Page 4 of Healing Her Cowboys (Silver Creek Ranch #6)

Chapter Four

A woman who was a sight to behold stood before Atlas.

Even with her scrubs on, he could tell she had luscious curves that only a real man could appreciate and explore for days.

Her lips were full and slightly parted, just begging for someone to kiss them.

The warm sun only made her brown skin more tempting to him.

If he wasn’t in a hurry, he would have enjoyed the view of her a bit longer, but time was of the essence.

“Are you here to help with the mare?” he asked.

Before hearing an answer, he grabbed her hand and led her toward the stables in the back of the ranch.

“I think she’s breached. It’s been a long time since I’ve birthed a foal, and this is the first time I’ve had to do it alone since Brik left. I’m glad you’re here.”

“But I’ve never...” she tried to say.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’ll be a lot easier with you here to help me.” He could feel her hand resisting his, but he held steady.

The horse stables were big and sturdy with Brik and him adding a new paint job to it when they took over the farm. The blue paint and white trim matched the coloring of the main house and the smaller ranch hand houses at the back of the property.

He could hear Lori neighing in pain as they approached her. The poor horse was still curled up in the corner of the stall breathing hard. Hay surrounded her so she could have a comfortable birthing spot.

Atlas leaned down to comfort her. “It’s okay, girl. I’m here.” He glanced over at the woman. “Like I told May’s receptionist, I think the foal is breeched. Are you able to confirm it?”

When she didn’t answer, he looked back over at her. “Aren’t you going to check on her?”

She looked at the horse with wild eyes like she’d never seen one before. “I don’t know anything about horses,” she said.

“What? You work at a veterinarian’s office.”

Eyes filled with frustration landed on him. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m not a veterinarian. I’m just a nurse, a nurse for humans.”

His phone rang and the caller ID said it was from May’s office. He picked up, eyeing the woman he thought would help save his foal and mare. “May?” he asked.

“Hey, Atlas,” May said. “I just got your message. There’s no way I can send anyone over in time, so can you video me in?”

“You didn’t send anyone?” he asked.

“I just got your emergency message,” she said. “When would I have sent anyone? It doesn’t matter. Time is not on our side. Show me Lori.”

He looked at the strange woman again before turning the video camera on. He’d figure out who she was later. Now, it was about saving his horses.

Atlas listened as Lori diagnosed that the foal was breached but only partially. She rattled on instructions to prepare to turn the baby.

“Do you have a ranch hand to help you?” May asked.

“I can help, May,” the woman behind him said. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Reese? Is that you?” May asked. “Atlas turn the camera around.”

He let the camera fall on the woman, wondering who was on his property.

“You made it!” May said. “Atlas, I’ll introduce you later, but Reese can help. You’ll need lots of towels and some warm water, so let’s get to work.”

So the woman’s name was Reese. He was still curious about why she was there, but May’s voice kept him moving. He propped the phone so she could see their movements as they prepped the mare for delivery.

After May prattled out the large list of instructions, he and Reese worked together to get the mare comfortable while May supervised.

It took some time to reposition the foul so Lori could birth it, but they did it together. They let her do all the work naturally like May commanded. Reese worked in time to Atlas’s rhythm as they calmed the mare to allow her to push out her little one.

“Congratulations, Atlas,” May said when it was all done. “It looks like you have a new filly in the family.”

“A filly?’ Reese asked.

“A baby girl,” he and May said simultaneously. They laughed as Atlas toweled down the filly.

“Oh,” Reese said. Her cheeks looked a little warm with embarrassment. “I didn’t come here expecting this.”

“What are you here for?” Atlas asked. He tried to keep his tone light since he didn’t want to scare her off, but she didn’t know much about animals. That was certain.

“She’s here for me.” Brik leaned against the stall’s entryway. His eyes rested on Reese the entire time, and Atlas thought he saw a spark of interest shining in them. “You’re here for me.”

***

Reese felt awkward sitting at the kitchen table with both men staring at her. She sipped her tea, trying to focus on not being their object of interest.

Both men were overwhelming her, and it wasn’t just how they looked at her. Their appearance was also making her a bit on edge. The last thing she expected was to find two built and rugged men tall enough to dwarf her.

Atlas had a solid, lean look and seemed like the perfect all-American cowboy, but his eyes and the way his hair hung just above them softened his image.

Brik seemed like he could have been the former high school football captain. What he added to that image was age and smoothness that reminded Reese of fine whiskey.

Both men smelled like earth and sweat, and Reese chastised herself for the ache that settled between her legs whenever she looked too long at one of them.

“May and Jason schemed this one together,” Brik said. “I should have known they’d both be behind this.”

Reese mentally returned to the issue at hand and looked over at Brik. “I think they’re just looking out for you. I’m not here to make things difficult. I’ll just help you build your endurance and strength.

Brik raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t need anyone’s help. I’m doing fine on my own.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Reese said, “but can you do me a favor? You know May and Jason won’t let up easily.”

“They’re a stubborn couple,” Atlas said before chugging down more coffee.

“That’s right,” Reese said. “Even if you don’t need me, can we at least try for two weeks? After that, I’ll leave, and we can tell them it didn’t work out.”

“I don’t need two days to tell you it won’t work out,” Brik said. “You’re just wasting your time.”

“Isn’t that her call if she’s wasting it?” Atlas said with a smirk.

Reese had to clench her legs together to keep from smiling back at him with an awkward grin of her own. Why couldn’t she think right around these men? It was like they were more than human, and she couldn’t get enough of watching them.

Sure, it had been five years since she’d had a man in her bed, but her trusty vibrator did its job well. Maybe not that well if her body was reacting to them like a nympho in heat.

“Are you seriously saying she should stay?” Brik leaned on the table, his eyes on Atlas.

Reese felt like the air around her increased a few degrees as the men eyed each other. They weren’t going to fight over this, were they? The testosterone had to be bouncing off the walls around them.

“Why not? It’ll solve two things. May and Jason will get off your case, and we’ll finally have a woman around here to calm us down.” He turned to her with a smile that only got larger.

She was supposed to calm them down? If Nina heard them talking, she’d laugh loud and hard. Calming others was not Reese’s strong trait, especially with the temper her mother passed on to her.

“That’s ridiculous. She doesn’t even know how to work a ranch,” Brik said.

Atlas turned to Reese. “Have you ever worked on a ranch?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No, but I’m a fast learner. I’m here to focus on Brik, but I’m not afraid to pull my weight.”

“See?” Atlas said. “It looks like a win-win situation to me.”

They looked at each other as if communicating telepathically. Within seconds, it seemed they’d had an entire conversation without talking.

Brik finally faced her for a moment before responding. “Two weeks and then we’re done.” He stood up and walked away before Reese could respond.

“Don’t worry,” Atlas said. “He’ll grow on you.”

Reese wasn’t sure if growing on her was a good thing or a complete nightmare.