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The barn was burnt stone and smoldering rubble by the time Megan had called Shep and Emma to come and pick up Jenny. Before going to the hospital to be with Nash, they dropped Gus off at Nash’s house. The firefighters had gotten the fire under control quickly, focusing on the house first. Now the side of the house was blackened but safe. Everyone seemed in a state of shock and confusion, with the guests looking slightly bewildered. Megan thought quick and told the staff to take the guests down to Kinky Spurs for an early dinner with a ride on the mechanical bull while the fire department finished putting out the fire. But Megan saw the way the guests looked on, and the disappointment in their eyes. This was just another hit for Nash in making the guest ranch run flawlessly.
While life wasn’t fair at the best of times, Nash seemed to be dealt hard blow after hard blow, over and over again. To test him? To push him to better himself? To force him to face his demons? Megan didn’t know, but she felt for him. The guy needed a break, something to help him find his way again. All he seemed to be doing was struggling.
Those concerns stayed with her while she drove toward town with the kittens on the passenger seat of her car, after calling Leah. They looked all right, but who knew how much smoke they had inhaled while they were trapped in the barn. They sat quietly in the basket on the passenger seat, staring at Megan a little dazed. Hell, even she felt a little dazed.
She’d thought the worst had happened when that barn collapsed. Thinking Nash had been hurt or worse had changed ever
ything. All the boundaries she had to keep distant vanished. She had always known she was in big trouble when it came to Nash. First, she had a crush. Then, she had lust. But after that, emotions developed. That was when things got messy and she’d done her best to shut him out.
When she thought the building collapsed around him, her world stopped turning. She couldn’t lose him. And yet even knowing how exposed showing her feelings to Nash made her, she wanted to fall into this new thing between them. She didn’t want to run anymore. Not from him. Because he was trying . . . and dammit, she wanted to leave this all be and allow the emotions she fought turn into happiness.
Truth was, she wanted to give all of herself to Nash for now, for always. He ran into that burning barn with zero hesitation to protect those kittens. Maybe it was time she stepped up too.
When she’d arrived at the clinic, Leah was waiting for her at the front door. She’d taken the kittens immediately into the examination room, even though there were other people waiting in the reception area.
For the last twenty minutes, Leah had been examining the kittens, and Megan kept them calm with soft pets to their head.
“Lucky, lucky kittens,” Leah said, listening with a stethoscope to the gray kitten’s side. “They look good.” She picked him up and opened his mouth, glancing inside with her small flashlight. “I’m not seeing any evidence they inhaled any smoke at all.” She petted the kitten’s head and looked up at Megan. “You said the Blackshaw barn caught fire?”
Megan nodded. “Burnt to the ground by now, I imagine.”
“The town gossipers must not have gotten ahold of the news yet,” Leah said.
The door suddenly opened, and Leah’s assistant entered the room. “Wow. Just heard on the street the Blackshaw barn caught fire.”
Megan and Leah laughed.
The assistant blushed.
“It’s all right,” said Leah, placing the kitten down with the others. “We were just talking about the fire and how no one had said anything about it.”
The assistant moved closer to the table. “It’s certainly the talk of the town now.”
Exactly what Nash didn’t want. Megan had been so focused on getting the kittens to Leah so she could be with Nash at the hospital, she hadn’t really thought about how this was going to affect the guest ranch. Reviews and word on the street mattered in the beginning. Megan knew that well after opening Kinky Spurs. Those early days made or broke a business. And the horrified looks on the guests’ faces, especially the older couple, had Megan believing the guest ranch would take a hit, considering the cattle had gone missing earlier in the week too.
A sudden loud screech broke through the air, sounding like a mix between fighting raccoons and a rabid wild animal. “What in the hell is that?” Megan asked.
Leah smiled. “I think the mama cat knows her babies are here.” She scooped up two of the kittens. “Wanna grab that baby?”
Megan gently picked up the black kitten.
When another piercing cry blistered the air, the kittens began crying back. The sound was desperate and pained, hurrying Megan along. Her heart began racing, emotion rising to her throat. She followed Leah into the back room where the cages were up against the wall. The only cat there, with a couple of dogs in the larger cages below, was a gray cat lying on her side. She was on a soft green blanket and hooked up to an IV on her paw.
Megan breathed against her tightening throat. The cat looked so weak, not even able to lift her head, but her meows calling out to her babies were fierce. Tears she couldn’t dare stop rose in her eyes as the kittens meowed back. Leah had the cage open in no time and placed the kittens inside against their mom.
When Megan added the black kitten, the mom began purring, still unable to lift her head. “How’s she doing?” Megan asked, reaching out to stroke the cat’s head, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.
“She’s on the mend.” Leah moved one of the kittens who was getting tangled with the IV line. “She lost a lot of blood, and we’ve had to give her a couple transfusions because she’s become severely anemic. That’s why she looks so lethargic.”
“But she’ll be okay?” Megan asked.
“Yeah, it’ll just take some time.” Leah stroked the cat’s head, and her purrs deepened. “I spayed her after we stabilized her, so this won’t happen again.” She turned to Megan, eyes curious. “Did Nash say if he was keeping her?”
Megan shrugged. “I’ve never asked, but he’s not really a cat person.” She paused. “Of course, he did also risk his life to save the kittens, so maybe he’s had a change of heart.”
Leah inclined her head. “A conversation for another time, then.” She gave the kittens another look. “I need to see to my next client. Mama will fall asleep soon. She’s only been awake for minutes a time. I suggest you leave with the kittens then.”
