“Mom, don’t worry. I’m not upset at you. At all. This is all that asshole’s fault. Not yours. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” She clicked off and pushed the phone back into her jacket pocket as they walked up the porch steps.
Cade wrapped an arm around her waist. “She okay?”
Nora nodded, touched by his genuine concern for her mom. She let herself lean into him for just a moment. “Yeah, she is now. Geoff tricked her into telling him where I am, and she was just worried about me.”
The puppy raced around their legs as they entered the bunkhouse. Clementine opened her eyes to offer them a passing glance from her perch on the back of the sofa, then closed them again and went back to sleep.
“You get on your pajamas, and I’ll let the puppy out,” Cade told Allie.
“I’ll change into my pajamas too,” Nora told them.
“Grab your toothbrush,” Cade said as they walked onto the porch. The puppy tumbled down the stairs and ran into the grass. He pulled Nora into a hug. “We’re not going to let you out of sleeping over, although this is not exactly how I imagined I’d get you into my bed.”
She pressed a kiss to his jaw, then spoke softly next to his ear. “How did you imagine getting me into your bed?”
“Which time?” he asked, grinning down at her.
His grin had a way of making her stomach both excited and nervous. Heat surged through her veins. She’d better go inside before everyone still working at the ranch saw her jump Cade’s bones on the front porch. “I’ll go change. And I’ll get my toothbrush.”
His voice was low, slow, and sexy as he drawled, “Let me know if you need any help gettin’ out of that dress.”
Another wave of heat swept through her, this time her body felt hot enough that she worried her dress might melt right off her. “I can manage.” She offered him a coy grin. “This time.”
He chuckled, a warm laugh that did nothing to cool her heated skin.
“Be right back,” she told him as the puppy scrambled back up the stairs and attacked the toe of his boot.
He leaned against the wall of the bunkhouse. “I’ll wait.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” His voice took on a more serious tone this time, and it suddenly felt as if he were talking about something entirely different. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
***
Nora woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. She snuggled into the pillow—Cade’s pillow—one last time, luxuriating in the feel of being in his bed and the scent of him on the soft flannel pillowcase. Granted, it would have been better if he were in the bed with her, and they were naked, but it still felt pretty dang good.
They’d stayed up late talking the night before, and both had been tempted to sneak him into bed with her. But neither of them wanted to take a chance on waking Allie. She’d done her best to stay up with them but had fallen asleep on Nora’s shoulder a little after ten. It had been so sweet watching Cade carry her to bed and tuck her in, as if she were still a toddler instead of a teenager. Nora had tried to help and was sure Cade had gotten a little misty-eyed as Allie had sleepily reached for the stuffed unicorn on her pillow and cuddled it to her side.
Nora stretched and yawned and slipped out of bed. The house seemed quiet as she tiptoed across the hall to the bathroom, but Cade was leaning against the counter studying his phone when she padded into the kitchen a few minutes later.
He looked up when he saw her, and a broad smile creased his face. “Good morning, beautiful.”
She had to smile back, couldn’t stop the grin if she tried. “Mornin’, cowboy.”
He reached for her, pulling her close and dipping his head to kiss her lips. The kiss started sweet, then deepened into something more—hunger and need mixed with promise and demand. He tasted like coffee and desire, and she was glad she’d detoured to the bathroom to brush her teeth before coming into the kitchen.
His hand slid under her pajama top, his fingers brushing across her waist, then up her ribs. Her nipples tightened with want, and she moaned against his lips as his palm cupped her breast and teased the pebbled tips.
A thud from Allie’s room had them pulling apart.
Nora smoothed the front of her pajama top, then crossed her arms to cover her hardened nipples. “It seems they’re demanding a little more of your attention.” She grinned sheepishly up at Cade, whose grin was much more in the Big Bad Wolf realm than anywhere close to sheep.
He lowered his voice to that slow drawl that sent shivers of desire rushing down her spine. “How about tonight I sneak into your bed and give them the attention they deserve?”
She swallowed. “I think they, and I, will have a hard time waiting until tonight.”
His lips turned up in a roguish grin. “They won’t be the only thing having a hard time.”
She playfully swatted his arm as Allie’s door opened, and the teenager rolled out. Most of her hair was still in the braid from the night before, but it was just mussed enough to give her that adorable bedhead look as she yawned sleepily. “Morning,” she said as the puppy raced out of the room behind her and headed for the door.
“Good morning, Allie Cat,” Cade said. “You want some—?”
They all froze as the sound of a gunshot rang through the air.
“What the hell?” Cade said, sprinting toward the door.
Nora and Allie hurried after him. He put his body in front of theirs, motioning for them to stay behind him as he peered cautiously out the door.
Another two shots rang out. Then Zane’s voice could be heard yelling, “Get the hell outta here!”
Oh no! Nora’s blood ran cold. Had Geoff come back this morning?
“Stay here,” Cade told them as he ran outside.
“What’s going on?” Allie said, reaching for Nora.
Nora put her arms around the teenager and pulled them away from the door. “I don’t know. But your dad won’t let anything happen to us.” She hugged Allie tightly. “It’s gonna be okay.”
Several long tense minutes later, Cade was back. His boots pounded the porch steps as he ran back into the house. He pulled them both into his arms. “It’s okay. Zane was shooting at the coyote. But I still want you to stay inside.”
“At Jack? Why was he shooting at Jack?” Nora asked.
Cade let out his breath. “Because he got into the chicken coop and was killing the chickens.”
She gasped. “But why?”
“Because he’s a coyote. And coyotes are assholes.”
“But we helped him.”
“I told you he’s not a dog. He’s a wild animal. It’s in his nature. A coyote isn’t going to change just because you do something nice for it.”
Nora sunk back onto the sofa. She shook her head, fighting the wave of nausea churning in her stomach. “Did Zane shoot him?”
“No, he was just shooting warning shots. But he took off with at least one of the chickens. The chicken coop’s a mess. That’s why I want you to stay inside, just until we can get things cleaned up.” He lifted the puppy from the floor. “I’ll take Scout outside first.”
He left with the puppy but was back a few minutes later. The dog raced in after him and ran to Allie. “You guys get some breakfast. I’ll be back when it’s okay to come out.”
Allie wrinkled her nose. “Gross. I’m not eating now.”
“I don’t feel much like eating either.” Nora pushed up from the sofa. “But I do need coffee.”
The basket on the front of Allie’s scooter rattled as her phone buzzed from inside it. Allie frowned as she checked the message.
“Everything okay?” Cade asked.
“No, everything is not okay,” she snapped. Whoever had messaged her had caused a massive mood shift. “I woke up to gunshots and dead chickens and being scared to death. And now Aunt Di is messaging me, wanting me to make decisions about mom’s funeral and asking if I want to speak during the eulogy thing.”
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked.
She glared at him. “Can you bring my mom back?”
His shoulders fell. “No.”
“Then I guess not.” She yanked the handle of the scooter around, the rubber wheel leaving a mark on the floor as it scraped over it. “I’m going back to bed,” she said over her shoulder as she wheeled into her room and slammed the door.
Cade’s face was bewildered as he turned to Nora. “What the hell did I do?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. She’s a teenager. They’re already prone to rampant mood swings, but she’s going through a lot right now. Her mom’s funeral is tomorrow, and I’m sure she has no idea how to deal with it. You’re just the easiest target to take all that frustration out on.”
Nora fell even harder for him as he shrugged off his daughter’s words.
“I can take it,” he said. “I’ve got thick skin. If snarking at me is what she needs to get her through this, she can snark all day long.”
***
Allie stayed in her room all morning, but Cade was glad to see her outside and standing by the corral fence that afternoon as they worked with the horses.
He’d talked Bryn into taking on a couple of wild mares earlier that summer, and he and Zane had been slowly working to break them. They’d had some interest in them the night before, so they’d brought them back from the pasture, and he and Zane were determined to get them at least green broke by that afternoon. So far, the one Zane had been working with had seemed to be settling down. But the one Cade had been trying to break was still giving him a hard time. She’d already bucked him off twice.
He’d given the mare, and his sore ass, a break while they cleaned out the stalls and spent some time with the other horses. His mind hadn’t taken a break though. For the first time in a long time, he let himself dream and imagine what his future could look like. A future with Allie and one that hopefully included Nora too. The fact that he was letting himself hope was a big deal. And frankly, scared the hell out of him. He wasn’t a guy who dreamed big or made plans. He was someone who waited for the cards he got dealt, then figured out how to make the most of his hand. Or sometimes just folded and watched other people win.
But this time he felt like he was finally in charge. Like he was dealing the cards and had just picked up a royal flush. He was feeling so optimistic, he’d made a phone call that morning to Miss Pearl’s daughter to inquire about her plans for Crooked Creek Ranch.
“You ready to get after it again with those mares?” Zane hollered as he headed toward the corral.
“Yep.” Cade spread another armful of straw into the stable, then shut the gate and followed Zane. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face when he spotted Allie by the fence.
She didn’t return his smile. Her face was still pinched when he walked over. “Where’s Nora?” she asked.
“She ran into town to meet someone for a physical therapy session,” he told her. “She’ll be back in a little bit. Something I can do to help?”
She wrinkled her nose, then shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. “No,” she said then let out a weary sigh as if she carried the weight of the world on her thin shoulders.
“We’re working on breaking these wild horses,” he told her, hoping to get her mind on something else. “You can stick around and watch if you want.”
She took a step closer to the fence and peered through the slats. “What do you mean by breaking? That sounds mean. Are you hurting them?”
“No. Course not. Breaking them just means teaching them to accept a saddle and the weight of a rider. It’s just how we train them so they can be ridden.”
“Why do you have to train them if they’re wild?”
“That’s a good question. Colorado has an act that protects and manages our wild horse population. The Bureau of Land Management manages the wild horse and burro population and they actually have places where people can go to view them in specific herd management areas. But oftentimes, the population expands beyond what the land can support, so the BLM rounds them up and makes them available for adoption. These two were adopted but then rejected, so I convinced Bryn to rescue them, figuring we could take them on, get them trained, then re-adopted by someone who really wants them. There’s an outfit down by Gunnison that’s interested in them if we can get them green broke.”
“Green broke? Like make them good for the environment?”
Cade chuckled. “No, green broke just means a horse who’s recently learned to be under saddle or to accept a rider on his back. Or in this case, her back. I’ve been working with that brown mare for a few weeks now, getting her used to the halter and the blanket and having a saddle on her. She does okay until I actually get in the saddle, then that seems to kind of piss her off. But I think I’m winning her over.” He nudged her with his elbow. “I like that you ask questions. Stick with me, kid. I’m going to teach you how to cowboy yet.”
She shrugged, but he thought he caught a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips before her mouth settled back into a frown.
Zane yelled for him again, and he held a hand up to Allie. “I gotta go, but I’ll come back and check on you in a bit, okay?”
Allie shrugged again, which today felt like the closest he was going to get to an okay. But she was still standing there as he approached the horse and took the side of her halter in his hand. He patted her neck and spoke soothing words into her ear. “All right now, girl. We’re gonna try this again. And this time, my girl is watching, so I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t toss me on my ass.”
He slowly reached for the saddle horn and carefully tucked his foot into the stirrup. “Whoa there,” he said, as the mare stamped her front feet and tried to pull away. “It’s okay. We’re going to do this nice and slow.” He pushed himself up so he was standing in the stirrup, holding that position for a few seconds before slowly swinging his leg over her rump and easing into the saddle.
The horse whinnied and took a few steps backward, then huffed and seemed to settle down a little. He looked over at Allie and gave her a thumbs-up. Clicking his tongue, he gave the horse a slight nudge with his heel to her flank, and she leapt forward, spinning and bucking as she tried to eject him from the saddle.
He tightened the reins in his hand, tensing his muscles as his neck whipped back from the jolt. Tightening his legs around the belly of the beast beneath him, he held on, knowing if he let up the slack for even a second, he’d lose the thin grip of control he had over the horse. Kicking her legs out behind her, she used the force of her body to try to throw him off her back.
Thanks to his overconfidence and showing off a little for Allie, he didn’t have as good a hold as he should have. He lost his grip as she kicked and gave another whopping buck that sent his Stetson flying through the air about ten seconds before he followed suit.
He landed on his ass in the dirt, but the horse was still pissed and stamped next to him. He tried to scramble out of her way as she reared back, but her hoof caught him in the side of the forehead and knocked him backward.
His head hit the ground with a hard thud. And everything went black.