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“I never said you did,” I snapped in reply and whipped around to face him. “You are acting like I have just come in and accused you of being incapable of taking care of cattle.”
“Have you not?” He shoved the bag into his pocket and glared at me. Cyan eyes of frustration.
“No, I have not.”
He shook his head and scoffed. “The first day you arrive, you tell my brother, the foreman of this ranch, that the two sick heifers brought in have locoweed poisoning. Something we take seriously. He said you didn’t believe him when he said we ride looking for it before we ever turn out the cattle. Then you asked me why no one found them for over a week.”
Turning on his heels, he strutted away from me. The snow was now falling rapidly and the warmth in this little glen was no longer present. I ran after him.
“Mr. Duke!” I shouted.
He turned his head just as the toe to my boot caught a branch, and I crashed face firstinto the now wet ground. Mud and bitter frozen leaves shot into my mouth then up my nose as a bellowing laugh ricocheted around the small valley. Pushing myself up from the ground, I glanced up at Weston, groaning in embarrassment.
My cheeks flushed red-hot while he grinned in breathless laughter. Snow fell against his felt cap, the white speckles contrasted strongly against the blackened cowboy hat. Watching his amused grin, I couldn’t help but chuckle as well. Brushing the dirt and leaves from my face, my giggle dissipated, as Weston crossed his arms in front of his chest in amusement.
“You better not tell a soul about that,” I demanded, pointing a finger in his direction.
He smiled, his blue eyes brightening despite the stiffness in his cheek that hindered the left side of his lips from raising any higher. “I am telling absolutely everyone that the new vet face planted her first day on the ranch.”
“That’s rude!”
He snorted and shook his head.
“I’ll tell everyone that you were the one to trip me then,” I added, and his laugh was cut short. His jaw fell open in shock.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?”
“But I didn’t do that!” He walked my way and offered me a hand. I placed my palm in his extended gloved hand and stood up. My fingers lingered in his grip and both of us stared at it, not ready to release the comfort that I was suddenly finding being this close to a grumpof a man.
“No one else was here, it would be my word against yours,” I mindlessly whispered, staring at the touch.
Slowly my gaze left the hands and drifted towards Weston’s face. Not the typical kind of handsome, but in his own way more rugged, a little wilder, a little less refined. I couldn’t help but softly smile.
“Then it’s our secret,” he replied, his voice quieter as the warmth from his breath caressed my cheeks. I could practically hear his heartbeat through the silence that had befallen us with the gathering snow. As my eyes left him to glance around the meadow that had quickly become white, he dropped his hand. Yet, remained close to me, wrapped up in the peaceful stillness of the changing season that had arrived.
“Our secret…” I mumbled under my breath and lifted my palm to the sky. A small flake fell upon my glove that matched the blue knitted cap my mom had made. It clung to its shape for a small moment before melting away. A frozen beauty that could cause so much destruction.
“We should get back before we get snowed in up here. The weather can change on a dime in these parts,” Weston said, still standing beside me.
My eyes lingered on the untouched snow coating the earth around my feet, until I slowly slid my head to face Weston. Once I finally met his gaze, I found a softness in him that hadn’t been there before. Only for a moment before it too melted away as that snowflake had done upon my mitt, and we were back in the Razor, heading towards safety.
Chapter 6
“Let me know if you notice anything else, and I will keep you up to date on the two heifers' progress,” I said to Weston as he held my car door open.
He tipped his head in my direction, snow flaking off of the brim and dusting towards the thickly covered ground that was becoming slicker by the minute.
“Better get going before the storm gets any worse,” he replied as I slid into my car and he shut the door.
Turning the car engine over, I pulled off the beanie and tossed it into the passenger seat before rolling my window down. “Why aren’t you the foreman instead of Cassidy?”
A wide, crooked grin spread across Weston’s face, the skin around his scar wrinkling slightly. “Because my job is much better. Now go.” He nodded towards the exit as snow blew into the car causing my hair to slap me across the face. Another chuckle came from him as my cheeks burned red and I pulled the strands from my mouth.
Quickly rolling up the window, I threw the car in reverse and skidded my way backwards and then began slowly sliding down the road. It was a painfully labored trek, the tires slipping across the icy embankment as I traversed away from the log home that quickly faded from view, clouded behind the torrential snowfall that was blanketing the sky thick with white.
Barely making it around the first turn, the back side of my car groaned and then slid out of control towards the left. It pulled me off of the main road and bumped into a frozen embankment. I jammed my foot onto the accelerator, urging it forward, but all the tires did were squeal across the icy ground without launching me forward.
