Chapter 134 Part 134
Asher
The kettle had just boiled when he felt Cassidy’s presence in the kitchen with him. It was still dark outside, but they had a lot to do. Summer was coming to an end, and that meant moving the cattle to other pastures so that by the time Fall ended, the herds were in the enclosed pastures.
“You could’ve slept in,” Asher said, as he took another cup from the cupboard.
“I don’t sleep a lot.”
He smiled. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He didn’t sleep much anymore either. When Emerson had shared his bed, he’d slept right through the night, sometimes not dreaming at all.
“You’d rather muck stalls and herd cattle than relax?” Asher glanced over his shoulder at her, and finished making their coffee. He handed her a cup, and leaned back against the counter.
“How much will my ass hurt after today?” Her grin was wide and Asher couldn’t fight the grin forming on his face.
“A lot.”
“Good, maybe feeling something other than numb will help,” she said.
“Alright then. I’ll let the hands know to muck the stalls, and saddle our horses while we grab breakfast at the main house.”
“With your family?” Cassidy asked.
“With my family.”
She gulped down her coffee, and Asher rinsed both their cups. He grabbed his hat from the hook, and took the smaller hat from the other hook. Outside on the small porch, Asher turned and placed the hat on Cassidy’s head before putting his own hat on.
“Will there be bacon?”
Asher grinned. “There will be bacon. We eat big on the days we herd cattle. We’ll eat lunch wherever we are, usually sandwiches, and be back in time for dinner.”
“Sounds like a blast,” she said, and this time her smile reached her eyes.
They walked the 1.5 miles to the main house, and Asher removed his hat when they stepped onto the porch. He took Cassidy’s hat from her, and hung both from hooks on the outside wall.
“You remember what I told you about my brothers?”
Cassidy nodded her head with another smile. “They’ll ask me endless questions because nothing is sacred and Colt will flirt with me shamelessly.”
“Just remember that we need him to herd the cattle today. Don’t break him yet,” Asher said.
“Yes, Major, Sir,” she said, and grinned when Asher huffed out a laugh.
He opened the front door and headed to the dining room. Eden was placing the last dish on the table and she looked up when she heard his footsteps. An instant frown appeared when she spotted the woman behind him.
“Good morning, everyone. This is Cassidy,” Asher said, and pulled a chair out so she could sit.
“Morning,” chorused back at him.
“Hi,” Cassidy said, and smiled. Colt grinned at her, and opened his mouth to say something, but Cassidy beat him to it. “You must be Colt, the shameless flirt.”
Colt’s mouth closed, and Blair laughed loudly. “I’m not shameless.”
“Cassidy served in the Army with me for three years,” Asher said, looking his father straight in the eye.
“Welcome to Bear Meadow Ranch, Cassidy,” Thomas said, with a warm smile. “You’re welcome as long as you keep up that dismissive side with Colt.”
Colt tried to look offended and failed. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“Don’t try to either, she can kick your ass before you can even blink,” Asher said.
“Well, now that sounds like a challenge,” Colt said, the smile still there.
“I’ll put a 20 on Cassidy beating your ass before the day is done,” Blair said.
“I’ll take that bet, Blair,” Dylan said. “I bet it’s before lunch.”
“I’ll take a bet that Colt charms her so much, he has her number before lunch,” Finn said.
“You’re all idiots,” Asher said, as he started dishing up for himself and Cassidy.
“Hi, I’m Eden, since my brother so rudely forgot to mention me,” she said, and pointed at Winchester. “This is Winchester, but everyone calls him McRoy.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Eden. I’ve heard lots of stories about all of you,” Cassidy said.
“It’s not true unless Asher said I’m amazing, then it’s true,” Eden said.
Cassidy smiled, and glanced at Asher. “He did mention that once or twice.”
“Were you a sniper, too?” Dylan asked her.
“No. Asher was the one with the eagle eyes in our unit. I was just a part of his team on the ground, gathering intelligence mostly.”
“What did that entail?” Blair asked her.
Cassidy glanced at Asher, and everyone could see that she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Asher’s hand clenched around his fork. “Cassidy sent me locations and targets, and I shot them.”
“But you’re done with the Army now?” Thomas asked her.
“Yes, Sir. I left at the same time Asher did,” she replied.
“Cassidy saved my ass on more than one occasion,” Asher said. “She was the voice in my ear, feeding me information on my surroundings, where the enemy was, and she was also the one to tell me when to run.”
“Well, then, young lady, this family thanks you for your service and for Asher’s life,” Thomas said.
An emotion crossed Cassidy’s eyes, and Asher wanted to pull her out of that chair and get her away. Instead, she smiled again, and looked directly at Thomas before she spoke.
“Asher’s the one that saved me. He doesn’t like it when people tell him he’s a hero, but that’s what he is. He saved me, not the other way around.”
“Eat up, Cassie, we’ve got a long day ahead of us,” Asher said. He didn’t miss the way Blair looked at him, but he wished he had. He could tell that Blair already suspected what Cassidy had been talking about.
“You’re letting her herd?” Colt asked.
“Yeah, she said something about needing a sore ass,” Asher said. Colt grinned again as the rest of them chuckled, and Asher glared at him. “Don’t even think about saying a word!”
A few of them laughed, and Colt shook his head. “I was just going to offer to keep an eye on her, damn, Asher.”