Home For a Cowboy Christmas(55)

Just as he reached for the sponge and soap, she grabbed it. He laughed when she quirked a brow at him, giving him a daring look. The moment her hands moved over his body to wash him, all he could think about was taking her again and hearing her cries of pleasure.

All too soon, she finished. But to his delight, she wanted to wash his hair. He leaned his head back so she could reach him better. The bliss he felt at her hands on his scalp was indescribable. He was wondering how he could convince her to wash his hair every day when she finished.

After he was all rinsed off, he pulled her into his arms for another lingering kiss. He pressed his forehead against hers and stood beneath the spray.

“This was incredible,” she said.

He nodded. “We should do it more often.”

“That would be nice.”

Dwight lifted his head and turned off the water so they could towel off. Sam lay in the doorway of the bathroom, watching them as they dressed and headed back to the kitchen. Dwight poured a glass of bourbon for himself and wine for Emmy just as she finished the sandwiches.

They had just sat when the roar of the wind reached them. Dwight looked outside and saw that the snowstorm had begun. “We’ll be fine inside.”

“That’s good.”

He took a bite of the sandwich and began chewing when his cell phone rang. Dwight jumped up and saw that it was his neighbor. “Hey, Bobby.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your herd is on my property. It looks like part of your fence is down,” Bobby said, the sound of the wind coming through the phone.

Dwight looked outside again. He’d sent Carlos and the others home, and it would take him too long to get out to the fence and gather the cattle before the full force of the storm set in. “I’ll come get them once the storm passes. You aren’t out in this, are you?”

“I’m in my truck. Listen, I would’ve waited until morning about all of this, then I saw the heifer.”

Worry settled into Dwight’s gut. “My heifer?”

“She’s tangled in barbed wire. I tried to get to her—”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he said. Bobby was a seventy-five-year-old rancher who had no business being out in weather like this alone. “Get home to Myrtle before she has my head along with yours. I’ll take care of the heifer.”

Bobby hesitated. “Why don’t I wait for you?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Be safe, son.”

The call ended, and Dwight lowered the phone to the table before he met Emmy’s gaze.

“You’re going out there, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I’ve already lost two calves. That’s five grand right there. I can’t lose any more cattle, especially to something like this.”

“It’s one cow.”

“It’s a heifer. That young female will be ready to bear a calf come spring. I need her.”

Emmy set her hands on the table and pushed to her feet. “Then I’ll come with you.”

“I’ve done this countless times before.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling. I’ve had it for a few days now.”

He reached over and took her hands. “No one in their right mind would try to come at you in this weather.”

“You said anyone who gets out in this would die.”

“Anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I’m going to drive out there and walk the short distance to the fence. A few clips to free the heifer and make sure she doesn’t need medical attention, and then I’m back in the truck headed here.”

She lifted her chin. “Then it isn’t a big deal for me to come with you.”





Chapter 27


Emmy should have felt good that she’d convinced Dwight to let her come with him, but that wasn’t the emotion swirling within her. Instead, apprehension sat at the forefront, followed closely by fear. And none of it had anything to do with the storm.

She couldn’t say what made her feel such things, only that the emotions were there, and she was doing the best she could with them.

The truck bounced as it hit a hole hidden by the snow. She gripped the handle near her head and stared out through the thick falling snow. The truck’s headlights did little to light the way. The heat was on full blast, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Her breath locked in her chest when she spotted the rickety bridge. She didn’t try to look out her window to see why there was a bridge. Sometimes, it was better not knowing.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced down just as the front tires rolled off the bridge. She got a brief glimpse of a deep ravine. Emmy jerked her eyes up, wishing she hadn’t seen that. The snow swirled outside, allowing her to get a quick look at a forked tree.

Sam nudged her with his nose as he put his paws on the console from his position in the back seat. Emmy glanced at him and rubbed his face, but she returned her attention to the road in an effort to help Dwight see through the ever-increasing snowfall.

“Shit,” he murmured.

Emmy looked at him to see his lips pressed together. She had no idea if they were still on the road or not. Snow covered everything. All she could hope for was that Dwight knew where he was headed.

“We’re almost there,” Dwight said.