Chapter 35

After helping stack the dishwasher—one of two the kitchen boasted, side by side, that made her think there was indeed a place called heaven, and she just might have found it—Tabby made her way out, through the sunroom, to the back.

Cole was there, stacking wood behind a lean-to, his shirt off. Roger, the faithful, lovable canine was sprawled a few feet ahead of him.

Her eyes grazed his face. He seemed to have worked off some of the upset. He seemed okay for now, back to the Cole she knew. She watched longer, as he worked.

Desire slammed through her.

Beautiful. The man was beautiful. Muscles working in perfect coherence, a graceful rhythm of raw strength. Didn’t stop, wasn’t out of breath.

He saw her, smiled. Tossed the last piece of wood onto the pile he’d built.

Already getting ready for winter, so many months away. Taking care of his charges. Does he ever stop?

He grabbed his shirt and shrugged it on, and deep inside her alter ego protested. Don’t cover all that up. He fastened a couple of buttons in the middle, seemed as at home in nature with his bare chest as with the shirt half on. “I’ve got to check in with my firefighting unit in a bit. Business.” He smiled at her. “For now though, let’s take what’s left of your stuff and go over to your new home. How’s that sound?”

At the truck, Cole hoisted her bags over his shoulder, sidestepping the excited Roger, ever eager for an adventure. She almost balked out of old habit as she reached to tug the heavier items from him, but he smiled at her. “Let me take these, here at least, Tabby? My spread, my responsibility. Okay? It’s the Dawson Ridges way.”

She smiled back. Wanted to chuckle. Damn. When the man said—it’s the Dawson Ridges way—not only did his sincerity make her believe in good things again, but he was also kinda cute. “Okay.”

“Aggie’s said she’s loving up Sheba for the night. But she’ll bring her by as soon as you want, tomorrow, give you a chance to settle in first and get the lay of the land, and kitty-proof the place. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They set off, all three, through a patch of woods, the scent of evergreens hugging them as they tread on a soft carpet of dark leaves and pine needles transitioning back to the rich earth. Gnarled tree trucks here and there, half-moons of pale mushrooms angling from them in the sudden twilight of the forest. The odd rustle as an animal leapt out of their way, or as birds broke suddenly, and flew off. But mostly, a deep silence moved around them.

“Over there. See that?”

She peered through the trees, gaze riveted on a stand of purple salvia in the distance, gently undulating, in the light breeze. The breath gushed from her. “Oh!”

“You see the building?”

“Building?” Yeah, there it was, behind the flowers, in a broad open space. She’d barely registered it in her delight at the swathe of purple. “Sure.”

He smiled at her. “What was the ‘oh’ for?”

“Just…the flowers. They’re one of my favorites. Didn’t expect to see them here, in such a big field. Like a…” She paused.

“Like a…?”

She pressed her lips together, a bit uncomfortable with including him in the intimacy, wishing the words hadn’t popped out. But she’d loved salvia ever since she was a little girl, back in Jack’s Bay with her family, had picked it to include in her own special garden around their home. “…a welcoming committee.” She stared hard ahead.

Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, chicy.

Though I think you just did.

“Woodland sage. Common name, salvia. We plant it all over the place, let it do its thing, spread. Do our best to keep invasive plant species out by encouraging it, and others like it.”

Right. Of course, this was business. He had a huge ranch to run, and there were myriad aspects. She could barely fathom all the critical pieces to such an extensive operation. It was one cog in a much bigger plan.

“Also?” His voice softened. “Super pretty.”

She looked up at him quickly, saw his gentle grin, darted her glance away from those intense, blue eyes.

It didn’t seem to faze him. “Behind that building are a few more. Bunkhouses for the hands.”

“Just exactly how many men do you have?”

He pushed aside a couple of low-hanging branches to allow her to pass through, holding them so they wouldn’t spring back and hit her. “Right now, I’d say twenty. In the past, sometimes as many as thirty, with room for more.” His voice grew wistful. “When times were lean for other folk, it never hurt to have the extra room here. In case.”

She heard the pride in his voice, along with something else. A yearning?

“Oh?” She wanted to hear more. More of that voice, the richness of it, the quiet as he spoke softly of things that mattered to him.

“If someone was down on their luck, needed a bunk and hot food, as long as they were willing to work, we had a spot for them. And tell you the truth, if a man was laid up and couldn’t work, Dax would find them something useful for them to do while they healed. While allowing a man plenty of time for recuperation, out here in the country air. It always made me feel good to know Dawsons not only took care of their own but also helped others in every way possible.” His eyes had a far off look in them. “They had silence when they needed it, but companionship when they wanted it too. Decent food. Security. A place to bunk. Made me feel good.”

The depth of his feelings touched Tabby. And something else presented, something she was personally missing. Right now, at least.

Cole knew who he was. He wasn’t wondering.

And until the accident, she’d known who she was, too.

A fiancé. Dare’s little sister. Mom’s daughter. An escapee from Jack’s Bay. A highly competent project manager and admin. A beautiful woman—men often looked twice, then kept looking. She’d gotten her fair share of propositions.

But since the accident, she’d been searching. Searching for who she really was.

When the outer things changed, when the things you depended on fell away as if they’d never existed…who really were you? And especially when you were reminded of it every damn time you looked in the mirror, were you even the same person you’d known all your life?

But he didn’t seem to have that problem. At all.

She swallowed. His strength, his resolve. His knowingness. What she wouldn’t do to feel that. To be that person.

Another thought landed as well, even though she really didn’t want it to. But it was there nonetheless.

What it would be like to be with a man who was that committed to caring for those under his charge? To be one of his main concerns?

The sense of relief that poured through her as the answer manifested in her body shocked her.

No words. Amazing. Out of this world. So, deep down relaxing…

“That’s not to say there aren’t troubles. When we find ourselves a bit lean, like we do right now, we tighten our belts. And…” his eyes darkened. “We take care of those who are messing with us.”

An unsettled feeling, something that had been bothering her, surfaced. “Cole. You know I appreciate your offer to put me up, and I want to contribute while I’m here by helping out any way I can. But you weren’t going to take on any other people. Yet here I am.”

He waved the concern off. “We talked about this, Tabby. An hour a day, helping Ma, is plenty. And yes, she can actually use the help, and so can Dax. But the rest is your writing time, and whatever else you want to do. You can hang with us, do local shit, or stuff on your own. It’s all good.”

Urgency seized her. “That’ll barely pay for my upkeep, especially when you’ve got all these extra bills. I told you on the way here—I have royalties.” A tiny bit of pride rolled through her. I have royalties. “They’re not much right now, but the advance for my second book is due soon. I’ll be paying you for the utilities I use, as well as my food. A bit extra for the space, if I can manage.”

He flinched, and somehow, despite how proud she personally was that she could pay part of her way even after all the reversals, she realized she’d touched a nerve. “Don’t you worry about that.”

“Just letting you know. The first check is due in a week, and then my advance. That’ll cover my keep.”

Dear Lord, why was her voice trembling? Why did this matter so much to her?

Flashbacks of Clarence telling her she wasn’t worth what it took to keep her, even though she was keeping herself just fine, thank you. After the accident, the worry of how she’d make ends meet. Pay her way. Not be a moocher. No help to be had, especially when her supposed life partner dropped her like a hot potato.

Things had changed so damn abruptly.

It all made her feel sick. Thank goodness she’d found the writing, and it had paid.

“Here we are.” A small cabin appeared before them, a short distance from the edge of the woods. Cole opened the creaky wooden door, and stepped inside, flicked on a light. Fresh supplies lay before them on the half-wall divider at the front door. Towels, soap. The latest newspaper, a few snacks, neatly stacked in the tiny foyer. “The magic of Dax.”

“He seems pretty amazing,” she agreed. “Just who is he? A house-manager kind of guy?”

“He’s all of the above, and so much more. Max Dax. I’ll tell you his story one of these times.” He looked at his watch. “Maybe I’ll just come in and…”

But his phone buzzed, and when he checked it, he nodded, with some pleasure. “Raine. Right. Okay, well let me take a quick look around, make sure you’re good, then I’ve got to get going.”

The quiet of the moment was shattered, though, as a lanky young man, obviously a ranch hand, appeared in the doorway, and stared at Cole.

He immediately dropped the relaxed demeanor he’d had with her, switched to total attention on the man. Protector mode.

“Kelvin. What’s up?”

“Something’s happened. You’ll want to see this.”

Cole’s eyes narrowed, and one lone word burst from him. “What?”

“Rafe. He’s hurt.”