Page 13

Chapter thirteen

I’d dive into the heat

Mason

It’s nearly dusk, and I am well on my way back to the ranch, when I hear thrashing coming from a dark ravine in the eastern fields.

Caesar’s ears perk and he cuts in front of Hank to dive over the steep edge.

The horse follows him, and stops at the top of the narrow gulch.

Shit. There’s a steer caught between two narrow rocks. He’s kicked a gouge in the dirt face on either side of him, so he must have been stuck there for a while.

“Well, hell, Hank. If we don’t get him out, he’s gonna die.”

Should I radio Ford?

Nah. It’d take him at least an hour to tack up and get out here.

I think I can do this. It doesn’t help that there’s a jitter in my guts to get back to the house.

Lori is becoming a homing magnet, drawing me back sooner every time I’m out on range.

Is it just because it’s been so long? Ten years is a long vow of celibacy, especially since I never swore off sex. It just hasn’t happened.

Well, I haven’t wanted it before now.

Grief is a constant cold shower.

This is the first time I’ve felt any warmth in my bones. And the tingling in my body as the feeling comes back makes me ache for more.

But, on the other side, Sophia is starting to get up and use her crutches more. I know that Lori is only here for a little while, and has plans to return to school.

To move on with her life.

Fuck. At least I know there’s something left in me that can feel. Maybe I should start going to more of the community meetings or spend more time in town.

Except I don’t want to meet other women.

Unfastening my rope from the saddle, I climb off of Hank and carefully work my way down the loose slope.

The steer flashes the whites of his eyes and bucks his head towards me, but can’t do anything about it.

I think a loop under his chest and back, then pulling from the rear should pop him right out.

Damn cows almost always want to drive forward when they’re stuck. It’s going to be a tug of war using Hank to get him out.

Fortunately, this is a yearling, and not full grown.

Avoiding his flailing hooves is the hardest part, but I manage to get the line threaded where I want. Keeping a tight hold on the chain knot I weave into all of my ropes, I tug the loose end up the hill and guide Hank into position.

When there’s tension against the steer, I call for Caesar.

“Come by.”

He obediently rounds the wedged animal until he’s at its head.

“Walk up.” When I signal Hank to pull, with the combination of the dog at his nose and the pressure against his chest, the heaving steer slings his body up and out of the boulders.

Quickly loosening the wrap on the horn, the free end of the rope trails behind the wild animal as he bucks his way through the brush.

Screw it. I have more. I’m not chasing him through the dark.

Caesar starts to follow him, but pauses, looking back at me for direction.

“Leave it. Let’s go home.” Steering Hank back to the trail by moonlight, I know it’ll be well past eight by the time I make it back to the barn.

Hank ignores me as I go through the routine of pulling his saddle and blanket off. We’ve done this hundreds of times.

He’s pulling a spilling mouthful of alfalfa free of the tight bale when his ears pin and he looks up behind him.

Well, that’s different.

“What is it, big boy?” I can’t help calling him that after the way Lori said it.

His head bobs and he blows through his lips before his jaw starts working on the hay again.

I check for Caesar. He’s a solid indicator if there’s trouble.

The hell?

Caesar’s black paws are propped on the bench near the tack wall and he’s looking up at the ceiling with his head cocked.

Now, I’m curious.

When I get closer, I hear a mewling noise coming from one of the old vent pipes.

A calico barn cat jumps up on the railing and calls to me.

Fuck. I think one of her kittens is stuck up there.

Today must be the day for it. Why does this kind of shit always happen in groups?

Knocking the dust off of an old ladder in the corner makes me sneeze as I climb the rungs.

I can see the glow of its little eyes. It isn’t that far in…

Dammit. My hand is too big to fit in.

“How in the heck did you even get in there?”

It meows back, which sets the calico into another fit below.

Maybe if I get something in there I can make it come close enough to grab?

The only thing I see that might work is the handle of a ball peen hammer. Grabbing it by the head, I stick the end in and try to angle it so the tabby comes out.

Nope.

This is because I was in a hurry to get back by dinner to catch a glimpse of Lori. That ship has long sailed.

But.

Her hands would be small enough to reach in there easily.

My stomach flip flops as a wave of excited nerves ripples through me.

Would she? It’s late. She might be in bed already.

What I’d give to crawl in with her.

The blood rushes to my crotch at the thought, making it harder to walk to the dark house.

Poised in front of her door, I pause.

This is stupid. I can find another way to get that darn cat out.

It’d probably jump out after a while. A ten foot drop is a long way for it though.

I never thought I’d be scared to knock.

As my knuckles hit the wood, it feels like all of the air is sucked out of my lungs.

My pulse pounds in my ears until the handle turns.

Lori has a fluffy white towel wrapped around her head and a thick green robe cinched around her body that matches her worried eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Her brow furrows as she studies my face.

“I—” I clear my suddenly parched throat. “—I, yea. I was just wondering if I could get your help for a minute. There’s a kitten stuck in the barn, and my hands are too big—” I look down at my palms guiltily. “—I can’t reach in and get it.”

Her forehead smooths as her lips tug up at the corner. “I didn’t know there were kittens?” She pulls the lapels of her gown tighter and twists her mouth. “Um, yea, I think I can help.” She unfurls her long damp hair from the towel and lets it fall in a golden sheen down her back.

Jesus, she was in the shower?

Flashbacks of my own fantasy tightens my nuts and I try to not picture the hot rivulets pouring over her naked skin.

Pushing her bare feet into her sneakers, she gives me a wide smile.

“Anything fun happen out on the range today?” she asks as she falls into step next to me.

“Just all these critters getting stuck in tight places.”

Fuck. The words spill out before I think about them.

Her plush sleeve brushes mine, sending a shiver through me.

She giggles while I hold the barn open for her. “Wait. You had another one?”

It’s difficult finding my voice when her chin tilts up and I watch the pale lines of her neck calling for me to taste her.

Beating back that intrusive thought is a tough battle I barely win.

“Yea. There was a steer caught in some rocks. Hank had to help me fish him out.” Clasping the grimy ladder, I try and position myself to the side so she can climb without having to touch me.

She purses her lips and squints at the narrow pipe. “I’m not sure I can reach.”

When she turns her head, her wet hair leaves damp marks on her back.

I wonder what it’d feel like knotted through my fingers?

Stop it.

Gripping the decrepit rungs, she tries to lift her leg to the first step.

With a frown, she puts her foot back on the packed earthen floor.

Why is she shedding the terry cloth robe and tossing it over my saddle?

To fucking torture me.

Those bright red shorts and snug tank top should be illegal.

A groan escapes me before I can cut it off.

I’m never going to be able to roll out of bed in the morning with this new vision of her seared into my mind.

The thin straps of her shirt do little to contain the press of her full breasts as she climbs past me.

God, her nipples are showing through the thin fabric.

My crotch is in absolute agony.

“Come on.” She makes a kissing sound above me that makes me bury my face into my elbow.

I want to reach up and pull her to me. To encircle her legs and press her body against mine.

Instead, my knuckles ache as I squeeze the wood she’s standing on.

“Mr. Mason, sir. I need a boost.” Her calves bunch to get every last inch she can over the top rung.

Instinct says I should argue with her.

But, the need in me wins.

“Okay. Hold on.” I move myself behind her.

That delectable ass is just inches from my face. Her soap must be honey and chamomile, because I’m drowning in its sweet essence.

Stepping up on the bottom rung pushes my chest against her legs.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I force myself to take a ragged breath. “Ready?” It comes out hoarse.

“Yes, sir.” Her tight butt clenches as I cup it and lift her.

Her smooth skin burns my palms. Every single fiber in my body is hyper aware of how close my thumbs are to the hot center of her thighs.

I could stick out my tongue and taste her.

I’m tempted to.

“Higher,” she whispers.

Does she know what she’s doing to me?

How tenuous my hold is on the desire that is raging through me?

My arms tremble, raising her. Not from the weight of her lithe frame, but from the warfare that is fighting for my soul.

It’s a razor’s edge if I can hold out.

She shifts, knocking my cowboy hat off of my head and bouncing her taut lower back against my forehead before I can jerk away.

“I got it!” she exclaims.

Damn.

I don’t want to put her down, but I lower her.

Her foot slips in search of the rung and she slides down against me.

Those fucking devil’s shorts catch on the top of my belt buckle before she stops on the same step I’m on.

“You poked me,” she breathes, clutching the ladder.

A growl boils out of my chest. “Oh, you’d know it if I did.”

When I back away, it feels like a buck of cold water coats my belly when the sweat hits the cool night air.

I need a freezing shower to kill this painful hard on.

My dusty hat comes to my rescue again to cover the effect she has on me.

Her cheeks are flushed when she faces me, cuddling the orange tabby to the bare skin at her cleavage.

Lucky pussy has the best seat in the house.

She strokes his head before setting it on the bench.

The calico darts in and pulls the kitten into her mouth before disappearing under the wood slat of the stall.

“Do you think there’s more?” She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth before squatting to watch the vanishing cat.

“I wish.” The words blurt out of me before I can think. “I mean, I bet she does somewhere else.” Fixating on my fingerprints framing her thighs, something primitive stirs within me. I’ve marked her. She’s mine, if only for tonight.

I better take care of this ladder before I grab her and show her a different pipe with a prize in it.

Moving away, I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to get the metallic twinge of blood.

But, I need to fight this.

She’s my daughter’s friend and is destined for bigger and better things than me.

One day her work ethic, her sense of humor, and her drop dead gorgeous eyes will get her a better man.

And I’ll have to fight the urge every day to find him and end him for taking her.

Watching her cover her beautiful body with that thick robe is a memory I’ll store forever. I may never get to make her mine, but I will always remember this moment.

“Thank you for your help. I’m sure Momma Cat appreciates you, too.” I try to smile, but I’m caught in this feeling of nervous energy.

My expression probably looks more like a grimace of pain because of how badly my balls are throbbing.

Her tongue darts out and glistens her pink lips as she looks at the floor. “I liked getting to play the hero. Is this what you feel like every day?”

Not today. With the thoughts running through me of what I want to do to her?

Very much the villain.

“It is when it’s a win,” I murmur as she passes me.

I hadn’t noticed before since she usually has her hair up, but it has soft curls that bounce between her shoulders with every step.

Caesar pushes through us to throw himself onto his bed in the living room.

“Well, I think you’re a superhero.” She pauses at her door with her fingers on the handle. “Good night…sir.”