then he squeezed her hand. “You get to name her.”

  “I do?” It was an honor.

  He nodded and whispered, “Lady would want it that way.”

  “Thank you, Cole.”

  She took her hand from his then, and settled back against the wall. This was a moment she would always remember. The birth, a pristine and healthy filly coming into the world, and Cole by her side to share in the glorious event made it all the more special. Lady was doing her motherly duty in nurturing her filly.

  It was all so miraculous.

  Her sitting beside Cole and not arguing was pretty miraculous too. It was like that with them: they could argue hotly on any given subject and by the next day, all was forgotten. Their friendship meant compromise but what they’d been talking about last night went way beyond friendship.

  …the things I want to do to you in and out of that lingerie would probably shock you.

  Those words thrilled her, but also frustrated her. She wanted to scream back at him, “Do it and let me decide.” But he was a stubborn mule on the subject, not budging an inch and so certain he would hurt her.

  She should get up and leave, break this special moment and ease her frustration, but Lady wasn’t through yet. She had one more stage of labor to deliver the afterbirth and it was essential to her good health that she be supervised through it. So silently, with Cole by her side she watched and waited.

  *

  Slight warmth touched her face and as Day opened her eyes, light from the beckoning dawn slipped through the stable window. She found herself against the stall wall, tucked into a wool horse blanket with Cole, her head resting on his chest, his arm cradling her close, their body heat mingling. Her mind muddled a bit. Was she dreaming? Or could it be real? This is where she’d always wanted to be, with or without clothes on and in this case with, because she was wearing a fleece jacket and her warmest jeans.

  She turned her face into his throat and breathed in his all-male scent, touched by a hint of lime unique to Cole. In her waking she began to remember what had happened last night. The call at three in the morning. Lady going into early labor. The filly being born. She was in the stall still, with Cole, and must’ve dozed off. They both must have, waiting for Lady to deliver the placenta.

  “Morning,” he said softly.

  It was his morning voice and that deep rasp made her heart flip. “Is it morning?”

  “The sun just came up.”

  “Did she…”

  “No, not yet. I told you to go home last night after the birth. I could wait it out, but you insisted on staying.”

  “I remember.”

  “And then you fell asleep.”

  “On you?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Not after I woke you in the middle of the night to come help.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  He wasn’t removing his arm, so she snuggled deeper into him. “Cold?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she fibbed. It felt so right. So perfect and she didn’t care if she was taking advantage of the situation. When else would she ever wake up in Cole’s arms?

  “You’re gonna be sore too, after sleeping on the ground all night,” he whispered.

  “It’s worth it.”

  “I’ll never tire of witnessing a birth, being a part of it.” Cole was watching Lady with her filly now. They stood at the other end of the stall, mother and daughter.

  “I feel the same way. Look at them. How beautiful is that?”

  “Pretty amazing. You’re good with the animals, Day. Lady really needed you last night.”

  “I have a special bond with her. She’s the first horse I rode when I started working here,” she whispered. “She trusts me, I guess.”

  “She’s not the only one,” Cole said.

  She turned her face and gazed into his eyes. “Cole?”

  He appeared sentimental and melancholy watching the mare and her filly. “It’s nothing you don’t know already, Dakota.”

  Day touched his face, her fingers tingling at the scruff on his cheeks, and as he turned their eyes locked. It was so hard not to make the next move, not to expose her most dire wishes, not to jump his bones. But somewhere along the line, she’d learned that Cole couldn’t be pushed. He was his own man, with demons to conquer, and he needed space to make his own decisions.

  So when he bent his head down and brushed his lips to hers it surprised her and a whimper sounded in her throat. Cole made a noise too, from deep down, and he deepened the kiss, sucking at her mouth as if he were starving. She didn’t know what to think and was through analyzing everything he said and did. Instead she fell into the moment with him, her heart pounding, her breasts tingling, her belly warming.

  His mouth was hot on hers, so giving, so seemingly desperate, and she continued to kiss him back, to meet his every demand. He wove his hand in her hair, touched her thro
at lovingly as if she were precious, and murmured sweet words that pretty much melted her heart.

  Then they heard Lady at the far end of the stall and turned to her. She was standing, ready for the next phase of her labor. Delivery of the placenta could happen ten minutes after birth or up to eight hours later and the forces that be decided that this particular moment was the right time.

  Poetic justice…at its worst.

  Cole groaned; the pained sound echoed her very thoughts. “We’d better check her out.” He removed the blanket they’d shared and stood up, not so easily, Day noticed in a bit of female triumph. He couldn’t make denials when his body reacted to her so keenly.

  She nodded and rose too, taking his arm, making him focus only on her. “No apologies this time, Cole. No regrets.”

  He took a moment to study her, and then gave her a quick nod.

  She sighed quietly. Maybe this was progress or maybe it would lead to heartache. She was adrift in Colby Ryan Land and figuring it out on the fly.

  “Cole, one more thing.”

  The dark brows on his forehead rose.

  “I’ve decided to name the filly Faith.” Not Star, or Twin Star or Starlight, as she’d been thinking, but something more meaningful. Something that represented the beautiful moment they’d shared bringing the filly into the world, the hope that only a new birth could bring and the trust that was doled out between man, woman and mare. No other name would do. Faith would be the newest member of the Circle R family.

  Cole searched her face, his eyes intent, and what she saw in his unguarded expression made her tremble. Cole was complicated, a hard man to read at times, but right now as he gave a quick nod, a smile of understanding broke on his face and that very kissable dimple appeared. “I like it. It’s fittin’.”

  “I think so too.”

  She had faith now and the one thing she knew for sure: she was all in. Fool that she was.

  Tomorrow, she’d see just exactly where she stood with Cole when they attended the Hope Wells Annual Cattlemen’s Dinner Dance.