The sunlight shone its powerful beam into Cassie’s room. And though her eyes were closed, she squinted from the strength of it. She snuck one eye open, and shut it tight again as she turned her head the opposite direction, groaning in response to the brightness. It didn’t take long to remember why she was still in bed this late into the morning – her incident with Shane.
Whether out of bravery or stupidity, Cassie replayed the moments leading up to the event. It was impossible not to get lost in even the memory. The urgent manner he’d kissed her at Betty and Grant’s, the feel of his hands on her hips. That groan of his that echoed in her mind as he kissed her.
She pictured the contrast between those moments, and their own, personal time after he’d brought her home. The softness of his caress as he’d rested his strong hands gently around her neck. And when he’d kissed her there beneath her ear – holy Moses, she’d nearly fainted from the sheer pleasure of it. The roughness along his jaw, the silky heat of his mouth, and that scent… She sighed, her heart stinging with a new sort of pain as she recalled the way he’d stopped the whole encounter. The words that had followed.
Upon hearing Shane rise earlier, it had taken hours for Cassie to get back to sleep. As quiet as Shane might be each morning, Cassie never failed to hear him. She’d always been a light sleeper, but being in a new place had her sleeping lighter than ever – waking up to every creak and stir.
After a lengthy stretch, she forced herself to sit up and throw on a pair of sweats and a wrinkled up tee shirt. Who cared? It didn’t really matter what she looked like, did it? Perhaps she should stay in those clothes all day, neglect the shower she planned to take, and go jump off the roof of some high-pitched barn for kicks. She felt like such an idiot. Confessing her feelings for Shane the way she had – or practically had, with admitting she planned to leave Griffin.
Cassie hadn’t anticipated Shane’s reaction. Not even close. And now she was stuck trying to figure out what his words had really meant. She took the hallway slow, almost cautious, realizing she hadn’t taken the time to look in the mirror.
It took her a moment to find the note, distracted as she was by Oscar and Ollie at her feet, but when Cassie caught site of it, discovered what it said, her heart soared higher than the Space Needle.
‘Hope you slept well, my sweet. Breakfast is in the oven.’
“What?” she gasped, reading the note once more. He’d made her breakfast? She didn’t know what to make of it. The small oven light glowed red. Cassie pulled open the door, grabbing the hot pad next to the stove, and lifted the heavy, iron pan. Curious, she removed the lid, smiling when she saw the eggs and hash browns inside.
“Can’t believe he did that.” She tore off a hunk of the warm, shredded potatoes to sample. They had the perfect blend of butter and salt, and she couldn’t wait to smother them in ketchup.
A loud creak sounded at the back door. “Cassie,” a deep voice hollered. Shane’s voice. But why had he come through the back and not the front? And why was he back so early? It was only just past ten.
“Yeah?” she questioned, following the sound of his voice toward the mudroom.
Shane stood with the back screen door open, his head leaning just inside. “Think you could lend me a hand out here real quick? ‘Bout to lose a calf, I’m afraid.”
It took a moment for his words to register. “Oh, yes. Of course. I’ll just grab some shoes.”
“Come through this way and I’ll take you to the barn with me.”
“Okay.” Cassie dashed back through the kitchen, down the hall, and into her room. In less than a minute she’d slipped on socks, shoved her feet into shoes, and run back out to the porch where she saw Shane mounting his horse. The large animal, its coat a silky-looking black, stood so tall Cassie gasped at the shock of it.
“Oh,” she blurted. “I’m supposed to get on that with you?”
Shane only nodded, waving his hand. “Come on. I’ll help you up.”
Cassie didn’t hesitate. She could sense the urgency in him and knew she’d have to abandon her fear of riding the massive horse. Besides, Shane was there; he’d keep her safe.
“Reach your arm up,” he prompted as she got close.
She did, and Shane reached down and took hold of her.
“Now boost yourself up by stepping onto my boot, there.” He nodded down where his foot rested in the stirrup.
Cassie did as he said, and Shane hoisted her onto the giant animal in one swift motion where she sat just in front of him.
“Drop one leg off the other side,” he said, bringing the horse to a slow trot.
As soon as she’d straddled the animal, Shane wrapped one arm solidly around her body. “Hold on.” The horse broke into a full gallop as Cassie leaned back into Shane, unable to resist breathing him in more fully. That scent – cedar, leather, and pine all wrapped into one – summarized Shane Emerson’s magnetic draw with no words at all.
Though she’d worked her hair into a loose ponytail, random strands whirled around her face as the breeze rushed by, still cool with morning mist. Cassie rubbed the horse’s smooth coat, feeling an instant fondness toward the animal. She sensed the bond Shane had with it as well, and liked it all the more because of it.
The barn door was open on one side, revealing vacant stalls and foreign equipment. As Shane tied up the horse, Cassie spun in place, breathing in the musty scent of sun-warmed straw.
“She’s over here,” Shane said. The mother cow stood with her neck lodged between two iron bars. He picked up a large metal gadget lying on a towel near the animal. “I’ll need you to hold this still once I get it in place. Can you do that?”
With as serious as the matter seemed to be, Shane’s good looks and handsome voice were a little more than distracting. “Of course,” she said, wondering if she’d even heard a word he’d spoken.
She gasped out loud as he sunk the metal thing right into the back end of the cow. Oh yeah, he was helping the animal give birth!
Shane pried the handles apart, providing a view of the creature inside.
“Whoa,” Cassie breathed.
“Take hold of these bars, Cassie. Try to keep them like this while I work to get the calf out.” A long chain with wide, linked loops was draped over the railing. Shane secured it in his hands and set to work, wrapping the loops around the calf’s small legs. He was standing just in front of her, between her spread arms while she leaned to one side to watch.
“You doing alright?” Shane asked, glancing back at her.
She gulped and nodded.
“Don’t go passing out on me now. I’d have to give you mouth to mouth and this is hardly a decent place for it.”
She giggled.
“I’m going to pull back, hard, so while I hunker down to tug the calf out, I need you to stay put. You’ll have to spread your legs like you’re back on the horse, give me a little space beneath you. Got that?”
“I think.” Cassie did as he directed, spreading her feet far apart, securing the warm metal frame in her clenched hands.
Shane hunched down, pulling on the calf with his weight as he leaned from one side to the next. “We’ve got a problem,” he said, coming to a stand once more. “Can you keep your grip on it a bit longer?”
“Uh-huh,” Cassie grunted. The edges of the metal device felt as if they were cutting into her skin.
“The tail’s up. If I don’t get it down it’ll cause problems.” He reached inside, maneuvering the calf a bit. The tail came into view as Shane removed his hand. “Okay, you still hanging in there?”
The cow started to moan. Cassie’s hands were hot and sweaty. Her arms weak and trembling with exertion. “I think so,” she managed, her teeth clenched as she struggled.
Shane hunkered down once more. “Come on, come on,” he coaxed. “You can do it, little one. Hang in there.” The soothing words in his low, raspy voice warmed Cassie to the point she almost forgot herself. She gripped onto the appliance with renewed strength, pra
ying the little thing would be alright. Shane leaned to one side, further still, until the calf slid out and onto the ground.
“Good job. You can let go of that and set it down now.”
The thing felt heavier than ever after Cassie unclenched her fists. She lowered it to the soft bed of straw alongside the pen, watching the calf all the while.
Shane rubbed at the calf’s body. “Come on, little guy,” he urged. “Wake up.” He reached for a long twig of dry grass and wiggled it around the opening of its nose, leaning closer as he continued to rub.
Nothing happened.
Cassie wanted to ask if it would be okay, but she waited, didn’t want to distract him if there was still something he could do. Shane rubbed more frantically at it and opened the animal’s mouth where he hooked his finger over its drooping tongue. When no response came, he tried the straw once more.
“C’mon,” he breathed. Gripping the bottom part of the calf’s rear legs, Shane hoisted it up until its entire body hung upside down. He grunted as he swung it back and forth like a lifeless pendulum.
Still nothing.
With a disappointed sigh, he lowered the animal back down. After a small pause, Shane stood, walked over to a lever by the mother’s head, and released her. “I’m sorry, Mamma. We tried.”
The mother sniffed at her baby before licking at it.
“May not be living,” Shane said, “but she’s still claiming it as her own.”
A single tear spilled down Cassie’s cheek. She’d never seen something so heart-breaking. “She doesn’t know its dead?” she asked in a weak voice.
Shane shrugged. “Perhaps she does. It’s hard to say. If she does know, she doesn’t want to acknowledge it. Not yet anyway.” He shook his head, kicked at a pile of hay and walked to the open barn door, looking out at the sunlit morning sky.
She was glad to see the mother had found a way to soothe herself, as heart-breaking as it was to view. Cassie only wished she could offer some sort of comfort to Shane.
As he sauntered over to the deep sink, began scrubbing his hands and arms, Cassie dared herself to do just that. Yet for some reason, she didn’t feel able. Her own emotions were fragile, raw, and too close to the surface. Without warning, the flood of it overwhelmed her, and it took everything she had to contain it.
Cassie turned to face the wall – away from Shane and the sad sight behind her. How lonely would that mother feel come tomorrow? She cringed while considering the mothers who’d lost their children on that jury. The misery of it all multiplying as she realized how unaffected her own mother might be at her loss. Wouldn’t be a loss to her at all, would it?
In that moment, Cassie heard Shane approach from behind. She wiped at the hints of moisture around her eyes, fought the quivering of her lip, and worked to get it together. Soon Shane’s strong hands ran over her shoulders, calming her in an instant. It seemed he sensed how badly she needed the comfort, his touch. That he knew – in this place away from all things familiar – he was all she had.
Cassie’s arms were wrapped around herself. Shane surprised her by repeating the motion, wrapping his muscular arms around her own as he burrowed his face into the curve of her neck. His chest, firm and strong against her back.
“You did great,” he said, his warm breath heating her neck. “Sometimes we’re just too late. Sometimes there’s no saving them to begin with, but still we have to try. Calf could have died hours ago. Hard to say.”
Cassie nodded, sniffling.
Shane rubbed over her back, pressing his thumbs into the tight muscles along her shoulders and neck. Tension melted beneath his capable hands, and Cassie sighed in response, feeling like a pool of warm liquid as he continued the motion over the length of her back.
Soon Shane’s touch became softer, the action so gentle, so tender, it felt nearly sensual. Especially when the tips of his fingers caressed the sides of her neck, his touch like a whisper.
She closed her eyes, tuned into the beautiful feel of it. To the familiar sparks kindling between them.
As Shane leaned in, Cassie felt the graze of his short, course scruff on her neck and cheek. With the heated touch of his lips, he pressed a kiss to her face.
She tried to recall what he’d said only the night before, something about slowing things down, and couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Shane’s mind. Did it really matter? His touch was healing – like some mystic medicine made just for her – and Cassie decided to indulge in the mending comfort it lent.
“You want to come see some live births now?” he asked.
Cassie took a moment to recover, her eyes slowly opening and bringing her back to the present. She glanced back at him. “Where?”
“The pasture. Plenty of them happening on their own now. May as well see a few happy endings. Right?”
She nodded again. “Right. That’d be nice.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Shane smiled as he watched the joy on Cassie’s face. He was warmed by the laughter bubbling in her throat as the calf licked at her hand with its long, pink tongue.
“It’s so cute.” Her smile faded as she added, “Can’t believe its mother died.”
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Shane drew his thoughts back to the mother cow in the barn, the one whose calf had died just a few hours ago. “I just hope this works. If it does, we’ll be killing two birds with one stone.”
He pulled the truck around to the side of the barn before taking the calf from Cassie. “How about making us a few sandwiches,” he suggested, knowing she wouldn’t want to see what he was about to do. “You can take the truck back to the house.”
Her blue eyes met his, a flitter of understanding showing there. “Sure. Should I make some for the ranch hands too?” She slid into the driver’s side.
“Naw,” Shane replied a little too quickly. Last thing he needed was the ranch hands harassing him about Cassie’s inability to make a decent sandwich. “The guys packed a cooler this morning,” he added, “they’re good.” Shane had the sudden urge to smooth the furrow of her brow with his thumb. Instead, he reached down to help her bring the seat closer to the wheel. “See you in a few,” he said.
Cassie gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Okay.”
Shane sped through the dreaded task of skinning the dead calf. The two were close enough in size; he should be able to pull it off. At least long enough to trick the mother.
Once he was finished, he tied the dead calf’s coat onto the motherless calf. After scrubbing up at the sink, Shane let the little animal into the bin with the cow who’d lost her baby.
The truck’s loud growl sounded alongside the barn before shutting off.
“Come on in,” Shane hollered.
He hadn’t anticipated Cassie would change her clothes, but there she was, dressed in denim pants, a plaid, button-up shirt, and those cowboy boots he’d been dying to see her in. What used to be a low ponytail at the nape of her neck was now a loose sort of bun up high on her head. A few dark strands hung free to frame that perfect, heart-shaped face of hers.
Shane cleared his throat. “Uh, you’re just in time. Come here,” he said, patting at the barrel next to him.
Cassie strode over, the sun casting her lengthy shadow across the barn floor. She lowered herself onto the barrel, eyes set on the calf as it walked wobbly toward the larger animal. Shane leaned forward, resting his elbows onto his knees as he watched.
The small calf prodded the udders with its nose. The mother turned her head, backed up a few steps, and sniffed at her new visitor. The little thing sniffed in return, stretched his neck, and after a few torturous seconds, managed to latch on.
The muscles in Shane’s arms and shoulders tightened as he leaned closer, waiting for confirmation that it had really worked. It came in the steady slurping sound echoing through the barn. Followed by the hungry animal’s anxious gulps. Shane sighed in relief.
Cassie gasped. “It’s working,” she whispered.
“It is, isn’t it?” Shane said.
Her warm hand rested on his back, where she rubbed an open palm across the span of it. “You did it,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice.
The sweet scent of her wafted through the air as Cassie lay her head onto Shane’s arm. It remained quiet as they watched the two bond as mother and child would.
“This is definitely a happy ending,” Cassie said. “Or beginning.”
He nodded in reply, but his head was some place else. Entertaining thoughts of why Cassie had gone to the effort to change her clothes. Put on the boots she knew would drive him crazy. And plaid – she’d never looked so tempting. He forced himself to switch gears, get back on track.
“Do we still have that blanket in the truck?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s on the passenger side.”
“That’s right,” Shane said. “Maybe we should take those sandwiches, grab a few cold drinks, and have a picnic somewhere.”
Cassie straightened up. “Really?”
“Yep. I’d like to take you on a date.” Saying the words aloud caused a mighty knot of nerves to build up in his belly. But it seemed the proper thing to do. After all, he had feelings for the woman. Thought of kissing her lips at least a hundred times a day. Something he had no business doing if he hadn’t courted her good and well. ‘Sides, Gavin and Blake had their fair share of time away while cozying up to Jade and Reese. And who cared if they assumed he was doing the same. It was time to stop worrying about the others. There was an undeniable flame kindling between him and Cassie. Just being next to her at times caused Shane to feel as if his skin might ignite. No doubt the physical connection was alive and breathing. Now it was time to discover if there was something deeper.
~+~
Cassie smiled over at Shane as the warm breeze played across her face. The moment felt like one from a storybook. Nestled on a soft blanket in the tall grass, the graceful, budding limbs of a large tree swaying high above them. And that Montana sky she’d come to love – a breath-taking image of lavender blue made picture perfect by white, puffy clouds and pale pink blossoms.
Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) Page 12