Chapter Ten
The rhythmic thwack of an axe splitting wood was the only sound in the crisp Saturday morning air.
Kade set another log on the block, swung, and felt a satisfying jolt as the wood split cleanly in two.
He’d been at it since dawn, working through the restlessness that had settled in his bones since last night.
Rubbing salve on Cassidy’s back had been a mistake.
Not the act itself—he could tell by the way she moved this morning that it had helped.
The mistake had been the easy intimacy of it, the quiet murmur of her voice as she told him about her past, and the gut-wrenching realization that this temporary arrangement was setting her up for another loss.
He set another piece of firewood in place.
“You’re going to chop through the whole wood pile before breakfast if you keep that up.”
He turned. Cassidy stood a few feet away, two steaming mugs in her hands, a small, knowing smile on her face. She was dressed in jeans and one of his old, worn flannel shirts, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. On her, it looked better than it ever had on him.
“Figured you could use this.” She held a mug out to him.
Setting the axe aside, he accepted the proffered mug, the ceramic warm against his calloused hands. Coffee. Elixir of the gods. “Thanks.” He took a long, grateful sip.
“You were thinking pretty loud out here.” Her gaze swept over the growing pile of split wood.
Not trusting himself to speak, he merely grunted in response.
She leaned against the railing of the back porch, sipping her tea, scanning the distance. Her gaze darted to his between sips. “What’s eating you?”
“Nothing.”
She shook her head from left to right. “Not buying it.”
“Why not?”
“We’ve been back a week and this is the first time I’ve seen you chopping wood. Should I mention we’re nowhere near winter? Besides, when something’s bothering you that little muscle on the right side of your jaw flexes.”
The woman had powers of observation that could put the Hubble telescope to shame, but was it actually possible that in only a week she had learned to read him so easily?
He’d dated women for months who didn’t have a clue what he was thinking or when something had set his nerves on edge—especially when they were the ones tugging on his last nerve.
Taking another sip, he considered his options. Tell her that he was battering his own body as early punishment for the end of the year when he took another home away from her. Maybe tell her that when she hurt, he hurt.
“I’ve been thinking,” she spoke softly over the rim of her cup. “I asked Jillian after supper last night why she carries a gun.”
Well, that was interesting.
“She shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then added, ‘if something serious, crazy, or deadly goes down, I don’t want to become the helpless victim.’”
He bobbed his head. Defending hearth, home, and yourself was pretty much the Texas mantra.
“Maybe I should learn to shoot.” Determination shone in her eyes. “Could you teach me?”
“Why?”
She took another sip of her tea, staring down at the warm brew a moment. “I want to be able to defend the ranch, and your family, if someone…something,” she corrected, “came along.”
Interesting choice of words. “You’re thinking about what Preston said at dinner last night about finding one of the lines ransacked.”
Her chin dipped in a single motion. “No one came out and said it, but I could see from the way everyone stiffened and grew serious that at least a few of you think that old foreman or his hands had something to do with it.”
He couldn’t argue. They did. He was almost willing to stake his career on it. But that wasn’t what had his gut churning. This woman was taking on every aspect of the ranch, from working it, to fixing it, and now defending it. Maybe marrying her was the smartest thing he’d ever done.
“Well?”
“All right.” Nodding his head, he set his coffee down. “No time like the present.”
A bright smile took over her face making her eyes sparkle. Damn, how he loved making her happy.
Retrieving a handgun and ammunition from in the house, he led her out behind the barn.
Taking a couple of wooden sawhorses from a nearby storage shed, he set up a little shooting range with oil cans.
Next, he went into instructor mode, walking her through the safety protocols, the mechanics of the weapon, the importance of treating every weapon as if it were loaded, and never ever point it at anyone unless you intend to shoot.
And with that came the familiar refrain: if you shoot, shoot to kill.
She listened, her focus absolute, her green eyes tracking his every move.
Following his instructions, she slipped five rounds into the magazine, set her stance shoulder width apart, brought the sights to the can, and eased the trigger with slow steady pressure.
She fired. The can on the far left pinged and jumped off the post. She fired again.
The second can flew into the air. A third shot, and the last can disappeared.
A natural. He shouldn’t have expected anything less from this amazing woman. Shaking his head, a slow laugh rumbled in his chest. “I married Annie Oakley.”
“Hardly.” She smiled back. “Beginner’s luck.”
“Not a chance.” He walked over to the sawhorses, placed the cans on top once again, then returning to her side, gave her five more rounds and watched as she readied her stance, set her sights, and one by one sent each oil can flying. “Cassie Barker, you are simply full of surprises.”
Pride and joy were both painted on her face. “I did it. I actually did it.”
So much for beginner’s luck. He bobbed his head, grinning back at her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was going to make one helluva rancher’s wife. And why did he suddenly wish more than anything else that this year didn’t have to come to an end and he could be that rancher?
Pure, unadulterated triumph bloomed in Cassidy’s chest. She lowered the handgun, the weight of it surprisingly solid and manageable in her hands, and stared at the empty sawhorse. She’d done it. She’d actually hit all the targets. Not by chance but every time.
The genuine admiration in Kade’s eyes was a heady thing, a warmth that spread through her and settled deep in her bones.
In that moment she wasn’t a foster kid or a blackjack dealer.
She was a woman who could hold her own, a woman who had just impressed a highly trained soldier.
And the feeling was ridiculously, wonderfully good.
In just a week, she felt more and more comfortable around the family, the house, and the ranch.
Who knew this girl born and raised in the city would enjoy tending to horses or fences?
Taking a minute, she slanted a glance in Kade’s direction and felt her cheeks tug at the corners of her mouth as an idea rattled around in the back of her mind. “So.” She looked to the sawhorses and back. “What say you to a little friendly competition?”
The way Kade’s eyes widened followed by a wide grin and full on belly laugh, he bobbed his head and reached for another weapon resting on the barrel beside him. “You’re on.” Gathering new targets, Kade set up the cans side by side. “Ladies first.”
Cassidy took aim, pulled the trigger, and grinned when she made what looked to her like a bull’s-eye.
Nodding, Kade marched over to the can, drew a large circle around the shot, then returned to stand beside her. Taking aim, he fired.
This time, Cassidy walked beside him, grinning when Kade lifted the can. His shot was slightly up and left from hers dead center. They did this over and over for the next hour or so. Jostling back and forth for first place.
In the end, Kade beat her by one round. “For someone who has never even held a gun before, I think it’s safe to say you can most definitely hit the broadside of a barn.”
“You didn’t do so bad yourself.”
“Gee, thanks.” He’d pretty much smiled and laughed the whole time they’d been out in the middle of the field shooting at oil cans. If she had any really good friends to tell this to, they wouldn’t believe her. She wasn’t all that sure she believed what she’d just done.
“There you are.” Garret made his way around the back of the barn. “Mom is setting up for a lunch. She’s sent out the call for the whole family to be here.”
“What’s wrong?” Kade’s brows buckled quickly with concern.
Garret shrugged. “No idea what she’s up to, but the way she’s smiling and whistling, I don’t think anything is wrong.”
“Okay.” Kade nodded. “We’ll clean up here and head back.”
Keeping her eyes on Garret as he walked away, she noticed Kade still looked worried. “You think something’s up?”
“Not sure, but Mom doesn’t usually organize big lunches. Dinners for special occasions, yes, but lunches on a Saturday afternoon…” He shrugged. “I’m probably overthinking this. Let’s put all this back, and hopefully I’ll have time to hit the showers.”
“You are a little ripe,” she teased.
“Hey…” His expression feigned insult, but his eyes sparkled with amusement.
She merely shook her head and smiled. She really did love hanging out with this man. Her own words caught her off guard. Love. Probably too strong a word—then again, people loved pizza and horseback riding and no one said that would be too strong a word.
“Something wrong?” Carrying the sawhorse in his arms, he paused mid step. “You look like you swallowed a bug.”
“No bugs.” Though she reflexively swiped at her mouth. “My mind was just wandering.” Forcing herself to smile, she backed up a step and grinned. “Bet you can’t beat me to the shower!” Turning on her heels, she took off at a fast clip, laughing as he muttered, “no fair” after her.
By the time he’d finished putting their makeshift shooting range away and made it upstairs to their room, she was already coming out of the bathroom, freshly clean and neatly dressed.
“You seriously don’t play fair,” he teased, ripping his shirt off and tossing it in the corner. “Just so you know, I will get even.”
And didn’t that just make her want to grin even wider. Kade Sweet certainly knew how to keep a woman on her toes. She liked that—a lot.
“Give me five minutes and we’ll go down together.”
“Only five minutes?”
Kade shrugged. “I’m in the army. There’s no such thing as a long hot shower.”
“Got it.” She took a seat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair, checking her watch. She had her doubts about that five minutes.
In exactly four minutes and twenty seconds, the bathroom door opened and Kade stood on the other side, hair still damp, fully clothed, and ready to face his family.
“I’m impressed.” Lips pressed tightly together, head cocked to one side, she nodded at him. “Very impressed.”
“Come on, wife.” He reached for her hand and they walked down the hall and down the stairs. Walking around the house from time to time holding hands, assuming that’s what newlyweds would be prone to do, had become second nature to them. It was comfortable.
What had her almost stumbling with surprise was the title wife. He’d not said that before. Unless you counted the wedding ceremony, she didn’t clearly remember.
“There you two are.” His mom beamed from where she stood in the kitchen. “Now that we’re all here, I have the table set in the dining room.”
One by one his siblings and their spouses pushed to their feet, crossed the room, and followed Alice into the massive dining room. When Cassidy and Kade reached the doorway, he stopped short and her head snapped up to see what was going on.
Standing at the end of the table, Alice smiled wider than before, her arm gesturing widely to the centerpiece. A tall, cream-colored cake with a bride and groom topper. “Happy seven-day anniversary!”
Aw, hell. Her fingers tightened around his. If Alice went all out for one week, what would she do for one month, or one year? And then guilt churned in her stomach—or when that year came and ended.
“Close your mouths,” Alice chuckled. “You’ll catch flies. It’s not the same as a real reception, but it will have to do.”
Cassie glanced up at Kade and caught him looking at her. His eyes held the same surprise laced with guilt that she felt. Forcing herself to smile and play the delighted newlywed, she tried not to think about how awful she was going to feel in three hundred and fifty-eight days.