Chapter Eighteen

They pulled up to a different barn from the one they’d visited earlier. A dozen horses were saddled and tied to a fence rail. A group of men were on the move. They wore leather gloves, lifted equipment into three ranch work trucks. Others strode between the stable and office building, a blur of jeans, checkered shirts, and laughter. No one was idle.

“I’d better join ‘em. Want to come?” Matt asked, hoisting the leather saddlebags from the backseat. They were loaded with her sampling equipment.

“I’ll hang back. Can I keep your phone, in case the map comes up?”

He smiled and handed over his cell. She leaned against the spare tire on the tailgate of the Jeep, moving the cell phone to see if it would help with reception. It didn’t and she sighed.

From what Carolina could tell, this was the staging area. Even with their cowboy hats, the able-bodied ranch crews were wired as if ready to get to work. The skies were just starting to turn from silver to blue. Wade stood in the center of the crews. He talked and they nodded occasionally. They were too far off to hear what was exactly said. There was an interjection of some harsh sounding words from Wade, followed by a beat of silence. The elder McLemore didn’t use two words if one would work. Even from here, Carolina followed Wade’s movement.

The glitter in his eyes was sharp as he pointed, jabbing the air with a gloved fist. Someone had screwed up. She glanced away.

Miller just arrived in a sleek black SUV. The pretty boy out of the bunch. The same dark hair and eyes, yet cast in a different form.

“Good morning.”

She returned his wave. “Morning.”

“Going out with the troops. You’re brave.”

“Or brash,” she said.

“Get out of the way if you’re in the saddle and they’re rotating cattle between fields. It gets rough.”

Carolina gave him a thumbs-up. “So noted.”

Miller lifted a brief case from the back seat and disappeared into the office building. The ease in which he moved and how he dressed in starched chinos with a tucked in Peter Millar polo made Carolina think of the golf courses in South Florida.

Then she thought of Matt. With his charisma, he operated between both worlds, still retaining a bit more of the rancher. As if he’d do the unexpected like any true maverick. A man unafraid of forging new paths. Not put off by hard work or long hours under the harsh hot sun. Yet dressed in a tux, Matt didn’t seem out of his element either. Just as he’d said, he truly was the hybrid. The new rancher. The man who sought technology as a bridge to find solutions.

And Matthew McLemore was fast becoming more, to her. Mentally, she ticked off categories. The exceptional lover. A man who bridged worlds. Someone who delivered what he promised. What would happen in two weeks when she left? Great, one night in the man’s bed, she was trying to make out how the future would unfold. Duh? Matt’s life was here and hers, simply put, wasn’t.

“Darlin’, you’re mighty popular.” Matt’s hand pressed the small of her back, warming her skin through her shirt, and made her start.

“Hardly,” she scoffed, “I’m more a novelty. When it comes to women-to-men on a working ranch, the odds are in my favor.”

He chuckled. “Even if the numbers were balanced, you’d still stand out.”

“Look who’s talking,” she sassed right back.

In reply, he curled a lock of her hair around her ear. She relaxed, leaning against Matt’s large gloved hand, hungry to feel the touch of his mouth against hers. He dipped his head to her ear. “What are you thinking?”

A quiver of desire shot to her core. Goose bumps erupted along her chest, shoulders, and arms. She slightly shivered. In a moment of weakness, she answered him honestly, “You’re so handsome, cowboy. If we were naked, there are a hundred things I’d like to do with you.”

His gaze darkened and fell to her mouth. The sweep of his glance lit a searing path under her skin.

“If that heifer wasn’t set to give birth today, make no mistake, I’d have you back in bed, Dr. Rodriguez.”

Carolina felt herself go hot all over at the seductive rasp in his chocolatey voice. It required every ounce of self-control to act the part of a professional. She fought to speak sensibly, “How can you be sure she’ll give birth today? She’s young. Two years and this is her first calf.”

“Experience. Gut instinct,” Matt supplied.

“Is that common? Doesn’t a vet come in for calving?” Had they already seen the springing heifer? Even though Evermore had a falling out with the land-grant college, didn’t they still have a ranch vet on call?

“This heifer was bred with a bull that is a size grade beyond what I believe is her capacity. When I nail the person responsible, trust me, I’ll make sure this isn’t repeated.”

“Who the hell would have done that?” Carolina let her anger get in front of her ability to remain composed, only Matt didn’t seem to repent in withholding the intel on the person responsible. “If that heifer is in danger, you’ve got to do something.”

“Don’t you think I have?” Matt’s penetrating gaze didn’t waver. “It’s not the first time this has occurred. Which is one reason why I’ve pushed for the Wi-Fi. There’s another reason. Give me back my cell.”

She blinked. That’s right, she still held it and pushed it into his hand and asked, “What’s that?”

Matt switched between apps. “I’ve had my suspicions that someone is interested in making a name for themselves. You know what they say about keeping your enemies near.”

“Are you saying it’s someone closer?” She expected to hear his immediate denial but instead he nodded.

“If you aren’t interested in stepping into the fire, I’ll understand.”

Carolina’s throat tightened. “If you’re trying to warn me, I’m lost.”

He looked up. “This is the sort of calving and ranch problem, most vets with a lick of sense swear off of. The ones around here won’t touch it.”

She gasped, “Is that why you brought me here?”

“No.” He gripped her shoulder, staring hard into her eyes, “It isn’t.”

Carolina wasn’t sure if she believed him. “It’s inhumane,” she said with heat in her voice.

Just when she believed Evermore was a sweet slice of heaven, hell rose up and opened its bloody bowels. What had she gotten herself into? She’d heard of this type of treatment of cows. Experimental at best, torturous at worse. Either way, it was devastating to everyone, except the man who kept repeating the process, searching for a way to double profits. Who could be so callous?

“If I could fire the person responsible, I would. But I need proof. Irrefutable.”

“What type of a monster would do this?” Carolina blasted.

A muscle along the side of Matt’s jaw pulsed. “I’ve narrowed it down to one person.”

“Who?” Carolina demanded.

“Becca,” Matt replied coldly.