Spurred On (The Quick and the Hot) (14 page)

Sucking in a small amount of air, she slipped into the stall. The chamber of the gun held a single shot. If her aim wasn’t true—if she wavered and missed—she’d never forgive herself.

Crying openly, her sobs noisy, she lifted the gun to her shoulder and aimed down the barrel. With the sights on the calf, she saw its chest heave as it labored for breath.

Yes, she was doing the right thing. It couldn’t suffer through another minute of misery.

She placed her finger on the trigger. The animal wobbled in her sights.

I have to get hold of myself. This is the job I want for life. This won’t be the last time I have to dispatch a sick or wounded animal.

As she pulled the trigger, an explosion also sounded from her right. Her gun kicked as the shot ripped through the barrel. Another shot fired at the same moment. Before the echo had even left her ears, she raised her head and looked right at Hayden.

He stood feet away, his gun in position. He met her gaze, his face creased with pain.

A sob burst from Zoe Beth.

Hayden stepped forward and took the gun from her. After placing both out of reach, he yanked Zoe Beth into his arms. “Damn you. Thieves are prowling. Buck and Len caught one in the north field last night. You scared me to death.”

The safe feel of his embrace allowed her to let go. She buried her face against his chest and cried. She’d been strong, had done the right thing, but in the end Hayden hadn’t allowed her to carry the burden of dispatching Five Feet on her own.

She had no idea whose shot had actually ended the calf’s pain, but it didn’t matter.

For years Zoe Beth had worked hard on the ranch to prove herself. Her idea that she had to perform singlehandedly crumbled away in the aftermath of what she and Hayden had done here in the barn.

Sometimes working as a team was better.

“What the hell’s going on here?” The familiar voice boomed from the door.

As one, she and Hayden turned toward her father. Zoe Beth tried to extricate herself from Hayden’s hold, but he angled his body to shield her.

“I heard shots.” Her father stomped up to the calf’s stall and peered in. “What’s going on here? That’s not Cole stock. Zoe Beth—”

“It was my doing, sir.” Hayden squeezed Zoe Beth’s nape when she started to speak. “I found this calf on the border and thought I could nurse it.”

“That’s not true, Daddy.” Zoe Beth pulled free of Hayden’s arms. She braced herself for her father’s displeasure and swiped away her tears. “I found it and asked Hayden for help. We’ve been nursing the calf for a few days, but today it took a turn for the worse.”

“On the border?” Her father’s sharp tone hammered nails in her coffin. No way would her father take such an action lightly. If the roles were reversed and their neighbor had Cole stock on his land, a feud would likely commence.

Zoe Beth nodded. “On the border, yes. It’s Joseph Michaels’s calf. You can see it’s deformed, and he left it to die. Daddy, he doesn’t treat his animals right, and this is proof. Any good rancher would have put the animal down rather than leave it to starve.”

Her father glared at her from beneath drawn brows. “And I suppose you acted as a good rancher by bringing it back here and wasting time and money to care for it?”

“I—” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I had to give it a chance.”

“Sir, I’m equally responsible. I knew about the calf and didn’t tell you.”

With a shake of his head, her father turned his attention to Hayden. “I appreciate you stepping up for Zoe Beth, Meadows. But she’s flitted around this ranch like a wild woman for too long. It’s time she realizes she isn’t in charge.”

“But that’s just it—someday I want to be. I’m the only child, and someday I’ll inherit this land and all the animals. That is, if you’ll allow a lowly
girl
to own the ranch when you’re gone!”

“Now, Zoe Beth, a lot comes with running a ranch. More than you might be able to handle.”

She swept a hand at the dead calf even if she couldn’t bear to look at it. Her heart was breaking. “I’ve just handled it. Proved myself, Daddy. You look at me as if I’m a little girl unable to do anything around here. But I’ve been working hard for years on this ranch. I’ve contributed and never gained credit. I’ve learned and not received a hint of acknowledgment. Hell, you even think you can tell me who to date. Did you ever think I don’t want a cruel older man like Joseph Michaels, and that I might actually want a man in his prime?”

Her words raised awareness in her father, and he looked between her and Hayden. “Is that what’s going on here? You two—”

Hayden dropped his head, scuffing a boot over the wooden floor. “No, sir. I work with Zoe Beth, nothing more.”

Fury rose in her. She hadn’t been ready to reveal their relationship either, but dammit, she’d taken the plunge. Because she felt so much for Hayden, and he deserved for her to admit it. Telling her father about them was just about as good as saying, “I love you.”

Shooting a look at Hayden, she seethed. He refused to meet her gaze.

“I can see where I stand with either of you. And it’s right beneath your boot heels, just where I thought.” Her voice broke as she stormed past them. When she cleared the barn doors, she took off running. Through the field, right to the top of the hill. Her lungs worked to gather air as she sobbed and ran, but she kept on.

Going back was not an option right now. Being in the presence of others—even friends like Mark or Buck or Mattie—was out of the question. Trapping herself in the house or one of the outbuildings couldn’t happen without her exploding. And seeing her father or the man who’d denied her was impossible.

Zoe Beth reached the fence and wrapped her arms around the post, chest heaving. She pressed her forehead against the weathered wood and cried until there wasn’t another drop left.

The sun traveled across the sky, burning down on the back of her neck. She ran a hand around it and felt the tight skin of a sunburn. Her tears had emptied her of pain, and now a hollow ache stood in its place. Her mind felt numb, but in the recesses she understood she had a lot of thinking to do.

If her father would never give her equal rights on the ranch, there wasn’t any point in staying.

If I’m only a good lay to Hayden. That chapter ended before it really began.

“Zoe Beth.”

She twitched, knocking her forehead against the post. No, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t come the whole way up here to find her, not when he wasn’t admitting to caring about her.

He grasped her waist and turned her to face him.

She avoided his gaze, looking at the point in the distance over his shoulder and hating that she could smell her scent on him. Betrayal was a thick serpent in her belly.

“Look at me.” His commanding tone triggered a knee-jerk reflex in her. Without conscious thought, she snapped her gaze to his.

Hell, she hated herself for it.

“You aren’t in charge of me. You never can be.”

“I was wrong not to admit to being with you when you brought it up to your father. As soon as you left I told him. Everything.”

She tried to put space between them because his touch made her want to crawl onto his lap and let him snuggle away her worries. “I’m sure your ‘everything’ is different than mine. You’ve admitted to working with me too long in the sun or aiding me in getting Five Feet back to the ranch.” Her voice broke on the calf’s name.

“No.” He shook his head. When she refused to look at him, he used a thumb under her chin to raise her head. “I told him—all of it.” His eyes burned with some emotion she couldn’t allow herself to acknowledge.

“I won’t be your toy, Hayden Meadows. You won’t boss me around the ranch anymore, because I’m officially no longer your assistant. And you sure as hell won’t tell me what to do in the bedroom.”

She stepped away from him. Two steps, three. It was a start.

He started forward, stalking her. A dark look crossed his face and riveted her attention. His mouth was grim. “You
are
my assistant. And you sure as hell are mine in the bedroom, the field, or in my truck. Dammit, Zoe Beth, you’re not walking away from me.”

“See? You can’t stop ordering me around even after I’ve told you that I won’t fall under your rule. I love being with you, Hayden, but I won’t just be your woman.” As he reached for her, she threw up her hands to ward him off. “I’m finished being crushed under my father’s thumb, and I’m definitely done with this.” She waved at him—every damn sexy inch of him.

A growl rumbled in his throat. “We aren’t finished.”

“Then let me work with the animals without ordering me around.”

He stared at her until her pussy heated and her nipples bunched.
Traitorous body! Stop!

“I’m in charge.”

“You mean you can’t let go and trust me to do what’s right.”

“No. You know so much about the animals—more than some of the ranch hands.”

“Then let me do my job.” She planted her feet and stood her ground even as he crowded into her space.

“You can go on doing it, but I need to watch over you.”

“Why? Dammit, what do you get from being so bossy?” Her anger rose another notch until she was screaming. She shoved against his chest, making him rock on his heels.

Though she’d moved him, he crowded her again, unwilling to give up his position. He gripped her upper arms and swooped in, crushing his lips to hers. “Woman, don’t you understand? I was trained—had competed for years. And I was still bested by a bull. That animal ended my career, but it could have killed me. They can kill you too. I can’t let you work with the animals!”

Shock ripped through her. She’d never once considered that he was protecting her. She pushed her hair off her face, trying to get a grip on what he’d just told her.

“Zoe Beth,” he whispered raggedly. He brushed his lips over hers, bumping noses. His scent thrilled her to the pit of her soul. He enfolded her in his arms. “When that bull yanked my career out from under me, I never thought I’d enjoy life again. Then I met you. You’re the bright spot in my day, the sun in my existence. I love how damn spunky you are even if it does drive me mad. But sweetheart, I can’t let you get hurt. It would…end me.”

Her throat closed off. Slowly she dropped her forehead to his. Up close, she stared into his eyes, which were bright with the emotion she’d seen there so many times in the past few days. Was it possible that he felt the same for her as she did for him?

“Hayden…”

He kissed her, his mouth seeking forgiveness in a way he obviously couldn’t utter. “Let me in, sweetheart. Let me claim you in heart and body. It’s going to take some time for me to let go of that wild spirit of yours when it comes to the ranch, but I’ll try. For you, I’ll try.”

She blew out a slow breath, fighting fresh tears. Wrapping her arms around him, she opened her mouth. He plunged his tongue deep.

They shared a hard groan. With a grip under her knees, he swept her up and then laid her in the tall grass. The blades tickled her neck and bare arms. When Hayden stripped away her clothes bit by bit, she closed her eyes to the luxurious sensation of nature and man.

The stubble on his jaw seared her skin deliciously. Gasping she gave herself up to the mating dance of their tongues.

Together they pulled off his clothes. He laughed when she was too eager, too rough. But once he was nude and with a condom in place, they both sobered.

“You’re mine,” he grated out.

She stared at him against the backdrop of blue sky. His harsh words sounded like the sweetest music. Trailing a fingertip down his carved chest, she nodded. Parting her thighs, she drew him down between them.

When he joined them in a quick, solid thrust, she lost herself to the dark pleasure of his body moving inside her. Her pussy clenched and released, body tense as she neared the edge of the precipice she wanted so much to fall over.

Hayden covered her mouth with his again, delivering slow, lazy kisses that scorched a path right to her heart. She wrapped her legs around his waist and angled her hips to accept him deeper.

“Hell, sweetheart.” He closed his eyes and rocked. The head of his cock passed over her inner sweet spot in a rhythm she couldn’t ignore.

As she gazed at his blissed-out expression, she poured every ounce of passion she felt into making love to him. Hands on his broad back, his strong shoulders, and finally bracketing his beautiful face, she came.

The shudders slammed her, knocking the breath from her. Her pussy pulsed wildly around his length.

“Shit. Zoe Beth, I’m coming!” He grunted, tensed, and liquid heat warmed her. He pistoned his hips, drawing out their orgasms.

When she regained her breath and opened her eyes, she stared at a single puffy cloud overhead. The wind rushed over her heated body, cooling the perspiration there.

Hayden braced himself on his elbows and looked down at her, his gaze a caress she couldn’t go without. “Am I forgiven?”

Her heart kicked at her chest wall, reminding her of the bruising she’d experienced earlier. He’d been overbearing and high-handed. She wasn’t about to be treated this way. But Hayden’s expression was like a soothing balm. The remorse on his features made her forget about her pain.

“Depends.” She slid a hand down his side. “Did you really tell Daddy about us?”

He pressed his lips together and nodded. “I didn’t go into detail, but yes.”

“Everything?”

“What do you mean by everything? If you want to know whether or not I told him about popping your ass cherry, then no, not everything. I can go back and tell him now if you want.” He started to rise off her, but she tightened her hold.

“I don’t think ‘everything’ is necessary. I just… What did he say?”

“He didn’t look too pleased at first, but when I told him how I felt about you—that I’d ride out to Joseph Michaels’s property and bring back every last head of cattle for you—he knew I was pretty damn serious.”

Her heart flipped with joy. “You’d do that? For me?”

He nodded. “Damn right. But I’ll try not to hold you back, Zoe Beth. If you want to work with the new cows, I’ll let you. I want you to know how important you are to the ranch. But I want you to know how important you are to me too. And that means you’ll have to put up with me trying to keep you safe.”