Page 11 of Falling For Her Cowboy
He hit the garage door opener and pulled into the garage once the door opened. He killed the engine and exhaled. It did feel damn good to be home. He probably should listen to Faith and relax, but he’d be kidding himself. He’d feel bad for at least not offering to help out on the ranch. He got out of the truck and slammed the door shut. He grabbed his duffle bag from the back and dragged it up on his shoulder. At the house, he hit the button on the wallto close the garage, kicked off his boots, then went inside the house.
He was a mess, and he’d be damned if he tracked dirt, blood, and birth into his house. The garage led into a mudroom where he stripped his clothes off. He grimaced at the sight of them. He should probably burn them, that’s how bad they looked. He left the duffle bag by the door and stopped in the laundry room where he tossed the clothes in the washing machine. He started the cycle then went up to his bedroom.
It was mid-afternoon, and it had been a long day. Last night he had gotten a few hours of sleep before he’d been awakened by an emergency call for a goat. After that, he’d had back-to-back calls with the last being the breeched heifer.
He stripped off his underwear. In his en suite bathroom, he caught the reflection of himself.
“Shit.”
He combed his fingers through his hair. He had darkened areas underneath his eyes, and he caught more gray hairs he hadn’t seen before. He moved away from the mirror and turned the shower water on. He waited until steam billowed. His muscles were screaming at the moment, and the hot water had better work a miracle on him.
He stepped into the shower and groaned. The water felt damn good. He turned around to allow it to slide all over him. He stood underneath the spray to soak his hair. He felt dirty everywhere. He’d taken a shower last night when he’d got home, but at the moment he couldn’t tell. Being a vet was a very dirty job. It was not all rainbows and sunshine.
He closed his eyes, the water beating into his muscles. He leaned forward and rested a hand on the wall while the water worked its magic.
Brown soulful eyes came to mind.
Melah. Battle.
The memory of her voice on the phone had done something to him. He could hear the urgency, the need, the attempt to hold her shit together because her horse was in trouble. Even if he had been in bed sleep, he’d have rushed to help her.
The moment he’d walked in and heard her trying to bribe her horse, he knew he’d do anything to ensure that damn animal would make it.
Not that Daisy was in trouble of leaving this earth. Melah had done what all good horse parents would do. She’d recognized something was wrong and sought help immediately. The infection had been caught early enough that he was confident Daisy would fully recover. He’d done asmall incision in the wound, cleaned it out so it would heal properly. Daisy would be back to normal soon with no signs of the infection. Melah, he was sure, would do as he’d instructed. Before he’d left that morning, he’d dropped off supplies to the barn and left them outside Daisy’s stall where Melah would see them.
Her eyes drew him to her. They were a rich brown and almond-shaped. Her smooth tawny skin appeared to be soft and supple. He’d had to keep his hands busy to not touch her. He’d immediately felt an attraction to her. It didn’t matter that she was dressed for bed. That showed him how much she cared for her horse. She was apparently checking on Daisy before going to bed. Her falling on her butt while helping him had been too cute. He’d bitten back a joke that had hovered on his tongue when he’d seen her scramble to get up.
He lifted his head and reached for his washcloth and soap. He couldn’t stand here all day reminiscing about the lovely woman he’d helped last night.
Which reminded him, he had to let her know when he’d be available to grab a bite to eat. He’d refused to allow her to pay him for treating Daisy. His clinic was booming and doing well. He didn’t need her money. His only payment would be Daisy getting better and not limping.
But since she’d insisted—and he could see the woman held a stubborn streak to her—he’d made the offer of food.
Well, then you need to find a new woman.
She was a woman who apparently didn’t have a filter, and he loved that. The horror that had crossed her face had him laughing. He guessed he had set himself up when he’d said that a woman had never treated him to a meal. It wasn’t far from the truth. It had been a while since he’d been in a relationship. His last one ended on pretty good terms. They both realized they were wanting two different things in life. That had been about two years ago when him and Raquel split.
He’d dated since Raquel, but no one caught his eye to where he wanted something permanent with them. He wanted a partner in life. He aspired to getting married one day. He wasn’t too old yet. At thirty-eight, he’d have hoped he’d be married by now and maybe have a kid or two. But apparently it wasn’t in the cards yet.
Hell, Draven had a fiancée. Who would have thought his grouch of a brother would have put a ring on a woman’s finger before him? That just proved that Ridge needed to be patient. Maybe his futurewife would fall into his arms and the rest would be history.
He snorted at the thought.
Things like that didn’t happen that easily for him. He scrubbed his entire body at least three times to ensure all of the blood and dirt was off him. He quickly washed his hair before shutting off the water. He grabbed his towel and ran it over his head.
A woman to come home to would be nice. This big house could get lonely, and he’d love to have someone to share this with. Someone who he could chill on the couch with, watch movies, spend time with, share their day with each other.
Soulful brown eyes came to mind.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He shouldn’t be thinking of Melah. She was like all of the other soldiers who came through Silver Creek. She was here to get help and move on. How long she was on the ranch was up to her.
Those eyes of hers held stories. There was a darkness hiding in them. He was sure if she was here, it was for a reason. Even though she smiled, he could see she didn’t do it often. Deep down, he wanted to see her do it more. Even if her time was short-livedhere on the ranch, he wanted to be the one to help her smile more.
He strolled back into his room and snatched his phone off the nightstand. He swiped the screen and went into his contacts. When he found the name, he hit it and placed the call on speakerphone.
“Howdy, Ridge,” Buck’s gravelly voice came through the line.
“Where do you need me?” He held the phone as he walked over to his dresser to grab a pair of underwear. It wouldn’t take him long to get dressed and be out on the ranch.
