Hot For You Page 6

  She shrugged as her body rocked in the saddle. “If it’s crunch time for a big project, I’ll work a lot of overtime. Otherwise I try to keep regular office hours on weekdays. All work and no play is a good combination for a case of burnout, and I do my best to avoid it. Been there, done that.”

  “Do you enjoy what you do?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She smiled. “Most of the time.”

  “I think it’s that way with most jobs.” He grinned. “I love ranch life, and I enjoy being a firefighter, but it’s nice to have a break from each of them at times. Maybe that’s why I like both jobs—one gives me a break from the other.”

  She cocked her head. “But does that mean you’re always working with something?”

  “I take time off as needed,” he said. “Like you said, burnout is a danger if you don’t give yourself a break.”

  “So you enjoy being a firefighter?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  “I imagine it can be hard at times.” She thought about the challenges he probably faced. “Not to mention you’re constantly putting your life on the line.”

  “The rewards of the job outweigh the negative.” He looked thoughtful. “Saving a life makes up for times when the job can get rough.”

  Her stomach had settled and she rocked in the saddle in time with Molly’s movements as the horses made their way through the grassy pasture. The grass was green, the soil soft enough that the horse’s hooves made prints. The air smelled clean and wonderful.

  “Have you been getting rain in this area?” she asked.

  “We had good rains earlier this week, before you arrived. We were in a drought, but we’ve now had more rain than normal for this time of year.” He adjusted his western hat. “It won’t be long until it’s summer and the grass turns yellow and the dirt is dry. The rain won’t keep up like this.”

  She let her gaze drift over the land. “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “You can understand why this land would be hard to leave,” he said.

  As she continued to take in the view, she said, “Yes, I can understand it.” She turned to him. “I saw McBrides listed on mailboxes on the way here. So there are a lot of ranchers in the family?”

  “Most of the family is in the ranching business.” Cody adjusted his Stetson. “Now that our cousins have started having children of their own it’s hard keeping track of everyone.”

  “You mentioned last night that your parents passed away some time ago,” Carilyn said.

  “Mom died from a ranching accident years ago, when I was pretty young,” Cody said. “It’s been some time since my father passed away after a long bout with cancer.”

  “I’m sorry.” Carilyn’s voice was low, quiet. “What kind of ranching injury did your mom die from? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Mom got hooked by a horned bull.” Cody looked ahead as he spoke. “That’s one reason why I’ll only keep polled cattle.”

  “How awful.” Carilyn felt an ache in her chest for Cody. “You said something about a brother, too, who was in Europe for a while.”

  “My older brother, Clint.” Cody glanced at her. “I think I mentioned to you that he took off after his best friend died in a rodeo accident. He came back last summer. This July he’s marrying his best friend’s kid sister, Ella. She’s a real sweetheart and a great artist.”

  Carilyn tipped her head to the side. “I’d like to see her work.”

  “She’s talented,” Cody said. “Her sculptures and pencil drawings are in a Scottsdale art gallery, and she just had a piece commissioned by a large New York City gallery.”

  While they rode, Cody told her stories of his brother and himself when they were young. “We got our butts whipped for climbing on the roof when we were little. I almost slid completely off the roof and was hanging from the rain gutter when our dad came out of the house. He caught me when I slipped. He was so mad and so relieved.”

  Carilyn’s eyes widened. “He whipped you?”

  “A couple of times with a belt.” Cody shrugged. “That was how his generation grew up. Beat idiocy out of a kid.” He shook his head. “I’d never do that to my children, but my parents came from other times.”

  “My mom used a wooden spoon.” Carilyn’s lips twisted into a wry expression. “To this day I don’t like wooden spoons.”

  “How long have your mom and stepdad lived in Florida?” Cody asked.

  “They retired a couple of years ago.” Carilyn gave a small sigh. “I sure miss them.”

  “Do you get to see them often?” Cody asked.

  “Not often enough,” Carilyn said. “Fortunately with my career I can travel and still work, so I go to Florida two or three times a year. I just miss having her close. We always did so much together.”

  Cody gestured ahead to a small copse of trees. “We’ll have lunch there.”

  “Great.” She shifted in her saddle. “I’m getting hungry.”

  “Can’t have that.” He clicked his tongue and his horse started to trot.

  Molly followed suit and then Carilyn was bouncing in her saddle as the horses trotted toward the trees.

  When the reached the copse, Cody brought Holly to a halt, and Molly stopped, too.

  Carilyn leaned forward, her hands on the pommel. “It’s pretty here.”

  “I sure think so.” Cody dismounted then walked to Carilyn and Molly. “My family moved to Arizona back in the 1880’s. That makes me a native and I have to say I love my state.”

  “I love all of the mountains.” Carilyn looked around her. “Where I live, it’s flat as flat can be. The mountains are much prettier.”

  Cody reached her and held up his arms. “I’ll help you down.”

  She let him help her dismount. The moment her feet were on the ground, she found herself standing close to him, their bodies inches away. His hands clasped her waist and her palms rested on his shoulders. She felt the heat of his touch through her T-shirt and beneath her hands. She swallowed as she met his gaze and breathed in his masculine scent.

  Her heart pounded as she looked up into his warm brown eyes and his grip tightened, telling her he felt the connection too. She longed to stroke her fingers along the day’s growth of stubble on his square jaw, to run her palms down the hard expanse of his chest. Her breath caught in her throat and a thought rattled around in her head… What am I doing?

  His gaze held hers before she broke the spell and stepped back. Her hands slid off his shoulders and he dropped his own hands from where they had rested on her hips. It seemed like he’d held her several minutes, but it was probably just a matter of seconds.

  Feeling awkward with Cody for the first time that day, she looked away and concentrated on looking at bird scuttling across the ground. “That must be a quail,” she said as Cody grabbed the saddlebags off of Holly.

  “We have a lot of quail out here,” he said as it scuttled under a bush. “My mom loved them and we even raised some at one time.”

  He opened one of the saddlebags and pulled out a plaid blanket. She took it from him to spread it out on a clear place on the ground beneath the trees. They both sat on the blanket and he began taking their lunch out of the saddlebags and placing them on the blanket. He handed her a paper plate.

  She took an egg salad sandwich from him and removed it from its plastic baggie. After she took a bite, chewed, and swallowed, she smiled at him. “This has got to be the best egg salad sandwich ever.”

  He gave an amused smile. “It’s the country air. Makes everything taste better.”

  “I’ll say.” She slipped her hand into the corn chips, pulled out a handful, and placed them on her paper plate. “Is this the ranch you grew up on?”

  He nodded. “From the time I was born. My brother and I inherited it but he signed the ranch over to me when he got back from traveling abroad.”

  “I live in a small apartment and don’t get out of the city much.” Carilyn pulled several grapes out of a baggie and set them on h
er plate. “All of this space is just incredible to me.” She looked out at the pasture. “I can see how this land would be inspiring. I like to go to coffee shops to get out of the house and work on my laptop. Might do that in town.”

  “There’s a great bakery in Prescott called Sweet Things,” Cody said. “Not too long ago, one of my cousins married the woman who owns it. She has tables and chairs that you can sit in and a big picture window to stare out of.”

  “Sounds great,” Carilyn said. “I’ll have to check it out.”

  She enjoyed talking with Cody. He was so easy to talk with, so comfortable to be around.

  Even though they’d been there well over an hour, it seemed that they finished lunch too quickly and it was time to pack up. She helped gather up the trash and stuffed everything into a saddlebag, which he slung over his horse and secured.

  When he helped Carilyn mount her horse, she felt a flurry of nervous excitement in her belly. All too soon his hands were no longer on her and he was mounting Holly.

  When they set out and Carilyn smiled at the gentle sunny day and her enjoyment of her time with Cody.

  As the horses headed back toward the ranch house, Carilyn heard a strange noise, like the rattle of a pressure cooker.

  Molly whinnied a loud terrified sound, and reared up on her hind legs.

  Carilyn screamed as she lost her grip on the reins.

  The next thing she knew, she was flying off the back of the horse.

  She hit the ground hard, air whooshing out from her chest. Her head struck something.

  Stars blinded her and then everything went black.

  ***

  Chapter 8

  Cody’s heart thundered as he saw Carilyn being thrown from her horse. At the same time, he un-holstered his pistol and aimed it at the rattlesnake just feet from where Carilyn landed. He pulled the trigger. The snake collapsed as Cody hit it in the head dead-on with the snake shot.

  He dismounted Holly in a rush and ran to where Carilyn lay flat on the ground, motionless. As he reached her a breath of relief rushed out of him when she stirred.

  She groaned and started to move but put her hand to her head and grimaced.

  “Shhh.” He crouched beside her, one knee on the ground, and touched her shoulder. “Don’t move.”

  She blinked. Her pupils were dilated and she had a dazed look about her. “What happened?” Her speech came out a little slurred.

  “A rattlesnake spooked Molly. You got thrown and you likely have a concussion.” He saw blood on the rock behind her head. “You also have a head wound. I’m not sure if you have any other injuries.”

  “My head hurts.” She tried to get up but he lightly but firmly pressed her down by her shoulders.

  “Relax the best you can.” He let out his breath. “Give me a moment and I’ll get the first aid kit.”

  He went to the saddlebags and from the bottom of one he pulled out a first aid kit and a clean bandana that he kept for working in the heat. When he turned around he frowned when he saw that she was now sitting up. She had one knee bent and she was resting her elbow on it, her forehead in her hand.

  When he went to her, he knelt and set the kit aside with the bandana on top of it. “I told you to relax.”

  “I’m not the best patient.” She raised her head and gave him a weak smile. “I just got the wind knocked out of me. I’m okay.”

  “I’ll determine if you’re okay.” He put the bandana on his thigh and opened the kit. He brought out antiseptic and a cotton pad. “Who’s the paramedic here?”

  “That’s right. Firefighters usually have paramedic training, don’t they?” she said.

  “Here they do.” He took the cotton pad and looked at the back of her head. Her red hair was dark with blood. “I’m going to clean and wrap this before we get you home.”

  She started to nod and then winced. “Yes, sir.”

  “If you can move, we’ll get you out of here.” Where there was one rattlesnake, there could be another if its mate was nearby.

  He set about cleaning the dirt out of the wound then put a pad over the laceration. He wrapped the bandana around her head, holding the pad into place.

  When he finished, he rested his hand on her shoulder. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I just got thrown off a horse and hit my head.” She gave a wry expression. “It hurts to talk.”

  “Then talk as little as possible.” He squeezed her shoulder. “How about the rest of you?”

  “I can move.” She moved her feet and bent her other knee, too. “I think I’ll be okay.”

  “Hold on and I’ll get the thermos of water so you can take Tylenol for the pain.” He got to his feet. “You’re going to need it.”

  After he gave her the Tylenol and had put away the thermos and the first aid kit, he took a moment to bury what was left of the snake’s head and its venomous fangs.

  He checked her again. When he was as sure as he could be that all she’d come away with was a laceration to her scalp and a mild to moderate concussion, he brought her up with him, supporting her as she got to her feet.

  “You’re going to ride with me,” he said. “When we get to the ranch, I’m going to take you to the doctor.”

  “I don’t want to go to the doctor,” she protested. “I—I’ll be okay.”

  He frowned. “You may be hurt worse than you think you are.”

  “No.” She looked like she was going to cry. “I hate going to see doctors. Please, just let me rest at your house.”

  He didn’t answer as he raised her up and helped her onto Holly so that she was sitting at the front of the saddle.

  “I mean it, Cody,” she said. “I’ll be okay. Promise?”

  He looked at her for a long moment. “All right. But if you get worse, I’m taking you. Understand?”

  Her chin jutted out as she looked at him stubbornly. With a shake of his head, he boosted himself up and swung his leg over the horse and seated himself behind Carilyn. Their bodies were snug against each other. He whistled to Molly who was standing a good twenty feet away. She trotted closer, but wouldn’t go near the snake’s body.

  He wrapped one arm around Carilyn’s waist and handled the reins with his other hand. As they headed toward the ranch house, Molly fell into stride behind Holly.

  Carilyn leaned back against him and he liked the way her body felt next to his. This wasn’t the way he’d have wanted to get this close to her, but she felt comfortable in his arms.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “But I don’t think I’m going to be playing Jeopardy anytime soon. Having a hard time thinking straight.”

  “All part of the concussion.” He let the horse walk rather than trot to keep the jostling to a minimum. “You’re not driving anywhere for at least twenty-four hours.”

  “I need to set up my laptop in the morning so that I’ll be up and running by Monday,” she said.

  “Honey, you’re not going to feel like doing anything that requires brain power.” He gripped her more tightly. “You’re going to need to make yourself relax, no matter how hard that seems to be.”

  “I’m not a workaholic,” she said. “But I do like to keep on a schedule.”

  He barely kept himself from nuzzling her hair as he held her. “Sometimes you’ve got to just give in to the doctor whether you want to or not.”

  She gave a soft laugh. “If you say so, Dr. McBride.”

  “I say so.” He gauged how far it was back to the house. It was a good twenty-five minutes away from where they were now. “Now do what I said and relax the best you can.”

  As she settled more fully against him, she sighed. Even though she was injured, his body reacted to her firm bottom against his groin. He ground his teeth, trying to think about something that would get his mind onto other things.

  He let her rest and she didn’t seem inclined to talk, which was expected after this kind of injury.

  “Tell me about growing up on the ran
ch,” she said after a while.

  He told her some stories from his childhood, which brought back memories he hadn’t thought about in a long while.

  Clint and Cody had both been into rodeo from a young age, but Clint had been the one who excelled at it and had gone on to be a champion when they were out of their teens. Clint had left at the height of his career. Cody had focused on ranching before he decided to go to college to get a degree and get on with the Prescott Fire Department.

  “Why did you choose to go into that field?” she asked.

  “I always admired firefighters,” he said. “When I was just a kid I remember firefighters coming to my school and telling us about their jobs. I guess that’s when the seed was planted. I went into ranching to start with because that’s what my family did. I enjoy it, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as serving the community as a firefighter.” He thought about those days. “But I love ranching, too, so I have the best of both worlds.”

  “It sounds like you do,” she said softly.

  They reached the ranch and rode straight up to the house. He dismounted then helped her get off the horse and left Holly and Molly waiting outside. Carilyn still seemed uninjured with the exception of the concussion and head wound.

  Inside he had her lie on the couch. “How’s the pain?” he asked.

  “I have a dull headache.” She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “I think the Tylenol is helping keep a full blown headache away.”

  “I’ll get you some water.” He stood and went to the kitchen to get her a glass of ice water and returned a few moments later.

  After she’d taken a few sips of the water, he set the glass on the end table. “You rest now. I’m going to check on you every now and then. Okay?”

  She let out a sigh. “Right now rest sounds good.”

  “I’m going to let you sleep for a couple of hours.” He gently stroked her hair from her face. “I’ll wake you up to check on you then.”

  “I’m fine.” She sighed. “I’ll just relax a little.”

  In a matter of moments she fell asleep, her breathing becoming slow and even.

  He watched her until she fell asleep, her features relaxed, the tension in her forehead vanishing. She was beautiful with loose tendrils of her hair around her face, the sprinkling of freckles against her pale skin. She was a little too pale, but she should be fine with some rest.