Chapter 6
Splash!
Cassie froze, hands covering her mouth, her shoulders relaxing as Harrison stumbled upright, exclaiming about the icy cold water. Thank goodness the man hadn’t done himself a real injury.
“Oh my gosh. Are you okay?”
He peered at her, then shook his hair like a dog.
Water flicked and flew and landed on her. “Classy.”
He smirked. “You know it.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jess asked him, brow pleated. “I’m a vet, not a doctor, but I’ve had some medical training…”
“I’m fine. Clumsy, but fine.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then feel free to leave.” Cassie crossed her arms again. The nerve of the man, scaring her like that. If he wanted to sue her for tripping over a water trough, imagine what he’d do breaking his spine while performing acrobatics on—or off—a horse.
“Cass! You can’t make him leave,” protested Poppy.
“Apparently,” Cassie grouched.
He chuckled, and she glanced quickly at him. Now he was standing on land he wasn’t that much taller. Half a head, if that, so not nearly as tall as Franklin. He did have nice eyes, and maybe even a sense of humor, seeing he’d laughed at her comment.
But it didn’t mean she liked him. And it definitely didn’t mean that she was comfortable with all of Hannah’s friends glancing at her then at him then smiling, like this was a set up she’d somehow arranged. Which she had not.
“Come on, Cassie. Don’t make me leave,” he pleaded.
She crossed her arms then lifted them slightly, hiding any hint of cleavage. It wasn’t that her one-piece was too revealing, but there was a world of difference between feeling comfortable while wearing a swimsuit with her friends, and standing in front of a handsome man who made her nervous. And it definitely didn’t help to know her sister’s dance-honed physique would forever appear to advantage, especially in comparison to Cassie’s own, complete with farmer’s tan.
“Besides,” Harrison continued. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“Which one was that?”
“Why you’re here and not over there. I mean, I get that your brother is famous, and Hannah probably even more so, but you only work at the movie set, right?”
Wow. How the man had ever managed to convincingly play a law professor she had no idea. Maybe he was a good actor, after all.
“You’re kidding right?” Jess said, her arms folded, her face now holding a frown. “Cassie is one of the hardest working women around.”
Thanks, Jess.
Jess glanced at her. “Does this man honestly not know who you are?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she murmured.
“Cassie James. Does that ring a bell?”
“Jess,” she murmured.
“James?” He glanced at her. “That’s your last name?”
“Oh my gosh,” Jess muttered. “That’s why she’s Cassie James.” She rolled her eyes.
“Where have I heard that name recently?”
One second, two seconds, three…
His eyes widened. “Your family owns this ranch?”
Cassie dipped her chin.
“Whoa.” He staggered back, like her nod had held volcanic power.
Yeah, that’s right, mister. She bit back a smile. “So really, my friends and I can go swimming anyplace we like. So if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to go do that and you’re gonna leave and we’re all gonna be happy. Even Poppy.” She wrapped an arm around her sister and tugged her away. “Even Poppy will be happy, because none of us want to hold you up from all the important things that you should be doing.”
“Wait.” Poppy scrambled away. “I’m not happy. I’d actually be a lot happier if I could find out exactly why you are trying to keep us away from him.”
“Fine.” Her sister was stubborn, and already this encounter had stolen far too much time and emotional energy. “You do you. I don’t care, but I do care that this is Hannah’s special day and right now none of us are talking to her, and I’m not okay with that. So, goodbye,” she said to Harrison. Then she turned and waded across to the other side of the creek where the rest of the women waited. The women whose wide eyes and smiles said they were enjoying the show.
“Spill. Now.” Bree Vaughan pointed to Cassie. “All the details. Go.”
She sighed. The wife of Calgary’s hockey captain was super sweet, but saw romance wherever she went. And this was definitely not what she’d planned for today. “There are no details. He’s working nearby and came by accidentally.” She hoped.
“Working?” Hannah, ever the reporter, asked. “He doesn’t look like a cowboy.”
“He’s an actor,” she mumbled.
“On As The Heart Draws?” Bree asked.
She couldn’t very well lie now, could she? “Yes.”
Bree’s purply-gray eyes widened. “He’s not the new love interest, is he? Oh my gosh. Does that mean Tanner is dead?”
Why, oh why had she ever told her friends that As The Heart Draws was filming here? “You know I can’t reveal that.”
“That sounds like a yes to me.” Bree turned to Hannah. “Does that sound like a yes to you?”
“It does indeed.”
“Guys, please don’t ask,” Cassie begged. “He’s here and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
“Is that all?” Hannah prodded, with a teasing smile.
“That is all.”
“I suspect that’s not all.” Hannah grinned. “But I’m having too much fun watching you pretend there isn’t, that I don’t care if it’s an accident that he’s here. I’m glad that our Cassie is not made of stone.”
“Amen.” Bree lifted her plastic glass of virgin margarita, one of the little Poppy touches that had elevated the creek swim into something more resembling a tropical getaway. That, and various other things, like the blow-up pink flamingo.
“I’m not made of stone,” Cassie grumbled. “It’s just he’s annoying.”
“Aw, don’t be hard on the man,” Bree protested. “It was an accident he arrived here, you said.”
“No, I mean he’s been really annoying for a while now. And I’ve got enough going on that I don’t need to have more drama in my life.”
“Drama.” Bree winked at Cassie. “I see what you did there.”
Cassie pasted a smile on her face and stood. “Anybody need a drink?”
She refilled glasses, then picked up a pink air mattress and dragged it further upstream to the bend in the creek where the tiny rapids bubbled and played. She needed to get away, to relax again, to not have this moment that she’d been enjoying spoiled by the man who apparently thought himself entitled to crash any event anywhere simply because he had a nice smile. Probably a bleached smile, she thought grumpily. But at least he hadn’t chipped a tooth in his tumble. The ranch sure couldn’t afford an actor’s dental bills.
“Hey, Cassie, wait up.”
She paused as Hannah dragged the flamingo behind her. “I thought you wanted to sun bathe.”
“I did, and I have. And now I’m ready for another swim, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay. You’re the bride-to-be, so whatever you say goes.”
“Hey.”
Hannah’s voice stayed Cassie’s feet.
“I’m sorry for teasing you.”
“It’s okay.”
“Clearly it’s not.” Hannah’s bottom lip tucked in.
“It’s just a lot. And I know I probably deserve it, but it’s been a big week, and I’m tired, and now to feel like I’m the butt of everyone’s jokes, I need some time away.” Especially from him.
“Ah. It’s hard to feel like you’re under scrutiny, isn’t it?”
And nobody would know that better than Hannah, whose high-profile sports reporter job on TV, combined with a high-profile boyfriend-now-fiancé, meant there were always people watching her, judging her. Hannah had been subjected to some horrendous online abuse from people protesting the fact a woman might dare to report on men’s sports. Knowing her friend had received death threats made this afternoon’s episode feel like a giant overreaction.
Cassie sighed. “I’m such a child sometimes.”
“No, you’re just tired. And it’s hard when you’re tired to let some of the silly little things slide.” Hannah ghosted a smile. “Ask me how I know.”
Cassie’s heart panged. Today wasn’t supposed to be about pain from the past, but was supposed to be about celebrating all things Hannah. She forced down her self-focused thoughts, and smiled at her friend. “Are you all set for next weekend? No silly little things bothering you?”
“No. It’s all good. ESPN gave me Friday off, so that’s taken off some pressure too.”
“Then the wedding, then two weeks away somewhere tropical.”
“Is that where he’s taking me?”
Big internal wince. Between the accidental truth spill about Harrison’s role on the show and now this, obviously she couldn’t be trusted with any secret. “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“I don’t care where we go. Two weeks of sleep and food and rest sounds like heaven to me.”
“I don’t think that’s all you’re supposed to do on a honeymoon.” Cassie winked.
Hannah blushed. “Come on. Last one back to the others is a rotten you-know-what.”
Cassie chased her to the water’s edge and flung herself onto the air mattress, allowing the creek’s gentle movements to guide her as she grasped the front edge. But unlike Hannah, whose competitive nature was always determined to win, she was content to avoid the others—and Harrison, if he dared to remain—a little longer.
She still couldn’t explain why he pressed her buttons so much. Couldn’t explain why she found his arrogance so frustrating. He should be nothing to her. He was nothing to her. Just a person she’d had the misfortune to meet. But there remained this weird connection, like an invisible string between them, that tugged and pulled and made her aware of him when she really didn’t want to be.
“Lord, is it wrong to dislike someone so intensely?”
Her whisper got lost among the ripples and insect hum. Which was probably just as well as it was one of those dumb prayers that she already knew the answer to.
“Okay, God. I know that was a stupid thing to ask. But I don’t like feeling this way. And I need Your help to change my heart because I’m not shining much of Jesus right now, am I?”
Her eyes pricked, and she dragged her fingers through the water, not wanting to hear God’s Amen. But changing her heart had to involve more than just words, more than a mouthed prayer. Experience had taught her that to change her attitude towards someone involved praying a blessing upon them. Each time she prayed a blessing it was like God chipped away at the stone walls around her heart, until one day her heart was soft. Witness what had happened with the twists and turns of her friendship with Hannah. They’d been friends in school, then Hannah had met Franklin right here in this very creek when she’d been sixteen, and everyone could see the sparks that had flown. But then Franklin had moved to Boston, and she and Hannah had drifted apart, and part of Cassie had resented her friend for leaving her. She hadn’t known Hannah was facing her own battles with family dramas like her dad leaving, but it had hurt at the time. Until God had reminded her to pray for her friend, which she had, so when Hannah had returned to their lives last year Cassie could warmly welcome her in with a hug that held not a drop of acrimony.
Of course, she had no intention of welcoming Harrison into her family, nor hugging him ever, but it couldn’t hurt to pray for the man, and not treat him as a nuisance. Even if he was.
“Sorry God.” Clearly this being kind to Harrison thing was going to take some getting used to.
By the time her air mattress had gently bumped down to where the others waited, she was almost reconciled within her heart. She was grateful for this time to relax, and would try to let the rest of the day gently lead her, just as the water had done. Life was too short to get upset about everything.
“Hey Cassie!” someone called.
She peeked across at the shore. Her heart dipped. Looked like Harrison had continued to ignore her wish for him to leave, sitting there with his jeans rolled up to his knees, laughing like he didn’t have a care in the world. Still, “God bless him,” she gritted out.
“Cassie!” Jess shouted.
“What?” She staggered upright and checked to ensure that her float time lying on her front meant her swimsuit was still covering all the essentials. Phew. She boosted her air mattress under her arm.
“Don’t move!” Harrison yelled.
Huh? Why was he running at her, like he wasn’t going to stop?
Then he paused, and picked her up, just as a blur of brown and orange stripes leapt from the water and struck.
* * *
Harrison groaned,but kept carrying Cassie away from the snake.
“What are you doing?” she yelled, squirming. “Put me down!”
“Can’t,” he panted, clambering to the shore. Who knew where it was?
“Keep still,” Jess commanded, authority in her voice.
He didn’t know if she was speaking to him or her sister, but figured it was wisest to obey. As a vet, she should know how to deal with snakes.
Snakes? He shuddered, then peeked down at his leg. From just below his rolled-up jeans the snake had attached itself to his calf. He almost dropped Cassie.
His pulse drummed loudly in his ears, drowning out the shrieks from the other women. But above his intense fear, was awareness of this woman in his arms, how huge her blue-green eyes were, how close her face was to his, how easy it would be to bend his head and lower his mouth and—
“What are you doing?” Cassie demanded, flinching, shifting away.
“Cassie, keep still,” Jess snapped. “He’s been bitten by a snake because he was trying to protect you.”
“A snake?” Cassie whispered, shrinking into his arms.
He clutched her more tightly. Maybe those heart-hammering nerves were more to do with this woman he held…
“Steady. Gosh, you’re a big boy, aren’t you?”
Excuse me? Oh, Jess was talking to the snake.
Jess gently divested his calf from the snake’s mouth, and moved away to release it.
“Oh my gosh! He’s bleeding!” one of the women called. Poppy? He couldn’t remember much of anything anymore.
Wooziness clutched him, and he staggered.
“Whoa.” Jess had returned. “You can put her down now. We need to deal with your wound.”
Cassie wriggled, and he realized afresh that a woman wearing a swimsuit wriggling in his arms was a pretty effective distraction from a snake bite.
He lowered her, and she nearly jumped from his arms, straight into the beach towel held out by one of her friends, wrapping herself in it most securely, before glancing at him with wide eyes.
Hmm. Was that concern for him or concern at what he’d done? Her wince made him glance down again at his leg, where blood was freely flowing.
Jess tugged his arm. “You should sit down. I need to bind this up.”
“What if there are other snakes here?” one of the other women asked.
“I hate snakes,” another one whined. “They should all be killed.”
Amen.
“You can’t do that,” Cassie said. “They’re not out to get you. Snakes have an important role to play in the environment by killing pests and rodents. They’re just trying to do their thing.”
Huh.
“In over twenty years of coming here I’ve never seen a snake until today,” Poppy said.
Jess ripped the flimsy pink fabric of what looked to be a sarong and padded one strip on the puncture mark, then wrapped the other section around his calf. “And I’m sure this one is non-venomous.”
“How sure are you?” he asked.
“Pretty sure.”
He’d rather one hundred percent certainty, but okay.
“There’s so much blood,” one of the other women murmured.
“I want to get out of here,” another said.
“Ignore them.” Cassie moved in front of them, drawing his attention. Her smile, tentative, but definitely friendlier than nearly every other encounter, ensured his gaze remained there.
Even with a towel around her and with wet hair clumping around her shoulders she was attractive. Her blue eyes held a slight hint of green, her dark lashes making the color pop against her tan. And now, when she wasn’t busy being angry or offended at him, her face held a softness that made him want to try harder to be the kind of man his grandma would’ve been proud of, rather than the one his father had once called a slick faker.
“There.” Jess tightened a bandage.
“Ow.”
She glanced up at him then stood. “Now just because it’s non-venomous doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. This type of garter snake has mildly venomous saliva, and may result in some pain and swelling, but less than you might usually expect in a snakebite.”
“I gotta admit I don’t usually expect a snake to bite me.” Look at him, toughing it out, making jokes, being brave.
“You may end up with some swelling,” Jess continued. “And you need to keep an eye out in case there is an allergic reaction. You should count yourself lucky it didn’t do what it often does when threatened and release a stink bomb of a secretion.”
“Hallelujah,” he muttered. Still, he was grateful for small mercies.
Jess frowned. “We should send you to a doctor.”
“There’s a medic on set.” Although how he was going to get there remained to be seen.
“I’ll drive you back.” Poppy gestured to the bank above. “My car is up there.”
“You don’t have to.”
Jess wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, you’re not going back on a horse.”
“Cassie or Jess can ride Buddy,” Poppy said.
A sigh escaped the woman he’d tried to save. He glanced at her apologetically. “I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
“Says the man who refused to leave before.”
Hmm. Clearly his heroics hadn’t dampened all antagonism.
“We should get you back to civilization as soon as possible,” one of the other women said, collecting their things. “Do you need ibuprofen?”
“No, don’t take it,” Jess cautioned. “His blood may be thinned, and it’s already not clotting like it should.” She frowned at him. “Do you have platelet issues?”
“What issues?”
“Your blood platelets. You know, the cells that allow for your blood to clot when you cut yourself.”
“I don’t think so.”
“We’d better get you seen by a hospital doctor to make sure.”
Great. How had a simple afternoon’s ride turned into such a debacle? He glanced at the bride-to-be. “I’m really sorry for wrecking your afternoon.”
“It’s not wrecked. Just a little more dramatic than we expected.”
“Drama is what he does,” Cassie muttered, her gaze meeting his for a second before sliding away.
So much for making amends.
But there was no time to apologize again, as he was hustled to Poppy’s vehicle and gently pushed inside, while the other women stowed various pieces of paraphernalia in other cars.
And as Poppy reversed, he caught sight of Cassie, wading across the creek again and collecting his horse, her slumped shoulders saying this was not how she’d planned her day.
It certainly wasn’t how he’d planned his, either.