Page 16 of Claimed By the Cowboy
She sees beauty where others see function. Magic where others see work.
She sees the ranch the way I do—like it’s something sacred.
Something primal and absolute settles deeper in my chest with every comment she makes, every question she asks, every time she stops to examine a plant or watch a bird.
Mine. She’s mine.
Not because of some damn contract or thirty-day deadline. Because shegetsit. Gets this place. Gets me.
“That’s quite an operation,” Delaney says as we wrap up the cattle tour. “Very impressive.”
“Dad and I have put a lot of work into building the herd.” I lean against the fence post, automatically checking the horizon for anything out of place. “Fifteen years of careful breeding, expanding the grazing rotation.”
Delaney nods, all business. “And the timeline for adding apartner to the operation?”
The blunt question hits like a slap. I stiffen, the romantic haze from watching Kitty discover my world evaporating instantly. Delaney’s voice holds no warmth, no pretense that this is anything but a transaction.
Which should be a relief.Instead, it carves something hollow in my chest.
“Soon as you’re ready,” I say carefully. “The will deadline is?—”
“Three weeks. I know.” She crosses her arms. “Marlie explained the situation.”
Beside me, Kitty goes statue-still. Her face reveals nothing, but tension radiates from her small frame like heat from a branding iron.
“Kitty,” I say suddenly, needing to break the suffocating talk of marriage contracts, “want to see the new barn? Could use a woman's eye on paint colors.”
It's a transparent excuse, but she nods likeI’ve offered her the world. “I’d love to help.”
“I’ll leave you both to it.” Delaney’s gaze cuts between Kitty and me, sharp and assessing, beforesettling somewhere past my shoulder. “I should finish unpacking and get my things in order.”
Without waiting for a reply, she turns toward the house, her stride all business and barely contained frustration.
I should feel guilty watching her retreat with relief flooding my chest and Kitty’s warmth at my side.
But all I feel is right.
Chapter 6
Tom
Kitty watches Delaney head for the house without looking back. She bites her lip, her smile flickering like she’s not sure whether to follow or stay.
“Barn’s this way,” I say, jerking my chin toward the paddock. “If you’re up for it.”
Her smile steadies, turning radiant. “Lead the way.”
My IQ drops twenty points as I soak in that smile.
I remind myself that this is about paint colors. Nothing else.
We cut across the paddock toward the barn, passing the goat enclosure on the way. Themoment Pretzel spots us, her white coat gleaming in the sun, she lets out a sharp bleat and trots right over to the fence.
“Well, hello there,” Kitty says, crouching down so she’s eye level with the goat.
Pretzel immediately presses her head through the slats, angling for attention.
I chuckle. “Careful. She’s a shameless flirt.”
