Rough Stock (20 page)

Seth swung down out of his saddle and, with the reata, hauled her the last few feet into the paddock. He closed the gate tightly, but before he could climb back over, he caught sight of a hoof peeking out from underneath the cow’s tail. “God damn it,” he muttered. Then he sighed and took off his gloves, passing them over the top of the fence. “Take these,” he growled at Sawyer.

He stalked over to the soon-to-be mother as she lowed and dropped slowly to the ground.

“Do you need a hook?” Sawyer called out to him.

“Too late,” Seth replied. He dropped to his knees in the freshly spread straw they’d prepared for the calving season. He rolled up his sleeves and grasped the hoof, giving it a long, slow pull. “Come on, Mama,” he encouraged gently. “Give me a push. Help me out, now.”

She did, and the tiny nose protruded. Seth cradled the head as the rest of the slicked body slid out, and he carefully lowered the unmoving newborn onto the soft bedding. The cow lumbered to her feet to attend to her baby, and Seth moved out of the way since she’d do a better job than he probably could. He waited, though, nearby, until the stunned calf responded to his mother’s ministrations.

Confident mother and baby were safe, Seth put his boot on the steel gate and lifted his leg over. He ran ice-cold water over his hands and arms at the spigot then discovered that Choctaw had found his own way to his stall. The horse was munching happily on his morning oats, waiting for Seth to take off his saddle and bridle.

It wasn’t even sunset, yet it felt as though he’d already put in a full day’s work. He shut in his horse and made his way to the barn door but didn’t get any farther than that. He leaned against the frame, only for a moment, only to close his eyes for one second. He wondered if he could fall asleep standing up, like a damn cow. He doubted it. He grudgingly opened them again when he heard boots scuffing on the concrete floor. He turned to see Sawyer walking toward him, thumbs in his belt loops.

“Should’ve had a V8,” Sawyer drawled.

“I will fucking punch you,” Seth growled, feeling a dull throb just behind his eyes as he spoke.

Sawyer wasn’t cowed in the least. He only offered Seth a lopsided grin. “Ooooh,” he teased. “The gloves are coming off. Speaking of which…” He handed Seth the new leather pair.

Seth took them and heaved himself off the door, having lost his taste for lazing about. He stalked across the driveway toward his truck.

“Hey, about those gloves…they’re nice!” Sawyer called after him. “Are they new? Where
do
you find the time? Did you get me anything?”

Seth took them off, jammed them into his pockets, and gave Sawyer the finger without looking back. He mounted the steps to the Big House for a fresh shirt and clean jeans.

When he finally got to the Archer place, he found Rowan in the barn, wearing his jacket, as usual, and wrestling one of the feed bags into the trough. He fell into work beside her without so much as a greeting. If he managed to get all the work done before sundown, it’d be a miracle if he could make it as far as the truck and sack out for a nap.

“Hey,” she said brightly, and though Seth liked to see her smile, he couldn’t muster the energy to return the sentiment.

“Hey,” he muttered as he poured out the contents of the bag.

She frowned but didn’t ask him any questions. She just picked up the next bag and stripped off the top.

When the sheep were ready to bed down for the night, Rowan flipped the switch on one of the large, ceramic heaters, but nothing happened. She frowned at it, flipped it off, then back on, then pulled at the cord. “What now?” she muttered.

Seth walked over and checked the wiring at the base and found nothing that had been chewed or damaged. He sighed. “Might be the starter. It’s late. I can’t really get a good look at it today. I can stop by tomorrow.” He nodded to the other heater. “That one still works. You’ll be okay for tonight.”

“The starter? Are you sure that’s it?”

“Might be,” he repeated.

She chewed nervously at her bottom lip. “Do you think you can really fix it?”

“Maybe,” he grumbled.

“But—”

“I don’t know, Rowan. I’m tired!” he snapped, then winced because he should not have spoken to her that way. Not at all.

Instead of being offended, she gave him a sympathetic look, which made him feel worse. “Well, of course you’re tired!” she replied. “How many jobs do you have, Seth? How many ranches do you actually work? Two, at least! And you’re probably cold.”

Seth watched her unbutton the jacket and attempt to slide it down her arms.

“You’re cold,” she told him. “And I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us. And maybe none of this matters any damn way. I don’t even know why you’re here. I’m sure we can manage—”

She was rambling, exhausted. So was he. But the sight of her peeling off the jacket ignited a fire in him. Seth stood up and charged toward Rowan. She gasped, eyes wide, as he gripped her around the waist, lifted her and shoved her into the wall. “
Do. Not. Take off. My jacket
.” His lips were just inches from her own.

Seth pushed himself into her, notching his crotch into hers, pinning her up against the barn wall. “You can’t figure out why I’m here, Rowan?” he whispered. “Really? Because you seem like a smart woman. Seems to me like you could put it together.”

Rowan stared at him, unblinking, unmoving, until she finally wrapped her legs around him and pulled his mouth down on hers.

The kiss was searing, penetrating. Rowan actually dove in first, parting his lips with her tongue. She seemed as hungry for him as he was for her. She gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer, crushing him against her. The delicious little noises she made were spurring on a rock-hard erection behind his fly.

Not satisfied with letting her take the lead, Seth gripped her ass with his hands, grinding against her, and plundered her hot mouth with his tongue. He dipped in and out between her lips in a frantic, heady rhythm, showing her what he would do to her pussy if they were naked and alone.

For a moment, he forgot that they weren’t until they were interrupted.

“Rowan?” came a voice from outside.

Emma was calling, but Seth wasn’t about to let Rowan go. His body was pressed up against hers, aching, throbbing. Let
her
leave…if she wanted. He never would.

“Yes?” Rowan called out, voice hoarse. Her legs unwound from his hips, sadly, and she put her feet firmly back on the ground.

Reluctantly, Seth moved back enough to let her go, but she had to rub her entire body against him to do it. He closed his eyes and stopped himself from grabbing her as her breasts skimmed along his chest.

He waited a few minutes then followed her out. He found her just outside the barn door. Emma was already walking back toward the house. He stopped next to her and waited, but she didn’t say anything.

A long, heavy silence passed until Seth finally said, “I’m not a better version of Court. I’m my own man, Rowan.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Seth watched the pained look cross her face. God, it was so complicated, with Willow, with Court. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her away, just the three of them, a tiny unit, and shut the world out as they left. He knew it was hard for her, too, and he’d been trying like hell not to push, but damn, he
wanted
her.

Whatever Rowan felt, she slipped off his jacket and handed it to him. “I don’t want you to be cold, Seth.”

Ahead of them, Willow shrieked and chased Kinka around the yard. Emma eyed them in furtive glances, so Seth took the jacket and laid it over his arm.

“I can fix the heater tomorrow,” he promised.

Rowan slid her hand into his, surprising him. She squeezed it briefly then let go. “Seth…” she said without looking at him. His name on her lips, though, meant more than anything else. She was afraid, he could see that, and he was damn sorry for it. Court had knocked her heart around and then some, and Seth knew one kiss, scorching as it had been, wasn’t going to thaw her out completely.

“Tomorrow,” he repeated.

He waited, and then finally she took a deep breath and nodded.

Seth reluctantly unlocked their fingers and headed toward his truck.

‡

R
owan stood watching
Seth leave and resisted the urge to touch her lips—or any other part of herself. It had been a while since she’d been kissed and never, ever quite like that. It had been thrilling and satisfying to know he wanted her in the same way she’d been wanting him.

Seth had masterfully conquered her mouth while showing her how he’d lay claim to other parts of her.

Tomorrow.

Oh God. Never before had one word held so much meaning for her. It was both a promise and a warning, she was sure of it. Because Seth Barlow was a man of his word, and apparently
his
tongue was not forked but coated in pure silver. He had tasted so sweet, yet so forbidden.

He didn’t care, though.

Tomorrow.

It had rolled so easily off that talented tongue, and Rowan had to take a deep, steadying breath to keep herself upright. So much had gone wrong in her life, so much was beyond her control, but this…
Seth
…was almost too much to hope for. Rowan had all but given up on love in her life, and even, at this point, great sex, but
that kiss
…that kiss had revived feelings inside her that she’d have sworn were as dead as the winter landscape that surrounded them.

But spring was coming, and with it new life and new hope, and Seth had promised her more.

She closed the barn door and headed back up to the house, where inside, Emma had put on a pot of spaghetti and Willow was busy coloring at the kitchen table. Despite the little girl’s proximity, Emma shot Rowan a reproachful look.

Rowan’s eyes darted to her daughter, who was oblivious to everything but the picture she was working on. “Don’t,” Rowan told her older sister. “Just don’t.”

“He’s sure over here a lot,” replied Emma, ignoring the plea.

“He’s helping,” Rowan snapped.

“Yeah? What are we paying him?”

Rowan’s mouth dropped open. “You think…you think I would do that?” she hissed. “Or that Seth would?”

“I think he’s either using you, like his asshole brother, and going to end up ruining your life, or he’s not using you…and he’s going to end up ruining your life.”

“Emma—”

“Didn’t you learn the first time, Rowan? I mean, all these years, all this heartache, and you didn’t learn
anything
?”

“Seth isn’t like that,” Rowan whispered. “He’s not…” She couldn’t say the name out loud, for Willow’s sake.

“How do you know?” Emma demanded.

Rowan stared at her.

“You haven’t known him that long. In fact, you don’t
know
him at all.”

Rowan shook her head as she thought about Seth’s tired yet kind eyes, how hard he’d worked to help them out. She couldn’t believe he was doing all that just to get her in bed. “He would never do that,” she declared.

“Mama?”

Rowan groaned and looked at Willow.

“Seth would never do what?”

“Oh, honey, we’re just talking about ranch work, that’s all. Seth is our very, very good friend.”

Emma gave Rowan a sharp look. “Yes, he is, Willow. He’s our
friend
.”

Rowan moved to the living room, out of ear shot of Willow, as Emma as followed. “Stay out of it,” Rowan warned.

“I’m just trying to keep you safe,” Emma told her. “Do you want to go through this again? Do you want another illegitimate child?” she whispered.

“Screw you, Emma!”

“Think about it, Rowan.
Two kids
, by two different Barlows. You know what people will say. They’ll wonder,
out loud
, if you’re going to go through all five brothers. The Barlow Broodmare, that’s what they’re going to call you.”

Rowan had never wanted to slap her sister so badly in her life, and it took all her willpower to keep her hands at her sides.

Emma must’ve realized it, must’ve understood that she’d gone too far. “I’m sorry,” she told Rowan. “It’s just…” She sighed. “It was so hard for you, Rowan.
So hard
. Those first two years, I…well, to be honest I didn’t think you were going to make it. Between diapers and nursing school….these men, Rowan, these Barlow brothers…”

Rowan shook her head. “They’re not all like Court,” she insisted.

Emma gave her a hard look. “Can you really take that chance? Can you really? With Willow? I mean, it’s bad enough she might lose Court if he can’t grow the hell up. Do you really want to have to make it twice as hard? Explain why Seth suddenly isn’t around either?”

Rowan pressed her still slightly swollen lips together. She could still taste Seth on her tongue. It was a kiss, one kiss. It had felt like everything, but might it have been nothing? She was angry with her sister for shattering the one good thing she had in her life right now, for dousing the one ray of hope she’d had in a very, very long time. “You don’t know him,” she snapped.

Emma opened her mouth, but Rowan held up her hand. Not to hit her, though God knew she wanted to.