Page 27 of Long Hard Fall

“That certainly jogged my memory.” Abbi’s shy smile almost undid his restraint. He’d practically thrown her off him, but she wasn’t indignant, just as sweet as she tasted.

Telling her they couldn’t do it again never made it out of his mouth. He couldn’t recall why kissing her was a bad idea.

Because he wouldn’t stop, that’s why. If they had sex again, it’d be a thing between them. Then things got complicated and someone got hurt.

He snatched his hat up and launched away from the counter. “It’s almost lunch. We should get our riding done before it gets too late.”

What was he thinking? He wasn’t as young and immature as Dad had been when he’d settled down. But if Cash started contemplating dating a girl, she couldn’t be Daniels’s sister. How could he ever look her parents in the eye? They’d lost a son they thought was a hero. And he had been. He’d signed his life away on the dotted line. But Daniels hadn’t had to go so soon, and Cash couldn’t imagine the guilt Daniels’s parents would endure if they knew what had been going through their son’s mind before he’d stepped into that room.

Cash strode to the front door and waited for Abbi, who said nothing about his abrupt change in attitude. He’d gone from wanting to have her for lunch to barely looking at her so he’d keep his hands off her.

They got into his truck without another word. Her phone vibrated and irritation flitted through her expression when she checked the message. She’d reacted the same way when her phone had buzzed at the hospital.

She caught him watching her and tucked her phone away. “Are you coming back to town tonight to check on Frankie?”

“Yeah, I’d better.”

“Good, then I’ll ride with you out to your place and come back with you. My car should be okay at the diner.”

Abbi was his for the whole afternoon. She’d be stuck with him. At his mercy. After the kiss in the apartment, he doubted his ability to keep his distance. But it was better than being separated from her for now. She was a salve for his raw emotions.

If Cash cared for his women the way he cared for his horses, he’d win boyfriend of the year.

Abbi swayed with Mandrell’s movements. She was a fine-looking creature, even if Abbi didn’t know a thing about horses. Cash had chattered softly to the horses while he’d saddled them. It must soothe the creatures, but she suspected it soothed the man just as much. He’d interrupt himself to explain to Abbi what he was doing. Before he’d helped her onto Mandrell’s back, Cash had shown her how to hold the reins and how to talk and move the horse.

She’d whooped—quietly—when she’d landed astride Mandrell’s back without assistance.

After he had opened the gate to let them into the pasture—all while on horseback—they’d ridden out.

The land was gorgeous, even cloaked in the fading green and brown hues of autumn. Dried grasses crunched under hooves, and flocks of geese honked far above them as they began their trek south for the winter. Her stress drained away with the peaceful setting around her. She rocked with Mandrell’s steps. The exhilaration of being on a horse faded to contentedness, and she understood why Cash was so dedicated to his creatures.

A herd of cattle roamed in the distance. Soft moos echoed as they munched away on what was left of green grass.

Cash pointed at them and made an arc to their left where another herd meandered. “We’ll drive them to a closer pasture for the winter. It’s easier to feed them and I don’t have to worry about them being stranded without food and water during a blizzard.”

“Does that happen often?”

“It can. Depends on the weather. You can lose several head if a freak storm hits early. The cattle freeze to death if they get separated from the rest.”

“Heartbreaking.”

“It is.” He rested his hands on the saddle horn. Patsy Cline didn’t need much guidance from him. She seemed to know his routine and what to do. His back was straight, but he rode relaxed, his boots half out of the stirrups like he’d taught her to do. “It also makes calving easier when the cattle are closer.”

“Calving can be bad?”

He shot her a wry smile. “Depends on the weather. Gram used to say the true test of a marriage was how many calving seasons they survived. I’ve got to watch the cows for problems during birthing, and if that means checking her out every hour all night long, then that’s what I do. If there’s complications, I can usually deal with it without calling Bunny. Then there’s the care of the calf. Is it accepted by the mom? Does the mom know what to do? Some heifers—first-time moms—get startled by their own young.”

“That sucks.” What a lame comment. She silently berated herself for her answer. Would he read more into it, like he was talking about his own mom?

If he read more into it, he didn’t act like it. “It does. Sometimes, another cow’ll take over. Sometimes, she just needs a moment. If she doesn’t come around, we bottle feed. If the weather’s frigid, or if it’s windy and snowy, then we bring them into the barn. I’ve caught a lucky streak the last few years and the cows haven’t birthed during a major storm. Some years, it feels like they all drop when the weather goes to hell.”

“Sounds more fun than working inside all day.” Even on a chilly, cloudy day when she was regretting not packing a light hat and gloves, it was invigorating being outside.

“I wouldn’t trade it. If I curse getting up in the middle of the night to go out into a blizzard, all I have to do is remember having to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to work out with a bunch of smelly men. Or spending months in the desert where the days are hot and the nights get so freaking cold. Then cow shit doesn’t seem so bad because it’s my cattle and my place.”

“Tell me how you really feel.”

Cash grinned, one of his megawatt grins that tumbled through her insides. This one seemed real, not glossing over another emotion.

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