Chapter Five
Cauy straightened up as a hint of sound shattered the quietness of the remote field he was working in to repair the fence. He couldn’t quite believe that he’d been at the ranch for a week already. He looked over toward the copse of trees in the corner and tried to work out exactly what he was seeing. There was something big crashing around in there. Returning to his truck, he found his father’s ancient rifle and retraced his steps moving on down the slope toward the green darkness.
A snuffling sound made him go still again. Wild pig? Mountain lion? He’d heard that the Morgans had recently captured some kind of wildcat on their land. He took another cautious step forward, his weapon raised, and heard a whicker of greeting. Two horses stuck their heads out of the foliage to stare at him. Neither of them had halters on nor looked as if they had been near a groomer for years, if ever.
Cauy backed up again, returned to his truck, and found a coil of thin rope and the remnants of his lunch. Treats in one hand, rope hidden behind his back in the other, he approached the horses.
To his surprise, as if keen for some company, they both came willingly. He fashioned a couple of rough nooses and dropped them over the horses’ necks and led them over to his truck. It was too far to walk them back so he’d have to attach them to the rear of the truck and drive real slow. They didn’t seem to mind being taken along, which made him think that at some point they’d been broken to saddle and weren’t completely wild.
He pulled up in front of his barn to discover another truck bearing the Morgan Ranch logo already parked there. With a resigned sigh, he killed the engine and got out. It didn’t seem to matter what he said, the Morgans just kept on coming....
“Good morning, son!”
Cauy considered the wrinkled old cowboy smiling at him. “It’s Roy, isn’t it?”
“Yup.” Roy tipped his hat to Cauy. “The boss lady told me come on over and see if you needed a hand.”
“I don’t—”
Cauy barely got the words out of his mouth before Roy started off toward the two horses, and Rachel got out of the other side of the truck.
“Where’d you find these beauties?” Roy asked, running a professional-looking hand over the first horse.
With one eye on Rachel and the other on Roy, Cauy struggled to form a coherent sentence.
“Uh, out in the far corner of the ranch. I was mending fences.”
“They look pretty good considering they’ve been outside,” Roy finished his appraisal, and straightened up, not without some difficulty.
“I haven’t checked to see if they are branded,” Cauy stated. “If they belong to Morgan Ranch, please take them.”
“Your dad let a lot of things go the last year he farmed this place,” Roy said, grimacing. “I reckon these are probably yours. You’d probably best get them checked over by the veterinary.”
“But not by Jenna McDonald or BB might kill him,” Rachel spoke for the first time.
Roy grinned. “BB wouldn’t do that, but he might come along to make sure Jenna was okay.”
Cauy cleared his throat. “Jenna McDonald is the vet? What happened to Ronald McDonald?”
“He retired to play golf. His son Dave and his niece have taken over the practice.” Roy patted one of the geldings. “Call Dave. He’ll come out.” He looked over at the barn. “Anywhere safe and dry to keep these horses over the winter, Cauy?”
“The barn needs a bit of work,” Cauy admitted.
“Then me and Rachel had better help you out.” Roy turned to Rachel. “Get my toolbox out of the truck and find yourself some gloves.” He turned to Cauy. “While Rachel’s checking out the structure of the barn, why don’t you find a safe place for those horses to graze?”
Recognizing defeat and reluctant to bundle an old man into his own truck and send him away with a flea in his ear, Cauy meekly untied the horses and led them down to the only field he’d managed to make secure so far. He still didn’t understand how the Morgans could simultaneously hold his father in such low esteem yet be willing to help his son.
He’d been brought up suckling at the milk of his father’s resentment of the Morgans, and it was a hard taste to get rid of. He guessed his father would’ve been shaking with rage right now, humiliated by being put in this position and more than willing to vent his anger on the next person who crossed him. Cauy wouldn’t do that, but being managed didn’t sit easily with him.
He’d left home to avoid all that crap, enjoyed his own life without having to worry about parents or family or any of those things that weighed a person down. The Morgans seemed to thrive on being part of a family, and he genuinely didn’t get it.
After a last pat for the horses, he returned to the barn where Rachel was studying the roofline.
“It’s basically sound,” Cauy said as came to stand at her shoulder, getting a whiff of lavender soap and warm skin that made him want to bury his face in her neck and just breathe her in.
“Yes, it is.” She gave it another appraising stare. “How’s the inside?”
He made a face. “Cluttered and dirty.”
“Then we’d better get busy, hadn’t we?” She walked over to Roy. “Let’s clean out the interior so that I can take a look at the load-bearing walls and posts inside.”
Cauy grabbed hold of her arm. “You guys really don’t need to do anything, okay?”
They both looked at him as if he was nuts.
“We’re right here.” Roy made a gesture. “Why wouldn’t we help out?”
“Because I don’t need your charity.”
“Charity?” Roy spoke up before Rachel even got her mouth open. “Where did you get that mealy-mouthed idea from? We’re neighbors. In this part of the world, especially with winter coming, we help each other. Fifty years ago your grandfather Marvin helped dig out half the Morgan Ranch cattle that were buried in an early snowstorm. Let’s consider this payback, so you can rest easy, youngster.”
“And you do want somewhere to put the horses, don’t you?” Rachel added, her blue gaze fixed on Cauy. “Even if we just accomplish that it’s better than nothing.”
Cauy took off his hat and shoved a hand through his flattened hair. He knew what his dad would’ve done, but after the age of five he’d never wanted to be like him.
“Okay. I appreciate the offer. What do you want me to do first?”
* * *
As they worked Rachel let Roy direct Cauy’s movements while she made sure the interior posts and walls were secure. After clearing out half the barn she could see the structure clearly. The floor was solid concrete and the drainage channels were usable. At some point the barn had been solidly constructed and well looked after. From what she’d heard about Mark Lymond, Rachel guessed he was the one who’d let everything go.
Even though Cauy was doing exactly what Roy asked him to do, Rachel sensed he really didn’t want them there. His continued resistance stuck in her craw and made her want to stride over, knock his hat off his head, and kiss him silly.
She paused. Kiss him silly? Where the hell had that stupid idea come from? She glared at the back of his head. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. It would certainly shock him.
But what if he kissed her back?
How would he kiss—with that quiet stubborn certainty hidden beneath his remote expression, or would there be more? She’d never dated a man older than herself, and if Ruth was correct Cauy was almost thirty.
“Everything okay, Rachel?” Roy asked.
Flustered, Rachel took a step back and collided with the stone wall. “Yes, all good here. The structure looks great. All we need to do is make sure the drainage is working, and we’ll be good to go.”
“You mean Cauy will be good,” Roy joked. “How about I go back to the ranch and grab some basics for the horses while you finish helping our friend here?”
“Okay,” Rachel said cautiously, her gaze colliding with Cauy’s, who didn’t look very keen on the idea of being alone with her at all. Irrationally, her urge to jump him only intensified. “I’ll check the water flow.”
While Roy went back to his truck she walked around to the rear of the barn and studied the rusted pipes before attempting to turn on the faucet connected to a rotting hose.
“I’ll get that.” Cauy reached past her, his shoulder brushing against hers, the warmth of him shocking after the coldness of the wind. “It’s probably rusted in place.”
She stepped back, stuck her hands in the pocket of her fleece-lined jacket, and watched him wrestle with the water pipe.
“You didn’t need to stay.” Cauy didn’t turn around to speak to her. “I could’ve done this myself.”
“It would’ve taken you at least a week to move all that stuff by yourself,” Rachel pointed out. “Why are you so reluctant to accept help?”
“Maybe I’m just not used to it being offered to me.” He swung around to face her, wiping his gloved hands on his jeans. The stubble on his chin was so long now it almost qualified as a beard. “I also didn’t expect to be surrounded by Morgans.”
“My family are good people.”
He shrugged. “That’s not what my father said.”
“And your father was so well-liked and respected in this community.”
“He had cause to dislike the Morgans.”
“Because Chase offered to buy him out?”
“You heard about that, did you?” His wry smile was a surprise. “That’s the only reason I’m standing here now. If Chase hadn’t offered him all that money, my father would have sold the place and left me nothing.”
“I don’t get it,” Rachel said slowly.
“My father would’ve done anything to thwart a Morgan. Even when it hurt him most.”
“Then he was a fool.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Cauy walked over to his truck. “I need something to loosen this up.”
Rachel stood there like an idiot biting her lip and waited for him to return with a can of something in his hand. He tried to open the screw top and couldn’t quite manage it with his gloves on.
“Give it to me.” Rachel took the can and unscrewed it.
“Thanks. I could’ve—”
“Done it yourself, yeah, I know that, Mr. I Don’t Need Anybody.” Rachel carried on talking, aware that she was treading on dangerous ground, but kind of enjoying it anyway. “Have you ever had a real relationship?”
“Like with another human being, you mean?”
“Exactly.”
He held her gaze. “Yeah.”
“As in?”
“A wife?”
Rachel winced. “You’re married?”
He looked around the desolate barn. “Like I’d be here if that was the case. She divorced me. I deserved it.”
“Oh.”
His smile was a challenge. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“Did she divorce you because you insisted on coming out here?”
“Nope, but she would’ve hated it.” He squirted stuff on the rusted faucet. “She left me about three years ago.”
“Do you miss her?” Rachel blurted out.
“Nope.” He gave the handle an experimental twist, and it screeched like a banshee in protest. He detached the rotting hose and looped it over his arm. “I’ll get the new one.”
He came back with a bright green hose and Rachel darted forward to help.
“I’ve got this,” Rachel said as he again struggled to pull apart the packaging with his gloves on. “There’s a tab right here.”
“Thanks.”
They were so close she only had to look up to be staring right into his eyes.
“What, no qualifiers about doing it all yourself?” Rachel said breathlessly.
The side of his mouth kicked up. “I know when to quit.”
Her gaze fixated on his lips, and she inhaled the warm scent of his skin. Unable to stop herself she leaned in.
“What do you want from me, Rachel?” he asked so softly she barely heard him.
She knew he was giving her the opportunity to step back, no questions asked, but she stayed exactly where she was, her mouth an inch from his.
With a stifled sound he closed the gap between them and kissed her, the shock of his cold lips swiftly dispelled by the heat of his tongue as he took possession of her mouth.
He kissed with an intensity that stopped her breath and made everything inside her go quiet, and then hot, and needy. She grabbed for his shoulder to keep him exactly where she wanted him, and he dropped the coiled hose on her booted foot.
“Ouch!” Rachel yelped, and ripped her mouth away from Cauy’s.
* * *
The shock of her loss made him rock on his heels until he realized she was hopping around like a demented chicken. He looked down at the hose and grimaced.
“Sorry.”
“No problem,” she gasped as she leaned back against the wall and pressed her fingers against the toe of her boot. “It’ll be fine in a moment.”
Seeing as she had good sturdy boots on, Cauy was pretty sure she was going to be okay. He moved over to where she stood and held out his hand.
“Do you want to go into the kitchen, take your boot off, and check out the damage?”
“You mean like go inside your house with you, right now?” She made a face. “I’m not sure I could take the risk.”
“The risk of what?” Cauy asked. “I’m not the kind of guy who presumes anything.”
“Not you.” The look she gave him was withering. “Me.”
“Hey, it was just a kiss. No need to get bent out of shape about it,” Cauy offered. He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up kissing her and needed to get away before his body demanded he did it again.
“Sit down on that bucket over there then, and check your foot out. I’ll go and get the medical kit.”
He skedaddled up to the house, Rachel’s taste on his lips, and his body humming with need. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t about her. It was just that he hadn’t had sex for three years. Not that there hadn’t been offers, but he’d never been interested.
In the bathroom, he took off his gloves and washed his hands before studying himself in the mirror. He looked more alive than he had in weeks. He traced the scars on the left side of his face half hidden by his stubble. He’d been pretty once. The fact that he cared that he wasn’t pretty any longer annoyed him immensely. Rachel was too young and innocent to stir his interest, and he’d better remember that.
She was also a Morgan. He could almost see his father turning in his grave at that little kicker.
He grabbed the medical kit off the shelf. Maybe this was just his body’s way of letting him know he was ready to get laid again, and nothing to do with Rachel Morgan at all.
Yeah, right.
He returned to the barn and found Rachel sitting where he’d told her to, one boot off and her sock draped over it. She was gingerly touching her toes as if making sure they were all there.
Cauy went down on his knees and placed the medical kit on the floor.
“How’s it looking?”
“Not too bad,” Rachel said. “I probably shouldn’t have taken my boot off because now my toes are swelling up a bit.”
Cauy feared she was correct. “Even if they are broken, they don’t do much for them these days. Either they buddy them up with tape, or put you in one of those stupid boots. The best thing to do is get the swelling down and go and see Dr. Mendez if things don’t improve soon.”
She grimaced. “Good job I didn’t ride over.”
“Yeah. Roy should be back with his truck soon so you can go home in that.” Cauy got to his feet. “I’m just going to connect the hose and give the barn floor a good clean. Sit tight.”
“Cauy?”
He braced himself. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, the goddam kiss or his useless medical advice, but he wasn’t going to inquire too closely. The truth was, he wanted to kiss her again, and that wouldn’t be a good idea for either of them.
He attached the hose to the faucet, turned it on, and busied himself cleaning out the barn as if his life depended on it. The roar of Roy’s returning truck made him look up and turn off the water.
“Come and give me a hand.” Roy beckoned to Cauy to join him. “I’ve got a load of straw, a couple of buckets, and some feed for the horses in the back.”
Cauy put down the hose. “I think you should start a tab for me.”
“It’s all good,” Roy replied. “Where’s Rachel?”
“She hurt her foot on the hose so I told her to stay put in the barn.” Cauy came over and grabbed two bundles of straw. “Water’s running, and the drains are working so I think we’ll be okay to put the horses in.”
“Good job.” Roy took the buckets and bag of feed. “I’ll take Rachel home as soon as we’re done.”
It didn’t take long for Cauy to spread the straw and fill the feed buckets while Roy walked the horses up from the field. He kept an ear out for Rachel, but she seemed happy enough supervising from her perch on the bucket. She didn’t look to be in much pain either, which made him feel a lot better.
Eventually, Roy stomped off for one last check on the horses, and Cauy went over to Rachel. She’d taken off her hat and her short blond hair framed the sharp angles of her face. She smiled as he approached, and he felt it right in the gut.
“Can you give me a hand to stand up? Then we’ll be out of your hair.”
He bent low and swept her into his arms.
“Eek! You’ll put your back out!” She grabbed hold of him; one hand wrapped around his neck, the other on his shoulder. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, cowboy.”
He didn’t answer, his senses too full of the feel of her in his arms to care about mere words. She smelled right. She smelled like she belonged with him, and that was ridiculous.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” He started for the truck.
“My boot!”
He swung around and let her pick it up before resuming his journey. He took his time, enjoying the warmth of her body cradled against his, and the strength of her fingers against his skin.
Roy had left the passenger door open so he eased her up onto the seat. For a long moment, they remained locked together until he could persuade himself to let go.
“Thank you,” she murmured against his throat, and he wanted to groan as her teeth grazed his skin. “Thanks for everything.”
“Dropping the hose on your foot? Kissing you?” Cauy asked.
“Yeah. That.” She smiled at him and kissed his nose. “Good times, eh? Sorry I’m such a klutz.”
“I’m the one who dropped the hose,” Cauy reminded her.
“True.” She searched his face, her blue eyes watchful. “But I shocked you into it. If that hadn’t happened, would you have kissed me again?”
“Maybe it was a sign that I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place,” Cauy murmured, and then wanted to kick himself as the teasing light in her eyes disappeared.
“Maybe you dropped it deliberately.” Rachel eased completely out of his grip and put her seat belt on. “Good-bye, cowboy. Have a nice evening.”
Roy climbed into the driver’s seat and winked at Cauy.
“See you tomorrow, Cauy. I’m bringing Ry over.”
“Ry who?”
“Rowdy Yates Morgan. Haven’t you met him yet?” Cauy shook his head. “He’s the deputy ranch foreman, and he has a proposition to put to you.”
“Great,” Cauy muttered as the truck pulled away. “More Morgans.”
Would he ever be rid of them, and did he even want to be? Rachel Morgan was way too alluring for her own good, and she seemed to like him way more than she should.
But then he liked her, too, and that was even more unexplainable.
Cauy went to check the horses in the barn and picked up the medical kit. The place was starting to look like an actual ranch again, which should make him happy, but all he could think about was Rachel Morgan. This wasn’t how he’d wanted things to work out at all.