Page 18

It wasn’t as lonely as it probably should’ve been.

It was quiet, the dull drumming of the rain drowning out any other sound. Much like the early mornings that I loved.

It also smelled a lot like Briar did.

Stop it, Cassidy. You’re acting like some love-struck puppy.

Shaking my head at the spoiled moment, I turned my horse away and trotted down the faint trail. Rounding a bend, I emerged at the base of camp and smiled. Most of the men must already be in bed, since only Cash was sitting beside the fire beneath the large canvas tent. Smoke billowed out from the tiny open circle at the center of the roof. Water trickled down the sides, obscuring some of my view. The large cart that Drake and I drove up here was shut down, the cooking equipment neatly tucked away for the night.

Horses stood beneath the temporary lean-to that we’d set up during prep day, and the two draft horses that pulled the cart lay upon the grass, sleeping the storm away. Everything was as it should be. Except there was a woman waiting in my tiny, two-man tent that I would’ve gotten to myself. Again. For the third year in a row.

But this time, she was in there, wearing who knows what, since her clothes swayed beside the dwindling embers—where I should probably leave my shirt for a bit.

Dismounting, I led my horse over to the makeshift corral and pulled the tack off. Draping the bridle over the saddle horn, I carried the equipment with me over to the canvas tent and finally ducked out of the rain.

“Looks like the men left you some food,” Cash said, nodding toward a single plate waiting upon a stone beside the fire.

“You should get to bed.” I walked toward the row of saddles and propped mine up on its pommel. In hopes they would dry out by morning, I draped the pad and blanket over the saddle.

“Drake let Briar borrow one of his button ups, but he said you’ll have to bring him an extra one back up before he comes down for laundry day and trades out one of the hands,” Cash slid in, and I rolled my eyes, shrugging out of the slicker.

“So, they’ve already got their rotation of who’s staying here with the herd and for how long?” I asked and walked over to Cash. Sliding the metal plate from the rock, I sat down on a log and leaned back, dipping my chin.

“Same as last year.”

“What do they need me for? Maybe I should pray that a round of bloat goes through the herd or something.”

Cash and I chuckled at the same time as I began poking my fork at the cowboy mash on the plate. My mind was anywhere but here.

“What’s got you thinking like that?” Cash asked, his red hair extra curly from the wet ride.

“It’s gonna sound dumb,” I answered.

“Try me. I married your sister, nothing sounds dumb.”

As I raised my brows in silent agreement, he gave me a crooked smile.

“Briar,” I finally muttered.

“Thought so. Seems the infamous womanizer is having lady troubles,” Cash said, and I rolled my eyes, plopping a piece of potato in my mouth.

“More like I’m out of practice ’cause I can’t figure her out.”

“Oh man, today’s the day! The rapture is coming. Cassidy Duke can’t figure a woman out.” Cash pursed his lips. “You’ve known her for almost a week, dummy.”

“It normally takes me an hour, tops.”

“Yet you thought Tenley was stringing you along for a lot longer than an hour.”

“No. I was simply using that to try and get her to admit she liked Weston.”

“By what? Making her jealous? Annoyed?”

“By pushing her to the point she’d stake her claim on him to get me off her back.” I chuckled as a smile caressed Cash’s face.

“Tenley really missed all of the obvious signs, didn’t she?”

“But who better than someone like her for my equally oblivious brother?”