MULE HOLLOW MATCHMAKERS 21: NEW HORIZON RANCH 01: Her Mule Hollow Cowboy

by Debra Clopton

  "I feel better." She hugged her insulated coffee mug between both hands and took a sip trying not to be affected.

  She reached for a banana, ignoring the shooting pain the motion caused.

  Immediately she was bombarded with questions. She lived in a huge house with four gorgeous men who were the brothers she never had. She had expected this. Still, she wasn't uncomfortable with it.

  "I'm fine everyone. Yes my ribs are sore, but it's nothing I can't handle. Thanks to Cliff I sustained only bruising from the pen and not stomping from Buford." She headed for the door intent on getting her horse saddled and ready for the day before they all threw a fit and tried to stop her.

  "Hang on, where are you going?" Dalton asked.

  Rafe swung around with a spatula in his hand. "Sit down," he pointed the spatula at the chair and sounded far too much like his brother.

  "I'm sure y'all already have your horses saddled and loaded for the branding today and I have a feeling mines been conveniently left in the barn."

  "Nope, no way." Cliff's scowl could have fried the bacon without a burner—her too for that matter.

  "Maybe you need to hang loose today, Maddie." Dalton looked from her to Cliff. "We'll get the branding done. From what Cliff said, you're bruised up pretty bad."

  Maddie was in no mood for this. "I'm fine. I missed helping with the cattle yesterday."

  "Yeah, but we needed Buford on the auction block and you were the one who pulled the short straw."

  That was true. Taking the old bull to the auction hadn't been something any of them had wanted to do. But she'd been the one to pull the straw, literally. After what he'd done to her, she hadn't felt so bad selling him.

  "I'm fine, y'all. And I'm helping with the cattle today."

  She didn't wait for further protests. They wouldn't have let bruised ribs keep them from doing their job. And she wouldn't either.

  Rafe and Cliff followed her onto the porch, their boots clomping hard behind her. She didn't look back but kept on going as fast as her ribs would let her.

  "Hold on, would you?" Cliff called, easily catching up to her. "Why are you being so stubborn about this? You're in no shape to be out there on a horse much less working a branding iron. It's ridiculous."

  Oh—she stopped and met his exasperated eyes with a warning glare. "Hold it, bucko, just because you helped me yesterday and then fixed me supper and we had a lovely meal--" and it was a really lovely meal. "It gives you no say in what I do or don't do." This close Maddie couldn't help noticing how good he looked in the morning sunlight. His scent wrapped around her. His dark brown hair picked up specks of gold in the slanting light. Focus Maddie, focus.

  His lip twitched and then he laughed. Laughed!

  "Maddie, c'mon. You're too stubborn for your own good. You would hurt yourself just to prove you're going to do things your way. I thought you were smarter than that." He shook his head, spun on his boot heel and strode back across the patio. "Have it your way."

  Rafe hadn't said anything as he looked from her to Cliff. After Cliff stalked back inside the house he shot her a questioning eyebrow. "He's right you know. There is no reason you need to be out there today. As an owner there is plenty that you could do here if you had to do something. But honestly, Maddie, take a day off. Rest. Go shopping or get your hair done. Anything. You deserve it."

  What was wrong with her hair? Why would he say that?

  "Yeah," Chase agreed coming out onto the patio. "You've been getting a little crazy working ever since C.C. passed on and left us the ranch. He'd tell you straight up to take a rest."

  Tears sprang to her eyes thinking about C.C. He would have demanded that she take time off and she knew it. Feeling foolish suddenly and not liking that at all she blinked the tears away. Crying would not solve anything. It never had.

  "I need to check on my horse." They had no right trying to make her feel bad. Taking a swig of her coffee she fought through the pain that throbbed throughout her torso with each step she took. She didn't let herself think about how bad it was going to feel when she climbed into the saddle.

  They were only trying to help you.

  Inside the barn stall she spoke softly to her gelding when he stuck his head over the stall. "Hey buddy," she said, feeling a little tension ease from her as she placed her forehead against his. "What am I doing?" she asked as if he could help her.

  She was being overly stubborn, she knew it but she couldn't seem to stop herself. What was it about Cliff that had her so uptight?

  Setting her coffee mug on the bench beside the stall, she went to grab her saddle. Maddie reached to lift it from its rack—instantly splinters of pain shot through her. Crying out, tears flooded her eyes and she dropped the saddle on the concrete floor. Staring down at it she fought not to cry.

  Was she being too stubborn?

  *

  Cliff entered the barn right as Maddie cried out and the saddle thudded to the concrete. Her shoulders slumped and the fight went out of her in a rush.

  It hit him hard. She rubbed her forehead, her eyes closed—probably fighting back the need to cry. His heart cinched tight.

  He liked her spunk. Her fire.

  Liked that she stood her ground.

  But this was unreasonable. What was going on in that pretty head of hers?

  "Okay, that does it." He stalked across the fifteen feet to her. "You might be used to getting away with mistreating yourself today—not when I see how bad you're hurting."

  That protective instinct he'd felt from the first moment he'd watched her slam into that pipe fence kicked into overdrive when he saw tears shimmering in her green eyes.

  She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hands.

  "I'm concerned about you, Maddie. Everyone is."

  "I know." She sniffed and wrapped one arm protectively across her ribs. He knew from experience that the pressure helped the pain a little. She opened her mouth to say something more then shook her head and looked away.

  He wanted to pull her close, comfort her, but he sensed she'd push him away.

  He hadn't held a woman in months. Hadn't even been tempted as he'd struggled, running on empty. It was a blow when a man realized the dreams he'd been chasing weren't enough. And that was before he learned his dad was dead and the unexpected emotional toll that kicked him with.

  What emotions drove this stubborn-kill-herself-with-work need in Maddie?

  "Want to talk about it? About why you're doing this to yourself?"

  She sniffed and looked away. He waited, giving her time to get a grip on her emotions, sensing she didn't let people see her cry. Why he knew that he wasn't sure but he felt like he'd known her for longer.

  "You and I both know as much as I want to, I'm not going to make it onto that horse." A resigned sigh escaped her.

  "Yeah, we know that. My question is why are you even trying when there is no reason you need to push yourself like this? I asked the fellas and they said they had no idea. But that you've been pushing extra hard since your boss died. Since he named you a partner. Why are you doing that, Maddie?"

  *

  Cliff's earnest question tugged at Maddie. "Because there is so much to be done," she blurted out, as if she'd known Cliff all of her life and shared things with him all the time. She didn't share things with anyone. Didn't let people get close. Those walls of disappointment and loss she'd experienced too many times growing up had taught her to keep her emotions close and people on the outside.

  She let those she called friends in only so far before the barriers slammed firmly into place. So what was different about Cliff? Other than he'd infuriated her half the time she'd known him.

  And rescued her. And made her supper.

  And now he's looking at you as if he genuinely cares.

  "The way I see it, as big as this ranch is I'm sure there's been a lot to do from the day you first hired on. What's driving you now? Is it because you're an owner?"

  She looked away, the truth eatin
g at her. The strain of believing she shouldn't be an owner. That she hadn't done enough to deserve the honor. "In a way," she admitted. "Before I was employed by C.C., a hired hand. I gave a hundred percent to my job, but I didn't have to worry about whether the bills got paid or the ranch grew stronger. I could go to my little apartment at night with no worries."

  His shoulders relaxed and his expression mellowed into understanding. "That makes sense. A lot of sense. Especially for a nomad like me who doesn't own anything other than my truck and riding gear. And a few bulls."

  Relief eased some of the tension gripping her. "Exactly. It's not like I hadn't planned on settling down eventually. Like you're about to do. I had planned on it too, and soon. You know, buy a small place and make a payment..." She stopped herself from saying more. She certainly wasn't going to blurt out that she had planned to work on letting down the walls around herself in the hopes of finding a soul mate.

  "Maddie, Rafe and I talked late into the night and one of the things we talked about was the ranch. He said y'all were a great team. He said Chase had been doing the books for several years and that the rest of y'all had different strengths that worked well to keep this ranch going strong."

  How could she make him understand? "If we each do our part. I'm the weak link." What are you doing? Why do you want him to understand?

  He laughed. "Yeah, right. No one believes that. Not even me and I've only known you for two days."

  She bit her lip as he suddenly seemed to look even closer into her thoughts. She felt exposed in a way she'd never felt before. As if he could actually see her. Who she really was.

  It wasn't realistic. He'd only just met her. But still...

  "There's more to this," he said, knowingly.

  He cupped her jaw gently, surprising her with his touch as much as with what he'd said. She couldn't breathe—and she hadn't been hit by a gate this time.

  "I'm not going to press, but if you want to tell me I'm here and would like to help if you'll let me." His thumb brushed along her jaw.

  Longing ached in Maddie's heart, startling her with the intensity of it. She realized that she was staring into Cliff's eyes like a school girl anticipating her first kiss.

  She swallowed hard, shaken by the emotions this man had awakened in her.

  It didn't make sense. It was too fast.

  But right now, she didn't care because Cliff Masterson had just put a crack in the barrier around her emotions that she'd been trying to figure out how to break open for some time now. And he'd done it with no help from her.

  She'd only known him two days. And while that should have scared her silly, it was what captivated her the most.

  Chapter Six

  Cliff told himself to back off. He had never wanted to kiss a woman as badly or as completely as he wanted to kiss Maddie Rose. Impulsive as he tended to be he pulled back, this was not the time to let himself have free rein. Maddie was vulnerable and he knew it. There was something going on inside that beautiful head of hers and maybe even her heart that he didn't want to harm.

  She was far more fragile than anyone realized. She had strength and a lot of it, but he'd glimpsed more. Giving into the need, momentarily, he traced her jaw once more with his thumb then took a step back. Electricity hummed in the air between them.

  He gave a shaky chuckle. "You're a stunning, strong woman Maddie. You are far from a weak link. But your body needs a break today. Probably tomorrow, too."

  Looking almost as dazed as he felt she frowned. "I'm not going to lie around and eat cupcakes all day though. I'll go bonkers."

  He threw back his head and laughed. "I bet you would. Tell you what. Come help me look at property. I'll drive easy and if your ribs get to hurting too much then I'll bring you home to lie down and eat cupcakes."

  A little laugh huffed from her. She hesitated, nibbling her lip like he'd seen her do so many times. He almost groaned, thinking about kissing her again. If she rode along, it might make for a rough day now that he had thoughts of kissing her had super glued themselves in his brain.

  "I could use your knowledge of the area," he said. When she remained conflicted he used what he hoped was his ace in the hole. "And you do owe me for saving you yesterday."

  Her shoulders sagged. "You're right, I owe you."

  He felt a stab of disappointment that he'd had to toss out that she owed him in order for her to agree. She didn't owe him anything.

  "Great." The important part was that she wouldn't be hurting herself trying to brand cattle or getting into any other trouble she might find for herself to do when she got bored sitting around. "I really appreciate it."

  "It's the least that I can do after what you did for me." She sighed and stared at her dejected saddle sitting on its side. "Could you put my poor mistreated saddle back on that rack for me, please?"

  "My pleasure." He winked at her, excitement flashing through him thinking about spending the day with her. "This is going to be a great day."

  To his surprise she laughed—or started to—then grabbed her ribs and groaned. Laughter might be the best medicine for most things but not bruised or busted ribs.

  "Ow," she croaked, but her gaze looked bright. Things were looking up.

  *

  Was she really doing this? Maddie wondered again as she walked beside Cliff toward Hailey Bell Sutton's real estate office. Of course that wasn't what had her feeling like she'd jumped off a cliff. It was that she was actually going to try and crack the shell around her emotions. Cliff had gotten past a boundary no one else ever had. Could she let him in further?

  They'd called ahead to make sure Hailey was at the office. These days it was uncertain since Hailey was almost nine months pregnant and due any day. She was in and questioned Cliff over the phone and promised to have property suggestions ready when they arrived at her office on Main Street.

  Hailey was a gorgeous blonde and one of the nicest people in town—and that was saying a lot because Mule Hollow was loaded with a full deck of good people. She waved them in as soon as she spotted them through the window.

  "Hey Maddie, y'all come in and have a seat. And please excuse me for not standing up." She rubbed her huge tummy and smiled widely. "Doctor's orders and he has my husband, Will, lined up as my bouncer should I not comply. I can come to work, but I have to sit. If I do more than waddle to the bathroom after I get here then I can't come to work anymore." She smiled looking extremely happy then held her hand out to Cliff.

  "And you must be Cliff? It is so nice to meet you. And exciting that you're going to settle here." They shook and then she waved them to the chairs across from her. "You'll love it and from a real estate prospective, there's a lot to choose from hidden across the county. And at pretty fair prices."

  When they were seated she handed him a stack of pages photos and property descriptions.

  "Thanks," Cliff said, his smile had widened as the words had rolled from Hailey at a fast clip. He thumbed through them quickly. "These look great."

  "I hope there's something in there you'll like." She looked from him to Maddie with interest. "I'm glad you're going with him since you're familiar with the area. I'll feel less like I'm abandoning him with you along."

  "I'm glad to do it," Maddie said, still in shock that she was contemplating pushing the feelings Cliff stirred in her.

  She and Hailey chatted about the baby while Cliff looked through the pages. Maddie couldn't help be a little envious of Hailey. She really wanted a baby. Not that she ever talked about it to anyone. If she talked about it then she'd have to explain to her friends why she was afraid she'd never have children of her own. Truth was, when a person was as afraid as she was of showing her heart to someone—well, it made falling in love pretty hard. And if she wasn't falling in love there wasn't a possibility of her having a baby. It was complicated.

  When Cliff finished choosing the properties he wanted to see there were a total of six listings in his hand. None of them had an owner on the premises so they didn't have
to set up any appointments and that made viewing easy.

  "Hopefully, I'll still be around by the time you find something," Hailey said before they left. "But if I'm not, my friend, Sugar Rae will step in. She was my assistant for several years and is going to fill in part time, finishing up any deals that I leave dangling. So, you don't have to worry about that."

  "I wasn't worried." Cliff shook her hand again. "You take care of yourself and don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

  Easy for him to say, Maddie thought. If he could only see into the mass confusion inside her mind! If he could, then he'd know she had absolutely no idea whether she was going to be fine or not.

  Within minutes they were heading out of town. Maddie told herself to relax and enjoy the day and the—she searched for the right word for what she was doing—possibilities. She was exploring possibilities.

  The thought made her smile inside.

  What was the worst thing that could happen? That by the end of the day her attraction to him wasn't strong enough to take a risk for what she wanted?

  Or, was it that at the end of the day she'd realize his interest wasn't strong enough to break completely through her emotional shields?

  Either of those scenarios would put her right back where she'd been before he'd shown up yesterday.

  She could handle that. She could.

  At least she'd be able to say she put herself out there.

  She'd taken a risk.

  She was calm by the time they reached the first property. It was a nice place. Not far from Horizon Ranch it had stock pens that sat off from the house and its location appealed to Cliff.

  It was a nice morning, with the sun flirting with them through fluffy clouds as they pulled to a halt near the barn and the cattle pens.

  "Nope," he said after a quick scan of the area. "This isn't it."

  She laughed, shocked by his reaction. "But you didn't even get out of the truck."

  "I didn't need to. What's the next one?"