Page 49 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Sir, yes, sir,” Ty all but shouted. “I’ll be out at the barn if she shows up and you can’t handle her.”

Cade put the dishes away with minimal conversation, doing his best to keep from staring at the office clock and watching the hands snap by. He hated the way the red second arm clicked forward and shuddered enough it seemed to settle back before advancing again. Time couldn’t move backward, so it shouldn’t appear that it did.

“What’re you scowling at?” Eli asked, wandering into the kitchen. He grabbed the orange juice from the fridge and plucked a glass Cade had just washed from the drying rack.

“You do dishes next.”

Eli arched a brow. “I’m smart. I use the dishwasher.”

“Not this one, you don’t.” One corner of Cade’s mouth lifted up. “Burned up last night. Reagan’s researching and ordering a new one now. I’ll go into Clayton to pick it up as soon as possible.”

“Speaking of the hottest vet in the country,” Eli murmured, moving toward Reagan as if she was his homing beacon, his safe harbor, his everything. Reaching her, Cade watched as Eli swept her hair aside and laid a gentle kiss against the side of her neck. “Anything in particular youwant, my bride? The possibilities are endless.”

She tilted her head aside to give him better access. “Sure, now that you’re finally awake.”

Eli buried his face in her hair and breathed in. “Not my fault you found me irresistible—over and over—last night.”

“And, on that note, I’ll be vacating the premises to preserve my sense of healthy sexual boundaries.” Cade grabbed his hat and sunglasses, then slipped his feet into his boots. “House is yours until we see you open the front curtains.”

“You don’t have to go, Cade,” Reagan called.

“Yes. Yes, he does.” Eli’s statement elicited a very feminine shriek of delight as Cade started down the hall.

Cade shut the front door behind him gently, fighting the unexpected pang of jealousy. He didn’t covet his brother’s soon-to-be wife, but he undeniably longed for what the man had found with his woman. Cade wanted the same chance to shower Emma with open PDA, to tell her everything she’d meant to him and how her leaving without a goodbye had carved him up like a jack-o’-lantern. Morbidly, he wondered what the pattern would have shown about him and who he’d become.

He found himself approaching the barn’s giant sliding door without having chosen the destination consciously. Since the wedding was Saturday, there were no guests until next Wednesday evening. Cade wasn’t sorry, even though he’d come to enjoy the guests overall. There were always difficult ones, impossible ones and women seeking to get him into bed, but really? The majority of them were awesome. They respected his way of life, almost revered it, in a way he’d never have imagined. It fulfilled him, sharing who he was and his heritage for all the right reasons. Sending people home with a better understanding of how the past and present ran parallel here, how this hand-to-mouth life gave people food for their tables was incredibly gratifying.

Down the barn’s sawdust alleyway, he heard Tyson laugh and say, “Well, what areyouwearing, gorgeous?”

Cade snorted and shook his head, continuing into the barn. That kid got more tail than the stud he rode, and that was saying something since Gizzy’s baby batter was beginning to draw regional attention for the types of colts he consistently threw—big babies with sound temperaments and unmatchable cutting and roping instincts. Tyson might really make a go of a breeding operation if he could get focused, really work the circuit and get his name out there.

But that was none of his business. It was simply something he focused on to keep his mind off the fact that Emma’s plane landed in—he glanced at his watch and his body tightened.Now. Emma’s on the ground now. She’d probably even made it to the rental car kiosk.

His Emma, within reach. He’d never thought to see this day again.

“You okay, Cade?”

He jerked his chin up, blue eyes locking with Tyson’s brown ones. “I’m good. Who were you talking to?”

“Roxie here.” Ty rubbed the mare’s jaw and her long-lashed eyes fluttered in bliss. “She’s pregnant enough that her regular evening blanket doesn’t fit comfortably anymore. Who’d you think I was talking to?”

“No idea. I was half scared to come into the barn on the off chance you had a woman in here.” Cade grinned. “You’re a player, dude. Ahugeplayer. Ever think you’ll settle down?”

Ty considered the question. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll settle down when I find a blonde-haired woman who knows as much about genetics and breeding as I do, can put up or shut up in the saddle, is competitive enough to pout every time I beat her in the ring and comes with a dowry large enough to fund a breeding barn. Oh, and Gizzy has to love her madly enough to throw me over for her.” He grinned. “Then? You’re dang right. I’d snap that woman up in a heartbeat and beg her to take my last name.”

Cade’s lips twitched. “I’ve mentally cataloged those qualities. You’re going to end up married if you’re not really careful.”

Brows winging up, Tyson laughed. “Says the man whose woman is driving in via rental car because Reagan was afraid you’d molest her before you were off airport property.”

Cade’s mood took a nosedive. “Shut that door before you step all the way through and find I’m just the man to show you you’re gettin’ a little too big for them britches.”

Tyson shrugged. “Beat on me if you want to. It’ll just get me more sympathy.” His face brightened. “Maybe I can get Mary Ann Calwell to play nurse!”

Cade couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m taking Ziggy out to check the fences in pasture fourteen. I’ll be in by sundown.”

“Avoiding Emma?” The quiet question, devoid of Ty’s signature smart-ass humor, caught Cade off guard. “I’m serious, Cade. Are you avoiding her?”

“No.” The immediate, honest answer seemed to surprise them both. “I just wanted to get out to ride fence without a gaggle of goslings paddling along behind me.” He closed his eyes. “I also need a few minutes to myself, just to get my head straight before she gets here. I have no idea what to say to her. Not right off, anyway. But there’s plenty that needs to be said.” Cade looked up. “I just have to find my way into the conversation without spooking her.”