Rode Hard, Put Up Wet (Rough Riders #2)(11)

Gemma angled her chin from Carter’s shrewd eyes so he couldn’t see her blush.


“Hellfire and damnation. He is the only one you wanted, ain’t he?”


She paused. “Yup.”


Carter sighed. “I ain’t gonna ask why.”


She probably couldn’t give him a good answer on that one even if he did ask.


“Just so you know, what happens between the two of you after the barn door closes ain’t my business. You don’t hafta worry ’bout me blabbin’ your private business to everyone or pokin’ my nose in where it don’t belong.”


Gemma looked at him. “Thanks.”


“But that goes both ways.”


“Meaning?”


“Meaning, I won’t stay away from Macie just because her father wants me to.”


Lord. He was just as bull-headed as the rest of his family. She waited, knowing he wasn’t finished.


Carter drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Remember last week when I was cleanin’ stalls like the devil possessed my soul, and you asked me what the hell was wrong with me?”


Gemma nodded.


“It was her.”


“Macie?”


“Yeah.”


“How’s that possible? Didn’t you just meet her today?”


“Yep. This is gonna sound dumb, but she’s been in my head for the last month. This fuzzy image in my mind that’s only partially there. Been drivin’ me crazy, tryin’ to capture her. I’ve tried painting her, sketching, working with clay. When I saw her today?


Flesh and blood and real? At first I thought I’d gone completely ’round the bend.”


Gemma couldn’t withhold a shiver. “That’s some spooky serious shit, Carter.”


“Don’t I know it. Normally I don’t believe in that kinda karma and fate voodoo crap, but I ain’t about to chalk it up to coincidence neither. Nor am I gonna let the new foreman chase me away from his daughter just ’cause he thinks he can.”


“Macie is an adult, but I don’t think that’s gonna matter to Cash,” Gemma pointed out. “He still is her father.”


“That’s hard for me to believe. Jesus. How old was he when she was born? Like twelve?”


She smiled. “Probably more like sixteen. He made it sound like he hadn’t been around much when she was growing up.”


“Probably because he was too busy growin’ up himself. Where’s her mother?”


“Dead, from what I understand.”


Carter whistled. “Harsh. Anyway, from what I remember Colby tellin’ me, Cash knows his stuff ’bout livestock. So I ain’t gonna cause problems with him while we’re workin’.”


“I appreciate that.”


“But I expect him to do the same.” Carter faced her again. “The only person with the power to tell me to get lost is Macie, agreed?”


“Agreed. But I ain’t gonna get in the middle of this.” Gemma figured she’d have her hands full dealing with her situation with Cash. She turned down the gravel road leading to the trailer on the outskirts of her property. “I think it’s best if I show Cash the ropes for evening chores, don’t you?”


“I reckon.”


She circled the barn so the front end of her truck was pointed to the road. “Can I ask you one more favor?”


Carter’s hand froze on the door handle. “What?”


“Can you give us—me, Cash, and Macie—a night to settle in? Macie’s agreed to stay in Cash’s camper, but I doubt he’ll just dump her off.”


For a second it appeared Carter would argue. He scrubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I guess. I have some new ideas to sketch. I’d probably lose track of time anyway.” He opened the door and hopped out. “See you bright and early, boss lady. Try and get some sleep.” Carter grinned and slammed the door.


Sleep. Right. Cash seemed pretty anxious when they parted ways. The heat and promise in his eyes nearly burned her from the outside in.


Neither of them would be getting much sleep.


When Gemma ventured out of the house in the early evening, she noticed Cash had already parked his camper between the old wooden barn and the metal granary. The spot was perfect. It’d keep the aluminum camper sheltered from the oppressive dry summer heat and it was set back far enough from the main house to offer them—and Macie—


privacy. The generator at the back of the camper hummed. She saw Cash carrying an armload of assorted items out of the camper, but no sign of Macie’s car. Once Cash caught sight of her climbing in the truck loaded down with the horse trailer, he loped over.


“Where you parkin’ that rig, eh?”


“Over behind the other barn.”


“Back ’er in and I’ll unhitch the trailer.” He frowned. “Why’d you drag that thing along to Buffalo? It’s empty, ain’t it?”


“Yeah. I stopped at a ranch outside of Haroldsville to look at a couple of mares to breed. Decided not to take them, but I needed the trailer just in case.”