Branded (6 page)

Chapter Seven

I’ve done a lot of tough shit in my life, but turning away Callie was one of the hardest. The pain in her eyes when I rejected her was enough to tie my gut in knots for days. Better for her to think me an asshole, because I am. It would save a lot of heartache for her later.

My damn cock was so hard I could barely sit down. That mouth of hers had been so willing. I’d watched her with her friend. He wanted more from her, but she’d been clear.

But she wanted me. Fuck.

Red whinnied.

“Yeah, buddy. I hear you. I’m as nervous as you are tonight.”

Rain hit the roof of the barn. That’s why the horses were out of sorts. By morning, the front would hit in full force, turning Amarillo into a windy hell. The rain was welcome. We never got enough. But the wind that came with it was brutal.

The barn was actually nicer than most people’s houses. It had air conditioning in the office and heat throughout for the tough winters. A few times in the last two weeks, I’d slept in one of the empty stalls to keep an eye on some of the mares.

I was about to sit back down again when there was a strangled sound and a loud thump in one of the stalls on the east side of the barn.

Maribelle. I raced to the stall and opened the gate. She was on her side and panting. Hell. This was happening. She whinnied at me like I knew what the hell I was doing.

I had no fucking idea. Well, I knew how it worked, and I’d seen enough videos. But I’d never actually done it on my own. If there was a problem, I could endanger the horse.

I called the local vet, Doc Grainger. No answer, but I left a voicemail. I thought about waking up some of the other hands, but I’d had a tough enough time fitting in. This was a business where you had to earn your spot, and rightfully so. A foreman had to keep the ranch running. That meant everything from working on the financials, which were easy for me, to dealing with the livestock. That was a bit tougher for a kid who’d grown up most of his life in the city.

Kneeling next to Maribelle, I rubbed my hand down her mane and talked to her in the same voice I used for reading. “You’re all right, sweet girl. This is your second foal. You know what to do.”

She snorted, as if calling me an idiot. I couldn’t blame her. Birthing a small horse couldn’t be easy. There was nothing more than to wait. The doc had checked her a couple of days ago and said it would be weeks.

“Is she going to be okay?”

That sexy voice was so soft and sweet. I glanced up to see a slightly drenched Callie hanging over the stall door.

“She’s about to give birth, so she’s not super happy right now, and she’s a few weeks early. I called Doc but haven’t heard from him yet.”

“I was on the path to the house when I heard her moan. Do you want me to wake up my grandpa?” She glanced down at her phone. “He gets up in an hour anyway.”

“Nah. She’s done this before, and it will probably take that long before anything happens. You might as well go to bed.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m too nervous and excited for Maribelle. She’s one of my favorites. I was away at boarding school the first time she foaled. I’m not missing it this time. And I want to help.” She carefully circumvented the horse’s hind legs to kneel beside Cole.

“Fine. Just keep her calm. Talk softly to her. Try to keep her attention while I check her belly.” I needed to make sure the foal was in the right position.

The horse snorted.

“There, girl, you’re so brave and wonderful. It sucks and probably hurts like a mother. But you can do this,” she whispered. The horse calmed, and I shook my head. It was almost as if the beast understood what Callie said.

I pressed lightly around the mare’s swollen belly and the skin beneath my hands shuttered and shifted. Maribel groaned, and I saw the front feet of the foal come out. “Good girl,” I whispered. The hooves were down, which meant the foal was in the right position. A few seconds later, a nose poked out.

This was happening a lot faster than it had on the videos I’d seen. Cleaning up paperwork and straightening out the financials was no big deal. I’d set up an inventory database to track feed and everything else going in and out of the ranch. My uncle and Callie’s grandfather had a paper filing system that was a pain.

But this…working with the live animals was a little tougher. I’d spent some summers with my uncle years ago when he’d been at another ranch closer to Dallas, but then he’d moved out to Amarillo ten years ago, and I had odd jobs in the summers that kept me busy closer to home.

I’d never been in charge of livestock before, and I’d been doing a ton of research. This was million-dollar horse being born. The stud fee alone had been more than most people earned in a lifetime.

The fucking pressure was constant, but even more so right now.

“Oh my God. You’re doing so good.” Callie’s voice cracked. I made the mistake of glancing up to see her wobbly smile and tears falling on her cheeks. God, she was gorgeous.

“Maribelle’s okay. The foal’s in the right position and everything is going great,” I assured her.

“I know. I just think it’s so wonderful. She’s been pregnant for almost a year. It’s a big moment for her, and she’s about to meet the baby she’s been carrying around.” There was true joy in her voice. It said something about a woman who could appreciate such a natural moment and understand the beauty in it. She really wasn’t like most of the women her age I’d met. Hell. She wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met.

“The heads coming out.” I reached out to Callie. “She’s going to be okay, but we need to step out and give her some space.” At this stage, the horse would do anything to get the foal out, and it was dangerous even though the stall was the size of a small apartment.

Callie let me take her hand, and I wrapped an arm around her to guide her out, then shut the stall door and leaned against it.

“It’s almost midnight black. Gorgeous.” She squeezed my arm tightly, and then she let go. Grabbing one of the saddle blankets, I wrapped it around her shoulders. She was shivering.

As we stood there, I did my best to ignore her honey and vanilla scent and the pure joy on her face, which lightened my soul. What would it be like to have someone around who was kind and cared so much for those close to her? She had secrets. I’d known that from the first time she fell into my arms. Her eyes had been full of grief, or she had been frightened about something, but she had quickly slipped on a mask.

Tonight, all of that was gone. Her happiness was addictive.

No. She wasn’t for me.

“Is it a colt? There’s so much membrane I can’t tell.” Her words pulled me back to my job, which I should have been doing.

The foal was most definitely a colt. It wasn’t always easy to tell from a distance at this stage. The animal was a beauty, even as it shook off the last of the membrane and pawed the ground with its legs. We stood there watching for at least an hour while Maribel cleaned the little guy up.

“He’s trying to stand,” Callie said. “I know nine times out of ten everything goes as planned, but I always worry. Always.”

“To be honest, so do I.” I grabbed a couple of old rags and stepped in the stall as quietly as possible. Carefully, I cleaned his nose and eyes, clearing away any of the remaining membrane. The colt snorted and reached out with its legs. It usually took a few hours for them to stand, but this little guy was a strong one.

Maribel shifted to her feet, and I stepped back out. She nudged her baby and licked its ears. The colt made a tiny grunting sound and pushed up on its back legs before wobblingly trying to straighten his front ones.

“He made it.” She sighed next to me, shoving tears away with her fist. A tiny sob escaped her throat, and I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

I wrapped her in my arms and held her tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I always get emotional. So many things can go wrong and…I don’t normally cry. Oh, look.”

Maribelle was intent on making sure the colt fed, nudging him and licking him.

“We should give them some time alone. I’ll give them a couple of hours and then move them to a clean stall so I can muck out this one.”

She stepped away from the stall. “I guess I should get back to the house. You were great. I know guys who have been doing this for thirty years who aren’t as calm and self-assured as you were in there. You must have spent a ton of time with horses.”

“Not really,” I said before I realized it.

Her eyes opened wide.

“I, uh, grew up in the city. Dallas. We lived in apartments. But Addy moved here early this fall when my mom died, and I tried to pick up as much as I could on my visits, up until my uncle was hurt. None of us expected what happened with my uncle, so I guess it’s a good thing I paid attention. He needs this job, and he’s the only family Addy and I have left.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Gran told me about your mom’s cancer. There just aren’t words for something like that.” She put a hand on my arm, and the heat from her palm seared through my skin. “Did your dad pass away?”

At the mention of my dad, the peace I’d been experiencing faded. “No, but he’s not in the picture. I’ve got to make sure the other stall is ready.” I turned and walked away. I didn’t want to think about the asshole who’d given me life.

I also didn’t want to examine what her smile and touch did to me. I didn’t want to like her.

She was the boss’s granddaughter. That was the end of it.

But holy fuck, I wasn’t sure I could push her away if she said she wanted me again.

I turned back to her. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have belittled your problems.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

“And I’m sorry about the kiss. I’m not sure why I did it, and I promise it won’t happen again.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to be such an asshole? You may have regrets, but I sure as hell don’t. Thanks for ruining a great moment.” She stomped off.

Great moment or not, kissing her had been a mistake.

One I wouldn’t repeat.

Chapter Eight

After a week on the ranch, I’d settled into a routine. I’d signed up to retake my finance class online, which I wasn’t telling a soul about. Whenever someone asked, I told them I was working on stuff for my classes coming up in the fall. I was doing some required reading as well, so it wasn’t a lie. I studied, helped Grandma with her shop in town at least three days a week, and one day a week worked at the charity barn, where we handed out food and clothing to those in need. That had been one of my favorite things to do in high school. I also helped my granddad whenever he asked.

I hung out with Addy, who was just the most adorable creature in the world. In the week that I’d known her, it was like she’d become my little sister. I’d always wanted one. She wasn’t bratty like a lot of high school freshmen. And it was fun watching her come out of her shell. I tried to make sure we went swimming at the club at least every other day so she could meet more kids.

Now, her brother was another story. Except for a few stolen glances, I tried really hard to ignore him.

Tough today, though, with just about everyone I knew, including Cole, in the house to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday.

It was exhausting. My grandparents had invited all the aunts, uncles, and cousins for the party. A sit-down luncheon for more than a hundred was no big deal in this house, but everyone asking about my first year at school had taken me to my limit.

I’d taken a year and half off to study abroad before my first year of college. My grandmother had thought it would help broaden my world. She was right. It had. I’d studied art and languages in France and Italy and immersed myself in the cultures.

I’d felt so grown-up at the time.

Little did I know that I was in no way prepared for the rigors of that first year. I’d been so wrong. Maybe it was stupid of me to be so worried about my grandparents finding out about my grades, but I didn’t want to ruin their summer.

To be honest, I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath.

By the time the lunch was over, I was ready to scream. Between Cole pointedly ignoring me, even though he’d been seated next to me at lunch, Addy, who was adorable but asked a million questions about the different family members, and the constant reminder of what a horrible failure I was, I’d developed a migraine.

Grandpa had asked for donations to his favorite charities rather than presents, but he still received some. After he opened them, people began to leave. Thank God. “I’m going to sneak upstairs for a bit,” I whispered to Ads. “I’m not feeling well.”

“Oh, no.” She grasped my hand.

I squeezed hers. “I’m fine. Just a headache. I didn’t sleep much, and it’s been quite a day.”

“I thought it was the most magical day ever,” Ads said. “I’ve never seen that much food, or so many people. It was like something out of a book.”

I grinned. When had I become so jaded?

“And I love my earrings. You shouldn’t have done that.” She touched them lightly with her fingers.

We also gave presents, personal ones, to all the attendees. I’d been responsible for Ads; Grandma had done everyone else. Except for me.

“I know, but I wanted to. And I love my bracelet you and Cole made.” It was leather, braided and twisted with a few pieces of turquoise. She had told me that she’d done the design, but Cole had actually made it.

I had tried to thank him, but he’d said it was Ads’s idea and she’d done all the real work. And then he’d turned to talk to one of my cousins about horses.

Whatever.

“You have fun.”

Stripping off my dress proved difficult. There were buttons from my neck down to my waist. I was about to give up and just take a nap in the dress when there was a knock on the door. As much as I wanted to ignore it, there wasn’t a thing keeping whoever was on the other side out.

“Come in.” I twisted my hands, trying to reach the buttons to no avail.

“Addy said you were sick.” Cole stepped into my room and shut the door. He wore a red button-down with his dark jeans. God. He was so hot. Part of the reason my head hurt was I’d tried so hard to keep from looking at him.

My heart beat double time in my chest. Crap. I had to get over this need for him. Even now I was obsessed with his hands and how they’d captured mine, holding them above my head.

“I brought you these,” he said as he put a glass and a bottle of ibuprofen down on the desk by the door.

“Thanks.”

“Do you need anything else?” His voice was so soft I almost didn’t hear him.

“No. Well, I could use some help with this dress.” I turned and pointed to the buttons.

For a few seconds, he didn’t move, and then he crossed the room. He lifted my hair and put it over my shoulder, his fingers touching the nape of my neck. I was sure he could hear my stupid heart pounding. It was about to shoot out of my chest and fly across the room. Sounds like an exaggeration, but I swear the skin and bones were the only things keeping it in my chest.

The more I tried to calm my breathing, the more his touch excited me. His fingers worked the buttons down to my waist.

I thought he was about to leave, and then his fingers traveled down my spine. Fire burned deep in my core, spreading quickly. He pushed the dress off my shoulders and it slid to the floor. I stood there with my back to him in my pink bra and thong, and my six-inch heels.

“Turn around.” His voice was low and hoarse, but it was definitely an order.

I did what I was told.

There was no denying the pure animalistic growl coming from his throat. “So fucking hot.”

Puddle. Me. There. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“I’m just going to check on Callie and I’ll meet you downstairs.” My grandmother’s voice was on the other side of the door, which wasn’t locked. Cole didn’t hesitate. In two strides, he was in my closet.

She knocked. “Hon, are you okay?”

I pulled up my dress so it was covering most of me and went to the door. Opening it a crack, I smiled. “I’m fine. Just a bad headache. Sorry. I would have said something, but you were busy.”

“Do you have something to take?” She put a hand to my forehead. “You do feel a little warm.”

Grandma, you have no idea.

“I do. You threw a lovely party today. I think I just overdid it a little. Maybe one too many Bloody Marys. Nothing some aspirin and a nap won’t cure.”

Her brow furrowed. “Okay. Well, text me if you need anything. And I’ll send up some herbal tea in a few hours.” She touched my cheek. “You really are flushed. I hope you aren’t coming down with anything.”

“I’ll be okay. Go on and say good-byes for me, please. I know Adina is looking forward to helping you make sure everyone takes home the gifts you bought them.”

“I just adore that young girl,” Grandma said. “She feels like one of mine. And that brother of hers is as good as they come. Those kids have been through hell and back. I’m glad you’ve made friends with them. You are good for one another.”

I had no idea where that came from, but I was very aware of Cole a few feet away.

“I know what you mean about Addy. She is precious, and I can’t say that about many almost sixteen-year-olds.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” Grandma laughed. “Okay, my darling girl. Like I said, if you need anything, let me know.” She kissed my forehead.

I shut the door and turned the lock this time.

“I should go.” Cole stepped out of the darkness. “Moments like that are why this can’t happen.”

“No, moments like that are why there are locks on the door.”

“And what if it had been my sister?”

“I would have sent her away. This doesn’t have to be complicated.”

He shook his head. “It already is.”

I stalked toward him. “I don’t do this sort of thing. I don’t throw myself at men and beg them to do whatever they want with me. But I’m doing it with you, Cole. I have no expectations other than knowing you are the one man who can make me forget my troubles right now. And maybe, just maybe, I can do the same for you. We can have a little fun for once, because we both fucking deserve it.”

I dropped the dress again and stepped out of it. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave you alone.”

He blew out a slow breath. “I can’t lie to you,” he said, “but the reasons why this won’t work are still there. It isn’t easy for me to walk away, but I have to. Being around you today was torture. Keeping my hands off you in public is impossible. I can’t do this. We have to stay away from each another.”

He left me standing there, my body trembling and aching for him.

I fucking hated him for being such a stubborn asshole. Even if he was right. Okay. I didn’t hate him. I admired him for being so strong. I wasn’t.

And then an idea struck.

It was brilliant.

But would Cole go for it?