Fated for Love (23 page)

“Help!” Her head fell forward. Panting, she sucked in a breath and yelled again. “Help! Bonnie!” She chanced a look up and realized she was only a few feet from the crest of the hill. She dug the toes of her boots in deep and pushed upward with all her strength.

“Callie!” Wes’s deep voice was laden with fear as his face appeared above her. He climbed down beside her with the ease of a mountaineer and pressed his chest to her back, straddling her legs like Spiderman webbing her to the mountain.

“Babe, I’ve got you. One step at a time. Follow my lead.” He trapped her right hand inside his with his thumb pressed to her palm; then he did the same with her left.

She felt his knee push up against the underside of her thighs, first on the right as he moved one step up, then on the left. Her friends’ worried faces peered down from above, reaching their hands over the edge of the mountain. They were talking, but she was too focused on saving Sweets—and herself—to register a single word.

At the top of the incline, Wes pushed Callie up from behind and with one arm around Sweets and her friends grabbing for her, asking after her, she crawled up to where her bag lay in the grass. She sat, shivering, with her arms wrapped securely around the dog and thanked the dear Lord that she was alive.

WES WIPED THE tears from Callie’s cheeks. “You’re okay. I’m right here.” He folded her into his arms as best as he could without hurting Sweets’s paws. Pain pierced his heart at the sight of Callie shivering in fear, her bloody and scratched hands clutching Sweets against her torn and dirty shirt. The quills sticking out of Sweets’s bloody paws magnified the piercing pain. The pup had been through so much already in her short life. Wes had to work fast to get those quills out, and at the same time, he didn’t want to release Callie.

“I have to get those quills out,” he said over Sweets’s cries. “You’re okay, Callie.” He dug through his pack. “Bonnie, please come hold Callie. Kathie, Christine, I need help with Sweets. This is going to hurt a lot.” He kept his eyes trained on Callie. “Callie, you’re okay. We’re all right here.” With needle-nose pliers from his pack beside him, he carefully unwrapped Sweets. She struggled to get at the quills, flailing her head and body from side to side. She whined and licked him, then whined again, craning her neck to reach the quills.

“I…didn’t…” Tears streaked down Callie’s cheeks.

Wes held Sweets with both hands as Christine and Kathie joined him and helped restrain her. He lifted his eyes to Callie. “You did great. I’m so proud of you.”

“They have…barbs.” Her jaw trembled so hard, her teeth chattered. “I didn’t know…how.”

“Callie, it’s okay. I’ll get them out.” He gripped her thigh. “Close your eyes, babe. You won’t want to watch this.”

Bonnie wrapped her in her arms.

“You’re okay, Callie. I’m right here,” Bonnie assured her.

Wes inspected Sweets’s paws. The barbs went right through the webbing between her toes. He pushed them out backward as quickly as he could, causing her to howl in pain.

“Oh, it’s okay. Shh. Shh, baby girl,” Christine urged as she held the dog by her shoulders.

“She’s lucky. The barbs went through. Only a few more.” He gripped Sweets’s paw and pushed the quills through quickly, trying not to focus on the sound of her pain echoing in the mountains. He shot a look at Callie wrapped safely in Bonnie’s arms, and the magnanimous reality of what she’d done sank in.
I never should have left you
. Guilt tightened his chest. Holy hell. He thought he’d lose his mind when he saw her clinging for dear life to his puppy and to the side of a mountain that had scared her so badly that she’d had to stay behind.

He cleaned up Sweets’s paws, then snagged the radio.

“Callie, I’ll have Daisy—Dr. Honey—come and check you out,” Wes said as he radioed the lodge. Daisy Honey was his brother Luke’s girlfriend and the town doctor.

“No. I’m fine. Just…scared.”

“Go ahead, Wes,” Michelle, the front desk receptionist, said.

“Michelle, hold on.” He lowered the radio. “Are you sure?” He did another quick visual assessment. She was scratched up and shaking but probably didn’t need a doctor. He was being overprotective and he knew it.

Callie nodded.

He spoke into the radio again. “Call Ross and ask him to come out.” He explained what he assumed had happened and asked her to send Butch up with a four-wheeler to drive them down. With Sweets tucked safely in Christine’s arms, he tended to Callie. He took off his shirt and pulled it over her head, covering her torn top.

“I’m…sorry,” Callie managed.

He drew her in close and kissed her cheeks, her lips, and finally, her forehead. “Babe, I don’t know what happened, but I can guess that Sweets chased a porcupine, got stuck, and you saved her.” He wiped her tears. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I do. I never should have left you here alone.” He unfurled her fingers and inspected her cuts. “Let me clean you up. You can tell me about it later. Just breathe.” He cleaned the cuts on her hands with his first aid kit, feeling guilty as hell. “I never should have left you alone.”

“I’m…fine.”

Fine. Are you ever not fine?

“Callie, you’re a hero,” Christine said, struggling to keep Sweets from running to them.

Kathie crouched behind her. “You deserve the purple heart of bravery.”

She deserved a hell of a lot more than that, and Wes was going to see that she got it.

BACK AT THE ranch, Christine, Kathie, and Bonnie practically begged Callie to come back to the cabin with them to clean up and relax after her horrifying ordeal, but she didn’t want to leave Sweets. At least that’s what she told them. In reality, she didn’t want to leave Sweets or Wes.

She and Ross Braden, Wes’s older brother and Trusty’s veterinarian, were crouched over Sweets in one of the offices at the lodge when Wes returned from taking a phone call. Dusk was settling in, stealing the last of the afternoon sun and casting a yellow-gray light through the window.

“She looks good, Wes. She was really lucky. Most pups end up with thirty quills in their nose and several in their limbs. I guess her inability to smell was actually a benefit in this case.” Ross and Wes not only shared their height and muscular bodies, but their dark eyes and brows were also strikingly similar. When Ross lifted his eyes to Callie’s, she noticed that his jaw wasn’t quite as square as Wes’s, and his hair was a shade lighter.

“It was a good thing you got to her as quickly as you did,” Ross said. “She could have broken the quills off, and then it would have been more difficult to get them out.”

Sweets got up on all fours and wagged her tail and licked Ross’s chin. Ross grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her snout. Callie recognized a hint of Wes in that move.

“I wasn’t very quick. Wes could have gotten to her much faster.” She petted Sweets, and the pup turned her wet tongue loose on Callie’s cheeks, making her laugh.

Wes and Ross rose to their feet, and Sweets went to explore Ross’s boots.

“Callie was incredible.” Wes pulled her close and kissed her cheek. “She did what most people would never be able to do. You’d never guess she was afraid of heights.”

Ross’s brows drew together. His eyes darted between them.

She’d been so wrapped up in Wes since she’d arrived at the ranch that reality seemed a lifetime away. The last few days had felt like a year to them while they were falling head over heels in love, but the surprise registering in Ross’s eyes brought reality rushing back. It had been only a few days. A few days ago, Wes wasn’t a one-woman man. A few days ago, Wes didn’t sleep with guests of The Woodlands, and here he was with his arm around her, kissing her.

Her body stiffened, and when she shifted her eyes to Wes, she realized that he wasn’t picking up on his brother’s surprise.

Ross shook his head, as if he realized that he was staring at them. “You’re afraid of heights and you went down the side of Homestead Trail?”

Callie felt her cheeks flush. “Yeah.”

“She didn’t just climb down, Ross. She scaled it carrying Sweets in a sling she made out of a sweatshirt.” He kissed her again. “She’s a regular survivor woman in disguise.”

“Wes.” Between his raving about her and kissing her, she’d blush all day at this rate.

“That is pretty damn amazing.” Ross eyed her arms. “Nasty scrapes,” he said.

“They’re not bad. I’m just glad Sweets is okay.”

Ross closed his medical bag. “Do you want me to look at those?”

“No. I’m okay, really.”

“I wanted to ask Daisy to come check her out, but she refused.” Wes kissed her again, and Callie leaned away a little. Wes looked at her with a questioning gaze.

She shifted her eyes to Ross. Wes’s gaze followed, and his eyes widened as understanding dawned on him.

“Oh, shit. Ross, I should have said something. Callie’s my girlfriend.” He pulled her close again. “Sorry, babe. I feel like we’ve been together forever.”

His honesty was further validation of his feelings.

“So I gathered by the possessive hold and the smooching.” Ross smiled, and his eyes softened. “You coming to Luke’s this weekend?”

Callie was glad they didn’t remain on the subject of their new relationship for long.

Wes looked at Callie. “Can you make it?”

“To your brother’s? Isn’t that a family thing? I don’t want to intrude.” As much as she didn’t want to intrude, she loved the idea of getting to know his family.

“It’s been years since Wes has brought anyone to a family gathering.” Ross slid a hand into his jeans pocket. “It’s a welcome change.”

Years. Wow
.

“I want you to meet everyone.” Wes tucked her hair behind her ear. “They’ll love you as much as I do.”

“How long have you guys been dating? And how did I not know about it?” Ross’s brows lifted again.

It was a big day for surprises for everyone—most of all Callie. She never would have thought she could willingly go over the edge of the mountain.

To avoid embarrassment and to give Wes some space to talk with his brother, Callie crouched to pet Sweets. Sweets rolled over on her back and wagged her tail as she tried to lick Callie’s hand.

“Well, bro,” Wes began. “You know what Mom says about falling in love right?”

Holy cow. He’s going to think we’re nuts
.

“Love?”

Callie felt Ross’s eyes on her. She glanced down and realized that she was still wearing Wes’s T-shirt, and her face and hair must be a wild mess. She cringed. Wes was wearing a different T-shirt, but she had no idea when he’d put it on. She thought back and realized that he’d grabbed it from a drawer in the office when they’d first come in, when her heart had still been in her throat. She wanted to jump up and explain.
I don’t usually look like this. I’m much neater, and my hair is usually combed, and…
Oh heck, it didn’t matter. None of that would change a few days into a few months, which might make his family feel better about their relationship.

“Yeah, love,” Wes said.

Oh. My. Lord
. Couldn’t he have just started with the fact that they were dating? Did he have to bare it all to his brother right now? Callie held her breath, waiting for Ross to laugh or tell them they were crazy. But it was Wes who spoke next, and his tone held the familiar confidence that she’d come to rely on.

“She says,
Love will find you when it’s damn good and ready and not a second before or a minute too late—and when it does, you don’t have a chance in hell in getting away
. You know that, Ross. She’s only said it a million times.”

Callie felt Wes’s hand on her shoulder and pictured his warm brown eyes, serious and full of love, and it brought her to her feet. She slipped one arm around him. He took her other hand in his. When she met Ross’s gaze, she didn’t see judgment or disbelief. She saw compassion and maybe a hint of envy.

“We know it’s fast,” she said to Ross. “And I know right now I look like a mess, but I don’t usually, and I never believed anyone could feel like this, either.” She couldn’t stop the words from falling off her tongue. “And I’m not one of those girls who’s been chasing after him—”

“Hey, Callie, it’s okay. Relax.” Ross smiled. “I know who you are. You work at the library. And I know Wes well enough to know that if he’s kissing you around here and bringing you to a family gathering, then he’s serious about you.”

Wes narrowed his eyes. “How did
you
know she worked at the library?”

Ross lifted his shoulders with a soft laugh. “It’s Trusty. Do you really think a pretty girl can move into Trusty without everyone in town knowing about her?”

A pretty girl? People know about me and think I’m pretty?

“Trusty grapevine,” Wes said.

“What does that mean? Trusty grapevine?” Callie ran her eyes between the two of them.

Ross crouched to love up Sweets. “Let’s put it this way. Do you ever go to the Trusty Diner?”

“Sure, for coffee some mornings.”

“How long did it take for Margie to find out where you moved from and that you were single and working at the library?” Ross shifted a knowing look to Wes.

“I thought she was just being nice.” Margie had asked those questions the first time she stopped in at the diner.

“Oh, she was,” Ross agreed. “Margie is very nice, but she also can get the lowdown on someone in five minutes. According to Margie, once word got around that bozo here was in the library every week, the entire single female population of Trusty became avid readers.”

“What?” Wes snapped.

“That makes total sense.” Callie nodded. “I didn’t have any comparison since I had only started when you came in that first week. Wes, that makes sense. Think about Tiffany and—”

“Dempsey?” Ross asked.

“Who else?” Wes answered.

“Shit. And Callie…” Ross laughed again and covered it with a cough. “Sorry. You’re picking out books for him
and
watching women leach on to him? And you’re still with him?”

Wes punched him in the arm.

Ross grabbed his arm. “Shit, Wes. Think about it. Would you like it if Callie came to the ranch and Cutter or Chip hit on her?”