Chapter Fifteen
Tanner sat back in his chair, smiling as he listened to Johnny B explain the origins of his name to Evie. He’d heard all about Johnny’s mom remarrying a man with a son who was also called Johnny before, but it was fun to watch Evie’s face as she reacted to the story.
Man, he loved her smile. The way it lit up her eyes and activated the lone dimple in her left cheek. And her laugh… It never failed to make him smile, no matter how shitty he was feeling, how much his head ached or his eye stung.
Every now and then it hit him that two weeks ago, he hadn’t known her. He’d never touched her, never kissed her, never made her moan his name. It seemed impossible to him that he could feel so connected to someone he’d known for such a short time—and yet here he was, unable to take his eyes off her.
She’d held him together since the accident. She’d been patient, generous, kind, tough, firm… In short, she’d done whatever was necessary to make sure he’d be okay. He knew if he asked her, she’d claim she was simply balancing the ledger between them, helping him out in a tough situation the way he’d helped her out. It was complete bullshit. His small kindness to her had long ago been eclipsed by Evie’s efforts on his behalf.
She was special. One of a kind.
And in five days’ time, she’d be flying out of his life and back to hers.
Every time he thought about saying goodbye to her, his gut ached with denial. He’d never felt this way about a woman before, not this suddenly and sharply. A part of him didn’t trust it; his feelings had come on so fast and strong. Lying awake with Evie in his arms last night, he’d told himself it was the situation that had made things so intense. If he hadn’t had his accident, if she hadn’t been by his side while he reeled at the loss of his bull-riding career…
Maybe it was true, but he didn’t think so. He was convinced that no matter where he’d been in the world and his life, if Evie had walked into a room, he would have been drawn to her. He liked to think the same thing was true for her. After all, she’d come here chasing another man, and wound up in Tanner’s arms and bed. And now she was firmly planted in the middle of his life.
For the next few days, anyway.
Across the table, Evie caught his eye, her own dancing with laughter thanks to Johnny’s well-honed anecdote.
“So how did you all meet, anyway? How did you wind up working with Tanner?” she asked, her gaze returning to Helen and Johnny.
Pride bloomed in his chest at Evie’s considerate wording, and he marveled that in just a few days she’d picked up on one of the most important aspects of the ranch for him—Johnny B and Helen might be his employees, he might pay their wages, but they worked with him, not for him. They were a team, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d made a decision without consulting one or the other or both of them.
“I used to be on the bull-riding circuit, working as a bull fighter,” Johnny explained. “I’ve seen this guy get thrown off more bulls than you’ve had hot dinners.” He jerked a calloused thumb toward Tanner.
“At least I was riding the bulls, not running from them,” Tanner drawled.
Helen held up a hand. “Quit it before you two get into an ego-measuring contest. Evie doesn’t want to hear your posturing.”
“It’s okay. I have an older brother. I know it’s mostly harmless.”
Tanner nudged her boot with his beneath the table and she shot him a cheeky look before nudging him back.
“Anyway, Tanner and I used to travel together between events, and we’d always talk about what the future was going to look like. Then I had my injury and had to quit the circuit, and we lost touch for a while.”
“How bad were you hurt?” Evie asked, her expression serious now.
“Leg broken in two places, lost my spleen. Almost lost my liver,” Johnny said matter-of-factly.
Evie paled. “Because of a bull?”
“Didn’t get out of the way in time. Sometimes it happens. You step in to save some bigheaded, overpaid bull rider’s life, the next thing you know you’re getting stomped on.”
Tanner huffed out a laugh at Johnny’s saintly expression, even though there was a lot of truth in his friend’s words. The bull fighters on the pro bull-riding circuit were some of the bravest, craziest men he’d ever met.
Evie looked to Helen. “Were you there? Did you see this?” she asked.
“No, thank God. We didn’t meet until he came home to recuperate at his sister’s place. I was living next door, and finally I got sick of hearing him wail and screech like an old cat and went across to tell him to zip it.”
“I was teaching myself to play guitar,” Johnny explained. “She objected to my singing voice.”
“It’s not singing, my love, it’s a form of public indecency,” Helen said sweetly.
“Anyway, pretty soon she gave me something else to concentrate on instead of my guitar,” Johnny said, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Long story short, I put this ragged old cowboy out of his misery and married him, and we were eyeing off acreage for ourselves when Tanner won the world finals. He called Johnny that night and told him about this place in Colorado he had his eye on, and here we are.”
Talk moved on to Evie’s family’s landholdings back in Australia as Helen served up apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. By the time Evie stood to clear the plates, Tanner could feel a headache coming on.
Standing, he crossed to the kitchen and quietly swallowed a couple of tablets. Evie being Evie, she noticed, worry creasing her forehead.
“Do you need more eye drops?” Her gaze went to the clock on the wall. “You’re about due.”
Tanner was about to respond when Helen piped up.
“We’re going to leave you two kids to it. I’ve got an early start tomorrow, and Tanner is looking beat.”
“And I’ve got a mare to check on,” Johnny said.
Tanner narrowed his eyes. “You reckon Clementine’s going to go tonight?”
“Tonight or tomorrow.”
“Keep me posted,” Tanner said.
Evie insisted on applying his eye drops before they finished cleaning up together, stacking the dishwasher side by side.
Standing in his bathroom brushing his teeth, he watched as Evie braided her hair to keep it out of the way before washing her face.
I could get used to this.
Having Evie’s toothbrush next to his in the glass on the vanity. Having her shoes next to his beside the bed.
It was a dumb thought, destined to go nowhere. Why wish for something that was never going to happen?
Evie caught his gaze on her and raised her eyebrows.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, even though he wanted to haul her close and never let her go. “All good.”
He pulled her to him the moment she got into bed, running his hands over her soft skin, doing his best to make her hazy-eyed, warm and wet with desire. When he pushed inside her, he savored the flush in her cheeks, the flutter of her eyelashes, the little hitch in her breathing. And when she came, fingers digging urgently into his hips, he locked the memory away in the hope that it would be enough to sustain him when she was gone.
He fell asleep with his body curled around Evie’s. It was dark when he woke with a start, and for a second he thought he still had his bandages on, that he was still effectively blind. Then he realized it was simply the deep dark of night and that someone was knocking on the bedroom door.
“It’s me,” Johnny said, sounding both urgent and apologetic at the same. “Clementine’s foaling.”
Evie threw the covers back instantly, the bed bouncing as she rolled to her feet.
“Thanks. Be there in five,” Tanner called. He reached out to flick on the beside lamp so they could dress, the sudden illumination making him wince.
Evie glanced at him.
“I’m fine,” he said, preempting her concern.
They dressed quickly, shoving their feet into shoes without socks.
“How many times has Clementine foaled?” she asked as they exited the bedroom.
“This is her second,” he said.
“And her first delivery was okay?”
“Stock standard. No problems at all.”
“Fingers crossed we get a repeat, then,” Evie said, throwing him a grin over her shoulder.
She was buzzed, her stride long as they exited the house. She couldn’t wait to get to Clementine. He hid a smile. Clearly, being a vet was truly a vocation for her, not simply a career.
The barn was lit up like Christmas, golden light spilling out the open door. The other horses looked their way as they entered, their goal the last stall where Helen and Johnny were standing at the gate.
“Any progress?” Tanner asked.
“More fluid. She keeps trying to get up and then staying down,” Johnny said.
Pretty standard behavior for a delivery. Tanner propped his elbows on the top of the gate and covered a yawn.
“What time is it, anyway?” he asked.
“Two thirty,” Helen said, her arms crossed over a bulky hand-knit sweater jacket.
“She was waiting for some privacy,” Evie said, scanning the horse with an expert eye.
Clementine lay on her side, her flanks shivering, her heard tossing uneasily as she struggled with labor contractions. Her breathing was loud and ragged, and every five seconds or so she let out a moan of effort. Johnny had braided the mare’s tail and taped it up to get it out of the way, and fresh straw covered the stall floor.
“Poor girl,” Evie said sympathetically.
She was rolling up her sleeves, tucking her braided hair in on itself to get it out of the way.
Just in case.
Typical Evie, never taking a back seat when help was needed. Feeling a swell of affection for her, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side.
“Okay, something’s happening,” Helen said, drawing his gaze back to the mare.
More fluid flowed down the horse’s flank, her vulva pulsating. Evie leaned forward, a frown on her face.
“Oh no. I think she’s red bagging,” she said.
Johnny frowned. “You sure? I can’t see anything yet.”
“I just caught a glimpse of red. But it could have just been blood on the amniotic sac,” Evie said.
She pulled away from his side anyway, collecting the antiseptic foam from the foaling kit and washing her hands, her gaze never leaving the mare.
Clementine moaned again, then they all tensed as an unmistakable red balloon-like membrane protruded from her vulva.
“Damn,” he said.
“Calling the vet,” Johnny said, his phone already in hand.
It was the right thing to do, but everyone knew he wouldn’t get there in time.
Every other delivery Tanner had witnessed, the amniotic sac was the first thing he’d seen, the appearance of the white membrane preceding the foal’s forelegs through the mare’s vulva. A red membrane—or bag—appearing first meant part of the placenta had broken away and the foal was in danger of losing oxygen before it was born.
They had minutes, if not seconds, to do something before they lost the foal.
“You dealt with one of these before?” Evie asked quickly.
“No,” Tanner said, and Johnny shook his head.
Evie nodded decisively, grabbing the sterile gloves Johnny had at the ready. “I’ve only seen this done once, but I know the theory.”
“What can we do?” Helen asked.
“Cross your fingers and toes,” Evie said as she approached the mare and squatted beside it. Her face tight with concentration, she reached out, the glint of steel in her hand. Cool and focused, she used the scissors from the foaling kit to break the membrane. Fluid gushed out, revealing the white amniotic sac. Evie didn’t hesitate, piercing it, too. More fluid gushed out, and Tanner took a step forward as he saw a single chestnut foreleg encased in what remained of the amniotic sac.
Evie tossed the scissors to one side, then reached for the foal’s leg.
“Have to get her out as soon as we can,” she said, then she yanked hard, pulling out and down until a second foreleg appeared. Renewing her grip on both legs now, Evie grunted as she pulled with all her might, legs braced, every muscle straining.
Belatedly Tanner registered that he and Johnny were standing there, awestruck by her display of gumption and competence, when they were both twice as strong as her. Coming to his senses, he rushed forward, reaching around Evie to find purchase on the foal’s slippery flesh, adding his effort to hers. The foal’s nose appeared, then its shoulders. Clementine’s legs thrashed, and she groaned. Suddenly the rest of the foal came rushing out, sending both him and Evie onto their asses as the foal all but landed in Evie’s lap.
“God, are you all right?” Evie asked, twisting to check on him, her first thought—as always—for someone else.
“I’m fine,” he assured her.
Evie turned back to the foal, scrambling to her knees as she checked for a pulse below the animal’s jawbone. The foal was limp and still, and a tense silence fell as they waited for Evie’s verdict.
“I’ve got a pulse,” she said, a delighted smile on her lips as she looked up.
“Oh, thank God,” Helen said.
“Amen,” Johnny seconded.
“Pass me a towel,” Evie said, hand held out imperatively, her gaze only for her patient.
Tanner snatched one up from the stack near the gate, pressing it into her hand. Gently she rubbed the foal’s face, clearing its nose, then she attacked its chest more vigorously, trying to stimulate it into breathing. After ten seconds of brisk rubbing, the foal’s head lifted, then it kicked out feebly.
“That’s right, little dude, you fight for it,” Evie encouraged, still rubbing away.
The foal stirred again, his head wavering in the air.
Evie examined the foal quickly, then nodded with satisfaction.
“Okay, the umbilical cord broke during the delivery. Let’s move him around to where Clementine can see and smell him. We don’t want to get in the way of them bonding.”
Johnny came forward, laying some towels down on the straw, and Evie worked with him to shift the spindly-legged foal so he was closer to his mother’s head.
Clementine had been very still since the delivery, but she lifted her head now she could smell her baby, nosing forward to snuffle him. After a few exploratory sniffs, she started licking his damp coat, and Tanner released the breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding.
“Evie, you’re amazing,” Helen said. “Thank God you were here.”
Evie shook her head as she peeled off the gloves. “Rubbish. You guys would have just done the same thing.”
“Are you kidding? You’re super woman,” Johnny said, reaching out to pat her on the back.
Evie’s cheeks got pink, and her brow wrinkled with discomfort as she gazed at her boots. Tanner was reminded of her self-consciousness when they’d first started sharing his hotel room. She was freaking adorable, and he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her surprised lips.
“Johnny’s right—you’re amazing,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes, so he kissed her again and she huffed out a laugh against his mouth.
“You’ve got horse goo all over your hands, haven’t you?” she said.
“Not anymore,” he said, not bothering to hide his smile. “Pretty sure it’s all over your shirt now.”
The vet arrived twenty minutes later and heaped more praise on Evie after inspecting the foal. Helen disappeared to make coffee, returning with a big thermos and a jar stuffed with oatmeal cookies. Together they stood and watched as Clementine’s foal took his first shaky steps on legs that seemed far too long and slender for his body.
Evie laughed, fingertips pressed to her lips, and he smiled when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. It was tempting to tease her, but he had a lump in his throat, too. It was hard not to, watching Clementine nudge her long nose under her foal’s belly, doing her bit to help him balance on his spindly legs.
It was nearly four thirty by the time the vet left and they went back into the house. They had a quick shower to wash off the horse goo, as Evie called it, then crawled into bed and turned out the light.
Evie curled against his side and let out a little contented sigh. “That was so freaking cool. I love watching deliveries. It reminds me that us humans are not the only miracles on this planet.”
You’re the miracle.
The words were on his lips, but he bit them back. There was no point taking this to a place neither of them could realistically go. In four more days, she was leaving. Only an asshole would start making declarations now.
It didn’t stop him from staying awake long after Evie had fallen into a deep sleep, however. His bad eye was gritty with tiredness, but his mind was too busy trying to find a way to keep Evie in his life to let him rest.
But there was no getting around the fact that Evie’s life was in Australia. Yes, people moved countries all the time, but not when they were about to embark on the final year of a grueling and demanding education. He couldn’t ask Evie to walk away from something she was so patently passionate about just to be with him, and his life was here, running the ranch. With his riding career over, more so than ever.
After an hour, his head was so full he eased away from Evie and went into his study to do some research. It was hard to find a lot of detail online, but it looked as though it would take time and a lot of money to transfer Evie to a US-based program to complete her degree. It was likely she’d have to repeat some subjects, too. He had the money, but he was pretty sure Evie wouldn’t let him pay for her education. There was also the small matter that he’d be asking her to add further years to her training just for the dubious pleasure of being with him.
He went back to bed feeling more weighed down than ever. It wasn’t until he was drifting off to sleep that it hit him that he didn’t actually have any idea if Evie even wanted to turn what they had into something more permanent.
She was twenty-five years old, on the verge of launching into her career. She had family in Australia, and no doubt she had big plans post graduation. For all he knew, she even had a job lined up. Why on earth would she trade any of that for a washed-up bull rider who was trying to make a go of things outside of the arena?
Crazy-good sex didn’t seem like a compelling enough argument. They’d spent less than two weeks together. What mad person would make life-altering decisions based on so little?
Me. I would, if it meant having Evie.
He’d always been reckless in the arena and careful out of it. He’d saved his winnings, invested them wisely, planned for the future. He’d never fallen hard for a woman the way he’d fallen for Evie. From the moment he met her he’d been drawn to her, and once he’d tasted her, been inside her, held her in his arms, he’d been gone.
But none of that answered his original question—did Evie even want there to be more between them?
Turning his head, he studied her in the soft dawn light. She was on her side, one hand drawn up near her chin, her face relaxed in sleep.
She’d never said a word about her feelings for him. She responded ardently in bed. Out of bed, she was warm and affectionate, trading jokes and caresses with him.
But she’d never talked about a future for them. She’d never so much as hinted at trying to maintain a long-distance relationship, for example, or coming back to Colorado to visit, or him coming to visit her.
Would she welcome more from him? Was he a holiday fling for her? The rebound guy to help her get over Troy?
He had no idea, and combined with the uncertainty about his own future and the complication of her ongoing study, he was right back where he’d started—with no idea about anything and a growing ache in his chest as he faced the prospect of saying goodbye to her.
Stirring, Evie made a small sound in her sleep before rolling onto her side, away from him. Because he could, he closed the distance between them and snaked his arm around her waist, fitting his body to hers. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scent of her shampoo.
Three more nights.
It would never be enough.