Page 39 of Eye of Her Storm

He followed as Tai sank to his knees and gently sat Riv a few steps up before crawling between her legs, cupping her face with both hands and kissing her like a desert wanderer devouring a rare bit of water. He needed to feel River, to reassure himself everything was okay—Seth understood it. He felt the same urgency. He’d felt terror when he’d gotten Tai’s call, laced with Tai’s ill-disguised panic.

“I’m on the floor again,” Riv murmured when Tai left her lips to trail his mouth down her arched neck. Seth leaned forward and replaced his partner’s mouth with his own. Curling his hand around the back of her head, he drank from her, too.

“What better reason to be down here,” he said then nipped her bottom lip.

“Mmm…” she sighed. “Okay, definitely the best reason, but I thought you were going to feed me—not that I mind this.”

Tai groaned. “Right. And Madison is on her way. She should be here in…” He glanced at his watch. “About fifteen minutes.” He jumped up and offered his hand. “C’mon. Want to see how your equilibrium is? See if you’re feeling less dizzy?”

Seth wasn’t so sure about that. Shooting Tai a censuring look, he shifted behind River to catch her if she stumbled again. She didn’t roll her eyes at him or insist she was fine; that spoke volumes to him. Instead, she lifted her shaky hand to Tai. He carefully pulled her to her feet, and both men stood at the ready to catch her, but she didn’t sway or stumble. She stood stock still for a few moments as if assessing herself then nodded and took a step forward. Tai fell in beside her while Seth walked just behind as they headed into their large kitchen.

“So what did you make, Chef?” she asked as she settled into a seat in the bright, sun-flooded breakfast nook that overlooked the back pasture. Her chin resting on her hand, she watched the three horses grazing there. Despite her question, she appeared lost in another world.

“Just warmed Seth’s leftovers. That sweet potato hash stuff.”

“Hmm, that was good.”

“Why thank you,” Seth said. He handed her a bottle of water he’d grabbed on his way to the table and set his and Tai’s down at their places. “Whatcha thinkin’?” he asked when her gaze didn’t leave the horses.

“Just thinking about riding. It’s a beautiful day for it.”

“We could go later. You could ride double with one of us.”

She gave him a half-smile and shook her head. “No, I’d rather stay in with you guys. Maybe, visit with Mads. Maybe, talk about the ceremony next week.”

While she kept her focus out the window, he studied her. Was she shutting down? It seemed weird to him that she didn’t want to go do something she normally loved to do.

Tai came over with food. After setting it on the table, he leaned over and kissed Seth on the temple. “Don’t obsess and over-think,” he whispered for Seth’s ears only. He squeezed Seth’s shoulder before settling into his chair at the end of the table, Seth to one side and River to the other.

He was right, Seth supposed. Though Seth had been around when Tai’s dad had died, Tai had more intimate experience with it and the stages of people went through. Seth didn’t think that would help either of them with Riv. Coming from nothing, with no one before Tai and his family, Seth didn’t do well with losing people and Tai… There was no telling. But there was no way either of them would walk away. There was no avoiding the pain.

“Riv,” he said, getting her attention. “Eat.”

She nodded and smiled, seeming to come back to herself. She took a bite of her food and closed her eyes in appreciation. “You know,” she offered after she’d swallowed. “I really am feeling better. I know you two aren’t done for the day. I’ll be okay if you want to get back to work after we eat. I promise to just sit on the couch and read or something.”

Seth considered her. They’d promised not to hover and coddle her, and she’d get pissed off if they started that again. “Maybe, after Madison checks you out. We do need to finish up in the bunkhouse. The first of the work study kids will be here tomorrow, and we’re not quite ready.”

“The first? How many are coming?”

“Six. But two of them will be rotating between here, Last Chance, and Devon’s stables. Normally, Cauld’s Well should have at least four men working here all the time, but Seth and I have been running short to save revenue as we’ve transitioned from cattle to crops. Last Chance needs some help with their fall tours and Devon has been running the horse training operation alone, though I think two of the guys from Last Chance have been over there a lot. Still…we’re sharing the wealth and all that. These kids will get a good picture of the various ranches. I think Ace and Brant might have them help with overseeing their stock this winter, too.”

“Is it me, or is it weird they’re coming mid-semester?”

Tai shook his head. “It fits into their program. We’ll see how they work out until the end of their semester then if things are good, they’ll stay on for the winter and summer terms.”

“Sounds like a good deal for everyone.”

Seth lifted his water bottle in a salute. “Here’s hoping.”

Truly, he hoped for that and a whole lot more.

Chapter Nine

“Is this River Szuzman?”

River’s eyes went wide. She didn’t recognize the voice but whoever was on the other end of the phone had pronounced her name perfectly. She wondered what was going on now. It seemed as if every time she answered her cell lately, it was life changing.

“This is River.”

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