Rough Stock (24 page)

“Hi,” said Dakota, lowering herself to meet Willow. “I’m Dakota.”

Willow grinned. “You own all the horses.”

Dakota’s grin was just as big. “Weeeeell,” she said, “I don’t
own
them. Not all of them. But I do
feel
like they’re mine.”

Seth had no doubt of that, and Dakota was entitled to that sentiment. She worked damn hard for those horses. They were all like her children—even the wildlings that could barely be roped seemed to hold a special place in the woman’s heart. The legal ownership of Snake River’s horses was just that, a legal technicality. Dakota Vasquez was their true and rightful owner, as far as Seth was concerned.

“Do you want to meet some of them?” Dakota asked Willow.

The question was met with unbridled enthusiasm, and Willow exchanged Rowan’s hand for Dakota’s as they all headed toward the horse barn.

Seth stayed back, though, letting the group get ahead of him, and Rowan did too. She glanced up at him with a barely contained grin before looking quickly away.

“Thanks for inviting us,” she said. “Willow’s looking forward to her surprise.”

“I have one for you, too,” Seth told her.

Rowan finally looked at him again. Her curious yet happy gaze made him feel warm all over. “For
me
?” She blushed furiously. “Seth…we can’t…I mean, this is your
family’s ranch
,” she whispered.

He laughed and reached for her arm, turning her gently toward the barn. “Trust me,” he said. “It’s not that kind of surprise…although now that you mention it…” He let his voice trail off and the teasing words linger for a moment as his hand slid down her arm, over her hip, and squeezed her ass. He let go quickly, though, because it would just be torturing them both to get too worked up out here in the open.

“Come on,” he finally concluded and started for the barn behind the others.

Inside the building the others were already far ahead. Nearer the barn door, the smaller office door opened, and Walker stepped out into the hall. He hesitated for a moment when he turned to the right and saw Dakota leading Willow down the aisle.

Beside Seth, Rowan’s gait faltered.

Walker finally tore his eyes from the trio in the lead and swung his head around to see Seth and Rowan bringing up the rear. His expression was dark, which was the usual these days. As they approached him, he ignored Seth and barely nodded at Rowan as he stalked toward the exit. “Rowan,” he growled, which Seth guess counted as a greeting in Walker-speak, even if it wasn’t particularly friendly.

She physically shrank from the eldest Barlow as he passed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Seth murmured, leaning in.

Rowan looked up at him with a grimace. “I’ve always been…intimidated by him,” she whispered. “I didn’t even realize he knew my name.” She watched him walk away and seemed relieved that he was leaving. “Is he…?” She glanced furtively at Willow walking ahead of them. “Is he angry?”

Seth shook his head and sighed. “No. Well, yeah, but not at you. He and Austin have been going at it for a few days now. Seems like lately all they do is butt heads. But don’t worry about it. Honestly. It has nothing to do with you. We’re all excited to meet our niece, even Walker,” Seth told her, though that last part might be stretching the truth just a bit. “We’re not going to circle around her, though. We won’t overwhelm her. We’ll take it slow.”

Rowan glanced at him and hesitated. “Because
you
told them to,” she concluded.

Seth shrugged. “She’s four. We can’t just toss her into the deep end. I might have reminded them of that.”

Rowan gave him a grateful smile, and they turned to follow Willow, Court, and Dakota as they took a tour of the stalls. Seth had to resist the urge to take Rowan by the hand as they walked. Just as they passed the open door, Sawyer emerged from Dakota’s office and stopped to watch them. He smiled at Willow and gave her a wave, but his eyes lit up when he spotted Rowan.

Seth stifled a groan and put a hand at Rowan’s back, trying to herd her past him quickly, to rejoin the others.

Undaunted, Sawyer stepped right in front of them, into the aisle and blocking their path. “Well, now,” he said with a grin, “I wondered where that jacket of his had gotten off to.” He rocked back and forth on the heels of his boots, looking pleased with himself.

Seth watched Rowan’s hands flutter self-consciously to the fleece collar. He wanted to punch his little brother for making her uncomfortable. “Leave it, Sawyer,” he growled.

“I…I don’t have a barn jacket,” Rowan stammered. “Seth lent me his.”

Sawyer’s grin spread impossibly wider. “Well, that’s mighty neighborly of him.”

“It’s cold out, Sawyer,” Seth snapped. “And she’s going through a rough time.”

As they moved past, Sawyer replied, “I guess it’s lucky she has you, then.”

Rowan’s stride broke again, but Seth pushed her forward. “Ignore him,” he told her.

With Walker safely out of the vicinity and the others already headed down the next aisle of stalls, Seth snatched Rowan’s hand in his own and pulled her into a darkened, empty stall. He pushed her up against the wooden slatted wall and crushed his mouth over hers, desperate for even a small taste of what he’d gotten the previous night.

Rowan sighed as though she’d been waiting for it, too. She melted into him, tongue teasing, fingers gripping his shoulders, one leg snaked around his.

Seth’s own fingers twitched with the urge to unsnap, unzip, and otherwise expose her sweet, creamy flesh for him to explore. He tugged at the front of her shirt, but Rowan’s hand came down on his.

Breathless, she shook her head. “Don’t,” she whispered. “Anyone could find us.”

“I don’t care,” he replied. “I want to taste you, Rowan.” The memory of those taut, dusky nipples made his mouth water.

She would only give him her tongue, though, while casting furtive glances toward the aisle.

Seth couldn’t wait to get her in bed tonight and punish her accordingly, by laying her out in front of him and feasting on every square inch of her body. He told her as much and felt her shiver in his arms, eyes wide with astonishment.

It angered him.

A woman as fiery and responsive as Rowan shouldn’t have to beg for scraps from any man’s hand. She should be kissed and touched and tasted and pleasured at every opportunity. The fact that any of this was new to her was a damn shame. And Seth intended to make up for it whenever he could.

Not now, though, because she was distracted, nervous. It only made him want the sun to go down faster.

*

From the indoor
ring down the hall, Willow cried, “Mama!” loudly. “Mama, Mama, Mama!”

Rowan gasped and pushed Seth away. The passion in her eyes spiked into fear.

“It’s okay,” Seth assured her, taking her by the arm. He didn’t want her to spook the horses by running. “It’s fine, Rowan. It’s just her surprise.”

Rowan looked at him fearfully, but he gave her a simple nod. “Come on,” he said, leading her out of the empty stall. “She’s all right. She’s just excited.”

Rowan seemed to barely contain herself as they hurried down the aisle to the ring at the other end of the barn.

“Careful now,” came Court’s voice, and that seemed to spur her on harder.

As Rowan and Seth reached the end and stepped onto the packed dirt of the indoor ring, Rowan paused for a moment, taking in the scene.

In the middle of the space, Dakota was holding a pony by a lead rope. Court and Willow were digging into a bag of alfalfa cubes and offering them to the animal. Dakota waved to assure them that everything was fine, as Seth predicted.

Willow squealed as the pony’s lips brushed her hand. “She licked me!” she cried.

“Lay your hand flat,” Court said. “Just like I showed you. Her name’s Caramel.”

In this, Seth was confident that Court could be trusted. Seth’s brother wasn’t stupid—he knew horses from nose to tail, was good with them as well as safety-conscious. It was kids Court wasn’t great with. He seemed to have trouble seeing them as anything other than simply short adults.

“He can’t screw this up,” Seth whispered to Rowan. “That pony is a giant lap dog. It’d sleep in her bed if you could get it up the stairs.”

“Look, Mama!” Willow called. “She likes them!”

Beside him, Rowan seemed to relax, and a smile finally played on her lips. “I see, baby. She really does.”

Court passed the bag of treats to Dakota, lifted up Willow, and set her onto the child-sized saddle.

“My daddy got me a pony!” she cried. “Just like I said he would!”

Court beamed proudly, and the smile on Rowan’s face died instantly.

“Let it go,” Seth murmured.

“Seth,” she chastised. “This is
your
surprise.
You
got her that pony.”

He shrugged. “It’s nothing,” he replied. “We don’t have any ponies around, and so I thought I’d try to get my hands on one for a while. It didn’t take much. Mitch Taylor keeps her for his grandkids. I saw him in town and asked if I could borrow her for a while, that’s all. It wasn’t any trouble.”

“Oh, Seth,” Rowan breathed. “She’s so happy. You made her so happy.”

“That’s all that matters,” he assured her. “She’s had a rough go of it, too. Away from home. Grandpa in the hospital. Willow could use a little fun in her life. It doesn’t matter who made it happen, long as it’s there.” He gave Rowan a meaningful look. “You both could use a break.”

Rowan pursed her lips and looked away.

He could understand the sentiment. Enjoying yourself while everything around you was falling apart felt like treason, betrayal. The guilt could be hard to swallow.

“Can we go fast?” Willow cried, bouncing up and down in the saddle while the pony stood perfectly. “Can we go fast?!”

Seth had to stifle a laugh. He was pretty sure that pony had only two speeds, walk or stand still and eat.

Rowan laughed, too. “She’s perfect, Seth. Thank you so much.”

Seth put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. It wasn’t enough, in his opinion, but it would have to do.

Rowan left his side and crossed the indoor ring.

“Mama!” Willow called. “She’s beeyooteeful!”

Rowan smiled and nodded. “Yes, she is. Do remember what this one’s called? The color?”

Willow wrinkled her nose. “Palomino!”

“Yep,” Rowan said proudly. “Say
thank you
for borrowing her.”

“Thanks, Daddy!” she shouted and went back to bouncing.

“No,” Rowan called. “Tell
Uncle Seth
thank you.”

Willow looked a bit confused but yelled out, “Thanks, Uncle Seth!”

Court grumbled a little under his breath, but Seth was in too good a mood to let it bother him.

There was only supposed to be one kid here, anyway.

“You can ride her as much as you want,” Seth assured the little girl. “For the next few days, anyway.”

Willow sighed. “Can’t I keep her?”

“Well, no,” Seth answered. “She belongs to Mr. Taylor, honey. We’ll have to give her back in a few days.”

“But,” Court chimed in, “maybe after your mom and I get mar—”

“
Court!
” Rowan practically screamed. Her face twisted in horror as she stared at him. “Don’t you
dare
! Don’t you dare say anything like that to her!”

“Okay!” Dakota said brightly. “Let’s go for a ride!” She tugged on the lead rope and separated Willow from her feuding parents.

For a moment, Willow looked worried as she glanced over her shoulder at Rowan and Court, but she was soon distracted by the pony ride.

Rowan whirled on Court so quickly that Seth instinctively reached out to grab her arm and hold her back, just in case she was going to pounce on him. She didn’t, but it felt as though she was barely restraining herself. “When we get married?” she hissed. “
When we get married?!
Let me make this absolutely clear, Court. You and I are never getting married. You and I are
nothing
. Do you hear me? Absolutely nothing. We have a daughter, and I won’t keep her from you now that she knows you, but you and I…well, there is no
you and I
, Court.”

Court, for his part, didn’t even have the decency to look apologetic. He simply shrugged, which elicited a throaty growl from Rowan—and an almost identical one from Seth. “You feel that way now,” he told her. “But in a few weeks—”

“A few weeks?! Weeks? Are you kidding me? Weeks isn’t going to erase the hell you put me through, the hell I’ve lived in for five years, actually for the entire time I’ve known you.”

Court’s gaze narrowed at her. “Come on, now,” he said, pouring on the charm. “The whole time? We had some pretty good years there, Rowan.”

“
In high school
,” she spat. “And they were good years for
you
.”

“Hey,” Court argued, dropping the charming cowpoke act almost as quickly as he’d put it on. “I treated you right. I—”

Rowan snorted. “You felt up Emily Crowder at the homecoming dance when I couldn’t go because I had the flu!”

Court gaped at her. “I…that…that was
high school
.”

Seth rolled his eyes and shook his head. Outside of his element, a bar or a rodeo with a few drinks in hand and a buckle bunny half in the bag, Court didn’t seem to be able to carry on an actual conversation with a woman who didn’t already want to jump his bones. “All right,” he said, pulling Rowan to him. “Come on now.” He shot a hard gaze at Court while tugging on Rowan’s sleeve. “Let’s go,” he told her. “Let’s take a walk. Cool off. Let’s not get into a knock down drag out in front of Willow.”