All Chapters of Cattenach Ranch: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Olivia leaned against the stall door in the barn Nakos had just closed and heaved a sigh. "I'm so over today it's ridiculous." She rubbed her sore left shoulder and dreamed of a hot shower. And ten pounds of chocolate. Add a glass of wine, and the day might end on a good note.Gary, their vet, had been out to the ranch for a six-month visit on the horses. She adored the man, but hated check-ups. Some of the horses spooked easily when it came to exams and it was a never-ending parade of in-out, in-out. When things had begun running late this afternoon, she'd barely had time to jog up to the houseon Nakos's insistenceto grab a sandwich for an early dinner because she'd skipped lunch."You okay?" Nakos dropped his hands on his hips and frowned, gaze assessing."Yeah. Just a stunner, I think. Firestorm jerked when Gary gave him his shots. Tugged my arm a little." For a thoroughbred, Firestorm was a big baby. Then again, he was a male.Nakos nodded. "Let's get you home, then. You can ta

The temperature had barely hit the upper forties today and, with dusk an hour off, it promised to drop. A chill laced the breeze and the scent of snow clung to it. Nate had grown up in the Midwest where all he had to do was blink and the weather shifted, but Wyoming was a whole different level of bipolar.With all three barns stripped of shingles and one roof completely redone, he descended the ladder to call it quits. By tomorrow, he should have most of the job finished. He could punch out another thirty minutes, but his arms were jelly and Olivia didn't like him working alone late in the day. Besides, he didn't care for the look of the feud brewing between Olivia and Nakos in the gated pasture.Feet on the ground, he wiped sweat from his brow and headed over as Olivia climbed on a horse. "What's up?""I'm riding over to Dead Man's Pass to bring Kyle and George a coil of barbed wire."Nakos's jaw clenched. "You know I can't go with you and it'll be dark in under an hour. It'll tak

With evil trolls drilling into her skull and her tongue plastered to the roof of her mouth, Olivia pried her eyes open. Sunlight scorched her retinas and she winced. Moaned.Clothing rustled. "Hebe. Welcome back, little red."She moaned again and squinted at Nakos. "Hi." Head pounding, she glanced around, trying to focus through the heavy dregs of sleep. Her bedroom. Okay. How'd she get here? Why was she in bed? "What time is it?""Noon." The mattress dipped with his weight. Sitting by her hip, he swept his concerned gaze over her. "You've been out cold for a couple days.""What?" She tried to sit and a wave of nausea churned in her belly.He set a hand on her shoulder, heavy and warm, easing her back. "Relax. You've got eight stitches in your head and finally broke a fever last night. That's not accounting for the concussion."That's right. She'd hit her head by the creek. She had a vague recollection of Hank visiting, plus a steady stream of Aunt Mae, Nakos, and Amy waking her

Olivia's warm, tentative hand slid up Nate's arm and he pinched his eyes tighter, gripped the edge of the sink in her suite's kitchen harder. He tensed at the pleasure/pain combo her touch forever instilled and hunched to defend himself. Or her.For going on three days, he'd watched her lying in bed, pale as a corpse, and sick to his gut with abject fear she wouldn't wake up. Every concussion check by Mae or Amy or Nakos that first night had been goddamn torture until she'd briefly opened her eyes, muttered a few syllables, and drifted off again. And mercy. That fever? The need for an IV? Her drenched in sweat and hotter than the damn desert he'd escaped? He'd thought he'd die. Shit, death would've been preferable. He'd almost redecorated her bedroom by punching holes through the drywall upwards of a thousand times. None of his experiences had prepared him for that. Nearly starved as a child in foster care...subordinate to countless violent acts in that gang as a teen...holding Ju

While Nate cleaned up in her bathroom, Olivia slowly made her way to her kitchenette to forage for something to eat. After sleeping solid for so long and the extremely pleasant way she'd awoken, she was ready to devour her own hand. Or her own cooking.She found a small platter of fresh fruit in the fridge Aunt Mae had probably put there and a plate of brownies on the counter. Perfect. Chocolate was the most important food group. She took both to the couch as Nate emerged from her room.Lord, he was gorgeous. Sweats low on his hips and nothing else. Bare feet, bare chest. She even loved his bald head without his usual black cap. Before him, she'd not had an opinion one way or the other on tats, but he'd turned her on to them. Big time. Especially with his naturally dark skin and muscles.He took a seat across from her with his version of an amused smile. "Brownies and pineapple?""And strawberries." She popped one in her mouth, chewing as she studied him. "Hungry?" She waved the pl