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“And that includes insinuating that my father would intentionally cause an animal suffering and pain!” Her face burned with a simmering anger.
Colton’s frustration was plain in his expression. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think Ivan would hurt the animals.”
“Not even to get back at you?” she taunted, unable to resist baiting him.
“Not even then.”
“Good. Now all you’ve got to do is convince Denver.”
And that won’t be easy, Colton thought as he slid the latch away from the door and held it open.
Cassie stepped inside and was greeted by a soft nicker. “Look at you,” she whispered, walking up to Black Magic and patting his nose. Turning her head, she grinned at Colton. “He’s already better.” But when she touched the swelling under his jaw, the horse flinched, snorting impatiently and tossing back his head. “Steady, boy, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”·
The shed was warm and dry. Fresh, sweet-smelling straw had been scattered over the floor, and Magic’s box was filled with oats.
Tempest, however, hadn’t improved. In fact, he looked worse. Whereas Black Magic’s temperature was slowly falling, Tempest’s continued to rise, and his nasal discharge was constant and opaque. “Has he eaten anything yet?” Cassie asked, already guessing the answer.
Colton shook his head. “Curtis has tried to get him to eat. So has Len. But it’s a major battle just to force the antibiotics down his throat.”
“Come on, boy,” Cassie whispered, frowning a little. “You can do it.”
The big sorrel didn’t move, didn’t so much as flick an ear in her direction. Patting his strong shoulder, she sent up a silent prayer for this horse and the rest of the McLean stock.
Together, she and Colton made the rounds again. One of the yearlings had started to cough, and Cassie ordered him isolated immediately. “It might be nothing more than a cold,” she said, crossing her fingers as Curtis led the horse to a stall far from the others, “but we can’t take any chances.”
Curtis, Len and Daniel started the task of cleaning out the yearling’s old stall, and Colton, more charming than usual, convinced Cassie to stay for dinner.
Later, he and Cassie walked to the broodmare barn and found Red Wing shifting anxiously, pawing at the straw.
“She’s ready,” Cassie said, keeping a watchful eye on Tessa’s little mare. She leaned her elbows on the top rail of the stall and bent forward to get a closer look.
Colton stood behind her, so close she could feel the body heat radiating from him. “Maybe you should stick around,” he suggested, his breath on her nape. “She might need you.” He slipped his arms familiarly around Cassie’s waist, linking them at her abdomen, pressing gently so that her hips rested against the firm saddle of his thighs.
Think, Cassie, she told herself, wishing she had the willpower to squirm away from him. But she didn’t, and the tips of his thumbs gently pressing against the underside of her breasts caused a stirring deep inside her.
“I—I should go home.”
“You told me your father never expects you.”
“I do work odd hours, but—”
“But nothing. Stay here. The horses need you. And so do I.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed against the huge, burning lump that suddenly filled her throat. “Colton, don’t—”
“You said we had unfinished business.”
“I didn’t mean this!”
“But I did.” How could she concentrate when his lips were hovering over her crown, his fingers splaying possessively across her abdomen, his warmth seeping through her clothes to caress her skin?
Gathering all her strength, she turned to face him. “So now you want me. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Her stomach fluttered and her heart pumped faster as she noticed the sexy slant of his mouth, the cocksure lift of his brows. Cassie, use your head! She forced her chin up, challenging him with her piercing gaze. “After all these years, all the heartache, all the misunderstandings and even this—this accusation of Denver’s that my father was part of some insidious plot to destroy your livestock and your ranch—you want me?”
“Don’t confuse me with my brother,” he warned.
