Page 34 of Taming the Wild Cowboy

“It was nice waking up in a warm dry place where I could stretch out my legs,” she said.

“No issues?”

“Meaning?”

“Every now and again, a mouse might visit.”

“If so they would have to contend with the mighty Raisin,” Mac said. Trev laughed and Mac found herself focusing on his mouth for a beat too long. The man was sexy, but she was in control. Nothing wrong with looking. Denial only brought on longing, so she’d enjoy what she could. Safely, that is.

They’d spent the day on different parts of the ranch—Mac at the fence line and Trev sleeping until early afternoon. Wade had walked through the cows with her before she’d taken off on her fence-checking mission. She liked Wade. He was kind of cagey as he felt her out, asking questions that were probably supposed to sound casual. He wanted to know about her and her background and Mac obliged, skimming over the issue with Trev and the truck all those years ago as well as giving minimal information about her family. She wondered what Trev would think about his uncle giving her the third degree.

Trev gestured for Maclyn to open the barn gate leading to the pasture and then he released the cow who made a beeline for her calf. The two trotted out of the barn to freedom and Maclyn closed the gate behind them.

“Only five more to go. This was an easy one.”

“What’s a hard one look like?”

“A foot in the face. Being knocked end over teakettle. The mother jumping the fence and coming to her baby’s rescue.”

According to Trev, cows were prodigious jumpers, a fact that seemed unreasonable considering their size and build, but true all the same.

“Do you worry about Wade?”

“All the time. He’s not as fast as he used to be. He’s not yet sixty, but that broken leg really slowed him down. Not that he’ll say anything or do any less.”

“He was limping pretty good today when we walked the herd.”

“I noticed. If it gets worse, I’ll ask.”

“Will he answer?” Mac asked curiously.

“Eventually.” Trev opened the gate leading to the pasture, where they would cut out the next mother and baby. “But I might have to ask Hayes where he keeps the thumb screws.”

*

Maclyn lacked cow experience, but she’d handled enough horses and foals that learning to manhandle calves came easily to her. The third calf was all hers and Trev held it as she followed the procedure he’d demonstrated—inoculation, gut paste, weight, tag, betadine for the naval.

“Okay?” she asked before screwing the lid onto the betadine container.

“You’re a natural.”

He released the calf, and she gave him a sudden smile that warmed him to his toes.

“Going to kiss me again?” he asked lazily.

She wrinkled her forehead in an as-if way. “I wasn’t planning on it. Are you going to kiss me?”

Wouldn’t mind, but he was following her lead. He was glad they could joke instead of feeling all shifty around one another. That meant they had the matter under control.

Uh-huh.

His phone buzzed. He looked at it, then dropped it in his pocket and, once Mac was clear of the pen he swung open the gate to let the cow collect her baby.

“Work,” he said after he closed the gate again.

“You can just ignore your work?”

“I can when I’m on leave, which I am.”