Shared By the Cowboys by Cassie Cole

10

Rebecca

I felt totally, completely useless.

All the horses were gone. The ranch didn’t have a Mule or other all-terrain vehicle, so I couldn’t drive out to help them look for Wildfire. There was nothing I could do but wait.

I gathered the tools from the shed and started repairing the pen that Wildfire had smashed. It still needed a new post, but I was able to nail the horizontal boards back together. It would create a barrier, at least.

They returned an hour later, leading Wildfire between them. He was totally calm now, and covered in a foamy lather. Mason and Cody looked picturesque as they rode up, their cowboy hats silhouetting against the afternoon sun.

“I’m sorry,” I began. “I was able to get the halter—”

“Not a word,” Mason said, the words cutting me off like a knife.

I stood a short distance away as they led the horse back into the pen and closed the gate. Mason said something about upgrading the pen so he couldn’t jump out.

“Now that he knows he can, I don’t want him trying,” Mason told Cody.

They grabbed the tools from the barn and walked up to the pen. Mason looked at the damaged section, the part I had repaired. He glanced over at me, then shook his head with disappointment. He used a crowbar to pull the nails out and start over from scratch.

Wildfire stood calmly in the pen, like a dog that was satisfied with itself after eating an entire bag of treats.

“Can I help?” I asked. “I’m handy with a hammer.”

“You’ve done enough,” Mason said, not looking in my direction.

Cody gave me a half-grimace, half-smile.

I returned to the rest of my duties. I removed the tack from Beans and Poptart, then groomed them with a brush. I mucked out their stalls, then went to feed the chickens again.

On the fridge was a big list of additional tasks that needed doing. I grabbed a bucket of paint and a ladder and began painting the outside of the barn. It was a protective coat to preserve the wood and keep moisture out. While painting, I watched Mason and Cody raise the pen fence by another foot. Now it ended above my head instead of at my shoulders.

By the time the sun was down, I had painted half the barn and was exhausted. I took a long shower to ease the ache in my shoulders, then went downstairs for dinner.

Cody was pulling two Red Baron pizzas out of the oven. My mouth watered as he used a roller to cut them into slices. Blake was opening the fridge and looking around for something.

“Where’s the ice cream?”

“Melted in the truck,” Mason said as he brushed past me.

“Fucking shit…” Blake’s arm flexed as he balled his hand into a fist. Then he fixed his dark eyes on me and sneered. “Thanks a lot, newbie.”

“Maybe you should have helped me chase Wildfire,” I shot back.

“Got enough shit on my plate without cleaning up your mess, too.” He grabbed a beer out of the fridge, took a plate of pizza, and sulked away.

Everyone was in a shitty mood. Blake took his pizza outside, and Mason stood in the kitchen eating it over the stove. His entire vibe said leave me alone.

Cody and I ate together in the dining room. I leaned across the table and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” His blond hair was all messy without his hat, and he grinned at me. “We all fuck up sometimes. Give Mason some time and he’ll cool down.”

I shook my head in frustration. “I was so close. I almost had Wildfire broken.”

Cody squinted at me suspiciously. “Sure you did.”

“I’m serious! I got the halter on him, and rode him around the pen a few laps before he got spooked.”

Cody bit into his pizza, chewed it thoughtfully, and swallowed. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

“Listen, Becca. I’ve been breakin’ horses a long time. I’m pretty damn good at it. And there’s no way you got a halter on that horse today, let alone rode it around like a pony.”

I tossed down a piece of crust. “I can prove it. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“Careful, Becca,” he said. “You’re on thin ice already. If you go near that horse, Mason’s gonna blow up like that Yellowstone supervolcano I keep hearin’ about.”

I wanted to argue more with him, but I made myself eat my pizza in silence.

After dinner, I went to check on the new milk cow. Wildfire watched me walk from the house to the barn. I was tempted, really tempted, to approach the horse and see if he would be friendly with me again. But Cody was probably right. I didn’t want to push Mason over the edge.

I couldn’t get fired after one day. I needed to stick around longer to get inspiration for my novel. Even if that meant keeping my mouth shut and doing as I was told.

The milk cow perked up when I walked into the barn. I scratched her neck and brushed her. In the semi-darkness of the barn, illuminated only by the electric lantern, I felt quiet and safe. Like if only I disappeared in the shadows I could avoid the embarrassment of what I had done.

Because despite my intentions, I had totally screwed up today. The horse had almost gotten away. And worse, I had lost the trust of Mason. It might take a while to earn that back. Or he would never trust me again.

“We need to give you a name,” I said to the cow. She gave a soft moo in response, and leaned into my brush.

I didn’t know why I needed Mason’s approval so much. I guess I just wanted to be liked. Mason was in charge and I wanted him to think I was doing a good job. Humans were social creatures, and we thrived on approval.

But as I brushed the cow, I realized it was deeper than that. Mason wasn’t just another boss to impress. He was a roguish cowboy. He oozed leadership and competence. He was absolutely, drop-dead sexy.

I didn’t just want him to like me. I wanted him to like-like me. Because after a day on Cassidy Ranch, I had a big old crush on him.

Too bad I ruined that today, I thought glumly.

The barn door creaked as it opened, and Mason stepped inside. He slid it closed behind him and gave a start when he saw me.

“I didn’t…” he began. “I wasn’t expecting you to be in here. I came to check on the cow.”

I patted the cow on the back. “That’s what I’m doing. Making sure she’s settling in nicely. I think she’s happy.”

The cow brushed her head against my arm, urging me to continue scratching her.

Mason smiled softly. “They’re like big puppy dogs. Give them some love and they’ll love you back.” He nodded. “All right then, I’ll leave you to it.”

He turned to the door.

“Mason,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

He paused with his hand on the door. “Don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to obey orders.”

“I rode him,” I insisted. “For ten incredible seconds, he was tame!”

He turned around and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “No. You didn’t.”

“I got the halter on him.” I jumped to my feet. “Instead of using a bridle, I went straight to bareback riding. I had him broken. I was close!”

“Don’t believe you,” he said in his smooth drawl. “But it doesn’t matter. I told you not to bother with him.”

“I was only trying to help!” I insisted.

“Help? You thought you were helping?”

“It didn’t hurt anything,” I said. “Except my pride.”

Mason ticked off points on his fingers. “We had to repair the pen, and raise the level so Wildfire doesn’t get any ideas. That took three hours. Hours we could’ve spent repairing the roof, or extending the property fence, or any of the other million things we need to do.”

“But…”

He ticked another finger. “While he was loose, Wildfire scared the cattle half to death. They scattered to kingdom come. We spent an hour rustling them back together by the lake. Now they’re gonna be skittish around our horses too. It’ll take weeks to undo.”

Another finger. “While we were chasing Wildfire down, we left the groceries in the truck. Vanilla ice cream melted all over my damn seat.”

“Is that what you’re mad about?” I demanded. “Ice cream?”

“I’m mad that you could’ve died.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“People fall off horses and die all the time,” he snapped. “People who think they’re experts.” There was a note of pain in his voice at that part, something that wasn’t there before. “And I’m mad we hired you so quickly!”

I froze with shock.

“We hired you because you could start soon,” he said. “That was clearly a mistake. Should’ve held out for someone with more experience.”

His words cut me like a knife. “I have plenty of experience on a ranch—”

“None in the last six years,” he pointed out. “You can collect eggs and muck out a stall, sure, but everything else…”

All my frustrations from the day boiled over. I stomped across the barn until I was inches from his face.

“I can prove myself. Just you wait.” I poked him in the chest. “I’ll show you what I did with Wildfire. Then you’ll believe me.”

Mason snatched my wrist and held my arm to the side easily. His entire body radiated strength as he gazed down at me. The lantern flickered on the crate, sending shadows across his handsome face.

“I ought to fire you,” he said quietly.

“Then why don’t you?” I demanded.

“Because…”

He trailed off and held my gaze with his brown eyes. His fingers were still wrapped around my wrist, and his touch felt electric. I held my breath. Both of us were frustrated and passionate about the ranch, but in different ways.

His chest heaved with three long breaths.

Then Mason kissed me.