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Colin rose, glancing between the brothers. “I’m not going anywhere right now. Let this sink in, and then decide what you want to do. I’ll be here.”
Shep stood, offering his hand across the table. “Thank you, Colin.” He turned then, not paying attention to Nash’s rage or Chase’s concern. He had enough to think about without adding their shit onto his. He needed to think, find a way out of his hole.
Blackshaw Cattle had been a thriving business once. All Shep needed to do was find a way to bring the company back afloat. Blackshaw Cattle might not have ever been his dream, but it was his father’s, and he couldn’t forget that.
Chapter 9
Later that afternoon, with the stalls mucked and the animals settled with their afternoon feed, Emma stood at the fence, not moving an inch, barely breathing, her arm stretched out, offering Bentley the carrot in her hand. Danny had delivered the horses, as Shep had said he would, just as Harper was leaving this morning. Since Emma had nothing else to do today, she was damn well determined for Bentley to eat a carrot from her hand. Over the past hour, Bentley had slowly made his way over to her, while she stood there waiting for him to make a move. Each step he took only made Emma’s breathing shallower. She’d been continuing to toss him carrots all day, and he’d finally started eating them, but this time, this time, she needed him to take one from her.
His black eyes were soft, gentle, while he painstakingly made his way to her. Mimicking what she’d seen of how Shep handled Bentley, she stayed still, not making any jerky movements, not wanting to frighten him away. Just one bite. That’s all she needed him to take, and somehow, she got the feeling if that happened she’d be better too. That no matter how bad things got, you could trust again. God, she needed to see that so bad.
Bentley took the final step, stretching out his neck, his nose so close to the tip of the carrot. Emma held her breath. Come on, baby, just a bite . . .
Then it happened.
Bentley ate half the carrot and took the rest a second later. Emotion spilled out, tears welling, and Emma could do nothing to stop any of it. “That’s a good boy,” she whispered, expecting Bentley to spook, though he stayed put, simply chewing, watching her like this was an everyday thing.
A weight Emma hadn’t known was there lifted off her shoulders. Maybe she wasn’t so bad at taking care of animals after all. Grams would be thrilled seeing Bentley trusting again. Emm
a imagined there would be tears trailing down Grams’s cheeks, just as there were tears trailing down Emma’s. Of course, when that thought crossed her mind, the tears only came harder. “Now look what you’ve made me do.” She wiped at the tears, and yet they still rained down her cheeks.
Suddenly, Bentley’s head shot up, ears perked. Emma glanced in his direction, finding Shep striding toward them, a smile on his face. “Ah, I see you’ve made a friend.”
“I wouldn’t call us friends yet, but at least he’s acting like a horse.” She turned to Bentley quickly, trying to hide her tears from Shep.
A firm finger tucked under her chin, bringing her gaze to the warmth in his. “Don’t hide, Emma. You don’t ever need to do that with me.”
Those tears suddenly made everything blurry. She stepped into his arms and buried her face against his chest without even thinking about it. Of course, even Emma knew her emotion wasn’t only about the horse. It was about hope for herself too. Hell, it was probably even about her broken heart, but she wasn’t ready to go there just yet. Shep’s arms came around her tight, and she admitted, “Seeing Bentley trust again would have made Grams very happy.”
Shep dropped his chin on the top of her head. “It would have, yes. She’d be proud of you.”
“She would be.” Emma drew in a big deep breath, backed away. Shep kept her close, though, holding her tight to him. “I’m sorry I keep crying on you,” she said with a smile she guessed looked a little sad. “And to think, all I wanted to do was feed a horse a carrot.” She tried laughing, but failed miserably, sounding more like a squeak.
Shep gave her a knowing look, his fingers brushing over her cheek. “You’re sorry that you thought of your Grams and felt something from that?”
She nodded.
He hesitated. “There are many reasons why someone needs to apologize, Emma, but again, feeling how you feel is not something you should ever apologize for.”
This man . . . She stared up into his gorgeous face, suddenly wondering what she’d done to deserve him. Shep had been here to pick up the pieces of someone else’s mess, and he never once complained or asked for anything in return. Good, strong, caring, she didn’t know men like this. Men who thought of others before themselves. “Thank you for being here for whenever I seem to need you,” she said gently.
Emotion tightened his brows, his hand sliding across her face. “Darlin’, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He dropped his chin, and she leaned up to his mouth, suddenly feeling like it was just him and her, and nothing else around them. He gave her the kiss that she was growing fond of. Possessive, full of heat, and dominating, he ruled the kiss, and she melted under the power of such a touch. Soon, she found herself being cradled by him, felt his hard cock resting against her stomach, and in the heat of his touch, she believed him.
He broke off the kiss, leaving them both breathless. “Expecting any company today?” he asked.
“No. Why?”
His eyes narrowed, his voice going low, seductively serious. “Turn around to the fence.”
She knew that look now, when his eyes became firmer, when his voice held more authority. She spun around in a second, more than ready for what came next. The strength at her back engulfed her as he dragged his hands down her arms then over her hips until he reached around and opened her jean shorts. His hands brushed over her thighs as he dropped to one knee, taking her shorts on his way down. She tightened her hands around the wooden fence, staring at the sand in the ring. Her breath hitched as his fingers slid beneath the rim of her panties, and her pussy clenched in desire when he pulled her panties down, ever so slowly, as if teasing himself as much as he was her.
“Sweetheart, all day I’ve been thinking of this.” His groan when he parted her bottom open sent a hot flush rushing through her. “Thinking of tasting you.”
Her nipples puckered under that gravelly raw need in his voice. She tried to find embarrassment for exposing her like this where anyone could see him. Truth was, she wanted him to look. To be so admired, how could she not want to be whatever he needed her to be?
His next groan when he squeezed her bottom with his big, strong hands caused her clit to throb. “You drive me crazy, Emma.” He slapped one cheek, then the other. “Always there on my mind.” She gasped when those slaps continued, one after the other, only growing harder each time. “In my thoughts.” Her skin warmed, awakened, even. “I can’t get enough of you.”
