“Are we late?” she asked, words coming very slowly in light of what she’d just seen. “For something?”
“We’re gonna be late for dinner, if we don’t hurry.”
“Oooh!” Joey was out of the hot spring in a flash.
“Need a hand?” Cade crouched next to Becca, his strong arm extended, and his hand hovering in the air.
“Yes,” she said. I saw the outline of what your boxers are hiding, she wanted to say. But what good would that do? It was her first day on the ranch, and she had to keep things professional. Had to. But she put her hand in Cade’s and tried to ignore the way it felt to have her hot hand in his, and feel his calloused skin against her palm, his strong grip—
Before she could climb out, a pair of dogs rushed up, barking and pawing at the air.
“Castor! Minx!” Joey whistled for the two border collies that had been around the ranch all day. They rocketed across the grass to her and nuzzled her. “They’re hungry, too. I’m going to go feed them,” She took off without another word, legs pumping hard, the dogs at her feet.
And Cade was still holding her hand.
They both seemed to realize it at once. Cade’s arm tensed, pulling her upright, and her breasts—covered in the thin tank top and somehow even thinner bra—were exposed to the air. Becca caught his lightning-fast glance down to the front of her shirt. Her face was a furnace. Her face could power several furnaces. He pulled her back to solid footing on the bank and reached for something behind him. A towel. He’d brought her a towel. “Here,” Cade said, and stepped forward to wrap it around her shoulders.
Becca should have been ready with a joke, but all she could think was are you going to butter my toast for me, too? And she’d already made that joke. He snuggled the towel tighter around her shoulders. Cade stood awfully close. His clothes dripped water from the hot spring. Becca had never wanted to trace the line of someone’s jaw more than she did right now. He was close enough to kiss. If she did that, she’d know what his full lips felt like against her own. She’d know—
One of the dogs came racing back, barking at the top of its lungs, on a collision course with her legs. At the last second Cade pulled her in. The collie brushed by and plunged into the water.
She could feel every ridge of his abs through her shirt. Praise the towel for opening the way it did. Praise everything in the universe for making Cade this way. Becca tilted her head back, breathless, inviting him—
But when she opened her eyes, he was shaking his head, staring down at the collie. “This dog. Shoo. Shoo.”
The dog had a mind of its own. It took a minute to climb out onto the bank and chase after Joey.
It took another several heartbeats for Cade to let go of her. He stepped back, searching her eyes with his own. And oh, she felt it. She felt that heat shimmering in the air between them, ready to go up in an inferno at the slightest hint of a spark. Cade’s lips were slightly parted, his green eyes dark. She fought for her next breath.
“We should get back.” Becca heard what he didn’t say as if he’d put the words right into her mind. Before anything happens.
“That’s right.” She reached for her jeans, and by the time she straightened up, he was making his way downhill toward the house.
5
“How can I help? And don’t say there’s nothing to do. I can see the dishes, too.” Becca stood at Jayne’s elbow in the kitchen, her belly full and her heart still beating fast from the hot springs. She and the famous Jayne had finally been introduced.
“You can help me load the dishwasher, if you want.” Jayne was in her mid-fifties, with gray streaks in her hair and a quick laugh. “But you don’t have to. Cade’s paying me to do this, and I don’t mind. You sure you don’t want to take a seat?”
“If I sit down, I won’t be able to stand up again.”
Jayne laughed, but it was true. The only place Becca was going to sit tonight was the edge of her bed—if she could stay awake that long. “So, you’re thinking of buying the ranch?”
“I am,” Becca confirmed. “And I have to say—you seem like you belong here.” Jayne had transformed dinner completely. Her gentle prodding kept the conversation moving, kept people talking, and the feast she’d made was massive. And it was topped off with two pumpkin pies. Becca didn’t know how she’d managed to eat so much, but she wanted a woman like this on her team. “Maybe this is early, since we just met tonight, but—I’d like for you to stay, if I buy the ranch. I think the rest of the guys would agree.”
Jayne slipped another plate into its spot in the dishwasher and gave her a kind smile. “I’m not sure if that’ll work out.”
“I’ll give you a raise.” Lord knew she had enough money to do it, with her inheritance. It wouldn’t be depleted by buying the farm—not so much that she couldn’t pay a little more to everybody who worked here. “I’d be more than happy to do it.”
The older woman shook her head. “I only mean that I don’t think Cade will sell in the end.” A burst of laughter rolled over them from the dining room. “This place is in his blood. It would tear him apart to leave.”
That didn’t seem quite right. Cade had seemed ambivalent about it, yes, but torn apart? She hadn’t seen him agonizing over selling, necessarily, just weighing his options. And after what he’d told her at the hot springs about his family, she could see how a fresh start would be appealing.
“Becca, come on back in here. We miss you,” Danny called.
Jayne winked at her and tipped her head in the direction of the dining room. “They’re calling you, honey. Might as well enjoy the evening.”
* * *
Becca was going to explode if she ate any more pie. Any more pie now, or maybe ever. After the meal, she’d found herself in the living room with a book Jayne had recommended. But sleep was pressing down hard on her eyelids. It was time to go to bed.
She blinked and took in the new silence of the house. This place had rhythms all its own, with the ranch hands coming and going for meals, and now—
Now there was a sound coming from upstairs.
She climbed the steps one by one, book tucked under her arm. Voices. Cade and Joey, clearly. Becca stopped at the top of the stairs and listened.
From here, she could almost see into Joey’s room—but not quite. That didn’t matter, because she could pretty well picture the scene. However they were sitting, it was heartwarming. Guaranteed.
Cade read to Joey in a clear, strong voice. Becca recognized the story instantly. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It sent a familiar spark soaring through her. She’d loved that book as a child. The sound of Cade’s voice reading the words like he’d written them himself drew her up onto the landing, where the light streamed out of Joey’s doorway and she could see in.
Cade leaned up against the headboard of Joey’s bed, and Joey rested against him, their boots abandoned on the floor. And both of them were sharing a piece of Jayne’s pumpkin pie. As Becca watched, Joey lifted a forkful to her mouth and closed her eyes, leaning her head fully against Cade’s chest as she savored the bite.
“My turn.” Joey put down her fork and took the book out of Cade’s hands. And then she picked up reading right where he left off, not missing a beat.
“Wait.” Cade waved for her to stop. “Why doesn’t he just take her right back to the wardrobe? Seems like the right thing to do.”
“Because he’s under pressure, Dad.” Joey went on with the story.
“But wait,” Cade said. “Why’s a cool guy like him afraid of a frozen witch in a bad mood?”
“Dad,” said Joey. “Would you rather read?”
“No.” Cade shifted on the bed. “I’d rather ask Becca to come in so she can hear the story up close and personal instead of hiding in the hallway.”
Becca’s cheeks went hot, and she couldn’t keep the nervous smile from her face. Well, he’d seen her. She couldn’t run into her room now—that would be even worse than the alternative. So she stepped into
Joey’s.
Cade wore a smile that was almost a smirk, his green eyes dancing. Her face couldn’t get any hotter…but it did. Oh, it did. He lifted the plate with the big slice of pie in the air. “I’d offer you some, but it’s mostly gone.”
“That’s all right. I had plenty at dinner.”
Cade folded his legs to make room for Becca at the foot of the bed, and Joey watched her carefully as she sat and leaned against the wall. “Dad never met a pie he didn’t like,” Joey said.
“Really? He—” Something came to mind about Cade’s muscles—something naughty and utterly inappropriate to say, so Becca covered it with a cough. “He’s not the only one.”
“Good,” Joey said. “I’m going to keep reading now.” She returned to the story.
“Wait.” Cade took the last bite of pie and put the plate on the bedside table. “She just goes back? To the other house in England? If it were me, I’d be exploring for the rest of my life.”
Joey shot him a look that was pure frustration, and Cade winked at Becca over the top of his daughter’s head. It was so simple, so familiar, that the warmth in Becca’s cheeks rushed down and covered the rest of her. She hadn’t expected to find this kind of warm-glow feeling at the ranch with Cade—not in a million years. Not when he so obviously held the ranch and their life there in a tight, tight grip, and Becca was the outsider. But there it was, like a candle in a windowsill, steady and light.
Becca settled back on the bed as Joey read another half-chapter, then handed the book off to Cade. He settled in for the final half, and she found herself closing her eyes just to let his voice wash over her. He might be a stubborn, take-charge man, but he had a wonderful voice.
“And that’s it. I’m calling it.”
Becca snapped her eyes open.
“No.” Joey’s protest turned into a yawn. “One more chapter.”
“One more chapter and we’ll be up all night reading these books. This way, there’s something good for us to come back to tomorrow.” Cade eased himself off the bed and Becca scrambled to follow him. He lifted Joey like she weighed nothing and tucked her under the blankets, smoothing them over her shoulders with his broad hands. Becca looked away, her heart stinging.
“One more chapter,” Joey murmured.
“Goodnight,” Cade said.
“‘Night, Becca.” This from Joey made her turn around at the door to the bedroom. Cade pressed the On button for a nightlight at the outlet above Joey’s nightstand.
“Goodnight,” she answered. “See you tomorrow.”
Cade followed her into the hall and pulled Joey’s bedroom door shut behind him. “Success,” he said, in that low, smooth voice of his.
His eyes met Becca’s, and the warmth that had spread across her chest zoomed up into her cheeks. Awkwardness descended between them like a door slamming shut. Becca ran a hand over her hair. She had no idea what it looked like, now that she’d pressed it up against the wall. And she definitely needed a shower. “Thanks,” she said finally, a deeper heat crawling across her cheeks. “For inviting me in.”
Cade cleared his throat, a light in his eyes that almost—almost—made her think he might like her. “Couldn’t leave you out here in the hallway. It was getting creepy.”
“Sorry about that. Honestly, it was—” She laughed, trying to keep the sound low so they didn’t disturb Joey. “It was so sweet. That’s why I stopped.”
Cade’s gaze flicked away and he stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Glad you thought so.” He tipped his head and for an instant she could see him as one of the cowboys in an old western film—hat on, riding into the sunset, strong and wild and free. “Well. I’m going to turn in.”
“Right, of course.” Becca tore herself away from him and turned down the hall at the same time Cade did. In the narrow farmhouse hallway, she bumped right into his broad biceps. “Oh—” Be cool, be cool. Instead she overcorrected, lurching so quickly to the right that she caught one foot against the other.
His big hands arrested her fall, catching her neatly around the waist. She turned in his arms, trying to get her feet underneath her and finding purchase at the last possible moment. “Woah, there,” he said. “Something up with you?”
Was her skin even there? Her cheeks were so red-hot that she doubted it. “Just tripped.” She stood up straight and Cade dropped his hands from her waist. “Wow, I must be—” She faked a yawn and inwardly fainted, slumping to the floor out of sheer mortification. “I must be really tired from this morning. Time for me to hop in bed. Quick shower, and then—” Oh, god. She pressed her lips shut tight. The only thing worse than falling headfirst into Cade would be describing the process of getting naked for the shower and then what else would she say? Was she going to talk him through the way she toweled off her hair, too? “Bed,” she said firmly, and whirled away.
It was so wrong, so out of the ordinary, so not her usual thing, and the hair on the back of her neck stood out straight. Her heart begged to be behind the closed door of the guest room, where she could shake her fists at the sky and whisper-scream her embarrassment away.
“Becca.”
Cade’s voice stopped her in her tracks, a half-step from the threshold of her doorway. He stood framed in the shadows, silhouetted against the golden light from downstairs. “Yeah?” She brushed nervously at her hair. She didn’t have anything in her pockets—she was sure of that—but at this moment, it would make perfect sense for something horrible to drop to the ground between them.
Nothing did.
“You be careful now.”
Then he moved past her into his bedroom, closing the door with infinite care.
6
Cade’s phone buzzed, the plastic vibrating against the wood of his nightstand. He reached for it on instinct, his brain hauling him bodily out of a dream involving reading a book in bed. Only Joey hadn’t been there. The woman snuggled up to him in the dream had been none other than Becca. Part of him wanted to hold tight to that in-between state, but a phone call this late at night meant something was up.
“Hello?”
“It’s Danny.”
Cade sat up in bed. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve got a cow in labor in the pen down here, but I think something’s wrong.” Danny’s voice was edged with concern. “Just seems like a struggle.”
“All births are a struggle.” A memory flashed into his mind, quick as a lightning bug, there and then gone—the middle of the night when Joey was born. “I’ll be right down.”
He pulled on his clothes and hurried out into the hall. The farmhouse breathed silent breaths around him. No sign that Joey had woken in the night, no sign of anything. He hesitated outside Becca’s door, picturing her pink-cheeked face from the other morning. A strange softness wrapped around his heart. Joey prided herself on being up early most days. He didn’t have the option to let her sleep, like he did right now. And maybe he’d do the same for Becca.
No—she wouldn’t want to miss this.
He went into her room and shook her awake before he had the chance to talk himself out of it. She jerked upright in bed, mumbling something unintelligible and still, somehow, heartwarming. “What is it?” she managed finally. “Are there dishes in the sink?”
Cade stifled a laugh. “No. A cow’s calving in the pen in the barn. I thought you’d want to see it.”
“Yeah,” she said, then yawned. “I do, I do.”
Cade waited while she ran down to the bathroom to brush her teeth and throw on a hoodie. It was only a hooded sweatshirt, nothing fancy, but the way it fell over her curves made him want to wrap her up in his arms and fall back into bed.
They went out into the cool night air. “Danny said it looked like the cow was struggling,” he told her. “We’ll see how it goes when we get there.”
In the barn, they found Danny and another one of the ranch hands crouched low next to the back corner stall. They’d turned on a couple of electric torches on the ground, keep
ing the light low. The cow lay on her side in the stall. Cade stopped to take it in. She arched her neck, lowing softly, then panted.
He’d never been so aware of another person as he was of Becca in this moment. And she focused completely on the cow, a frown stealing over her face. They watched in silence for a few minutes.
“It doesn’t look good,” she said softly. “I don’t know exactly why, of course, but it just doesn’t.” She crouched down next to Danny and put a hand on the side of the cow’s neck. “What’s the deal with you, girl?”
Cade joined them at the cow’s side. “I was expecting a difficult birth. Dystocia, maybe,” he said, keeping his voice even. No need to spook anybody, least of all the cow. “That’s why I had her brought closer to the house. How long’s she been like this, Danny?”
“An hour and a half.”
He exchanged a look with his lead ranch hand. That was verging on too long for the cow to struggle. They should be seeing hooves by now—and there was no sign of them. “We’d better call in. You think Dr. Lambeth will answer?”
“She always does.”
Danny went to make the call, and Becca stayed where she was, patting the cow’s neck and murmuring in her ear. She radiated calm, and Cade felt himself radiating awe. Other people he’d known might have been jittery at the prospect of helping an animal in labor, but not Becca. The city girl didn’t seem to have any problem getting down in the figurative muck. He could admire that.
“Is this the first time this has happened to her?” she asked after a minute, and the other ranch hand got up to stretch his legs. “Dystocia?” The light from the lantern cast shadows on her face, making her eyes seem even darker than they were.
“Don’t know.” He patted the cow’s neck too, letting his hand slide close to Becca’s.
“What about the rest of her line? Any other cows have situations like this? Any more than the average?”
The Rancher’s City Girl: Wells Brothers Book One Page 4