At the cemetery fence, he paused. "He's buried here?""Yes, along with four generations of Cattenachs." She faced him, watching the hard edges of his profile. "Our parents died in a car wreck when we were eight. I didn't sleep well for a long time afterward and I refused to get in a vehicle for a year, thinking I'd die, too. I won't pretend to understand what you're going through, but what helped me was coming here, talking to them." He turned his head and looked at her, gaze sweeping over her face like a caress. Understanding and respect shone in his eyes before he broke the connection and glanced at the cemetery again.Bones nudged his hand and, with a blink of surprise, Nate looked at the dog."I think he senses what troubles you. Maybe you should let him sleep in your bed, see how it works out." She opened the gate and walked to Justin's grave.Nate's quiet footsteps padded behind her, but he said nothing. He spoke very little, actually, but his eyes gave a lot of him away. G
After the foreman's temper tantrum yesterday morning, Nate had spent the day ten feet from Olivia while she'd shaved wool off sheep. Many, many sheep. At least he knew what shearing meant now. It looked exhausting. A week ago, he wouldn't have said so, but since watching her and Nakos for nine solid hours, Nate would've rather done eight-hundred push-ups than partake.And he'd tried damn hard not to think about how great her ass looked in jeans every time she'd bent over. Which had been a lot. Or the way sunlight had lit her cornflower eyes and auburn hair on their walk. Or the way she'd smiled sweetly at him as if she could chase away all his dark simply by wishing it.Justin had been like that, too - worked his way past Nate's defenses and burrowed deep. Didn't matter how many times he'd told Justin to go away or gave off fuck-you vibes, the guy had just kept at it with charm and smiles and blah, blah, blahing Nate to death. Until he'd found himself liking the fellow soldier so much,
She grabbed the reins of two horses and walked them out the opposite end and into a clearing. Long prairie grass stirred in the wind as the pink sky faded to navy. She tied the brown horse to a post by a fence and held the black one in place.Nate eyed her, then the animals. "Never ridden one of these.""This is Midnight. He's a three-year-old stallion and very mild-mannered. Come on over here." When he did as asked, she took his wrist and had him run his hand down the horse's nose. In turn, Midnight nudged Nate's shoulder, and Olivia laughed. "There, he likes you."She instructed him how to mount, and he climbed onto the saddle. She did the same on hers, looking way more graceful about it, and settled her horse next to his."My guy here is Pirate, and he's a two-year-old gelding. Now, you know how to ride a motorcycle, so you're at an advantage." She set one hand on his stomach and the other on his forearm, and he inhaled hard. "Driving a bike requires using your core and arms. Yo
Olivia spent the next few days riddled in guilt and feeling stupid. And insensitive. And then more stupid. While they'd finished the week shearing and getting the wool loaded for the supplier, she'd done everything in her power to avoid all physical contact with Nate. She hadn't realized how often she used her hands until she'd been forced to think about every move. The best way for her to teach him was by demonstration.In bed, she flopped from her stomach to her back and stared at the ceiling. She was going on three nights of restlessness and nothing was working. She'd tried everything but the obvious path to assuage her wrongs. Because she was a coward.Top of the list? She needed to have a conversation with Nakos to clear the air. Which was darn impossible with Nate underfoot. Nakos had been a friend since as far back as she could remember. She may not share his romantic feelings, but he was entitled to respect from her.Lord. And Nate? What the heck was she supposed to say, to
"Are you cold?"He dropped his forehead to her temple. "The opposite." His nose brushed her cheek as he lowered his head, and she emitted a full-body tingle. "Just the opposite," he repeated, his rough voice barely above a whisper.Shaking his head, he shut off the faucet and reached for a paper towel. He dried her hands like she were a toddler in need of assistance, then held up her hand to examine it. Only a small half-inch knick on her outer palm, but it had created a lot of blood. He pressed the paper towel to the cut and held it there. "It's not deep enough for stitches."She nodded, recalling his initial response. "Does the sight of blood bother you?" Half her ranch hands passed out cold at the hint of red. It was a pretty common phobia and men could be babies."Not usually." "You seemed a little rattled before.""Justin died next to me. My mind flicked back for a second." He straightened suddenly and cursed, then muttered something that sounded like filter. "I'm sorry.
While Olivia talked with Nakos outside the barn, Nate leaned against an ATV a few feet away and crossed his arms. Several sections of pre-cut pine were lying in a trailer attached to the vehicle, and he was supposed to be heading out to the southern pasture to replace fence posts with Olivia. Except, just like she'd been doing a lot lately, she was hedging on working with him. For the past two weeks, while he followed her around doing this and that, getting familiar with the ranch, she'd barely spoken to him, never mind looked him in the eye. If learning a new skill required a hands-on approach, she'd delegated it to her foreman to teach Nate. It was starting to piss him off, but he'd mucked this up all on his own. Put them alone together, and she high-tailed her perfect ass from the vicinity. Accidentally bump one another? She jumped like she'd been electrocuted and created more distance than the Grand Canyon. Try to start a conversation, and he swore she bit her tongue to force o
Christ, they were twenty minutes from the house. He'd never heard that tone in her voice and damn if nothing in all his experiences sounded worse. The radio silence was almost more frightening than her frenzied request. What in the hell could've happened? She was supposed to be in the barn putting on horseshoes.He drove them as fast as the vehicle would allow over hills and across the prairie, but Nate could almost run faster than the damn thing. Nakos keyed up all the ranch hands on the walkie-talkie, but none of them were closer than they were."Hell." Nakos growled. "She's not responding and Mae's not answering the house line.""I'm going as fast as I can." Not fast enough, though. Some protector Nate turned out to be. The first time he wasn't within spitting distance of Olivia, and she was in trouble. The most ungodly scenarios shoved through his mind and acid burned a path from his gut to his throat.Finally, he rounded a bend and parked not far from the barn. Both he and
After the doctor left and assuring herself Amy was okay in the guestroom, Olivia took a shower and made her way downstairs. Comfy in a pair of loose sweats and a tank top, she figured she'd heat a cup of tea and crash. Her limbs were as useless as Jell-O and, any second, she was going to collapse. The house was quiet and dark, but a light shone from the direction of the kitchen, along with the murmur of muted voices. Heading that way, she found Aunt Mae, Nakos, and Nate at the table drinking coffee. They all looked up at her and started talking at once.Olivia waved her hand. "I helped Amy get washed up. She's trying to relax. Her brother Kyle's with her now." She leaned against the doorjamb and rested her head. "Hank says she doesn't think any ribs are broken, just bruised. Same with her face. She gave Amy a shot for pain and a script. I'll fill it tomorrow when I grab clothes from her house.""Think she'll eat something?" Mae rose and went to the fridge. "Soup?""Sure. That's so
In the main house's kitchen, Amy flipped through the pictures she took last week, Olivia next to her at the island looking on. They had plans to take a ride up to Blind Man's Bluff as soon as Nakos was finished with the horses. It was a gorgeous Saturday, the sun bright and warm, and Amy was looking forward to enjoying it. The past couple weeks had been rough between the trips to Casper for pre-trial hearings and retelling the rape to a bunch of strangers. But her friends had been beside her the whole time, a silent show of support.Aunt Mae set her tea on the table where she'd been watching them. "So, Clint took the plea bargain.""Yeah." Amy put the photos back in the envelope. "The district attorney called yesterday. I'm shocked, actually." There was no physical evidence to credit her accusations against her uncle. They'd both taken lie detector tests, which wouldn't hold up in court, but it had given authorities something to go on. She'd passed. Her uncle had failed. And when
He was about to beg her to shut up until sunrise, just a few measly hours to give his shattered heart a reprieve, but she opened her mouth first. "Will you go with me to the police station tomorrow?" Stunned stupid, he stared unblinking."To give an official statement so they can hold my uncle on charges. Nate said he'd be there the whole time, but I want you with me, too. Please?""Yes." Was she kidding? "Of course, I'll go with you." He always knew she was brave, fearless, but he'd underestimated her level of courage. And damn, he was buying the whole auto lot out of motorcycles for Nate. Seriously, no lie. "I'm debating whether we should have us surgically joined. It might be my only peace of mind."She laughed, and nothing sounded sweeter. "How about I promise to love you forever instead? Less awkward than going under the knife and we wouldn't have to get insurance involved."In answer, he sealed his lips to hers, sank deep with a slow glide until he was under the influence
With violently shaking hands, Nakos held the gorgeous face he feared he'd never see again and kissed her with all the pent up, avid torment he'd had gutting him for hours. When that wasn't enough, he kissed her eyes, her forehead, her cheeks, and pressed against her, trapping her to the door."Hihcebe, I was scared to death." Unimaginable things had scowered his mind. All the scenarios she might've been in. Or done. After revealing such a horrible memory, he had no clue where her head was at, what she might do in the wake. His ribcage had been pried open by steel claws and his insides shredded until there was nothing left. For. Hours. "Scared to goddamn death, anim."He'd barked orders at the men. Had ridden on horseback to every place he could conceive she may have gone. Stood helpless in the rain, searching, searching. Each second had been an eternity. And then Nate had radioed she was all right. But Nakos hadn't seen with his own eyes, touched with his own hands to gain proof. So
He squeezed her fingers. "Victim doesn't equal weak. Regardless of what you decide, remember that much. You are ten times stronger than he is, and he'll never touch you again. You have my word." He suddenly looked a little distressed at her new stream of leaking tears. His eyes widened and his brow furrowed. "Or I could just kill him. Nakos told me once he knew where to hide a body so it'll never be found. Of course, he was threatening me at the time."Laughing, she dropped her head on his shoulder. "I'll think about it. The pressing charges part, not murder.""Open offer."She laughed again, then sighed as they slipped into a comfortable silence. Animals scurried in the night and leaves crackled. She breathed in heavy humidity, the scent of wet grass and fertile soil, feeling calmer. A damp, rain-tinged quality hung in the air, and it had a strangely cleansing effect. Or maybe it was the company."You're a good guy, Nate.""Didn't used to think so, but I'm a work in progress." He
Drenched, shivering, Amy huddled in the corner of Olivia's old tree house and tried to breathe. She hadn't been able to take the emotional assault and just needed to get away. Fast. The frenetic panic had almost been worse than the fear. After Nakos had stalked out of the barn, she'd gone the long way around so no one spotted her and had stumbled onto their old stomping grounds by accident. A brief storm had come through, but the tree house had no roof, thus she'd been caught in the worst of the rain. From her perch on the northern side of the main house, she could barely make out the dim glow of lights since there was enough distance to give the illusion of privacy. The small structure was built high in an oak and was roughly seven feet long at most. Old pine boards were scarred, a tad musty, but sturdy. Branches formed a canopy overhead, stars and a sliver of moonlight peeking through the leaves. She hadn't been in here since she was a kid, had forgotten all about it.It had see
Roaring, he held her head in his shaking hands and slammed his eyes shut. Awful, tormenting visions cut through his mind, sliced like a blade. Shredded. Releasing her, he stumbled back, clutched his stomach.Ragewhite hot, sadistic ragewhipped through him. Lashed. Violent in the intensity, it surged as if summoned by the very bowels of hell. Blood boiled and pressure built in his skull, rammed his temples. Someone, that thing out there, had dared to hurt his Amy. His beautiful, courageous angel. A growl tore his throat, and he pivoted. Stormed out of the barn. A quick glance around, and he found her parents, Kyle, Nate, Olivia, and the soon-to-be dead man in the same spot as moments ago. He was going to kill him. Several times. Limb from goddamn limb, he'd tear him to pieces.Marching up to the group, Nakos zeroed in on the bastard. He had a blip of a second to make out a brown comb-over and fat paunch through a red haze of wrath before he shoved his forearm into the guy's collarb
Leaning against the barn's open carriage doors, Nate crossed his arms. "Things seem to be going well with Amy. Why do you look irritated?"Nakos gave a last pat for Midnight, their three-year-old stallion, and closed the stall. Unsure how to answer, he searched the expanse behind the ex-soldier as if the land might provide answers. A front was rolling in, the sky to the west black with ominous clouds. Static charged the humid air and smelled like rain. They'd called it a day just in time to avoid nature's wrath. Nothing sounded better than sinking into Amy's warm body in front of a fire while a storm raged outside.Except... "She's holding back. From me, from..." He lifted his hand, let it slap his thigh as he dropped it. Frustration pounded his temples. "I don't know. She's stopped fighting me, so there's that. But she's got something in that head of hers keeping her from fully engaging. I wish to hell I knew what. She looks at me like she's gearing her courage to tell me, then cl
It seemed silly to get worked up over something so mundane as his behavior when sick. Yet she could no more control her reaction than she could deny him what he wanted. Here he was, feverish and achy, but he still thought of her. Saying nice things, needing her close. He was half-buried in a mind fog, and his first instincts were to cuddle with her, not bark orders or push her away. It cemented her experiences with him as legit, proving he wasn't only saying or doing what he'd thought he should.They laid in bed all day and evening. In the early afternoon, he'd managed to rouse long enough to eat half a bowl of soup, and sometime around midnight, his fever had broken. He woke up Tuesday morning with the sun, only mildly sluggish for the encounter, and Amy was grateful he was better.On Wednesday, after they were done with work, he wanted to test out the new horse he and Olivia had acquired, and asked Amy to go for a ride. With her on Pirate, a two-year-old gelding, and him on the new
Just before dawn, Amy slipped out of Nakos's bed and snatched her clothes off the floor. She padded across the hall to her room, changed, and headed downstairs to start coffee. He'd wake up soon for work, but she needed a few minutes to herself.The past weekend ping-ponged around in her skull as she measured dark roast and filled a carafe of water. Their lovemaking? It may have started off as sex, two bodies coming together in mutual need, but it hadn't finished that way. He'd taken her like a man who'd come unraveled, and she was the only one holding the frayed end to maintain his sanity. Thenoh, thenafter they'd had dinner, he'd gone slower, worshiping her body like he had something to prove. He'd put the beast back in the cage. Not only had she orgasmed, many times, he'd made the experience all about her. Holding her afterward. Cooing phrases and stroking her hair with endearing tenderness.And telling her he loved her.God, the L-bomb. Her throat seized remembering. She and Oli