Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
HUDSON
T he snow drifts through the sparser canopy as we ride higher and higher. Addy is doing brilliantly. Ned is a huge fan already. Mick has always been quiet, so I don’t expect him to warm up to her. And to be honest, I have been preoccupied by the task at hand. This has to go well.
Harry needs every last head of cattle to have the funds to buy out the clinic and purchase the next property on his acquisition list. Reed will need a ranch of his own one day, as will Mack. I’m assuming he won’t be a soldier for the next forty years. I pray for Ma’s sake that he won’t.
We always talked about the properties we would run when we grew up when we were boys. But life takes you in different directions, and while Lawson is good at making decisions and left after high school to go to college, Reed, Mack, and I hung around doing various apprenticeships and jobs between working on the ranch.
And staying, making this life your own, is a lifelong commitment. I’ve never wanted anything else. I know what it is to have a dream that you have held onto your entire life. I won’t let mine slip away. And I am going to make damn sure that Addy gets to keep hers.
Rocket falters on the icy ground, and I steady him up. Ahead is the mob of cattle, grazing on the few green shoots they can find poking through the snowy ground. Spread out, their woolly winter coats make them look like moving boulders between the trees. And I count around one hundred, at a quick estimate. With the twenty we have plus these, I am hoping we find an even bigger mob in the hollow, a dip before the mountains’ last peak. Every year I take the western sector, and every year that’s where we find most of them.
Addy rides up alongside me. “They’re warm, at least.”
“Like furry boulders.” I chuckle.
“Where will the last two hundred-odd be?”
“Hopefully in the hollow a little further up. Then we drive them across the top and down to meet the others at the rendezvous point.”
She nods, running her gaze over the animals. “How do you think the mares are getting on back home?”
“Ma is keeping an eye on them.”
“I hope we make it back in time.”
“We will; we do every year.”
“You guys really have this ranching thing down to a fine art, don’t you?” A smile blooms on her face.
“Would be pretty outrageous if we didn’t by now, Addy.”
She adjusts her reins. “It’s some life you have here, Hudson.” Her words are soft, almost longing. Something aches in my chest. And for a split second, I let myself think about what it would be like to have this life with Addy. The whole thing—the ranch, the horses, the farming, the house, the babies.
Air lodges in my throat.
“Should we keep moving?” She breaks my reverie.
I swallow. “Yup.”
I squeeze my heels into Rocket, and he breaks into a trot up closer to the herd. Ned and Mick have already gotten around them, and we start tracking back east and upward to the hollow. We ride under snow-laden branches, ducking and weaving through the trees until every beast is gathered with our twenty from the first find.
I take the lead, riding in front of the mob while Mick and Ned flank them. Addy brings up the rear of the mob. Her sweet little “hup, hup” encouragements have turned into absolute business after the first day. She’s just as useful as Ned and Mick. Quick learner, my girl.
As the sun sets on the side of the mountains behind us, we spill into the hollow. Rocket and I move side to side at a brisk trot at the front of the herd, trying to keep them from rushing. The last thing we need is this lot setting the larger mob off.
I am not galloping down the side of an icy mountain after them. Even in broad daylight, it would be stupid. In the fading light when the horses are tired... Straight-out fucking dangerous.
“Woah.” I hold up a hand and slow the herd as we reach the larger mob.
As predicted, a little over two hundred head are milling about, grazing on the easier pickings, the snow cover almost nonexistent in this spot. It’s stunning in summer. Right now, it’s a much-needed reprieve after days of ice and snow and climbing. Rocket relaxes as the cattle mingle and settle. I ride back to Addy at a lope. She throws a giant smile at me in between turning her head every which way. Wonder lights up her eyes.
“Huddy, this is something else. And the view.” Her voice is light, raspy. Fog puffs out of her mouth with every word. She is looking out over the treetops, and from here the surrounding mountains sprawl until they reach the heavens. Like we’re in another world.
“It’s one of my favorite places. We camp here tonight and then back down the mountain.”
“I should check the horses. Make sure everyone’s alright.”
“Whatever you say, Doc.”
I ride beside her as we make our way to a small clearing. Mick and Ned are already waiting, leading their horses around to cool them down. I swing a leg over and dismount from Rocket, handing Ned the reins to help Addy with Mira and Sergeant. Mira nudges my arm as I lead her toward the others, and Mick takes her, talking to her softly. At least he talks to the horses.
When I turn back, I catch the wince that washes over Addy’s face as she shifts in the saddle. “How those hips holding up?”
Not answering, she stretches her lower back, sinking her hands into it and closing her eyes. She leans forward and kicks her foot out of the stirrup. When she swings out of the saddle, it is awkward and stilted.
Fuck.
She groans, and when her feet hit the ground, she stifles a hiss, hands gripping her left hip for a second.
“Addy?”
“I’m fine. Long day.”
“You tell me if you are in pain, please?” I say.
“I’m not in pain. Just a little stiff. Please don’t.” She walks away, heading for the spot where Ned is now pulling out the tents and Mick is tending to the horses. But my gut sinks. We pushed too hard. And she is going to pay the price for Harry’s stubbornness. The last half of the roundup is the hardest.
An hour later, after a walk around the mob, I return to the camp site. Ned has the fire roaring and the stew bubbling away. And Addy... Has Mick talking to her.
Well, fuck.
“So, you did a stint in the Navy? That’s amazing.”
“It was a long five years, that’s what it was, Addy.”
Addy? Is there anyone this woman can’t charm? I stifle a chuckle and school my face before sitting beside her. “Mick.”
“How come you never told us Addy was a show jumper?” Ned asks.
Addy goes quiet, eyes tracking to the fire.
“Not my story to tell, Ned. Besides, I am almost one hundred percent certain you would have many tales to entertain us without Addy having to offer up her life stories.”
“Well, that is true.”
“They asked why my hips were bothering me,” Addy says absently.
When she turns back, there is only happiness and fatigue in her eyes.
“Oh.” I hold my hands toward the fire, hoping to thaw them out after walking around in the freezing night air for over an hour.
Addy takes the bowl of stew Ned holds out for her. “Thanks, Ned. I’m starving, must be the cold.”
“Nope, that’s the mountain air,” Mick offers.
Ned hands me a bowl and a spoon. “I’m sure it is.”
It warms my fingers instantly. When his gaze lingers on mine, I wonder what he is trying to tell me. Something, no doubt. Old man wisdom is no foreign concept to me. I live with it every day. Harry. Reed.
“Can you check on my horse, Addy? I think she might have a stone bruise. Her gait was a bit stilted when we got up to the hollow.”
“Sure. What about your horse, Mick?” she asks.
“No change that I’ve noticed. Thanks.”
“You let me know if you want me to give him a once-over. I’m happy to be of assistance. I’m starting to think I’m only a tagalong at this point.”
“We are happy to have you along, Addy. Lord knows you’re much better company than that smart-mouth Morley. Can’t stand that little shit,” Mick says.
Ned hollers a laugh, and I can’t help but chuckle. Addy laughs, soft and light. It is a stark contrast to the rough men she sits with. And warmth wraps a soft hug around my heart.
She grins, taking in the faces of the older men that sit in front of her. Her freckles pop on the apples of her cheeks. Her curls tousle in the cold breeze where they flow from beneath the beanie she has on.
Ned glances between us then slaps his leg. “Well, this old man is done. I’m turning in.” He rises and dips his hat to Addy and nudges his friend beside him with a foot. “Mick, you going to bed?”
“Oh, yeah.” He startles, and when Ned tilts his head in a not-so-subtle gesture our way, Mick clears his throat and stands. “Night.”
The fire crackles. The only sounds are the lowing of the cattle and the rustling blankets and groans of the two men in their tents as they relax their weary muscles. And when soft snores come from Ned’s tent, I turn to Addy. But she rises and moves to the horses. She runs a hand over Ned’s horse before checking each hoof in turn.
When the mare doesn’t show any signs of a stone bruise, she takes to feeling each leg from top to bottom. I rub a hand up the mare’s face and she nickers into my side, lowering her head. When I look back up, Addy is standing in front of me. Sliding her beanie off, she runs a hand through her hair.
I force air into my lungs. “You feelin’ okay?”
“Yes, Hudson,” she drawls and moves closer. “Mick is lovely.”
“Only you would be able to get that old grump to talk, Adeline Howard.”
“He’s lovely, had a hard life. But I don’t really want to talk about Mick...”
“Aren’t you tired, sweet girl?”
“Nope.” The word pops off her lips. Those brown eyes light up, swallowing me whole. Her hands press to my coat before slipping inside it.
I crowd her into the side of the horse and take her hands in mine. They’re cold. I rub the backs of them with my thumbs while I dip my head, mouth by her ear, breath brushing her neck. “We are gonna freeze out here... That tent is calling our name.”
“I don’t hear anything,” she coos, arching into me.
Jesus, Addy.
My cock is stretching the small space it has in my Wranglers. Blood disappears from my brain, filling my head with nothing but the image of her naked in my house, against the wall. What I wouldn’t do to be there right now. “You realize you are going to end up with frostbite being naked out here, right?”
“But this view and you naked would so be worth it, Huddy.” She nips my ear, and her mouth travels down my neck.
“Addy,” I growl.
She really will get frostbite. And that isn’t something you want so far from medical help. I scoop her up and she squeals.
“Shhhh, you want to wake the old men?”
She giggles and nuzzles my neck. I walk us back to the tent and set her down on the blankets. When the zipper is thoroughly closed, I turn back to find Addy peeling off her clothes, one by one. Slowly.
I stand by the tent flaps, chest heaving. Cock rock hard. Hands curling, aching to touch her, to hold her. To make her say my name like a prayer.
But when I take a step toward her, she shakes her head and holds a finger to her lips.
Fuck.
She steps out of her jeans.
Unbuttons her shirt and lets it fall to the blankets.
Her thermal knitted undershirt, she tugs over her head and tosses aside.
In only her underwear, she stands with those come here eyes. So I take a step forward, and she shakes her head again, gaze dipping to my coat. I pull off my hat and toss it to the wayside. Boots follow next.
“Come on, Huddy. I have been thinking about you all damn day. Watching you working the cattle, you and Rocket. God, I was so damn wet.”
My breath shallows out.
I unbuckle my belt and lose the jeans, standing in my button-down shirt and socks. A gorgeous smile claims her face and her breath is ragged. I run a hand through my hair and start on the top button. Addy appears in front of me, and her hands close over mine. “Let me.”
Her fingers work the buttons, one at a time, slow, as her eyes hold mine. It’s torture of the best possible kind. I raise a hand to touch her face and she bats it away. “Ah, no.”
“You have no idea how much I wanna touch you right now.”
Her lips part. “I have a pretty good idea.”
When the last button is released, she slides my shirt off, revealing the t-shirt underneath. Her nails drag down my neck and over my chest, splaying out around my ribs and down to the hem of my shirt. A heartbeat later, it hits the blankets. And now I stand with the world’s hardest erection in nothing but socks. I try again, one hand moving toward her hip. Swatting it away again, she whispers, “Nope, not yet.”
I groan and she huffs a sweet laugh, dropping to her knees. She taps my foot and I lift it. Her fingers sweep the wool from my feet. One then the other. When both feet are unsheathed and I stand trembling, she rises to her feet, resting her hands on my shoulders.
I search her gaze. “Addy.”
She pulls my mouth to hers and I am putty in her hands. I’m a man broken. Shattered into pieces that will never go back together the same way. Never.
She pulls me around, and I walk backward over the blankets to the center of the two-person tent. Pushing me down to sit, she straddles my lap. “Now, Huddy. Now you can touch. You can be mine for a little while.”
I drop my mouth to her peaks, palms cupping each perfect, soft mound. She arches into me with a small moan. I don’t even care if the men hear. Fuck, that just makes it better. Turns me on more. Her fingers push and pull through my hair. Heat melts in my core, spreading through my veins as she wriggles in my lap.
“God above, Adeline. You have me, I am yours.”
Her head drops to mine, her mouth finding mine, and I deepen the kiss. She opens for me, and I savor everything she lets me have, my tongue inside her mouth, over her pretty pink lips. Hungry for any scrap she will give me.
“Hudson, please.” She rises on her knees, and I line up my throbbing cock with her hot, wet center. Emotion claws at my heart and lungs, wringing out the last of my breath as she sinks onto me with a whimper. The sweetest fucking sound I will ever hear. I search her face. Her wrecked face. And I hang on every ragged breath that comes from her lips.
Wanting her to take her time to feel everything. To give her everything she wants. The bridge of my nose prickles and something burns behind my eyes. I tighten my grip, now on her hips. The ache in my chest turns hollow, and I gasp for air with a realization: I am so far gone, it’s inconceivable. Adeline Howard has dusted off my hidden heart and claimed it for her own.
And she can’t stay.
I can’t let her give up everything for me.
I . . . can’t.
Sweet Jesus, this one is gonna hurt.
She pulls up and my body shakes with every tiny move she makes. I nip her peaks, running my hands behind her neck and through her hair. Every stroke upward drags a moan from those elegant lips I can’t take my eyes off. She arches her back and tightens around me.
“Huddy,” she breathes, eyes closed, fingers digging into my shoulders as she comes. Her beautiful waves pull me from my trance and send me over that jagged edge right after her. Like I’m not already falling from the highest cliff known to man.
Fast.
Hard.
If I’m honest with myself, this started the day Charlie killed that snake and I kissed her in the tack room. It’s the same feeling. And I don’t have a chance in hell of getting out of this unscathed.
Wouldn’t want to, even if I could.