Rocky Mountain Freedom (21 page)

He got the phone fired up, hoping like hell Travis had his turned on. “If we can’t get through, it’s because he’s shut it down, not that he’s hurt, okay?”

She didn’t answer, and he didn’t look her way, because one more second of those enormous eyes staring through him and he was going to drop everything to make her feel better.

Static cut over the line. Another burst, almost as loud as a thunder blast. Cassidy held the receiver farther away and waited for the ringing in his ear to subside. “He’s got it turned on, that’s good.”

Ashley stepped closer, and he kept the phone tilted so she could hear the response.

“Travis, you hear me?”

A deep voice was drowned out by the wind gusting rain against the side of the hall.

Shit.
“Try that again, T. We’re in the middle of the storm. You okay?”

Fainter this time, fading in and out as he spoke, but it was Travis, and he was okay. “Fine. I’m at Second Camp and tucking in for the night.”

Ashley touched Cassidy’s arm, her eyes bright with moisture.

“Good to know. Everyone else okay?”

“Campers think it’s some special party thrown just for them, so yeah, okay so far. Horses are doing pretty well, none of them freaking out. There are enough hands here if we need to spend the night babysitting them. We’ll be fine.”

The fingers on his arm tightened. Cassidy touched Ashley’s hand reassuringly as he spoke to Travis. “Be careful. Don’t take any chances, you hear me?”

Impossibly, Travis laughed. “Yes, head wrangler. Now tell me how Ash is doing before I go.”

Cassidy offered the phone to Ashley, but she shook her head.

He could understand it—probably too worked up to talk right now. Cassidy gave her a wink and answered Travis a lot more lighthearted than he felt. “She’s with me, and she’s not planning on cutting me anymore, so we’re okay.”

“That’s what I like to hear. You take care of each other, right?” A sudden whistle cut over the line followed by a strange flapping sound. “Ah, shit, I’ve got to go. Lost part of the damn tent roof, so I may as well join the horses.”

The line went dead, and they were back to nothing but the storm, him and Ashley, who still had a death grip on his arm.

He put the phone on the table and peeled her fingers free, stroking them softly. “Travis is fine, although it’s also a mess at Second Camp. We’ll have repair work to do in the morning once this thing blows over, but in the meantime, he’ll spend the night there and take care of things. We have to mind the shop at this end.”

Her expression was all the warning he needed to brace himself as Ashley threw herself into his arms and clung on tight.

Chapter Fifteen

Outside the storm raged on. The walls of the mess hall were solid log, and Ashley still wondered if the place was in danger of being blown over.

The sudden brutality of the weather contrasted with the apparent peace surrounding her. They had the noise to deal with, but they were warm and dry and sheltered. Knowing that Travis was safe with the rest of the crew also helped.

Now she had to decide what to do with the stubborn, foolish man she was squeezing.

It had taken until now to realize he was as afraid as she was. It wasn’t some general anxiety holding him back from admitting his desire for Travis, but a deep, lingering fear.

Having grasped that truth made all the difference in the world.

She wasn’t a frightened, weak creature, or she hadn’t been before she’d been broken by the worst of situations four months ago. It was time she went back to making fearless decisions. Confronting the things that needed to be changed, seizing life with both hands.

Grabbing hold of the opportunities before her.

Cassidy held her like she was china, not pushing her away—he’d at least learned that lesson—but he was still acting more brotherly than loverly.

She slipped her hands across his torso, palms to his chest. “Thank you for calling Travis.”

“I was worried as well. I’m glad he’s safe.” Cassidy stroked a strand of hair off her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Give me a minute to clean up.”

Walking back into the kitchen was like walking into a tin can. They both hurried to get the food put away, but abandoned the dirty dishes in the sink so they could escape back into the relative quiet of the hall.

“So much for our cozy atmosphere,” Cassidy complained.

Ashley took the bull by the horns. “I don’t know, I think we can manage something. You have a wood stove in your cabin, don’t you?”

His smile bloomed slowly as she slipped her arm around his waist and walked him toward the doors. “I do.”

She stepped in front of him and gave it her best shot. “Maybe it’s crazy, but I’m learning as I go along that the right decisions are sometimes the craziest ones. I want you, Cassidy. I still want Travis, but I want you as well, and I can’t pretend I don’t.”

“We’ve all got a touch of the crazies if we’re being honest.” Cassidy cupped her cheek, his fingers delicate on her skin.

“You ready to be honest?” she asked. “Really, truly, honest? Then how about adding in, I know you guys want each other.”

He swallowed hard. “It’s…not simple, Ashley.”

She laughed. “And me wanting two guys is simple? Hello, this is all of us in the same boat, and it’s time to decide if we’re going to take the ride or bail.”

A hesitant smile broke free. “Nice analogy in light of the fact we might need a damn ark to survive this storm.” He slowed, turned more serious. “If I said let’s take a ride, what are we going to do?”

An extra-loud rumble made them both jerk their heads toward the door. “You need to look in on the horses?” she asked.

“I should. Plus check the guests’ cars in the parking lot, and the bunkhouse to make sure it’s still in one piece.”

“I have to check my van. Unplug everything and close it up tight. I can look around the parking lot and the bunkhouse, then join you in your cabin.”

His smile faded. “I don’t like the idea of you—”

“Stop right there.” She pushed him back and grabbed her coat off the wall. “Don’t like the idea of me getting poured on? Well, I don’t like it either, but I’m a grownup, and I won’t melt. So I’ll let you do your job, you let me do mine, and then we’ll see about getting your cabin warmed up so we can sit out the rest of the storm.”

It was clear he wanted to argue. Instead he nodded then pulled her back into his arms before she could brace herself and step into the cold, wet night. “My cabin, as soon as you can.”

This time when he leaned down he didn’t stop. This time he kissed her thoroughly enough to make her toes curl and her body heat sufficiently to withstand any icy temperatures. He didn’t simply put their lips together; he cradled them close, letting her feel every inch of his muscular body. Allowing her to feel his desire in the way his tongue played her. His teeth, his lips. So new and fresh and incredibly right.

The bright lights dancing before her eyes could have been from lightning flashes or his kiss.

Ashley hummed happily as he let her go. “Well, now that gives me an incentive to get my chores done in double-quick time.”

Cassidy grinned. “I’ve got a bottle of Yukon Jack hidden away.”

“Oh, I won’t need any alcohol to warm me up. Not with what I have in mind.”

There was no mistaking the anticipation in his eyes.

The dash from the backdoor of the kitchen to her van was only a dozen steps, and she was still soaked to the skin by the time she got inside. All the windows were sealed tight, the power disconnected from the cookhouse. She used the battery-operated lantern on the counter to gather some dry clothes and shove them into a daypack, wrapping everything in a plastic grocery bag first in the hopes of protecting them.

Protection.

She pulled out a strip of condoms and stared at them for all of two seconds before adding them to her load and zipping the bag shut.

She really was going to do this. They were going to do this.

The loop through the parking lot left her with mud caked to her boots. Water splashed up from the ground and soaked her jeans. It poured off the hood of her raincoat and dripped in sheets over her shoulders as she made her way to the bunkhouse.

The door snapped out of her fingers, torn from her grasp by the wind. She struggled to close it, surveying the interior with the small beam of light offered from her flashlight. So far everything was still in place, though the roof shook with every gust. She threw a tarp over the beds, using bungee cords to secure them in place. If the roof did go, at least the mattresses and personal items would be protected.

Her feet were icy cold by the time she was done padding barefoot back and forth over the rough timbers. She slipped her boots back on, cringing at the
squish
ing noise and the accompanying soggy sensation between her toes. She double-checked the door was latched behind her then made the final dash to Cassidy’s cabin.

Crazy weather. Cassidy was drenched by the time he reached the barn and slipped inside. The dozen horses left in the barn whinnied as he approached, saying hello. No panic in the lot of them, simply tails down as they stood in a group in the corner.

“Karen’s trained the lot of you to be bulletproof, has she? Good job. Nice and easy.”

He paused to turn up the music, letting the rhythm of the country station overcome the beat pounded out by the storm. He moved smoothly through the barn, taking each horse to their own stall, carrying hay for them to chew to keep their nerves settled if they wanted it.

At times like this he wished he were a chain smoker or a gum chewer or something to take off the edge off of
his
nervousness. It was true what Ashley had said. It was either time to move forward, accept what could be for the summer, or he had to bail and escape completely.

Having kissed her once, though, the decision was pretty much made. He steered his thoughts away from her in an attempt to keep his body under control, but it wasn’t working.

Didn’t matter the rain had soaked his T-shirt until it clung to his back, he was hot enough to hit his cabin and take that ride she’d mentioned.

Maybe a couple of times.

He turned off everything that didn’t need to be plugged in. Pet the final noses that needed petting then locked the barn down for the night. Thank God for rock-solid construction. The building might be old, but it could take the weather.

All he had to worry about now was Ashley.

There was a pair of boots discarded on the stoop, the wind slowly dragging one toward the edge in spite of the mud weighing it down. He tucked them both under the bench, tossing his own alongside.

The light in the window showed Ashley as nothing more than a shadowy shape. He ducked inside and closed the door as fast as possible. The howling wind cut off, but a chill remained in the air.

She had the wood stove open and was carefully blowing on a pile of kindling to get it lit.

“You need a hand?” He stripped off his coat and hat, hanging them on wall hooks. There was already a puddle on the floor under the things she’d hung, and he turned to examine what she was wearing a little more thoroughly.

“Nope.” She rubbed her hands together for a minute and smiled at him. “Don’t worry, it’s nearly there.”

“Familiar with wood stoves?”

Ashley nodded. “Grew up with them. Had one in the teepee we lived in for a winter—that was an adventure.”

“Me too. The woodstove, not the teepee.” He was down to nothing but boxers, and the thin layer of fabric remained only because he didn’t want to scare her with how quickly he’d gotten a hard-on.

The light from her lantern shone off smooth skin, reflected over curves that went on forever. She’d pulled on an oversized T-shirt, her wet hair in tangled strands around her shoulders.

She was gorgeous.

Cassidy stepped to her side and squatted to peer into the stove. She had things under control, so he sat on the edge of the bed and watched her as he dried his hair and cleaned up the mud.

She left the stove door open and stood. “Hopefully that helps warm the place up quicker.”

He had a good idea what else would work to warm them up. “Crawl under the covers with me for a bit?”

That twinkle was back in her eyes as she accepted his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

It was an older bed, with plain old cotton sheets and the hefty quilt he’d hauled with him as long as he could remember. Pillows he’d picked up somewhere in his travels. But the place was the nearest thing to heaven he’d ever experienced when she slipped in next to him and pulled the covers over their heads.

So many soft curves, some parts warm and some parts icy. Cassidy let his hands roam as their lips met. Their cold noses bumped awkwardly before warm lips connected. Ashley made a happy little moan deep in her throat, and his cock pressed the front of his boxers, threatening to burst free.

They’d fooled around once before, but this was different. This was him and her and no one else, and hell if he wanted to rush. Every moment needed to be savoured.