almost seemed to be his answer to everything they didn’t agree on. Okay,
she’d had a bit of attitude recently. Still…
“Are
you all right?” Rachel asked, facing her and studying her in concern, her brow
furrowed.
Cassie
blinked back tears that were threatening to fall and forced another smile. “I’m
just tired. I didn’t sleep well.” Huge understatement.
Rachel
gently patted her hand and looked sympathetic. “I never sleep well when Jim’s
gone.”
She
didn’t want to talk about Dalton not being with her here, or her not going to
the ranch with him this weekend. Actually, she didn’t want to talk at all. Her
heart pinched. So she just nodded toward the pulpit where the reverend was now
standing, hoping her friend would focus on the service.
***
Lifting
his hat to swipe at the sweat on his brow, Dalton tried not to breathe in too
deeply of the hot, humid air. It had to be over a hundred degrees out here. And
the humidity was well over fifty percent, probably closer to seventy percent.
Kansas in the summer was a killer. He was getting too old for this, even if he
was only thirty-six. At least his body thought that today. His life would be a
hell of a lot simpler if he had a desk job.
He
shifted in the saddle, tried to get some of the kinks out of his sore back.
Frowning into the distance, he remembered how much he’d hated actually working
a desk job. He’d tried that in Dallas while he was still married to Brittany,
still trying to save his marriage. Complete waste of time and money. He would
never put himself through that torture again, meaning working in an office. He
sure wanted to try marriage again…with Cassie. But he was beginning to think
that would never happen.
Craig
rode up next to him, appearing every bit as worn out as Dalton felt. They
looked across the field toward the last of the cattle trucks unloading another
dozen steer. That made fifty new ones today. Now that they were here, he and
his brothers needed to get them settled in, get the vet to come out here and
check them over.
Weariness
weighed heavily on him and there was still so damn much to be done. Adding to
his stress was the fact that he knew that he really didn’t have time for his
temporary job as sheriff. But he’d agreed to do it until a new man could be
found. The trouble was he didn’t think the town council was looking all that
hard for his replacement. They were too focused on all of these community
things coming up this month. He’d be glad when all of it went away. Except that
would probably only happen if Jim won the mayoral position. This only had a
snowball’s chance in Hell of happening now that Cassie had decided to run for
another term. The people liked her.
Hellfire
and damnation! He swore under his
breath and captured his brother’s attention.
“Still
upset with your woman?” Craig asked knowingly. Both of his brothers still wondered
why she hadn’t come to the ranch this weekend.
He
didn’t want to talk about her or their problems. “I was thinking that since
things have been quiet in town maybe I could take a couple of days off. You
need me here at the ranch.”
“We’ll
survive without you.” Craig rolled his shoulders against the obvious tight
muscles there. “Think maybe you could work half days and help us in the
afternoons? Other than Wednesday, of course.”
Craig
blew out a breath. “I’ll admit you planning to take that day off comes at a bad
time for us. Especially since it means Parker will be gone from the ranch,
too.”
It
had been a last minute decision to get these new cattle that Dalton’s brothers
had bought at auction a few days ago delivered earlier than they’d planned on.
The auction place had called while he’d been in town with Cassie, wanting to
bring them out today. He and his brothers had thought they would have until the
end of the week to get all the fences mended and everything else ready. But
Parker had agreed to the early delivery and it was saving
she’d had a bit of attitude recently. Still…
“Are
you all right?” Rachel asked, facing her and studying her in concern, her brow
furrowed.
Cassie
blinked back tears that were threatening to fall and forced another smile. “I’m
just tired. I didn’t sleep well.” Huge understatement.
Rachel
gently patted her hand and looked sympathetic. “I never sleep well when Jim’s
gone.”
She
didn’t want to talk about Dalton not being with her here, or her not going to
the ranch with him this weekend. Actually, she didn’t want to talk at all. Her
heart pinched. So she just nodded toward the pulpit where the reverend was now
standing, hoping her friend would focus on the service.
***
Lifting
his hat to swipe at the sweat on his brow, Dalton tried not to breathe in too
deeply of the hot, humid air. It had to be over a hundred degrees out here. And
the humidity was well over fifty percent, probably closer to seventy percent.
Kansas in the summer was a killer. He was getting too old for this, even if he
was only thirty-six. At least his body thought that today. His life would be a
hell of a lot simpler if he had a desk job.
He
shifted in the saddle, tried to get some of the kinks out of his sore back.
Frowning into the distance, he remembered how much he’d hated actually working
a desk job. He’d tried that in Dallas while he was still married to Brittany,
still trying to save his marriage. Complete waste of time and money. He would
never put himself through that torture again, meaning working in an office. He
sure wanted to try marriage again…with Cassie. But he was beginning to think
that would never happen.
Craig
rode up next to him, appearing every bit as worn out as Dalton felt. They
looked across the field toward the last of the cattle trucks unloading another
dozen steer. That made fifty new ones today. Now that they were here, he and
his brothers needed to get them settled in, get the vet to come out here and
check them over.
Weariness
weighed heavily on him and there was still so damn much to be done. Adding to
his stress was the fact that he knew that he really didn’t have time for his
temporary job as sheriff. But he’d agreed to do it until a new man could be
found. The trouble was he didn’t think the town council was looking all that
hard for his replacement. They were too focused on all of these community
things coming up this month. He’d be glad when all of it went away. Except that
would probably only happen if Jim won the mayoral position. This only had a
snowball’s chance in Hell of happening now that Cassie had decided to run for
another term. The people liked her.
Hellfire
and damnation! He swore under his
breath and captured his brother’s attention.
“Still
upset with your woman?” Craig asked knowingly. Both of his brothers still wondered
why she hadn’t come to the ranch this weekend.
He
didn’t want to talk about her or their problems. “I was thinking that since
things have been quiet in town maybe I could take a couple of days off. You
need me here at the ranch.”
“We’ll
survive without you.” Craig rolled his shoulders against the obvious tight
muscles there. “Think maybe you could work half days and help us in the
afternoons? Other than Wednesday, of course.”
Craig
blew out a breath. “I’ll admit you planning to take that day off comes at a bad
time for us. Especially since it means Parker will be gone from the ranch,
too.”
It
had been a last minute decision to get these new cattle that Dalton’s brothers
had bought at auction a few days ago delivered earlier than they’d planned on.
The auction place had called while he’d been in town with Cassie, wanting to
bring them out today. He and his brothers had thought they would have until the
end of the week to get all the fences mended and everything else ready. But
Parker had agreed to the early delivery and it was saving
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