Chapter 22
“We’re going to get caught,” I hum against Bode’s mouth only to be silenced by another kiss that leaves my knees weak.
His hands frame my face as he presses me against the storage closet wall, trapping me against his chest. I hadn’t even realized he was in the barn when I came to get more feed, but the second my back was turned, Bode snuck in here, shut the door, and has been kissing me for the past, well…
I think two minutes? The man makes time feel like molasses.
It's been a week of stolen moments, hidden kisses and praying Ford doesn't find us.
My hands curl around the edges of his jacket, pulling him closer for a brief moment before I remember that Ford, or really anyone, could find us.
“Mmph, Bode,” I murmur against his lips, and he chuckles in response.
The sound warms my chest and makes the corners of my lips turn upwards as he pulls back.
“I have to go into Kingston today,” he breathes. “So before Crew drags me off this ranch, let me have one good thing today.” He grins, lopsided and handsome as his hands move down to my hips. “That okay with you, Wildflower?”
“Alright, Cowboy,” I answer, letting him nudge his nose against mine until my chin tips and our lips collide again. I hear the floorboard creak, and before I can stop it from happening, I hear Logan’s tiny, smug laugh.
We break apart, and Bode runs his hand through his hair as I straighten out my shirt, where he pushed it up my stomach. Logan crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe.
“Who are we hiding from?” She asks in a whisper, while Bode pushes his Stetson back over his head.
“Logan,” Bode’s voice is a warning.
“Oh no, Walker. This is too much fun, how long?” She stares between the two of us, and the mischief in her tone is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Only a week,” I spill the secret, and Logan’s smile grows.
“You'd better scoot before Ford comes back and finds you kissing his little sister,” Logan narrows her eyes on Bode, and he scowls at her back. I can’t help but feel like I’m stuck between them, even though my back is pressed against the storage shelf.
Bode turns to look at me, giving me a wink before slipping from the pantry and leaving me to face Logan alone.
“We have chores if you're done making out in the closet, little miss sunshine.”
“Oh, bugger off.” I scrunch my nose up at her and brush past her into the barn. We don’t have a lot to get done today, but I can tell by the way Logan is eyeing me that she’s going to make it feel longer than it actually will be.
She steps aside as I start to open the barn and flip the switch to the heavy fluorescent lights that line the barn, flicker.
The light gives us a better view of the mess we have to deal with.
From the smell alone, it’s clear the stalls need to be mucked, but Logan stands there for a moment, sipping on a coffee and staring at me.
“What?” I say, before moving toward the wheelbarrow.
“I was just wondering if I’m going to have to pry the details out of you, or if you’d break on your own,” Logan says with a little shrug.
“I didn’t take you for a gossip,” I say, setting down the barrow by the first stall.
“I’m just curious…A week ago, Bode was stomping around this ranch cursing you,” she responds, setting her coffee down finally and popping the latch on Kelpie’s stall as she reaches for the bag of apples that she leaves hanging with the saddles.
“Now he’s sneaking around…kissing you,” she raises an eyebrow.
“He’s still cursing me, if it makes you less interested,” I add as I grab the rake from the wall. She stares at me like I’ve said something ridiculous. “You’re pushy.”
“The quicker you learn that I’m the most stubborn ranch hand, the better. Spill,” Logan jabs, throwing Kelpie an apple.
“We were up the mountain. It was cold…” I say, avoiding her hot gaze.
“So you-” Logan steps into the stall to catch my eye.
“Slept together,” I choke out.
“You had sex!” Logan practically yelps, which makes me flinch because she’s not usually so animated. “I thought cuddled for warmth was going to come out of your mouth… not sex.”
“It was cold!” I stress, and Logan starts to laugh.
“Was it good?” she asks.
“It was incredible.” I don’t even hesitate.
“So…” Logan helps me shovel the soiled bedding into the wheelbarrow before we move to Copper’s stall. “We’ve stepped backwards and you’re now kissing in dark corners?”
“You know Ford,” is my response. “He can’t find out. He’ll kill Bode.”
Logan chuckles, her signature scowl pulling at the corners with amusement. Her long hair falls over her shoulder as she looks up at me. “Don’t kiss in the barn storage, Ford uses it to hide from Peter when the kid starts talking too much.”
“Oh, please, Logan!” I threw my head back in laughter. “And how exactly did you figure that out?”
“Experience,” Logan flicks an eyebrow at me. “Crew and I had to sneak around. I was supposed to be ‘rehabilitating.’" She says that like that’s enough of an excuse.
“I get it, I’ve seen Crew Cassidy in a pair of Wranglers. I’d risk my head for him too,” I say, and Logan scowls at me. “Seriously?” I laugh at her jealousy. “He’s too big and too blonde for me, I’m just saying that I understand wanting to take the risk, but…”
“But what?” Logan circles me and starts laying out clean hay for Copper.
“There’s just a lot going on. My focus shouldn’t be kissing cowboys in dark corners.” I chew on my lip and give Copper an apple before we back out of his stall.
“Your mom?” Logan frowns and clicks open the latch to the next stall, startling Gus into making some funny noises as we invade his space. I wander over to him and give him a couple nice rubs before leading him from the stall and hooking him up in the alley to give him space while we work.
“She’s getting worse, and I barely have time to work and take care of her. I don’t know how adding Bode Walker's lips to the schedule helps,” I groan. Logan shrugs her shoulders like the answer is obvious but I just shake my head at her.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” she says after a moment of silence. “But a little advice?”
I pause, straightening out to look at her.
“I’ve known Bode longer than most people on this ranch and he has always been the kind of man who shows up.
From the day I showed up here, he’s gone to bat for me against Ford.
He helped Crew bring Ash back to me without a second thought.
” I don’t know what that means, but it looks like it makes her uncomfortable even to speak about it, so I nod, letting her know I’m listening.
“If you’re enjoying spending time with him, he doesn’t care what you're doing. Here, up on that mountain, dark corners, or taking care of your Mom. Bode will just want to be around to help. Let him.”
Let him.
“He’s never run from a challenge,” Logan adds.
“Take Kelpie for example, I thought she was a horse that Crew bought for his rehabilitation program and took a liking to Bode.
" Our eyes meet and she leans against Kelpie's stall.
"Come to find out, Bode rescued her from a ranch that was up for foreclosure.
She was apparently, according to Crew, all skin and bones when he brought her back to the ranch.
Bode spent months feeding her and working her through physical therapy so she'd get her strength back.
" I listen to her, and my chest aches the more she tells me.
He may have hated the idea of Wanda, Buck…
but he still helps me take care of them, and I can't tell if it's because it's burned into his DNA to help or if he's doing it for me. "So, as stubborn as these men are, they’re balanced. He’ll understand your needs, Maggie, but you have to tell him what those are. He’s cute but he’s not a mind reader.” She laughs gently as I stand in deadlock, not mucking or moving.
“That’s a lot to put on a man I just started kissing,” I say in a voice so quiet it doesn’t even sound like me.
“Let me rephrase myself.” Logan gets serious again.
“Bode Walker enjoys a good challenge. Nothing is too much for that man.” She sets the rake down and pulls her hair back into a ponytail as she stares at me.
“He’s been taking care of Levi his entire life, and that kid is a handful.
I’ve never seen someone more determined to kill themselves on the back of a bronco. ”
“I…” I open my mouth and close it. “This is a little less exciting than rodeo.”
“Bode’s been stressed out for months, and today’s the first day I saw him smiling in a long time, if you think you’re less exciting than rodeo and ranching.
You need to step back and re-assess the situation, because from where I’m standing, he finds you plenty exciting, Maggie. ” She says, getting back to work.
“And if I go for it, what about Ford?” I ask.
“Who gives a shit what Ford thinks?”
“You say that, but it’s a little different from two coworkers kissing.” I remind her, “You said it yourself, I’m practically his little sister, and Ford isn’t going to just let this go.”
“Bode stood up for me, against Ford, and if he was willing to do that for a friendship…” Logan’s explanation trails off because I don’t need her to say it. The implication is enough.
“You’re not as mean as they all say you are,” I tease.
“Don’t tell anyone, I have a reputation to protect and Peter still cowers around me.” She says it like it's amusing as we continue to clean stalls.