Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) (17 page)

“Grab that one, will you?” he asked.

The rope hung within Shane’s reach at the front of the saddle. After tugging on his gloves, he secured the rope in his grasp, widened the loop, and swung it over his head. With narrowed eyes, he zeroed in on the calf’s small hoofs while the creature sped along the border. It took him a moment to get the horse trotting at just the right pace, but once he had it, Shane flung the rope.

He muttered a curse under his breath as it landed just behind the small animal’s step.

“Losing your touch there, Brother,” Blake razzed.

“Shut up, Blake.” Shane wound the rope back in and prepped it once more. When he flung the loop for a second time, the dang calf darted to the right, missing the trap again. “Son of a…” He let the sentence die, preparing the rope for a third time.

In seconds flat he had the loop ready and was swinging it over his head, the muscles in his arm warm with exertion. The animal trotted toward him now, and Shane didn’t waste another minute in throwing the lasso solidly beneath his hooves, yanking it back to hold him in place. At last the rope tightened with the resistance of his catch. He climbed off Drake and hurried toward the calf, keeping a solid hold on the rope as the animal struggled to free itself.

Blake strode over as well, shaking his head. “That was pathetic. Looks like something has gotten beneath that thick skin of yours.” He gave him a knowing smile but Shane was in no mood for it. “You want to talk about it?” his brother offered.

And let Blake talk him out of his fresh resolve and back into Cassie’s arms? “Nope,” Shane answered. Besides, there was no point in explaining how he continued to mess things up where Cassie was concerned. He sucked when it came to relationships and was better off alone. “Where’d Reese go?” he asked, eager to change the subject.

His older brother leaned a knee against the calf’s head as he reached into his tool belt. Shane helped still the animal while Blake readied the tagging clamp.

“Reese had to pick the twins up from school,” Blake said, speaking loudly as the animal began to bawl. He squeezed the clamp to pierce the little thing’s ear, then nodded toward its legs.

“Already?” Shane hadn’t realized how much of the day had passed. It took a moment to slip the lasso off the calf’s legs, but once he did, Shane widened the loop and swung it over his head again, sneaking up on the next little one on foot. Once he got him down, Shane and his older brother approached it.

“So what does Cassie think of this place?” Blake asked. It was a rare moment when the brothers had time alone. There hadn’t been much conversation about Shane’s witness protection bride.

Had Blake caught him on the subject sooner, Shane may have been in better spirits. As it was, he was gritting his teeth just to be polite. “She likes it,” he finally said, unwilling to offer more.

Blake broke out in a knowing smile. “They all like it. I don’t know what it is. They just do.”

Annoyed heat raced through Shane. “I know that’s what you all think, but it hasn’t been that way for me and Cassie. Have you not heard about her boyfriend?” Shane asked. And though he knew all the ranch hands had gone with Gavin to work on the ditches for the afternoon, Shane looked over his shoulder after he’d spoken it.

Blake chuckled out loud as he came to a stand. “Are you telling me that, though she practically asked you to kiss her last night in front of everyone, she has a boyfriend back home?” He nudged his arm. “You villain, you.”

Shane shook his head, tempted to dwell on thoughts of that incredible kiss he and Cassie shared in the pantry. “He’s not exactly her boyfriend anymore. But what gets me, is that the guy has lived out of the country for the last three years.”

Blake scanned the corral. “Doesn’t sound like much of a boyfriend to me,” he said.

“Exactly. This joker’s been gone nearly the whole time they’ve been dating, if you can call it that. I just can’t figure out what the hell she was thinking? Staying with him so long.”

“So she made this decision to break up with him while she was here – on the ranch?” Blake asked.

Shane only shrugged. “I guess.”

“Sounds serious,” he replied. “Ready to abandon her man. You two didn’t…” While ending the sentence there, Blake tilted his head suggestively.

“No, no. I might be weak where she’s concerned, but I’m no fiend.” He shook his head. “I’m actually the one who stopped things last night. After attacking her at the front door, granted, but still.” Shane removed his hat and ran a tense hand through his hair, realizing he’d been sucked into talking about Cassie. Yet maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. May as well get some of it off his chest.

He glanced over at his brother, daring to open up a bit more. “After she told me she planned to break things off with him, I kind of flipped out.”

“How?” Blake asked. They had stopped walking, were paused in the center of the corral while the animals roamed about.

“I just told her we needed to slow things down. That I had no right to put my mouth on her like that when we hadn’t even dated. Said that if she really plans to leave the guy, we could start with that – dating.”

“That sounds about right,” Blake said.

Shane whistled to his horse. “Yeah, but it wasn’t. Why date a person whose destined to leave? A woman who hardly knows what she wants out of life. Especially when
I’m
so messed up. Just seems like the odds are stacked against us already.”

Blake shook his head as he let out a short chuckle. “When Reese came, every male on the ranch was hitting on her. Thought I was going to lose my mind with jealousy over some woman who wasn’t even mine. Had to change that as quick as I could.” Blake stared off in the distance, the story playing out behind his deep brown eyes.

If there was one thing Shane knew about his older brother, it was this: he knew how to treat a lady. Blake was the kind of husband Shane longed to be. But the fear of never having what the couple had sent Shane running in the opposite direction, afraid of the hurt it might bring.

“Can I be honest with you?” Shane asked.

Blake’s face turned somber. “’Course.”

“I don’t want to pursue things with Cassie anymore. My whole body is in turmoil over the woman and she’s only been here a week. The only moment’s peace I’ve had since this whole thing started was on the ride here – when I resolved to leave the girl alone and be done with it.” He paused there, giving that some thought. “Doesn’t that say something?”

His brother didn’t respond right away, only nodded as he ran a hand along the back of his neck. “Says a lot.” And though Blake’s words were just what he’d hoped to hear, Shane felt the hot sting of heartache sink deeper into his soul.

“So we’re not meant to be together if it feels so … so unsettling all the time. Right?”

Blake turned back to look at him. “What unsettles you most? Thoughts of being
with
her? Or thoughts of being
without
her? If it’s with her – you might be right. You should feel good when you’re together. Should feel complete. But if it’s the thought of losing her that has you itching beneath your skin and ready to run before the gunshot sounds – why that’s just a man being a coward.”

Each word had registered in Shane’s mind, thoroughly, and without effort. He knew just what it was that unsettled him where Cassie was concerned – he was a coward. A straight-out coward who’d as soon run from love than chance losing it.

The sun had started setting in the west, turning his thoughts to spending the evening with Cassie. Perhaps Blake was right. No point in snipping something before it had the chance to grow. Maybe he just needed to see what, if anything, really existed between the two.

Not one of them had heard so much as a word from Seattle yet. The thought made him anxious, knowing it was only a matter of time before they had things cleared up back at home. He wondered how much longer they’d have. But above that, Shane wondered if he had what it took to put himself out there again. He felt nothing for Natasha in the moment, and there was something freeing in that. Could he really open his heart to another woman – one who might be destined to leave him as well?

Shane muffled a humorless laugh, realizing it was already done. His heart had opened up to Cassie Lovell on day one. Now he was along for the journey. He just hoped he could survive the ride.

The buzzing of his cellphone pulled Shane from his musings. Blake gave him an irritated look as he answered it.

“Shane? Can you hear me?”

Wind muffled her voice, but Shane heard her alright. “Yep. How are you, Aunt Lilly?”

“Well, I’m a little concerned, to tell you the truth.”

Aw, great. “Why’s that?” he asked, shaking his head as he caught Blake’s gaze. He mouthed the words
Aunt Lilly
to him.

“Now, I know I’ve never met the girl, but I’m almost certain I’m lookin’ at your woman out here, and I have to say – you might have another Natasha on your hands.”

“What are you talking about? And where are you?” He eyed the distant field surrounding him.

“Fifth street. Just east of the water tower there’s a new gal runnin’ along the street half-naked, not a care in the world.”

“I doubt it’s Cassie,” he said. But then he had a flashback of her working out on the treadmill in the hotel. Those shorts. And that sports bra.

Blake stepped into his view. “What’s going on?”

Shane shrugged. “What does she look like? The woman who’s running?” Last he’d seen Cassie she was dressed in boots, denim, and plaid. Fury wasn’t exactly an article of clothing, but she was wearing that too.

“She’s got dark brown, maybe black hair. Ponytail. Shorts. And some poor excuse for a tank top that shows off her entire tummy. I’m tellin’ you Shane, we got pickup trucks tapping their horns at her. Men hollering out the windows. Looks like trouble to me.”

A flash of heat spread through him like a mean streak of fire. “Where’s your car?” he asked Blake.

“Why?”

“I’ve got to go pick up Cassie.”  

~+~

The breeze felt cool against Cassie’s flushed skin as she ran, thoughts of her argument with Shane running a race of their own. Why had he become so angry all of the sudden? So disturbed about her family and past. About her life. Did he honestly hope to accomplish something with his outburst? And if so, what?

“Ugh,” she grunted to herself. What was wrong with the guy anyway? He was making her crazy. And the stress was only causing her to eat more than usual, which wasn’t difficult considering the way Betty never stopped baking and sharing goodies all the time. Just this morning, when Cassie had run back into the house to throw on her jeans, it had taken effort to pull them over her butt and hips. More effort than it had the week before when she’d bought them. If she didn’t watch it, she might not ever fit back into those jeans again.

Cassie squinted as she moved forward, the setting sun no longer hidden by the cluster of barns and houses up ahead. She pressed through the discomfort of it all, one foot after the next, a fresh spark of enthusiasm urging her to push harder, faster. She wasn’t sure how far she’d run, was only certain she was nowhere near ready to head back.

The roaring of an approaching car came from behind, and Cassie braced herself. Seemed people here didn’t consider it rude to hoot and whistle at unsuspecting women on the roadside. Yet as she heard the vehicle slow suddenly, coming to a steady crawl beside her, Cassie decided a mere honk or shout wasn’t so bad. At least nobody had pulled up beside her, like the driver of the car near her then. Small rocks and chunks of gravel crunched beneath the tires approaching at a snail’s pace. She could practically feel the presence of a menacing gaze, seeping through her skin.

With her heart skipping a solid beat, Cassie began to wonder if she should bolt toward the nearby field, away from the main road. She glanced to her side enough to see the vehicle was large and dark.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doin’?” A voice – deep, angry, and familiar – blurted from the window.

What?
She glanced over one shoulder, shocked by the sight of Shane’s handsome face. Somewhere inside her she was relieved it was him and not some rapist killer. But if he hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have been scared near to death in the first place. Plus she hated his stupid, belittling question. And the way he’d asked it.

Her hand found one hip. “What are
you
doing here?” she asked. “
I’m
minding my own business.
I’m
trying to burn off some of the stress you managed to plague me with today.” Not to mention the extra calories but there was no need to bring them up.

“No. What you’re doing is letting the whole town gawk at you while running around half-naked.”

Cassie gasped, refusing to look down at herself. Sure, she’d removed her sweatshirt and wrapped it around her waist, but her sports bra covered more than enough. And of all the workout shorts she owned, these were the longest of the bunch. She glared at him as a current of unwanted adrenaline surged through her body, a force that made it hard to hold still.

“You have a lot of nerve,” she said.

“I have a lot of nerve? I just got a phone call telling me I better keep a better eye on you because you were out here for all eyes to see without a care in the world.”

“What? Who called to tell you that?” she asked, disgusted.

Shane ignored her question. “Do you have any clue how easy it would be for someone to throw you in the trunk of their car and take off with you? Not just the Lawson brothers, who you seem to have forgotten, but messed up people in general. Heck, we’ve got some good people around here, but you still need to watch your back.”

Cassie’s gaze dropped to the great rise and fall of Shane’s massive chest. She looked over his face, disturbed by the tight furrow of his brow. “I’m not a child,” she managed. “And believe it or not, I can run along an open road without getting abducted over it.”

“Well, that’s enough for now. Get in. I’m taking you home.”

Cassie’s jaw dropped open. “Are you kidding?”