Page 21 of Red Hot Rancher

His jaw tensed. Cote was perceptive, but he wasn’t a guy who’d jabber about who he’d seen with whom. Caleb could reassure Brigit, but fuck it.

He’d been her dirty little secret before. At least now he knew how the game was played.

The sixty-watt bulb in the wooden toolshed was adequate enough for stringing up the carcass until there was time to process it. Old and musty, the shed was the best place to keep the meat protected from predators, or from scaring the sheep. When it was ready, it’d be processed into venison and sausage. Quality meat from an unfortunate accident.

Brigit shut the door behind them and stepped in to help Caleb string up the carcass.

This wasn’t the worst night she’d ever spent with a guy. That award went to…what was his name? Jonathon. The night she’d ordered the half-pound mushroom and swiss burger with fries because she was so sick of grilled chicken and side salads.

After dinner, they’d gone to a play, and then since it was their third date, they’d gone back to his place. He’d been getting handsy while she’d been thinking something was terribly wrong.

As she puked into his toilet, her thoughts vacillated between mortification and gratitude that she’d made it to the bathroom instead of spewing over the furniture. But Jonathon commented on how the amount of food she’d eaten must’ve upset her stomach. Then he called her a cab. That she’d had to pay for.

So cleaning a deer with Caleb until the wee hours of the morning? Not so bad.

Actually, it was the most fun she’d had on a weekend in a long time, and it ended in a freezer full of food. He’d been quiet since the deputy had left.

Caleb lifted his chin toward his pickup parked outside of the open shed door. “I can clean up the pickup bed and the tools, if you want to shower first.”

“I’ll help with the cleanup. Justin’s not around so I can use his bathroom.” Her brother kept mysterious hours, but he was still a single guy. When he didn’t come home at night, she had one guess as to where he was. She didn’t know who, and in this small town, she preferred not to.

Caleb nodded and moved the pickup. He’d gotten quieter as the night wore on. No doubt the financial ramifications were setting in, and on top of him losing his house. That was enough to make anybody quiet.

Together, they sprayed off his pickup. Her fingers were radiating cold by the time they were done but she didn’t rush inside. No matter how odd her night had been, she didn’t want it to end.

Caleb tossed the bag full of now clean tools inside and slammed the pickup door. “I don’t think my doors will freeze shut.”

She closed the shop door. “You don’t work in the morning, do you?” He hadn’t mentioned anything, but why would he to her?

“I work Tuesday and Friday this week. So I get to deal with insurance and repair estimates tomorrow. At least I have my old beat-up truck working so I can still get around.”

“Oh.” Such an empty word. She had no car to insure and no land to build a house on. Caleb had both and was fighting to keep them.

He started toward the house and she followed. His phone buzzed. When he glanced at the screen a puff of air blew out of his mouth and the corner of his lips hitched up. “Guess Justin isn’t coming home tonight. He asked if I could do chores in the morning.”

“What? No. I can do them. You have your own ranch’s chores. Why wouldn’t he have asked me?” Her phone had been silent all night. Its typical state.

“Probably because he didn’t want to ask his adult sister to cover for him while he’s getting laid.”

She choked on a gasp, partly from being scandalized and partly because sucking in that much cold air was a shock to her throat.

Caleb’s deep chuckle prompted a smile from her. A smiling Caleb was always better.

Inside, he shucked his boots off. “I’ll take his bathroom. I’m sure he’d rather have me bear witness to anything embarrassing than you.”

“I would argue, but I don’t want to find out what he might have that’s incriminating. I’m just glad he didn’t bring his hookup here.”

“You’re not the only one.” He tossed his hat onto a hook and sauntered off, running a hand through his hair. Her fingers itched to do it for him.

She finished toeing her boots off, watching him disappear into the master bedroom from under the brim of her own hat. Even barefoot, the guy had an unmistakable swagger. When they’d been kids, he’d never quit moving, bouncing around with energy. Poking at her or her brother until he got a reaction. Always laughing and joking.

Now, his energy was coiled. She still spied that boy she once knew. Good-natured, a touch wild, but with a ready smile.

God, she had missed him.

She could just add that feeling to the nostalgia that liked to broadside her at unexpected times now that she was home. There was a lot about her home that she’d missed. Her hometown? Not so much.

She jogged up the stairs and darted into the bathroom. The door clicked shut and she glanced at the empty hook on the back of the door. Stripping down, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

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