Looking up, he frowned at her. “Maybe we should call it an early day. I can get Clint to help tomorrow, or one of my brothers.”
“No.” She shook her head firmly. “We’re almost done. I can handle it.”
“Stubborn,” he muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched in a smile. He went back to stretching a new length of wire, the rhythmic creak of the fence stretcher a familiar sound in the quiet afternoon. Cassidy held the post steady. She liked this. The simplicity of the work, the tangible result, the easy, comfortable silence between them. She was so focused on the task that she didn’t notice it at first. It was Kade’s sudden, absolute stillness that broke the spell. His body went rigid, his gaze fixed on a spot on the ground just a few feet to her left.
“Don’t move,” he said, his voice a low, deadly calm.
Her own gaze dropped. Coiled in the grass was a rattlesnake, its head raised, the dry, chilling buzz of its tail cutting through the silence. Cassidy froze, her heart leaping into her throat. Before she could even process a coherent thought, his hand dropped to his right boot, and a small, dark handgun appeared in his grip. Kade’s movements were a blur of deadly efficiency. The shot echoed across the open land, and the snake grew instantly still and quiet, its head splattered across the ground. For a long moment, no one moved. Cassidy’s knuckles were white where she gripped the fence post.
“You okay?” His voice steady, Kade’s eyes scanned the ground around them.
Her throat too tight for words, she could only nod. Silently, he returned the weapon to its ankle holster. She’d known therewas a rifle on the vehicle, but had been clueless that he also had a gun on him. “Do you always wear that?”
“The gun?” He nodded, gesturing with his chin toward the now-still snake. “This is Texas. You’d be surprised how many folks have a license to carry. Add to that this is ranch country where you never know what critter is going to come along.” He nudged the snake with the tip of his boot. “Plus, my military training… well, you can count on most of us carrying. My sisters included.”
Cassidy’s mind flashed to the brief, terrifying moment she’d felt so utterly vulnerable. And then to Kade’s instant, lethal response. It wasn’t just a habit for him; it was a part of who he was. The protector. The soldier. And in that moment, she had never been more grateful for it.
He offered her a small, reassuring smile. “Let’s finish up here. I think you’ve earned that cushioned seat back to the ranch.”
The sound of the shower shutting off pulled Kade from his thoughts. The bathroom door opened, steam billowing out. Cassidy emerged in clean jeans and an untucked button-down shirt. Her hair still damp, twirled into a bun at the back of her head, she looked like an angel.
“Your turn.” She moved toward the dresser.
“In a minute.” Holding a small tin of salve in one hand, he pointed to the bed with the other. “Take off your shirt and lie down on your stomach.”
Her eyes went wide as saucers.
Suppressing a smile, he shook his head, despite the heat creeping up his neck. “For your back. This salve will help with the soreness.”
“Oh.” The single syllable came out small. “Of course.” She hesitated only a moment before inching toward the bed, standing in front of him, her back to him, she unbuttoned the shirt and let it slide off her shoulders then tossed it onto the bed as she climbed onto the mattress and lay down.
Kade settled beside her, warming the salve between his palms. The first touch made her flinch. “Cold?”
“A little.”
He worked the salve into the tight muscles along her spine, feeling the knots from hours of fence work. Her skin was warm beneath his hands, and he tried to focus on the task, not the way her breath caught when he found a particularly sore spot.
“Dad swore this stuff could cure anything. Charley horse—the salve. Sprained muscle—the salve. Twisted something or other—the salve. I’d swear if he’d had any, he would have used it for warts and ulcers.”
The bedspread against her face muffled her laugh. “Windex.”
“Excuse me?”
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The father used Windex to fix everything. It was a running gag throughout the movie.”
“Never saw it.”
Shoving up on one arm, she turned her head to glance at him from over her shoulder. “You’re kidding me?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Oh, you have to see it. It’s a classic right up there withMy Cousin Vinny.”
“That one I’ve seen.” His fingers continued to press and rub at a particularly stubborn knot.
Easing herself back onto the bed, she winced at the pressure before sighing. “I guess I’m more out of shape than I thought.” They were quiet for a moment, just the sound of his hands moving across her skin, the rhythm of her breathing. “In fostercare nobody touched you unless they had to. Medical checks, moving you from house to house. It was all… functional.”
Why did those words hurt his heart? Children should remember hugs, and laughter and mothers kissing away the pain when you fell out of a tree and scraped your knee. “What happened to your parents?”
