All Chapters of Cattenach Ranch: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

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

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

The ceiling above Nate's bed creaked for the eight-hundredth time from Olivia's incessant movement. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the dog next to him. "You should've slept with her instead of me tonight."Bones set his head back down, tail wagging.Two hours since they'd returned from the barn, and it appeared neither was going to get any rest. Hell, she needed it bad, too. After her ordeal, she'd be no good to anyone as a zombie. Yet, she paced. And paced. He wondered if it was what he'd said that made her restless or if it was the day's events. Which was worse?Andgreat. The image of her on the ground and a gun to her head materialized again. Nothing would erase it. Swear to Christ, he didn't think he'd ever been so scared shitless. If he had, he couldn't recall.Perhaps it was his connection to Justin, Nate's time on the ranch, or his unfettered attraction to her, but his sun rose and set with Olivia Cattenach. Try as he might, he couldn't explain it and he didn't see a way

While Hank examined Amy early the next morning for a follow-up, Olivia figured it was a good time as any to grab her friend some things from her house. Nakos and Nate had teamed up on her, though, and now she had a rigid Nate next to her in the passenger seat along for the ride. Heaven forbid she go anywhere alone."I find breathing is a necessity most days." She glanced at him and back to the two-lane highway. "You should try it." Poor guy was tense enough to give concrete a run for its money."I'm breathing.""In and out? In succession?" He turned his head with a baleful narrowing of his eyes. "I'd breathe a lot easier if you hadn't tried to sneak off this morning to the house of the very man who put that bruise on your forehead."Hooray. Another Nakos. On steroids."I'm fine, Nate. Chris is locked up and I didn't sneak."Returning his attention ahead, he offered nothing more.They had other things to discuss, anyway. "Wanna talk about last night?""No."Too bad. "Why not?

Nate petted Bones from a living room chair, wasting time until Olivia and Amy proved to him they'd call it a night. Every evening for a week, they'd taken a walk after dinner, and he'd learned to stick around or they'd go without him. Maybe he was paranoid, but he didn't give a damn. Until his heart stopped pounding when he didn't have a direct visual on Olivia, he'd keep being paranoid.The girls came in from the kitchen and took a seat on the sofa. Amy's bruises were fading to an ugly shade of yellow and green, and every day she moved a little better. The sight of her no longer sent him into a homicidal fit, so there was that. And Chris was probably going to end up serving fifteen to twenty at a prison in Casper. Nate would take it.Mae passed Olivia a mug of tea and glanced at Nate. "Want anything?""I'm good. Thanks." She always asked like it was her job to wait on him. He didn't care for it, but it seemed habit for her. "Are you guys staying in?""Yeah. I'm too tired to move.