We head towards the barn where I know the new mother cat is located. It doesn’t take long to find her nursing her four kittens, nestled into the warm hay. She looks exhausted, so I give her some fresh hay straight out of a bale, fill up her food and water, and give her a good pet, scratching gently behind the ears and under her chin. Teagan stands in the doorway, watching me silently.
“Hand me the box, please,” I say, and she passes me the six orphaned kittens. The grey one jumps out immediately and rushes towards the others as if he’s been here before.
Slowly, I place one at a time near the mama cat as they cuddle in close. We both wait, holding our breath as we watch to seewhat she does. She lets out a meow as she notices the additional kittens and then finally relaxes, the babies nuzzle in deeper, and she allows it. I hear an audible sigh from where Teagan is standing behind me.
“I have some kitten milk replacer I can mix up inside and bring out to them, too, if you want to wait here,” I say. “It might take her a while to adjust to feeding all ten of these.”
She nods as she watches the new kitten’s bond but remains in the barn at a careful distance away. A few minutes later I return, placing a bowl of the kitten milk on the floor and guide a few of the smaller kittens who haven’t eaten yet over to it. They eagerly lap up the formula, all of them finally calming down enough to bond with their new mom and take in their warm home.
“It’s no guarantee, but it looks promising,” I murmur, smiling and petting the mama cat. “Good girl,” I whisper.
Teagan’s eyes catch mine, something flickering behind them as she watches me carefully. “Thank you,” she whispers again as I brush myself off, stand up and turn to look at her.
She really is beautiful in any lighting. Tiny little thing, probably only an inch or two over five feet tall now that she isn’t wearing those ridiculous heels she was wearing earlier tonight. I look down and see she’s barefoot in the barn and I like that she’s comfortable enough around me and the ranch life to take off her shoes without worrying what she might step on. Maybe she shouldn’t be, scorpions and all that we’ve got here in Texas, but her ease tells me most of what I need to know without saying any words.
Her black dress shows off her curves, and her green eyes sparkle in the moonlight. She’s easily one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen and there’s something about her that tells me the inside matches the outside just as well.
“Will your sister and her friends be wondering where you went?”
She shakes her head no. “My sister’s probably too drunk to even realize I left.”
“I can drive you back to the bar now that I can see better, or you’re welcome to stay here, and I’ll drop you off in the morning. It’s almost two now, so the bar is probably closed.”
She's quiet for a minute as she thinks. “I’d like to stay here tonight.”
Chapter 4 – Wilder
I lead Teagan back through the barn and into the pool house where she’s decided she wants to sleep tonight. Once inside, I make sure the bed has fresh sheets, a comfortable pillow, and toss her one of my button-up flannels to change into so that she doesn't have to sleep in the black dress she's been wearing.
"Is there anything else you need?" I ask.
She shakes her head.
“I can sleep inside the ranch house if you want, or out here on the couch. Whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and safe.”
“The couch in here is fine,” she says.
I nod, unsure of what more to say. I'm too wired to go to sleep now, I usually stay up and watch a little bit of TV to wind down before bed unless I’ve been working all day in the hot, Texan sun, then I fall right asleep, muscles spent from the physical exertion, but after spending the last few hours sitting with Dalton at the bar and then getting sprayed in the face, I’m not tired at all.
“Good night, Teagan.”
“Good night, Wilder,” she responds.
I close the bedroom door behind me and head to the couchthat’s in the middle of my kitchen and living room combined area. Realizing I'm still in the jeans and t-shirt I wore all night, now tainted with pepper spray, I strip down to just my boxers. Stretching out on the couch, I feel the ache in my tired limbs. Tomorrow will be a long day, and even though it's the weekend, work on the ranch never stops and my dad needs me to work with our new baby calves.
My mind drifts back over the events of the evening and how only a few hours before I'd planned on coming home alone and turning in early. Now, I have a beautiful woman sleeping in my bed a few feet away who I've barely asked a single question to.
I shake my head, feeling like an idiot. There was a look in her eyes, something behind those big green orbs that made me think she wanted me to stay and talk before I closed the door to the bedroom.
But what the hell do I know about what women want? And what would I even say to her?
I rub my face with my hands as I lay back, realizing that I spent an entire two hours with Teagan and know almost nothing about her. All I know is her name—that she's twenty-two, her sister is getting married, and she has a soft spot for abandoned kittens.
Cody would kick my ass right now if he knew how I behaved tonight. You see, he was born first, head down and ready to dive in and conquer the world from the moment that he entered it. I’d arrived a full ten minutes later after some painful back labor and giving my parents a scare with my dropping heart rate. According to my dad, I'd peek a toe out, testing the waters before retreating back into the safety of my mother’s womb. They’d had to call 911 because Cody made his entrance so fast but by the time I finally came out, I was breech and looked like I’d have preferred to stay in a while longer.
It's not fear that governs my life; I just don’t make rash decisions anymore. Once upon a time, I had. Back then, I jumped intothings headfirst, guided by impulse and naïve optimism, only to land flat on my ass with a bruised heart and a head full of harsh life lessons. Now? Now, I prefer to think things through, map out the terrain, and choose the path that doesn’t lead to some major, life-altering mistake.
I like to take my time.
