Page 33 of Cozy Cabin for Two
“We’re going to be entre-poo-ers, Mom!” Ro’s voice squealed. Eli scowled at a nail, taking his hammering seriously.
“Entrepreneurs—and how cool. Why didn’t I think of this?” I stared in disbelief.
“Because you’ve been busy thinking of everythingelse, and doing a phenomenal job of it, too.” Ash winked. Winks were fine, nothing that said to Ro, ‘we just screwed around in the hot kitchen.’
“I texted Ivy about it, and she said she’d stop by after work tonight to give them pointers on sales technique,” Colt mentioned.
“Ivy?” Knox arched a brow with a loaded glance. “Did she say whether Daisy would be stopping by at all? Er, you know, to help us set up. The Wyldes are just as much a part of this Open House as we all are.”
“It’s all hands on deck, so you men keep your you-know-whats in your pants around the women tonight. We have a long list of things to do,” Ash ordered.
“Keep what in their pants?” Eli scratched his head.
“Can we paint the stand pink?” Ro took her new endeavor seriously for a third grader. All week, she and Eli had taken flyers to hand out at school, telling all the children to bring their families to the Fall Open House at the ranch.
Yes, it was all very exciting.
Juniper must have sensed me nearby because she made a lot of noise and ruckus from within the barn. I left them to it and went to see her, sensing Ash following behind me.
A few of the ranch hands were getting the new rescued horses squared away with feed in a quarantinedsection of the barn. How sad it was to see their protruding ribs and misty eyes, matted hair and overgrown hooves. But if anything I’d learned in my short time here was how much everyone cared for these magnificent creatures.Given time here on the ranch, hopefully each one would spring back to life.
Dusty inspected them and administered medicine, saying hello to me as I passed by. He wouldn’t give up on them. None of the men here would.
I reached Juniper’s stall, and she stuck her neck out, stomping her feet. “Hey there, little mama. My favorite rescue. How are you today? You’re going to show off your beautiful self tomorrow and be a good girl, right?” I ran fingers through her mane, and she nodded and sighed. Never had I felt so much love for an animal. Just touching her soothed me.
Ash came up behind me, and curled his arms around my waist, far enough away that Ro couldn’t see. “I am looking forward to tomorrow. But mostly because you managed to put all this together in record time. You deserve all the thanks for it. I don’t know how you did it and still could find time for Ro, Juniper. And also me and my rather demanding tastes.”
“I have many talents. You’ve merely scratched thesurface,” I flirted, then my breath hitched as he brushed his lips across my earlobe.
“After this is over tomorrow, I think we should talk about us. Because I’d like to have you in my arms for a long, long time and get to know every single special talent you have.” His cock hardened against my backside. “And I want Ro to know about us. I’m ready to tell her.”
I turned in his arms. “Oh, Ash. Really?”
“That’s not too fast for you, is it?” I shook my head. “Good. I thought I’d have Poppy stay at the cabin overnight to watch Ro after the open house. With the snow coming next week, I’d like one more time with you up at our ridge. I even asked Dusty if he’d let us borrow his camper. We’ll haul it up there after the open house tomorrow night, make love, sleep and wake up in each other’s arms, cookout, hike, relax, and stay until Sunday night. We can talk about everything, just you and me at our special place. What do you say?”
“That shouldn’t even be a question.” A smile beamed across my face that he put so much thought into something special just for us. Butterflies flew like crazy in my stomach, and my body tingled, anticipating the night we’d have together. Even Juniper nodded her head in agreement.
It gotdark and chilly early, and Ro was getting tired. My list of things to prepare for the event was done, so she and I headed back to the cabin. I left Daisy in charge of bossing the men about, to see to the rest of the list and with full faith that the ranch hands would finish up. Everything would be perfect tomorrow; I just knew it. I hadn’t even been a part of the ranch for very long yet I wanted this to be so successful for them and for their rescue mission.
After a quick dinner of pasta, and a bath, Ro was off to bed. Her little snores eventually reached me downstairs, so I made a mug of apple spice tea.
I took it to the bedroom window and peeked outside where, in the distance, against the bright light above the barn doors, the shadows of Ash and his men moved about, finishing up all preparations.
Would he come see me tonight and sneak into the cabin? I’d be sure not to wear panties to bed. The corner of my mouth turned up, but after cooking and all the work today, I needed a shower before I’d let him near me again.
I half-turned from the window when somethingcaught my eye, and I stumbled back. A dark and bulky figure moved from the shed and cut in between two trees behind the cabin. I squinted and froze, straining to find it again, but I lost it in the shadows. My heart hammered out of my chest.
There was only one thing I figured it could be. And if I was right, we didn’t need this animal around the Open House tomorrow with all the families we expected to attend. I grabbed my phone and called Ash.
The second he picked up, I yelled, “Bear!”
NINETEEN
Searched
ASH
It wasafter midnight before I ordered my men to give up the search and get to bed. From behind the cabin and fanning out toward the barn and beyond, we had traipsed for a few hours, guns in hand, and found no traces of a bear among the trees and brush. With all the leaves thick underfoot, and using flashlights on a moonless night, the search wasn’t easy either.
