Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Ranch
Half asleep and delirious, I felt my body being rolled over until my face was pushed into a pillow. Cas was inside me from behind, fucking me slow and deep.
I felt everything at this angle and soon I was screaming into a pillow.
He collapsed on top of me, covering me with his heated body. Cas slid out of me and kissed the small of my back.
“What time is it?” I asked when I’d regained my breath and my eyes were no longer crossed.
“A little before six.”
“Rise and shine, huh?”
“Let’s shower.”
“We can’t shower together.”
“Why not? We slept together. Twice. And I locked our bedroom doors so there’s no chance of someone walking in on us.”
“Someone, meaning my grandmother.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t tempt fate then. Both of us coming downstairs at the same time, both of us with wet hair . . .”
He sighed. “You want to shower first or should I?”
“You,” I said, snuggling deeper into bed.
I fell back asleep and didn’t awaken again until Cas kissed my shoulder. “Shower’s all yours.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
“And if we were in a relationship, I’d bring you one. But if your grandmother’s in the kitchen and she sees me bringing you a cup of coffee, we’d be in trouble. Right?”
I opened one eye and glared at him.
His smile was cheeky. “The sooner you shower, the sooner you get caffeine.”
It wasn’t until I was halfway through my shower that I dissected Cas’s words and wondered if they meant something more.
He’d mentioned a relationship.
Did he want to be in a relationship?
Did I want to be in a relationship?
I held onto the idea for a moment, waiting to see what emotions would pop up and scare me. But there was nothing. Nothing except a blooming warmth at the idea of Cas Bowman, famous bull rider, wanting to exclusively ride me.
But reality intruded: he traveled the rodeo circuit and I lived in New York.
Long distance relationships never worked out.
I’d tried to date someone in a different borough of the city once, and even that had failed.
If I couldn’t make something work with someone three subway trains away, how could I possibly expect to make it work with a nomadic bull rider?
The thought saddened me.
But Cas was going to be here for a little while. All I could do now was enjoy the brief time we had together.
I turned off the water and got out. I towel dried my hair and decided to let it air dry the rest of the way. The bottom drawer of my dresser had the faded, worn jeans I hadn’t taken with me to New York and I pulled them out. I slid them on, but frowned when they didn’t button easily.
I usually worked long hours at my job and often skipped lunch. But I was home and I blamed Sweet Teeth and Hadley—she put butter in everything.
The scent of coffee dragged me from my room, along with the aroma of bacon grease. My mouth watered and all my self-restraint went out the window when I saw Muddy at the stove, apron around her waist, flipping pancakes.
“I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I said, coming to her side and kissing her cheek. “What do I have to do to get the first batch?”
“Pour me another cup of coffee,” she said with a grin.
“Your first batch is always the best,” I said, taking her coffee cup and refilling it.
“Text Hadley, would you? Let her know they’ll be ready soon.”
“Is she awake?”
“Oh, yeah, she’s awake,” Muddy said. “She wakes up when Declan does, and then the morning sickness hits. If you really loved her, you’d let her have the first stack.”
“There’s love, and then there’s your pancakes,” I quipped as I pulled out my phone and shot off a text to her.
“You have a good night last night?” she asked.
I looked up from my screen. “Yes. Why?”
“Just making conversation.” She slid the spatula underneath the first pancake and put it on a plate. “Hey, will you bring me the paper? It’s on the kitchen table.”
“Sure.” I went to the kitchen table and looked at the newspaper. “Oh. My. God.”
“You’re so photogenic,” she said. “Even when you’re bitch-slapping Amber Winston.”
“Oh my God!” I screeched this time as I picked up the paper and brought it closer to my face. “I’m on the front page of the Huckleberry Hill Crier!”
“The story is continued on page three,” Muddy said.
I groaned and slapped my face with the paper.
“So, you want to tell me about last night?” Muddy asked as she brought me a plate of pancakes.
“You already know! Just like the rest of town, apparently.”
“I have the Crier’s point of view, but we all know journalistic integrity doesn’t exist anymore and they’re just trying to sell papers.”
“All five of them?” I said, my tone snarky.
She took the paper from me. “Eat. And talk.”
“Okay, but you can’t tell Hadley,” I said.
“It was about Hadley, wasn’t it? Why you slapped that little tart?”
“I didn’t slap her.”
“No, you’re right. You punched her in the eye. I texted Lucy to let me know when she sees her. I want to know how bad it is.”
“Amber’s vain. She won’t go out until the black eye disappears.”
The front door opened, and a moment later, Hadley, Declan and Cas walked in.
Declan grinned at me. “Hi ya.”
I pointed at him. “You know.”
“Of course I know. Wade texted me.”
“Us. Texted us,” Hadley said.
I groaned.
“Know what?” Cas asked.
Muddy handed him the paper. He opened it, glanced at it, looked at me, and then he said, “God, you’re so damn photogenic.”
“He made a statement,” I snapped at Hadley. “Wade made a fucking statement!”
“You know what calms me down when I’m mad?” Hadley asked.
“What?” I demanded.
She picked up the baby goat sitting on her lap and set it on mine. Tempest didn’t seem to care that her resting spot had changed. She snuggled down and stuck her head beneath my arm and tried to burrow.
My gaze softened.
“Told ya. Nothing like holding a baby goat to make you happy,” Hadley said.
I sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” My lukewarm cup of coffee was on the end table next to the couch and I reached for it, trying not to disturb the new occupant who’d made me her newest nap spot.
“He was willing to bet on you, though,” she said with a wry smile. “So you might want to cut him a little slack.”
“Heartwarming.”
“Anyone that saw you play field hockey in high school knows to bet on you.” She nibbled on her lip. “So are you really not going to tell me what she said?”
“Why does it matter?” I asked. “It was rude and it was about you and I took care of it. And if anyone asks, you can tell them the altitude got to me. I’m not used to the thinner air. I wasn’t thinking clearly because I was oxygen deprived.”
“No, don’t do that,” Hadley said. “You’ve been protecting me since we were kids. You don’t have to do that now.”
“Yes, I do,” I said. “That’s what we do. You followed me to New York to make sure I always had someone to bail me out of jai—my problems—and I protect you from people who are mean to you. It’s our way. Trust me, Hadley. You’re not missing anything by not knowing what Amber said. Okay?”
“Okay. But you have to promise me one thing if you’re not gonna tell me . . .”
“What’s that?”
She took my hand in hers and linked her fingers through mine. “I want my child to always know they can call you. They won’t always want to call me or Declan, but if they’re in trouble and they’re afraid, I want them to know they can count on you.”
Emotion thickened my throat. “Are you sure you want me to be their emergency call? You trust me with the safety of your child?”
“Salem, you’re my twin sister. You’re my favorite person on this planet. Aside from Declan.” She smiled. “Of course I trust you.”
“Even though I’m a hair trigger?”
“Even though you’re a hair trigger.”
“I’m not an adult, Hadley. I can barely take care of myself.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
“I don’t give myself any credit,” I mumbled. “Starting bar fights—”
“Hey, as far as I’m concerned, Amber started the fight and you finished it. And that’s a good life lesson to teach a kid.”
I stroked a hand down Tempest’s back and got lost in my own thoughts for a moment.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“A lot of things,” I admitted. “Dad coming home. Your wedding. Poet and Wyn coming out here. Me going back to New York. My job.”
Cas.
“That’s a lot.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, what’s going on with you?” she demanded.
“What do you mean?” I frowned. “I just told you all the things in my head.”
“No, there’s something else. Something you’re not telling me.”
“You’re my twin. What do you think I’m keeping from you?” I asked, desperately trying to bury the knowledge that Cas had spent the night in my bed—inside me.
“I don’t know.” Hadley pondered, peering at me like she could see below the surface of my face. “Something.”
“I’m not keeping anything from you,” I lied.
“Okay. Whatever you say.”