Page 78 of Crossing Every Line

He squeezed her hand. “You damn well should. Daily. Fuck, Sunshine.”

“I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

“I haven’t taken a break since I got here. Besides, you’re better than any coffee or soda I could go find.” Needing a minute to get himself together, he brushed an absent kiss along her temple. “What have you been up to?”

She nuzzled against his shirt. “I met Lucinda, the housekeeper. She’s mildly terrifying in a completely nurturing way.”

He laughed and enjoyed the feel of her against him. “I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not.”

“I’m still deciding. I like it here. I’ve been near a lot of animals over the years but never horses. Once Evelyn—that’s the horse trainer—figured out I had a strong back, she had me in the stables.”

He took a sniff. “You don’t smell like horseshit.”

Kendall snorted into his shirt. “No, I got lucky there. She taught me how to rip apart hay bales and feed and water the horses.”

That was why she tasted a little salty. “I’m doing this so you don’t have to slog through a job.”

Her head popped up. “I earn my keep, Shane. So don’t worry about me. I like it. As long as I don’t have to muck out the stalls.”

Keeping her busy was a good idea. Especially with the level of work he’d be doing. He didn’t have time to make sure she wasn’t getting into any trouble. He nodded. “I get that. It’s a good plan.”

“Well, gee, thanks. I’m glad you approve.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t get all snarly. Besides, you smell like hay and sunshine. I like it.”

Her eyes softened, and he cursed himself for wanting to please her. Such a bad fucking idea. In less than ten days the reality of their situation was going to kill the happy peace between them. He squeezed her hand and stood. “Thanks for being my ten-minute break.”

A little frown line settled between her eyes before she grinned up at him. “I’ll see you for dinner?”

He smoothed his palm along the back of his neck, missing her touch already. “Not sure. We might be pulling a long shift today to get things back on track.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll find you later.” She brushed past him, and he snagged her wrist, hauling her back up against his chest. As usual Kendall melted into him, gentling him where he forgot to be gentle.

He opened his eyes first and caught the sweet smile on her upturned face. Dusky lashes rested against her sun-kissed cheeks and finally fluttered open. She made him want to be easygoing. It was an alien feeling. He tucked a stray tendril of hair around her ear. “Get out of here. You’re distracting the men.”

Her smile widened. “I always wanted to be a distraction.”

If she only knew.

She slipped away, her hips swaying as she bounced out the front doors into the sunshine. He stepped out of the stall to hear a long whistle from a half dozen men. “All right, all right. That overtime isn’t going to happen if I don’t see a dent in at least ten stalls. Move!”

There were a few grumbles but mostly snickers as hammering, saws, and pops of compressed air filled the room. This he understood.

KENDALL HIKED UP through bronzing fields dry with fall and the still-blazing heat of the sun. Utah hadn’t gotten the memo that it was mid-November. Now that she was away from Shane, she tied the sleeves of her overshirt around her hips and let the breeze cool her shoulders.

The man was so hard to read. He was wild and rough around the edges, and each time he touched her she splintered into pieces. She didn’t know when she’d ever felt more out of control and happy at the same time in her entire life. Free to do her own thing, she’d found herself working harder than when she was at the Heron.

But the backbreaking work cleared her mind. Evelyn Marsh was the perfect outlet for the days that tumbled in front of her. Kendall jogged the last few yard to the old stables and smiled when her new friend waved her into the foaling section. Evelyn was a leggy brunette who was as coltish as her charges. She was lean and sun roughened. Crinkles at the edges of her eyes spoke of the outdoors, but Kendall couldn’t name Evelyn’s age to save her life.

She wasn’t young, but she was virile and powerful in a way Kendall hoped to be someday.

“Come see my new baby.”

Kendall hooked her palm around the faded wood and peered through the bars of the wrought-iron framework over the door. “Oh, Evelyn.”

“I know. Isn’t she just the most beautiful thing you ever did see?” Evelyn knelt in the middle of a fresh spread of hay with a softly snuffing mama horse. The mare had a deep blue-black coat. The new baby was shaky but matched her mama in coloring save for a snowy slash of white down its nose. “Her name’s Hannah.”

Kendall slowly crept in and lowered herself in front of the spindle-legged baby. Hannah took a tumble, her hooves clunking together before she righted herself and scampered back to her mother. Kendall jammed her fingers between her knees and watched in awe as the mother nuzzled her baby. “They’re beautiful.”

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