Chapter Five

Hadley heard the door to the clinic open and close. In the exam room with the momma cat and kitten, she waited for the knock on the door. It came.

Brooks opened the door a crack in case the cats were exploring on the floor. He immediately noticed she had kept them on a blanket on the table. “Eli’s here,” he said with a grin.

She supposed Brooks was just being his cheery self and she tried not to read anything into that grin.

Eli must have been right behind him because Brooks stepped aside and there the rancher was. He seemed even taller and more broad-shouldered in the exam room than he had in the barn. It made sense, she supposed. The exam room was smaller than the tack room. She always used logic when she was disconcerted or unsettled.

“I’m sorry to bring you out in this snowy mess,” she apologized. “I didn’t want to coop them up in a crate here if I didn’t have to.”

“No problem.” When Eli came closer to the table, she felt a few sparks lighting her nerve endings. Maybe they came from remembering his hand on her face, the touch of his long fingers, the sensuality of his kiss. The room was getting warmer, and that wouldn’t do at all.

“You said they tested clear?” he inquired, but his gaze was on her, not on the cats.

“They did.” The kitten stood up when she saw Eli as if she remembered him.

She scrambled over to him, meowing, and he picked her up. “You’re going to have to stay in the tack room for a day or two,” he told her. He looked at Hadley. “Momma cat, too?”

“You’d better. Do you have any other cats around the barn?”

“I haven’t seen any others. My guess is with this snow, none will go wandering either.”

“Are you going to leave these two in the barn permanently?” She was having a problem keeping her mind on the conversation when Eli’s gaze was locked on hers.

“I haven’t decided yet. Maybe Mom will want them up at the house.”

“Is she a cat person?”

“We’ve always had cats around the place. I just imagine Dad with a big bloodhound sitting by his side on the porch if he retires. But I don’t think he’d like that picture.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. From everything she’d heard about Charles Dalton, he’d be active on the ranch until the day he died.

Why couldn’t she stop looking at Eli? His gaze seemed to tether to hers. Trying to shake off the pull she felt toward him, she grasped at the nearest thing. The eyedrops. She held them tightly in her hand. “These are the eyedrops for the kitten. I thought we could give her the first dose together,” she explained, covering up her nervousness. “Two hands are always better than one, so if you could get someone on the ranch to help you, that would be great. You’ll have to give her the drops twice a day.”

She showed him the small bottle and pointed to the instructions. “Just squeeze one drop into each eye. I’ll hold her while you manage the bottle to see how fast the drops flow out.”

“I have a feeling you’re going to make this look easy when it’s not.”

“It is easy...once you do it a few hundred times.”

He chuckled. “All right. I’m ready. I suppose the object of this is to do it quickly so she doesn’t squirm away.”

“Exactly.” As she held the kitten, Eli let the drop fall into first one eye then the other. The kitten meowed loudly in protest. As soon as Hadley set her down on the table once more, she ran to her momma.

Eli ran his hand down the momma cat, and again Hadley noticed the gentleness of his touch, the way he brushed his fingers through the cat’s fur. This time she grabbed a package from the counter and showed it to Eli. “These are a snack that will boost their immune systems. Give momma about ten each day. Baby can have two or three. Break them up for her.”

“I’ll take good care of these two,” he assured her.

Hadley gave him a long look. He might want to take care of them, but he was a busy rancher, and she wondered if he’d forget them.

Apparently Hadley didn’t hide her doubt. “I really will,” he said again. “I just have to figure out the best way to do it.”

He was about to pick up the box that she’d carried the cats in, but Hadley stopped him. “We have cardboard temporary carriers here. Let me get one of those for you. It will be much easier that way. The handles lock together, and you won’t have to worry about the cats getting out.”

Before she reentered the exam room a few minutes later, she took a deep breath. After she opened the door, she noticed that Eli was studying a chart on the wall while he carried the kitten in the crook of his arm.

He turned toward her. “You seem to be at home here.”

“I’ve helped Brooks out a few times, so I know where things are.”

“Since the receptionist isn’t at the desk, should I pay you?”

Anne Lattimore, Brooks’s receptionist, was snowed in. She’d called him and said she’d get here as soon as she could. But as far as Eli paying Hadley...

“Don’t worry about paying today. Brooks will bill you for this office visit and the testing.”

“You made an overnight house call, so I expect to pay you for your time, too.”

“I was doing a favor for a friend. It was my time. I’m not going to charge for it.”

“Hadley—” His voice was a husky, low protest.

She tried to ignore the way his voice seemed sensual and...intimate.

“Seriously, Eli. All I did was supervise.”

“And probably save the colt,” he concluded. “I named him Coco, by the way, because of his color.”

In spite of her resolve not to fall under any man’s spell ever again, she took a few steps closer to him. “It was an experience I won’t soon forget.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes, knowing the birth of the colt had been the beginning of something else. However, Hadley didn’t want to acknowledge that. Needing to keep her hands busy, she broke eye contact and opened the carrier on the table. Then she scooped up momma and set her inside. When Eli did the same with the kitten, his hand brushed hers. They looked at each other again as if not knowing what to say.

He closed the carrier and then picked it up, hesitating only a second before going to the door.

Hadley walked him out to the reception area.

There he said, “I guess I’ll see you around.”

Hadley nodded but suddenly couldn’t respond. Seeing Eli again would be a pleasure. But that was a pleasure she was going to deny herself.

* * *

When Hadley returned to the boardinghouse from the clinic, she was met with hugs and kisses.

“Are you all right?” her grandmother asked.

“Did you freeze while you were out there?” her sister Claire inquired, looking her over.

“You’ll have to tell us all about it,” Old Gene suggested with a wink.

Hadley ignored that wink. Realizing she’d had little sleep and the adrenaline that had rushed through her when she was around Eli was ebbing, she was suddenly very tired. Oh, she’d gotten a few hours of sleep last night in Eli’s arms. But the rest of yesterday and this morning had been exhausting, and she didn’t think she was ready to face this crowd of family inquisitors.

Her sister Claire must have seen that because she said to the group, “Why don’t we let Hadley get her bearings, change clothes, maybe even rest a bit. Then she can come down and have a snack with all of us.”

While Melba and Old Gene seemed to agree, and Levi tended to his and Claire’s daughter, Bekka, Claire spirited Hadley away up the stairs to the room where she was staying.

Once inside, Hadley flopped on the bed and said, “Thank you.”

She sat there for a few seconds until Claire asked, “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me what happened?”

“Nothing happened. I delivered a foal. End of story.”

“I hardly think so,” her sister asserted. “I know what Eli Dalton looks like. He’s hot.”

Hadley kept silent.

“Not only is he hot, but you were cooped up with him for hours, and not only for hours, but overnight. Are you going to tell me again that nothing happened?”

The nothing that had happened had been a very surprising kiss. The other nothing that had happened had been her cuddling in Eli’s arms. But she wasn’t about to reveal either of those to Claire, just as she wasn’t going to reveal what had happened in Las Vegas three years ago.

“Nothing happened,” she said again, trying to make her sister believe it. “Eli felt the birth wasn’t going right. That’s why he called Brooks and Brooks called me. So I went out there. At first nothing seemed amiss, but as the mare began to deliver, we saw it was a breech birth. I had to give it a little assistance. We had a lot of time waiting around, and then being snowed in. We couldn’t even get the barn doors open, not until we were plowed out this morning.”

Claire gave her a long, level look. “I think you’re leaving something out.”

This was her sister after all, so Hadley grudgingly gave her something. “I will admit, Eli Dalton isn’t what I expected. He’s different from other cowboys I’ve met.”

“How so?”

“He’s self-taught, but knowledgeable in many subjects. He has a wide range of ideas. He doesn’t seem mired just in his own thoughts or in a narrow point of view.”

“Like other cowboys you’ve met?”

“Right.”

“And just how many cowboys have you dated?”

Hadley shrugged. “A few.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me. There’s something that’s kept you from seriously dating for a very long time. Don’t you think you should spill what that is?”

Claire had this fine habit of making Hadley feel guilty. Yet Hadley knew once she let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, she could never live down her impulsive mistake. Her family would pounce on it. They’d want to fix it. They’d want to fix her. They’d want to hook her up with somebody eligible so she could settle down and begin the life they wanted for her.

But she wasn’t exactly sure of the life she wanted. She didn’t want to be poked or pressured or coddled...or looked at as a foolish woman who’d leaped into a situation without using her head. She just wanted to be treated like a normal woman who was finding her way.

“Claire, I’m fine. I have nothing to say. Everybody’s dating habits are unique.”

“Are you going to date Eli Dalton?”

“No. The subject never came up.” Just because when they touched, she tingled. Just because when he kissed her, she swooned. Just because his gaze on hers made her feel like melting... No, the subject had never come up.

“There is something I didn’t tell you,” Hadley revealed.

Claire was all wide eyes and smiles now.

“I found a momma cat and kitten. I took them to the clinic and had them cared for, and Eli took them back home with him. The Circle D now has a momma and kitten as residents.”

Claire swatted Hadley’s arm. “Go get a shower and change. I’ll pave the way for you downstairs and tell everybody that nothing happened.”

“Thank you,” Hadley said sweetly as she went to the shower. She knew Claire was frustrated with her, but she also knew as sisters they’d get through the frustrations. When Hadley returned to Bozeman in less than two weeks, she would no longer have to worry about spilling a secret she didn’t want her family to know.

* * *

“I always thought Hadley Strickland was kind of standoffish.”

Eli loved his brother Derek. He even liked him most of the time. But maybe not right now. They were sitting in the kitchen of their family home on Wednesday since the house was closer than his cabin. He’d just stopped in for a mug of coffee to warm him up before he continued checking fence lines that might have been damaged with the snow. Derek had come in about the same time.

“What do you mean she’s standoffish?” Eli asked. “How do you even know her?”

“I’ve chatted her up,” Derek admitted. “Weddings are a good place for that,” he said with a wink. “But she acted all guarded, like I’d stepped on her toes or something.”

“Did you try to ask her out without even having a conversation first?”

Derek gave a little shrug and a wicked grin. “Maybe.”

His brother thought he could pretty much date any woman he wanted. Therefore, he figured there must be something wrong with Hadley if she wasn’t interested in him.

“She’s a smart woman, bro. She probably saw through your...charm.”

Eli could see Derek was about to protest.

The truth was, he himself had seen a reserve around Hadley. In his experience, that kind of reserve usually came from having been hurt in a past relationship. In spite of himself, he wanted to know more about Hadley’s past relationships, and more about the woman herself.

His past serious relationship had affected him. Out of high school, he and Elaine had dated for two years. Two years where he’d had dreams of owning his own ranch someday, building up a herd, having a family. But she’d broken his heart because she’d wanted a career in Chicago. She’d expected him to leave the ranch where he’d grown up, leave his family, friends and his heritage. He’d known then she’d never have the time and space in her life for what was important to him. He’d ended the relationship. That was the only thing he could have done.

That had been twelve years ago. Oh, sure, he’d dated since then, but not seriously. Never seriously.

In a flurry of movement, his mother came into the kitchen. She was plump with gray curly hair that framed her face. Spry and energetic, she always had something planned for her day. Today he saw baking pans were greased and floured on the counter. He also noticed that she’d set out a couple of pie plates. That gave him an idea.

She came over and gave him a hug. “I haven’t seen you for a couple of days. Where have you been keeping yourself?”

“There was lots of snow to shovel, and I had to make sure the cattle had feed.”

“I suppose you did,” she said, going to the sink and washing her hands. “But I also heard that you have a cat and kitten living at your place. What’s that about?”

“They were living in the barn office, but since I have to put eyedrops in the kitten’s eyes, it seemed best to keep them at my cabin.”

His mother arched a brow. “Permanently?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Derek cut a glance his way, then went to the refrigerator for the carton of milk.

“Are you baking pies today?” Eli asked his mother.

“Probably tomorrow morning. I’m baking a couple of cakes today. With Thanksgiving coming, we’ll need those cakes and I can freeze them. And the pies... I imagine everyone here will lay into them as fast as I bake them. It’s just a matter of what you want—apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream?”

Eli didn’t care what pies his mother made. They were all good. “Do you think you’ll have an extra?”

She picked up the flour canister and brought it to the counter. “You want to take one to your cabin?”

“No. It’s a thank-you present for Hadley Strickland. She wouldn’t take any money for helping with Amber. I thought a pie might be a nice gesture.”

Now his mother gave him the same probing look that Derek was giving him. “I suppose it could be. What kind do you want to take her?”

“Apple would do just fine.”

His mother gave a nod. “Your favorite, too. That’s convenient if you want to share.”

Eli could say he would or wouldn’t. On the other hand, he considered the best thing to do in this situation was just keep his mouth shut.

* * *

The next afternoon, carrying the basket his mother had insisted he use to hold the pie, Eli went to the door of Strickland’s Boardinghouse. A minute or so after he knocked, Melba herself came to the door.

When she saw him, she was all smiles. “Hello, Eli. It’s good to see you. I thought I might have a stray guest coming in for the holidays.”

“From what I hear, you have a houseful of family.”

“Yes, I do, and it’s wonderful. What have you got there in the basket?”

“This is a thank-you gift for Hadley. Is she here?”

“She’s up in her room with that e-reader of hers, reading veterinary journals.” She shook her head. “I thought this would be a vacation for her.”

“That’s why I particularly want to thank her. She cut into her downtime to help me out.”

“Come on in out of the cold,” Melba invited, motioning him inside. “I’ll go get her.”

Eli felt a bit ridiculous standing in the foyer with the basket until Hadley came running down the stairs. Then he didn’t much care how he looked. She was dressed in black leggings and an oversize blue-and-black tunic sweater. Although it was roomy, it hugged her when she moved. He had to smile at the furry slippers with embroidered paw prints.

When she saw him glance at her slippers, she said, “What can I say? I have a pet theme going on.”

As she approached him, he felt as if he needed to rid himself of his coat. Instead he held the basket out to her. “That’s an apple cranberry pie to thank you for your help. I wish I could say I baked it, but that was my mother’s doing.”

Hadley smiled at him. “So is the pie from you or your mother?”

“Oh, it’s from me, and Amber.”

Just then Bekka, Claire and Levi’s three-year-old, came running into the foyer and threw her arms around Hadley’s legs. Afterward, she turned and headed for the kitchen, where Eli could hear babies crying. He supposed they were Tessa and Carson’s twin babies.

“Things are a bit noisy here,” Hadley told Eli with a smile. “That’s why I was in my room.”

“Do you want to take a walk so we can talk?” he asked. He hadn’t intended the invitation to spill out, but it seemed like a good idea.

“Sure. Just let me take the pie to the kitchen and I’ll grab my boots and coat.”

He couldn’t tell from Hadley’s expression if she was glad to see him or if the stroll would be anything more than a walk down the street. Just what did he expect from the walk except frostbite?

He was still contemplating that when Hadley met him at the door. After they went outside, she pulled gloves from her pockets and slipped them onto her hands. At the base of the steps, she asked, “East or west?”

“Let’s go west. It looks as if the sidewalk’s completely clear that way.”

Some of the mounds along the curb were four feet high, but the pavement cut a swath through the snow that was just wide enough for the two of them to walk. Their arms brushed as they breathed in the cold and walked half a block in silence.

Finally, Eli broke it, knowing exactly what he’d expected from this walk. “We should talk about that kiss.”

After a few footsteps, she cut a glance at him and asked, “You mean at least three kisses, don’t you?”

He wasn’t going to quibble. He thought about it as one long kiss, but they had come up for air twice.

“I see you’re a detail person,” he teased, not feeling as light as he sounded.

Her boots crunched on snow that had fallen from the mounds alongside the walk. “It was the situation we were in,” she claimed. “That’s all. I mean, haven’t you kissed someone before because you were excited or relieved or...”

She seemed to run out of words, and he filled in for her. “Or very attracted to them?”

When he turned toward her, she looked troubled. Just what was going through her head? What held her back from telling him what she was feeling? Something was. He knew it in his gut.

He was absolutely certain of it when she suddenly changed the subject. “Has your household returned to normal? Everyone back safely from Missoula?”

So she wasn’t going to talk about their attraction. He’d try again later. “They’re all back. With cousins helping out, the workload is lighter. It’s what I like most about ranching—the teamwork.”

“Teamwork,” she repeated. “I’ve mostly flown solo.”

“But you said you cover for the other vets.”

“I do. But the truth is, I have more of a relationship with my furry patients than with the other veterinarians.”

“That’s telling,” Eli said before he thought better of it.

“Telling about what?” Hadley asked defensively.

Just because she wasn’t going to be open with him didn’t mean he couldn’t be open with her. “I think that says you believe you don’t need anyone else and no one else needs you.”

She vehemently shook her head. “That’s not true. My sisters count on me.”

“But do you count on them?” he asked.

She went silent.

He stopped and faced her. “Hadley, I didn’t mean that as criticism. Self-sufficiency is a wonderful thing. But now and then it’s okay to admit you need somebody, don’t you think?”

“I think you think we know each other better than we do.”

He realized immediately she was distancing herself again. “Two people confined together for a day can get to know a lot about each other.”

She didn’t dispute that as they came to the end of the street. But he could see she didn’t move to cross either way. So he turned to face her. “What are you afraid of, Hadley?”

It was probably the wrong thing to say because her shoulders squared, her chin went up and there was fire in her eyes. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

She was full of bravado, but he didn’t think it had any substance behind it. “And you believe that kiss was just about being thrown together unexpectedly.”

“Sure. I mean—You’re a sexy guy, Eli.”

“And you’re a sexy woman, Hadley.”

She looked startled for a moment as if she might not believe him. He took advantage of her surprise. “But you don’t want to talk about any attraction between us.”

She blinked. “No, I don’t. There isn’t one. I mean, there’s nothing between us.”

He gave her a long probing look, then he took a step closer to her. “No attraction between us?”

She had that deer-in-the-headlights look, and he almost felt sorry that he was trying to prove a point. But he wanted to know what made Hadley tick. He wanted to know why she wouldn’t admit to the attraction.

As he leaned a little closer, she sucked in a breath. The cold air must have shaken her back to reality because she said, “I have to get back to the boardinghouse. I’m going to babysit Bekka this afternoon while Claire runs errands.”

“And the others won’t be around?”

She shrugged. “Everybody has something to do.”

She’d turned back toward the boardinghouse and he did, too, walking beside her once more. “Do you like kids?”

“Sure I like kids. I’m just not as aware of my biological clock ticking as some women. And my sisters, my grandmother and even my mother don’t understand that.”

“You have a lot you want to do and see,” he suggested, feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach.

“Exactly. Once I get my pilot’s license, all sorts of opportunities might open up for me.”

“And you don’t want to be tied down.”

She looked him directly in the eyes. “No, I don’t.”

Though she said the words, and she said them with some vehemence, he didn’t quite believe her. Yet he knew from experience that a woman with dreams and goals like Hadley had would bring only heartbreak to a man like him.

They walked until they reached the steps to the boardinghouse. There Eli said, “Enjoy the pie.”

“I will. Thank you for bringing it, and thank your mom, too.”

That crazy devil inside his head made him say, “You can thank her yourself sometime. You’re always welcome at the Circle D.”

Hadley looked as if she wanted to respond, but she didn’t. She just gave him a fake smile, a wave and went up the steps and inside.

Eli felt as if more than the door to the boardinghouse had closed behind Hadley. She’d built a fence around herself with no gate. It was obvious she wasn’t letting any man jump over that fence into her corral.

The night they’d spent together and that kiss were now only shadows from the past.