Page 36 of Cowboy Don't Go

“Maybe not. I think I saw an outcrop of rocks not too far down the mountain. Better than nothing.”

*

They mounted and rode with the two lost puppies in their arms down the same trail they’d taken up. All the while, they could smell and feel the rain coming. The lightning storm grew worse, exploding a pine tree less than two hundred feet from them. Then, a drenching rain poured down on them.

Soaked to the skin almost instantly, Shay shouted to Cooper over the sound of the rain. “That way!” She pointed to the fork in the trail that ran along a wall of stone, above a steep ravine. “We’d better walk the horses!”

They led the horses down the narrow trail that led to a thin stand of pine in front of a shallow cave-like rock shelf in the wall. Quickly, they led the horses underneath and took shelter from the rain there, too. Water soon gushed over the rocks like a waterfall from somewhere above them, but they were fairly protected from the storm here. At least from the lightning. Even the horses were able to squeeze under the narrow shelf of rock.

Shay squeezed the water from her braid, then tucked a small towel from her saddle bag around her small, shivering puppy. The grateful pup curled in her lap as did his brother against Cooper’s warmth. Breathless, she looked up at Cooper. The two of them could only laugh, drenched to the bone, clothes sticking to their skin. Cooper fingered a loose strand of her wet hair off her cheek with a smile.

“Well, that was exciting,” he said, staring out at the lightning still forking across the darkened sky. “Though, I don’t think it’s a good idea to advertise that kind of adventure to your guests.”

The fabric of her blouse made a sucking sound as she pulled it away from her chest. “Yeah, I think we could skip that part all together.”

They poured bottled water into their hands to allow the puppies to drink. They were hungry and needed food soon. Cooper broke up a couple of crackers he kept in his saddlebag for them to eat. It wasn’t what they needed but it was all they had. They gobbled the crackers up.

“They’re so thin,” she said, stroking the one in her arms. He was already falling asleep there. “At least they had the spring there for water.”

“Probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer if we hadn’t found them. Lucky dogs.” He gave his puppy a scratch behind the ears. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a couple of ranch dogs.”

“Ryan will be thrilled,” she said, stroking the little dog’s ears. “When our ranch manager retired a year ago, he took his dog with him. Ryan has been wanting another ever since. But these two are in terrible shape.”

“We’ll get them down as soon as the rain lets up. They’ll make it. No thanks to whoever did this to them.”

“It’s a regular thing, this dumping of dogs on the roadside—which is awful—but up here? In the middle of nowhere? With hungry predators? It’s a wonder they survived at all.”

She couldn’t help but shiver.

“You cold?”

She shook her head, but they were both soaked through. Chilled to the bone with the sudden drop in temperature.

“I’d give you my shirt but—” He pulled the soaked fabric away from his skin with a sucking sound.

His every muscle was defined by his soaked shirt. For a few moments, she was lost staring at him. But she was every bit as exposed. She pulled the puppy closer to her chest.

“This storm doesn’t look close to letting up,” he said, “looks like building a fire is out.” Holding out his arm to her, he urged, “C’mere. Get closer. Let me warm you up.”

Shay eyed his muscular, open arms. Find someone to cuddle with, Izzy said. What about him? she said. “Oh. I don’t think—”

“C’mon,” he encouraged. “It won’t last forever, and I don’t bite.”

Shivering, she scooted close to him, hesitantly eased her shoulder against his chest. He put his arm around her. Instantly, she felt his warmth seep into her. She tried not to sigh as he pulled her against his side, rubbing her arm to warm her. “Okay. That is better,” she admitted.

“Yeah, it is.”

She wrapped her arm around his back to warm him, too. They sat like that, listening to the storm. Slowly, she began to relax there against him, tucking her cheek against his shoulder. It felt good, so good, to be held again. It had been a long time since she’d felt any man’s arm around her. She drank in the feeling, knowing it could be a long, long time before she felt it again.

For a long time, they didn’t talk. Instead, Shay listened to his heartbeat thud against her ear as the rain poured down in sheets, as the temperature continued to drop, as she chose and discarded a dozen things to say to him.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into coming up here today,” she said at last.

“No one dragged me. Least of all you.”

“Right, but just the same. I’m sorry. This is not the way I saw the morning going.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Didn’t turn out too badly. Considering.”

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