Then he mucked the cow and horse stalls at night—that Celia had mucked that morning. They split up the every-three-hour cattle checks. They worked together to get the cattle fed twice a day in the snow. He and Celia took turns catching a catnap here and there. In this frigid weather they burned a lot of wood, which required constant tending.
In the two weeks since that first calf dropped they’d added forty-seven calves to the herd. They had no choice but to move the mamas and babies back outside within twenty-four hours of the birth because the number of births was increasing every day.
Forty-seven down, one hundred and twenty-two to go.
After being up all night, at dawn Celia sent him to bed.
Kyle woke at nine o’clock—according to the alarm—and, disoriented because the bedroom shades were pulled, he had no idea if it was morning or night. He set his feet on the floor and noticed he’d fallen into bed fully clothed.
Not the first time that’d happened.
The sounds of a conversation drifted through the crack in the door. He recognized Celia’s voice and stood to listen.
“…Was afraid I’d have to send her to stay with her mother for the rest of it.”
Ah. Josh. The acoustics in this house funneled everything into the hallway, so he heard every word perfectly.
“I’m guessing Ronna argued?”
Josh sighed. “Yeah. She reminded me she’s a ranch wife. Since she wasn’t helping take care of the cattle, it was her job to take care of me while I take care of the cows.”
“Hard to argue with that logic, huh?”
“Impossible. I know William has been fussy and then we had the snowstorm and she’s been locked in the house with a cranky baby and an absent or a comatose husband for two weeks.”
“Maybe you oughta cut her a break. Let her plow the road. It’d give you time with your son and show her that you do need her help.”
Kyle grinned. His wife was so damn intuitive. He wondered if anyone else had appreciated that about her.
You keep forgetting she’s not your wife.
His happy mood vanished.
“You know, Celia, that’s a great idea,” Josh said.
Just as he reached for the door handle to join them in the kitchen, he heard Josh say, “That husband of yours is a hard worker.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not. Okay, maybe I am a little. Most rodeo guys I’ve known are showmen. Guys born into the ranching life are aware of how much work it entails. I’ve got buddies who couldn’t wait to get the hell off the ranch. So bein’s Kyle wasn’t raised a ranch kid, it’s odd he hasn’t put the place up for sale.”
“If you had the chance to sell your place, would you?”
“Hell no. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Ranching is all I’ve ever known.”
“Same here. It’s honestly all I’ve ever wanted to do. Running his own ranch has always been Kyle’s dream.”
“He’s lucky to have you to show him the ropes. He never would’ve figured out a lot of this stuff by himself.”
“Oh, I don’t know. He’s bright. He has been exposed to some of this over the years. But mostly he’s determined. I’ve known Kyle for almost twenty years. He’s good at whatever he puts his mind to.”
No mistaking the pride in Celia’s voce.
Josh laughed. “Spoken like a newlywed in love.”
In love? Really? His heart skipped faster. Was it possible she’d already fallen in love with him?
“It’s a welcome change for us, having neighbors our age close by,” Josh added. “Between you and me, Marshall was…a hermit.”
“So you didn’t drop by for coffee to swap calving traumas?”
“No. Marshall was an intimidating old fella. I have no idea how he dealt with a herd that size by himself at his age for as long as he did. I was floored when he asked me to take over his livestock after he’d finished shipping last year’s cattle so he could deal with his health issues. I was even more floored when he offered to pay me pretty well to do it. With a baby on the way, the drought, and the uncertain cattle market, well, I ain’t stupid.”
“We certainly appreciate how well you took care of them. We’ve had uneventful calving so far.”
Kyle heard her knock wood.
“Us too.”
Louder knocking on wood and they both laughed.
“I gotta get. Just wanted to check in.”
Footsteps echoed from the living room and he slid behind the door, which was idiotic because they couldn’t see him.
Kyle crawled back in bed, and as he expected, Celia checked on him.
The instant she pulled the covers over his shoulder, he groaned. “What time is it?”
“A little after nine. In the morning. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”
“Probably my turn to make the rounds anyway.”
“We’re good for a little while.” Her fingers traced the day’s worth of beard on his cheeks. “Rest while you can.”
“I have a better idea.” He grabbed her around the waist, rolling her to her back on the bed. Then he smothered her surprised shrieks. Dragging her into the kiss from the first touch of his tongue to hers.
Celia was as starved for him as he was for her. Six days was too damn long to go without touching her.
Then she ripped her mouth from his and put her hands on his chest, pushing him away. “Kyle. Stop.”