Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
CASH
S itting by the fire, Cash waited for Wilder and Blaze to reappear, watching the horizon. He’d fetched Wilder’s fallen hat, and it sat on the log beside him. A blanket of stars crept across the sky, and soon Lain and Mary-Beth would take Annalise inside for her bedtime. When they did, Cash had a plan.
Wilder had been in such a hurry to get away from him after his moment of vulnerability in the truck that he’d forgotten his Twinkies. Cash wanted to wait and catch him alone in order to return them. The last thing he wanted was to make any of the hands think he was playing favorites—even if, deep down, he knew he was. There was just something about Wilder.
He heard Blaze’s galloping hooves before they were visible.
“Here they come!” Annalise said, leaping out of her chair.
“Stay back, baby girl,” Lain said. “It’s getting dark, and I don’t want to risk them not seeing you.”
“I know, Daddy. I just want to see Blaze. He’s so pretty when he runs!”
Cash opened his mouth to say Wilder would never be so careless as to put Annalise in danger, but the words wouldn’t come. It wasn’t his place to argue with his boss about family matters.
Wilder and Blaze appeared over the ridge, driving all thought from his mind. Haloed in the dying sunlight, a cascade of stars spilling across the sky overhead, they were a vision. Blaze slowed to an easy lope as they approached the barn. Wilder was windswept and grinning hard, looking more at home in the saddle than Cash had ever seen him. He was made to ride Blaze, and Blaze, it seemed, was made to carry him. They were kindred spirits from the moment they met.
The sound of Blaze’s hooves clopped into the barn, and Cash picked up Wilder’s hat. He caught sight of Lain and Mary-Beth exchanging a communicative glance, and then she stood, smoothing a hand over her growing belly as she did.
“Come on, Annalise. It’s time to get ready for bed.”
“Aw, already?” Annalise whined.
Mary-Beth smiled patiently. “I’m afraid so.”
Lain stood to follow them. “I’m turning in, too. Have a good night, boys. I’ll see you all bright and early.”
Cash wished him goodnight, aware of the knowing looks the hands exchanged around the fire behind Lain’s back. They all had their opinions about the relationship between the boss and his rakish twin.
“The rest of you should turn in soon, too,” Cash said. “Like he said, early start in the morning.” They still had to get the barn ready, test the troughs, and ride the fields to check for toxic plants before they moved the herd. It should have been done already, but the days had gotten away from him. With all of them working together, they could get it done in time.
“Are you really gonna let him ride that mustang around the cattle?” Billy asked. “The horse hasn’t been trained well enough yet.”
“The horse is doing just fine, and I think Wilder’s a good enough wrangler to know whether Blaze is ready for the work.”
Billy grumbled something under his breath.
“What was that?” Cash asked, his voice threaded with steel.
Billy pursed his lips. “Nothing, boss. It’s your call.”
Cash nodded. “That’s right, and I know my job. You just mind yours.”
“Yes, sir,” Billy groused, glaring at the dying fire.
Unwilling to stay and argue another moment when he’d much rather be basking in Wilder’s bright mood, he turned on his booted heel and strode away.
He found Wilder and Blaze in the barn together. He’d already removed the tack and saddle and was now brushing Blaze’s sleek, golden fur, which was a shade darker with sweat. Wilder was speaking in low tones, his mouth curved into a soft smile. Blaze’s liquid black eyes tracked his movement right up until Cash appeared in his line of sight. Then his ears went back and he lifted his head, always uncertain about anyone who wasn’t Wilder.
“Hey,” he said as he approached, not wanting to catch Wilder by surprise. He didn’t imagine the man would like being snuck up on, even accidentally.
Wilder turned the full force of that smile toward him. “Did you see him? He was amazing. Damn , he’s fast.”
I saw you , he wanted to say.
“Blew your hat right off your head,” he said instead. Mindful of Blaze tied beside them, he eased closer and dropped Wilder’s hat on his head.
Wilder chuckled, reaching up to adjust it. “He did so great. Took direction from me when needed, but he just wanted to go . It was incredible.”
“I think you’ll be able to ride him when we move the cattle, don’t you?”
“Definitely. I think he’ll love it. Not just the running but having a purpose, too. I think he’ll like having a job to do. He’s so smart. Being in that paddock all day with nothing to do makes him restless.”
“Why don’t we move him into the field with the other horses, then? I think he’s learned his place well enough by now. He comes to you when he sees you, so we won’t have to catch him amongst the others like we did before.”
Wilder’s face softened. “I think he’d like that. Can we do that tonight? I’m almost finished up here.”
“Of course. You finish up with him. I’ll put the gear away and then walk with y’all.”
He beamed. “Thanks, Cash.”
Cash slung the bridle over his shoulder and picked up the saddle and saddle pad from the sawhorse. By the time he returned from the tack room, Wilder had Blaze on a simple lead. Warmth bloomed in Cash at the sight of him, lean and long-legged and silhouetted in the hazy light spilling through the barn doors. He’d waited for him, and he dared to hope that Wilder liked the time they spent together as much as he did.
When they emerged from the barn, Cash glanced over at the fire pit. It seemed that everyone had cleared out in his absence. Someone had put the wire mesh lid on the fire, and the dying embers sent lazy curls of smoke wafting into the air. Several of the bunkhouse windows glowed with light from within, and the night around them was quiet.
Neither of them spoke. Words weren’t needed. Their shoulders brushed, and Blaze’s hooves were the only accompanying sound as they walked to the neighboring field. They would be stabled at night during the winter months, but in mild weather like tonight, they could stay in the pasture all night. There was a small barn inside the fence that was open on one wall for the horses to go into if they needed to seek shelter, but most of them rarely did even if it rained.
Cash opened the gate for Wilder to lead Blaze inside. For safety, he latched it shut while Wilder unclipped the lead from his halter. Some of the other horses had noticed them and were wandering over. They all knew the staff of Blackwood Ranch and that human visitors usually meant food or treats. As soon as he was free of the lead, Blaze trotted out into the field to greet them. They’d spent some time together before Blaze was moved into the smaller paddock for training, so Cash wasn’t worried about them not getting along.
He opened the gate again to let Wilder out, but neither of them seemed in a hurry to leave, watching as Blaze was surrounded by the other horses for thorough inspection after his time away.
Wilder chuckled. “He’ll probably like being back with the others.”
“I hope so.” Cash glanced over. Wilder was awash in the starlight, looking more like a god than a man. A god of freedom with a golden steed, as limitless as the sky. “Hey.”
Wilder turned to look at him, brows lifting curiously.
“You want to go somewhere?”
His lips parted. “With you?”
Heat danced across Cash’s skin. “Well, yeah.”
Wilder turned bodily to face him, his body language opening like a flower blooming in the sun. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Great. Meet me by the fire pit, okay? I’ll grab my truck and pick you up there.”
“Okay.”
Cash bit his lip as he turned away to hide his smile. Maybe this was stupid. Maybe Wilder would think he was crazy for going to this effort for him. Maybe Cash would look back on this night and regret putting himself out there. But he liked Wilder, liked spending time with him and coaxing those beautiful smiles to his face. He’d been alone for a long time, and he wanted to try .
He grabbed the Twinkies and a blanket from his room, tossed both into the backseat of his ancient pickup, and guided it around the bunkhouse. His heart pounded nervously in his chest, and his palms were sweaty on the steering wheel as his headlights beamed across Wilder’s figure, waiting by the fire pit just like they agreed. He jogged around the truck and climbed into the passenger seat.
“This ain’t a work truck,” Wilder said, glancing around the interior.
He’d replaced a lot of it over the years. The leather seats were well worn now, but they had been top-of-the-line when he pulled out the old ones and put them in. He’d also replaced the radio, the gear shift, the steering wheel, and damn near all of the engine at one point or another.
“Nope, this is my baby,” he said as he guided the truck around the circular drive and down one of the trails that led toward the fields that went deeper into the ranch. “I bought this when I was eighteen. Done a fair bit of sleeping in that backseat in my younger years, before I got the camper.”
Wilder glanced over his shoulder at the backseat, like he was trying to picture it. “You’re a little small for that backseat, aren’t you?”
Cash laughed. “I was scrawnier back then.”
Wilder’s gaze trailed up and down his body. “Ain’t nothing about you scrawny now, that’s for sure.”
Something fizzed in Cash’s chest, like soda bubbles, and he was grateful the darkness hid his blush. Thankfully, he was saved from having to think of a response.
“So where are we going, anyway?”
“Well, I know you grew up here, but it’s been a long time since you were here. So I thought I’d show you one of my favorite spots on the ranch.” Now that he’d said it out loud, it sounded stupid. ‘Let me show you this cool spot on your own damn property that you probably know better than I ever could.’ But when he risked looking over, Wilder didn’t seem angry. In fact, there was something soft and fond in his gaze, like Cash had given him some kind of gift.
“That sounds nice,” he breathed. “Thank you.”
Cash inclined his head, bashful.
He brought the truck to a stop in a valley, surrounded by hills and trees. Here, out in the open and under the stars, none of the barns, fences, or buildings were visible. He stopped there, put the truck in park, and shut off the engine.
“Go around to the back and open the tailgate. I’ll be right there,” he said, and Wilder obeyed with a narrow-eyed, teasing look of suspicion.
Cash grabbed the blanket and the box of snack cakes as he listened to Wilder open the tailgate. It creaked, and he reminded himself to oil the hinges soon.
“Will you tell me what we’re doing already?” Wilder asked as Cash rounded the truck. He was sitting on the tailgate, swinging his legs.
“Yeah. Here.” He pressed the box into Wilder’s hands and climbed onto the tailgate with him to lay the blanket out in the truck bed.
When he was satisfied, he sat back on his heels and found Wilder staring at him. Stricken with panic that his doubts had been right, that this was a stupid idea, he gulped hard.
“What?”
“I… I forgot about these,” Wilder said. “You kept them?”
Cash relaxed. “Well, yeah. I told you they were yours. I wasn’t gonna just leave them in the kitchen for everybody else to take.” He crawled onto the blanket and laid back. “Come on. Bring them up here. Let’s lay back and look up at the stars.”