Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (13 page)

The acknowledgment had been at the center of her thoughts for more than half the day. The other part had been spent finalizing her decision where Griffin was concerned. Cassie could hardly remember what had made her fall for the man she’d called boyfriend for so long. From the moment he  left town, she had made it her life goal to marry and start a family with him. It had been foolish. How could she set to accomplish something she had so little control over?

As Cassie rolled onto her back, bright light spilled through the budding branches above. She let her eyes close while considering the decision she’d come to, long before that day: She wouldn’t wait around for Griffin any longer. Their relationship was, in her mind, over.

What a relief it had been to open his letter and see that he felt the same. While squinting against the light, Cassie fanned through the book in order to find Griffin’s letter tucked in its pages. She allowed herself to reread the lines that stood out to her most:
I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, to have allowed you to put your life on hold for me. I won’t continue to give you dates of when I plan to return. In truth, I’m not sure I ever will…

There was more to it than that, words of kindness and regret. But that was the phrase that mattered most – Griffin may not ever come back – Cassie had made the right decision. She would have no regrets.

Rather than place the letter back in the book, Cassie came to a stand, wrapping the soft, fleece blanket around her shoulders, and walked to the trashcan. She had no desire to hold onto Griffin’s note. Once she let go of something – she let go for good, no turning back, just like Grandma had taught her. After tearing the letter in half, and then in half once more, she let the pieces flitter to the base of the bin, feeling freer than she’d felt in years.

The green grass was cool beneath her bare feet as she wandered over to the small garden she’d planted with Jade and Reese the day after she’d arrived. Tall twigs marked eight rows of sugar snap peas. Already, the dark soil gave way to their mounding, tiny sprouts. The sight was eye candy. She could hardly wait until the growth was tall enough to see from the kitchen window.  

On the night he’d picked her up, Shane had suggested that perhaps Cassie had been putting her roots down in the wrong place. Even before she’d had a chance to fall in love with the ranch, there’d been a shard of truth evident in his words. And though she knew it was ridiculous, Cassie couldn’t help but wonder if this is where she was meant to thrive.

Time spent on the ranch was so carefree and beautiful, she’d almost forgotten about the dangers and horrors that had sent her there. Of course she wondered how the other jurors were, and how Ann and Zoe were getting along at work, but Cassie was enjoying her home away from home. And now that she’d made a decision where Griffin was concerned, she looked forward to exploring her options with the Montana cowboy from Emerson Ranch.

“This your doing?” A deep voice spoke.

Cassie spun around, startled to see Reynold mere inches away. Though it was obvious he’d frightened her, he didn’t apologize for it. Just stared in a way that seemed to lack all sense of decency. The word barbaric came to mind. The strong angles defining his face – sharp lines and pointed features – only added to the menacing look of him.

His undefined darkness triggered a desperate place inside Cassie, where she considered dropping the blanket and bolting for the patio stairs. Her next breath came out jagged as she eyed the distance to that bottom step.

“The garden?” she managed, forcing herself to answer his question.

Reynold gave her a minimal nod, wiping at his chin with the back of one hand.

Cassie worked to keep her voice casual, friendly. “Yes. First time for me, actually.” She took a step back, followed by another, tugging the blanket tighter with one trembling hand. “Jade and Reese helped me with it last week. In fact, I think they’re coming by today too,” she lied.

More silence.

Never had Cassie known a person to keep any semblance of kindness off their face for so long. She tried to place the expression he wore. Cunning. Greedy. Hungry. A cat toying with an injured mouse before slinking in for the kill.

But she wasn’t injured. And she knew how to run. “Where are the rest of the ranch hands?” Cassie asked.

“Gone,” he said. “I just came back for a few things.”

Cassie set her eyes back on the house, wondering if she could make her way to it if a chase ensued. But what if he tried to follow her into the kitchen? And what if she wasn’t able to stop him? And when exactly had she become so paranoid?

It was stupid, she assured herself. Certainly this guy wasn’t trying to harm her. He might be a little off – socially backward was more like it. But he wasn’t a killer.

The slow movement of Reynold’s white, bony hand made Cassie jerk back.

“Don’t move,” he whispered, stretching his hand further until he touched her hair. The feel of it was wrong. Like exposed nerves were connected to each and every strand. “There,” he said, slowly drawing his hand back to where she could see.

She backed up, eyeing what he held. A brown spider scrambled for solid ground, one leg pinched between Reynold’s finger and thumb. Cassie shuddered, raking a hand through her hair in case there were any others.

“This little critter can make life pretty uncomfortable. It’s named the Hobo Spider. You see, he’s mostly a loner. Prefers to be off on his own.” Reynold tilted his hand, allowing the tiny, frantic legs to attach. Quickly it began to crawl up the back of his hand, weaving through the dark, coarse hairs on his pale skin. “But,” he continued, “when the Hobo is forced to mingle, he’ll bite. At first people normally don’t feel it. Bite’s nearly painless. But suddenly the spot starts to ache.”

Cassie stepped back once more, another shudder rippling over her body as the spider crept up his wrist.

“Twenty-four hours later, a blister appears – puffy and sore. And before the next day’s through, the affected area splits open – one giant, oozing ulceration.” The spider, roughly the size of a quarter, circled his arm as he rotated it. “They don’t like climbing vertically. See?”

The buzzer on the dryer sounded from within the house. “Better grab that,” Cassie said, whizzing around him and toward the steps. She didn’t look back until she’d passed the hot tub on the patio.  

Reynold’s eyes were fixed on the spider as it climbed further along his arm. Just before it crawled beneath the hem of his short-sleeved shirt, he shook the spider off.

Cassie tried not to think about the fact that the thing was now crawling somewhere in the grass.

“Not a spider person?” Reynold hollered.

Hell
no
.
Cassie shook her head.

And just when she thought he’d let the disgusting creature live, Reynold lifted his boot and stomped on it. “Lucky for you, Hobos usually dwell outdoors or in basements.”

The buzzer on the dryer sounded again, and Cassie took it as her cue. “Well,” she said, “laundry calls.”

The sliding door was open, closed, and then locked in seconds flat. She tugged at the drapes, closing those too while the sound of her loud breaths filled the space. Cassie eyed the mudroom next, realizing the door leading to the basement and back entry was wide open.

Letting the blanket drop at her feet, she darted past the kitchen table, past the washer and dryer, to where she closed the door in one quick stride, locking that as well. With a shallow sigh, Cassie tugged open the dryer door, sunk to the ground, and let the warmth from the stilled machine pool onto her skin.

The clean scent of detergent rose from the batch as she piled each article into a basket, Shane’s clothes mingled with hers. Once she heard Reynold’s pickup truck drive away, Cassie sighed once more, hating how crazy she’d become. It wasn’t just the Lawsons she feared now – but people dwelling in her new place? Someone the Emersons had trusted enough to hire? It was ridiculous, and she refused to live in that kind of fear.

As Cassie hung shirts, paired socks, and folded jeans, her hands became more steady – the trembling fading with each passing breath. Her thoughts were returning to their proper boundaries as well. She’d been freaked out by Reynold since day one. And for no good reason, really. Sure he was different. But she was certain he wasn’t out to hurt her. And though she’d silently vowed to ask Shane about him only moments ago, Cassie decided to feel things out instead. Chances were, the events she’d gone through were just catching up with her. The more distance she gained from the strange encounter, the more Cassie would realize she’d overreacted. The kid was most likely harmless.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Shane kept his eyes glued on Cassie, waiting for the moment she’d sense his gaze. And though she stood in the kitchen among the other women there, hands submerged in sudsy water, it wasn’t long until the ocean blue of her eyes met his. And there it was – that heat welling up in his belly, surging through his quickening pulse. Never had Shane spoken so many words without even opening his mouth. And he wasn’t the only one talking. Cassie’s not-so-fleeting glances from across the room were loaded with unspoken words of allure, something he wanted more of.  He sensed a difference about her. A carelessness that had her venturing further than she had before.

Shane quirked one eyebrow, and Cassie averted her gaze to scrub at the dish in her hands.  He smiled at the way her cheeks turned pink.

Betty and Reese began setting out plates for dessert, obscuring his view. With barely a conscious thought, Shane moved over one chair, watching as the women turned to include Cassie in on their discussion. Soon Reese lifted a pan filled with some sort of frosting or glaze, stirring at the stuff before lifting the wooden spoon for Cassie to sample.

A trace of the white topping clung to Cassie’s upper lip as she took a taste. She licked at it while nodding, and then spoke up, her face animated and kind. Shane should be glad the two were teaching her a thing or two, but in the moment he couldn’t get himself to care. All he wanted was to be the focus of Cassie’s thoughts once more. Catch another magnetic gaze that would set his mouth to watering more than the aromas wafting through the home.

From the corner of his eye, Shane saw the ranch hands clustered in the front room, debating whether or not they should stay for dessert. It had been a long day, and the sun would be rising before they knew it. Randy’s opinion was the loudest and probably had more to do with Cassie than the dessert – he wanted to stay.

Just as Shane caved into a pestering yawn, Blake sauntered into the kitchen and started sampling the dessert.

Betty smacked his hand away with the back of the spatula. “So help me if you stick that finger in there again I’m going to cut it off,” she warned.

Blake laughed. “You wouldn’t do that to your favorite son.”

Shane leaned to look beyond the two, caught Cassie’s gaze once more, and smiled.

Gavin snuck up behind Blake and flicked the back of his head. “You’re right. She’d never do that to
me
.”

“I’d do it to the both of you,” Betty said, eyeing Shane from across the room. “Shane’s the only one I’d spare since
he’s
my favorite.”

“Ouch, Ma. That hurt.” Gavin put his hand to his heart with a groan.

“Gotcha!” Jaxson spat, lifting a corner of the tablecloth.

Luke grumbled under his breath as he climbed out of his hiding spot beneath the table; Shane hadn’t even noticed him there.

“You took long enough,” he grumbled. “Hey, isn’t dessert…” Luke’s sentence ended as he spun around. “Ewe, gross, your dad’s kissing your mom.” He pointed at the two of them. Blake had Reese cornered by the fridge, his face nestled into her neck.

“So what,” Jaxson said. “Look at
your
parents.”

Shane shook his head as he spotted them. While Jade dished out the dessert, Gavin’s arms were wrapped tightly around her. He was running the scruff of his jaw along Jade’s shoulder while she giggled under his touch. “Stop it,” she said. “You’re going to make me cut myself.”

Cassie let out that laugh of hers again – the sound of heaven and angels wrapped into one. She’d laughed a lot since coming to Emerson Ranch, and Shane found himself looking for ways to hear it more often.

“Uncle Shane. Hello-ooo, Uncle Shane!” Luke’s face was red with effort. The room went quiet. “I said,” he puffed out an irritated breath, “why don’t you ever kiss Aunt Cassie?”

“What?” He looked back at Cassie, expecting to see humiliation set on her face.

It wasn’t. One corner of her lips turned up as she taunted him with those eyes again. “Yeah, Shane,” she said, a challenge present in her tone. “Why don’t you?”

The ranch hands made sounds of oohs and ahs. The couples whispered to one another. Shane kept his gaze set on his supposed bride, thoughts of their kiss in the hotel room rushing through his mind. “That’s a good question,” he said, rising from the chair to his feet. His eyes didn’t leave Cassie’s as he strode around the counter to where she stood, back against the pantry door. He’d had enough of waiting and wondering. Of sleepless nights that kept him thinking of those tempting lips. In that moment, her kiss would be his.

There was no pause. No hesitation. Cassie had asked for it, and he would oblige, his country boy manners be damned.

Her smile faded as he neared, yet her lips remained parted. Ready.

Shane’s hands found her hips as he rushed in, thoughts of their chocolate kiss urging him forward. In the next breath, he pressed his mouth against hers, pleased when she so easily accepted his kiss. Cassie may have felt safe there in front of everyone, yet she was anything but. He kissed her again, stronger, more demanding, mildly aware of the hoots and hollers echoing in the room.

Shane twisted the pantry doorknob, pulled Cassie against him as he pried it open, and broke away from her kiss for a breath. “Excuse us,” he murmured, and directed her into the small pantry, closing the door behind them. More cheering ensued. His family probably thought it was all for show. Something to satisfy the curious boys while championing his presumed wife. But he was no such hero. He had something to satisfy alright, but it was his own need to taste this woman’s mouth again – an act he’d been thinking of every day since their first kiss.