Her Cowboy Dilemma

by C. J. Carmichael

  As he reached for his supplies, he glanced at Cassidy. “Tell me what happened.”

  She explained how Corb had brought her out a sandwich and coffee, then left the door ajar.

  “As soon as I realized Sky wasn’t in the barn anymore, I jumped up to look for her. And at that exact moment, Sky barked and I heard growling and snarling.” She shivered. “So I grabbed a pitchfork and chased off the coyote. But I was too late.”

  “Actually, you probably saved her life.” Farley wasn’t at all surprised that Cassidy would be prepared to jump into battle against the coyote to save Sky’s life. If the attacker had been a wolf, or even a bear, he knew she would have done the exact same thing. “Sky’s older now. Slower and weaker. I guess the coyote figured he could take her.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Sky was all cleaned and stitched up. He’d had to shave some hair around her wound, so she looked bedraggled.

  Not unlike her owner.

  Cassidy rose shakily from her seat. “Thanks so much. You’ll be mighty tired tomorrow—I’m sorry about that.”

  As if he cared. He liked the fact that Cassidy had come running to him when she needed help—even if it was just his vet skills she’d wanted.

  She assessed Sky doubtfully. “Will it hurt her if I pick her up?”

  “Let me.” Carefully he scooped the border collie into his arms. Sky barely whimpered.

  Cassidy opened the door for him and locked up behind them. As he started on the path back to the house, he heard her behind him.

  “Farley? Where are you going? My truck’s over here.”

  “I know where your truck is.”

  “But it’s late. You need some sleep and I should get home and check on Finnegan.”

  “Has his condition worsened since I saw him last?”

  “About the same, I’d say.”

  “Then he’ll be fine until morning.”

  “That’s what Mom and Corb said. It’s easier to believe coming from you. So you think he’s getting better?”

  She looked so hopeful he hated to reply with the truth. “I can’t promise that. But he has some time left. And maybe he’ll rally.”

  She pressed her lips together with fresh determination. “Then I have to go.”

  He studied her pale face, bloodstained hands and clothing, and sagging posture. It would be better for both of them if he let her do just that. But the Lambert family had already suffered a tragic loss due to a car crash. So he pointed out the obvious. “You’re in no condition to drive.”

  “But—”

  “Get your ass in the house, Cassidy.” He tipped his head toward Sky. “Don’t forget—I have a hostage.”

  Chapter Nine

  The man was wonderful—he’d saved her dog—but also infuriating. His attitude right now reminded her of his reaction that night four years ago, when he’d insisted that since he’d driven her to the dance, he was damn well driving her home, as well.

  She wanted to argue.

  But she was too tired.

  She also couldn’t deny the flood of gratitude she was feeling toward him right now.

  She couldn’t have stood it if Sky hadn’t been okay. To lose her beloved pet of fourteen years in such a bloody and violent way would have been too cruel. It was bad enough that Sky had been hurt and traumatized.

  So she fell in behind Farley as he led her around the side of the house. When he paused at the door, she hurried ahead to open it for him, but though Sky was pretty heavy, he still waited for her to enter first.

  On her previous visits to Farley’s place she’d never seen anything other than his main foyer and the clinic. This first glimpse of his private space impressed her. The large mudroom had tiled floors, stainless steel countertops, a laundry area and a huge closet. It was practical, but also beautiful, with a calm color scheme and some humorous prints of farm animals, including one with a bird on a cow’s head.

  The clicking of nails on tile announced the arrival of Farley’s own two dogs.

  Cassidy had met Tom and Dick before and she had a chance to say hello to each of them, before Farley ordered them out of the room.

  “You can shower in there.” He pointed to a room next to the closet. “A clean robe is on the hook. Use that while I throw your jeans and shirt into the wash. Just hand them out the door.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll shower when I get home.”

  For an answer, he just pointed at the mirror over the laundry tub sink. She stared at herself for several long seconds before silently going into the bathroom.

  Here, again, she was impressed. The place was spotless, modern and almost spalike. The sink was long—like a trough—and the shower was the kind with a half-dozen different body spray heads as well as an overhead rain shower nozzle.

  Quickly she stripped and passed out her jeans and T-shirt. The harsh iron smell of blood was deep in her lungs. She thought she’d never be rid of it.

  But the mint-scented shampoo helped. So did the massaging jets of warm water. Worried that she was going to empty Farley’s hot water tank, she finally forced herself to turn off the taps after fifteen minutes.

  There had been no conditioner for her hair, so brushing it out would have been impossible, even if Farley had owned a comb up to the job. His own little brush, set neatly to the side of the sink, would snap in two if she tried to run it through all these snarls.

  Still, she was clean.

  She slipped into the white robe, disregarding the slippers that were lined up beneath them. They were much too big, and anyway, she was toasty warm after that great shower.

  She walked past the churning washing machine into a kitchen that took her breath away. Lights over the stove and recessed around the moldings showcased French Country white cabinets and vintage-looking Heartland appliances.

  The kitchen was divided from the family room by a large island and on the other side she saw Farley by a beautiful river-rock fireplace, adding a log to a couple that were already snapping. And right next to the hearth, Sky was settled in as cozy as could be, with Farley’s dogs a polite distance away.

  There was even soft music playing. And a pot of tea and cookies on the massive wood coffee table.

  “Wow. This place is pretty gorgeous.”

  At the sound of her voice, Sky raised her head, but was too weak, or perhaps too traumatized, to leave the blanket Farley had placed for her by the heat of the fire.

  “I did some renovations a few years ago,” Farley said as if they had been nothing significant.

  “I’ll say.” She glanced around, noticing the art on the walls, the well-placed area rugs, lamps and an outstanding bronze of a cowboy wrestling a steer on the table behind the sofa.

  All the little touches that men weren’t supposed to bother with.

  “Did someone help you?”

  “Like a designer, you mean?”

  Actually, she’d been thinking of a girlfriend. But she nodded.

  “Not really. The people at the furniture and paint stores offered suggestions. But I had an idea what I wanted.”

  The way he looked at her when he said that last bit made her very aware of her naked skin beneath the smooth cotton of the robe. Yes, Farley was the sort of person who knew what he wanted.

  And what he didn’t. The snub he’d given her this afternoon when they were out riding still burned, even though she knew she wasn’t being logical.

  She didn’t want Farley. She wanted the job in Billings. And to give a more serious relationship with Josh a shot.

  The strangles infection had sidelined her for a few weeks. That was why she hadn’t thought much about Josh since she’d arrived and been too busy to answer his calls and text messages.

  Is that really true?

  Or is the plain truth that Josh can’t stack up next to a man like Farley?

  The vet had changed into a clean T-shirt and jeans while she’d been showering. The clothes weren’t tight, but they couldn’t hide his strong muscular build. His dark hair g
leamed and so did his eyes, set off to perfection by those sharp cheekbones.

  Everything he was she could see in his face. Proud. Powerful. Most intimidating of all...perceptive.

  “Don’t be scared. This isn’t some grand seduction plan.”

  “I wasn’t thinking that,” she said quickly.

  She went to sit on the hearth, carefully wrapping the robe around her legs so just her ankles and bare feet were peeking out. She placed a light hand on Sky’s back, and her dog relaxed back to sleep.

  He could say he had no plans to seduce her. But she’d have to be blind not to see the heat in his eyes. Just like she’d seen it earlier when they were at Silver Creek.

  “Have some tea and a cookie,” he suggested. “Sugar is good after a shock.”

  Her mind flashed back to the terrible fight between Sky and the coyote. The raw, desperate noises. The smell of the blood. Sky’s limp body and her pleading eyes.

  She moved forward to the floor, settling in front of the spread he’d laid out, and took a bite of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They weren’t the kind from a package.

  “Don’t tell me you bake as well as excel in interior design?”

  A corner of his mouth turned up. “Those are from Liz. Have I ever told you that she manages my life?”

  “Right down to baking cookies. That’s some assistant you have. I’d keep her, if I was you.” She poured some tea for herself and when she looked at Farley and he nodded, she filled his mug, too.

  “It’s why I put up with her meddling. She’s the one who set me up with Amber.”

  Cassidy had been lifting the mug to her mouth when he said this. She paused...steady now...then sipped. “And how is that working out?”

  “Not as good as Liz hoped. Amber’s lovely. But she lives a forty-five-minute drive from here and I don’t have much free time.”

  A forty-five-minute drive wasn’t that bad. Not in Montana.

  “You’re going to have slim pickings if you’re looking for a single woman who lives closer than that.”

  She polished off the rest of the cookie, not daring to meet his gaze. Her ranch was fifteen minutes from his, but that meant nothing. First of all, she wasn’t going to be living there much longer. And secondly, he hadn’t really broken up with Amber because of the distance between them. If he’d really liked her, he would be willing to drive double that far to see her.

  “Maybe I’m not looking. Period. Me and the dogs, we’re pretty comfortable the way we are.”

  “No one you can count on more than your dog,” she agreed. She reached across the table again. “These are so good I’m going to have another.”

  “Please do. And take a seat, would you? Your legs have to be cramping down there.”

  “I should go home.”

  “You don’t have any clothes,” he said calmly.

  Right. She felt such a fool. Awkwardly she made her way to the sofa, settling on the far cushion, then leaning back into the softly plumped, leather-covered seat.

  The sound of a buzzer startled her but with his same steady calm, Farley got to his feet. “Sounds like the wash cycle is finished. I’ll throw your things into the dryer. Is that okay?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  While he was gone, she gave the room a closer look. There were photos of his parents on a built-in shelving unit. Also a picture of him graduating from college and another with him and the dogs.

  On the lower shelf she found a chessboard with pieces carved from jade. By the time he returned from the laundry, she had a game set up on the table.

  “Do you play?” she asked. Her father had taught her and her brothers during the long, cold winters of their childhood. Corb and Brock had never enjoyed it much, but she and B.J. had both been keen.

  “I used to. With my dad.”

  “Me, too. And since we have time to kill before the clothes dry...”

  If he realized she was using the game as a safety barrier between them, he gave no sign of it.

  “Okay. Let’s do it. You can be white.”

  Cassidy started with a classic opening, placing her center pawn two squares forward.

  Farley countered with a similar move. “So you asked about my love life. It’s only fair I get to ask about yours.”

  “Hmm?” She moved her next pawn forward one space.

  “Corb tells me there’s a guy in your life. Josh.”

  She frowned. “Corb shouldn’t talk about things he doesn’t know about.” She’d never mentioned Josh to her mother or her brothers. They only knew about him because he’d phoned the house number a few times—despite her request that he only call her on her mobile phone.

  “So you’re not serious?”

  No question that Josh wanted them to be. “I’m not sure.”

  Farley moved his next pawn and she countered with a move from her rook.

  “Interesting,” he said.

  “What? My relationship with Josh? Or the move I just made in chess?”

  His hand hovered over the board as he contemplated his next play. Her gaze lingered on his hands. They were strong, yes. But they also had a long-fingered grace. As a vet he needed both qualities to meet the demands of a job that required him to handle six-hundred-pound cows and horses and yet also perform delicate surgical procedures.

  “I’m just saying, it’s interesting. You tell me you’re a free woman, and I’m a free man. Just because I didn’t kiss you this afternoon didn’t mean I didn’t want to.”

  Cassidy narrowed her eyes. He was making moves here that had nothing to do with chess pieces. “You said this wasn’t a seduction scene.”

  If it had been, that would have scared her off. Right? Then why didn’t she feel scared now?

  “I said I wasn’t planning a seduction. If you decide you’d like to make love, though, I wouldn’t say no.”

  Just hearing him say those words started her pulse racing. “Like I’d do that.”

  “Agreed, it’s a long shot.” Still, he reached for her hand. And she let him have it.

  “Besides, you aren’t looking for a woman in your life.”

  “I wasn’t talking about a lifetime. As I understand it, that isn’t what you have to offer, either.”

  She ought to be shocked at his suggestion that they have a one-night stand. But the way he was touching her hand, running his thumb in slow circles on her palm, was so hypnotizing.

  “That’s pretty scandalous, Dan Farley.”

  Was that really her, sounding so bold? But she felt bold. That was the thing. So strange and unlike her. With her eyes she willed him to come closer and when he placed a hand on her shoulder, she touched him, too.

  She could see his eyes so clearly now, and what she saw thrilled her. A dark, pulsing energy was swirling around them, blocking out the world.

  But all the anticipation was nothing compared to how she felt when he actually lowered his lips to hers. His kiss unleashed something inside of her, a power and a desperate need that she hadn’t even realized she possessed.

  Oh, Farley! She tangled her fingers in his hair as their kiss deepened. His arms banded around her waist, pulling her closer, and the contact with his solid, heated chest only heightened her pleasure and her desire...for more.

  But just as she was ready to slip her robe off her shoulders out of an aching need to have him touch her more intimately, a buzzer sounded from the mudroom again.

  The dryer.

  Damn, awful timing.

  Farley’s kisses began to gentle. He pressed his lips to her cheek, to the corner of her eyes, then the top of her head.

  She struggled to understand. He’d started this. Why was he stopping?

  She tried to find the answer in his eyes, but he had them closed. She watched as he swallowed. Then took a deep breath.

  “Cass. Honey. It’s time you went home.”

  “You’re serious? What was this that just happened?”

  “You have to admit it was more fun than chess.” He touched the
side of her face gently, then stood. “Let’s see if your jeans are dry.”

  * * *

  SHE’D NEVER MET a more infuriating man. It was the middle of the night and Cassidy was driving slowly, out of consideration for Sky’s injuries, wanting to keep any jostling to a minimum.

  So she vented her frustration by pounding her palms on the steering wheel.

  He’d kissed her because he’d found the chess game boring.

  Really?

  So all those sparks—all that sexual tension—that had been in her mind only?

  She didn’t believe it.

  But what if it were true? Maybe he’d just wanted to humiliate her the way she’d embarrassed him that night at the Harvest Dance. Because she’d been ready to strip off her robe and make love with him. And he’d turned her away.

  As it had turned out, her jeans were still damp, but she’d put them on without complaint. Farley had walked her to the truck, but only so he could help settle Sky in for the drive home.

  “Thanks again for fixing my dog,” she’d said stiffly, as she climbed into the driver’s seat.

  There wasn’t enough light to see any expression in his eyes as she drove away. Maybe there hadn’t been any expression worth seeing.

  * * *

  FARLEY STOOD IN the driveway long past the time that Cassidy’s taillights had disappeared from view. The cool air helped bring his libido back under control. If he hadn’t put a halt to it, they could have been making love right now.

  But he’d put on the brakes. He didn’t know if he’d just done the smartest thing in his life. Or the stupidest.

  With eerie timing, a marauding gang of coyotes let out a series of yips that echoed in the hollow where his great-grandfather had built their home. For all Farley knew one of them had been Sky’s attacker, and yet he couldn’t feel any animosity toward the animals.

  In fact, he felt a certain kinship. He couldn’t deny he had an urge of his own to howl at the moon tonight.