Finally Celia yelled, “I think we’ve got ’em all. Kyle, do a count.”
Count the cows. Right. At least they weren’t moving much. He stood on the middle of the fence and counted. Twice. He yelled back at Celia. “One sixty-seven.”
“Josh? Is that right?”
“Should be two more of yours. Started out with a hundred seventy but I lost one a few weeks back.”
So Celia sliced through the herd, found the last two, and sent them his way. Then Celia and Josh rode over. Celia’s face was damp, her cheeks were rosy, and her lips…her poor lips looked chapped and windburned.
Maybe you oughta volunteer to kiss them better.
She noticed his smirk but didn’t comment.
Josh leaned on his saddle horn. “That only took three hours.”
“Only?” Kyle said.
“With a less-experienced sorter it might’ve taken all damn day. You guys are a good team.”
Celia shot Kyle a questioning look and then glanced away.
“Now on to the next fun thing. If you guys are all right with it, I’ll ride ahead and open gates.”
“That works,” Celia said, and deferred to Kyle, almost as an afterthought. “Don’t you agree, Kyle?”
“You guys are the experts.”
“About how far do we need to drive them?”
“Around three miles. Some of the places between here and there have big snowdrifts, so we’ll be takin’ the long way.”
“You sure this is easier than loading them in a cattle truck and dumping them out right by the stock tank?”
Josh scratched his chin. “I considered that. But the closest place you can get a cattle truck is two miles from here, so we might as well just push them all the way.”
“Sounds good.” Celia grinned at him. “Kyle, darlin’, mount up.”
Kyle squeezed her thigh as he passed her. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”
Took another four hours to drive the cattle to the pasture by the house. Kyle had to watch, feeling totally worthless, as Celia started up the tractor and loaded a round bale of hay into the bucket. Josh sliced the netting. Celia smoothed out the roll with the back of the bucket and Josh used a pitchfork to spread the hay for the cattle.
They were quiet on the horseback ride to Josh’s place. Kyle was especially mired in his feelings of ineptitude and inadequacy. This was the slowest part of the season in the cattle business. What would he do when it got busy? How would he know what to do?
The last vestiges of daylight disappeared as they finished brushing down the horses and putting everything away. He and Celia were about to leave when Josh’s front door opened and a parka-clad woman waddled out. Immediately Josh was by her side, holding her arm to keep her from falling on the ice.
She dropped the hood and smiled at Kyle, then at Celia. “I’m Ronna, Josh’s wife. And I couldn’t believe it when Josh told me Celia Lawson had moved in next door.” Ronna squinted at Celia. “I don’t know if you remember me. Ronna Menke? I graduated a year ahead of you?”
“Yes, I remember you, Ronna. We had geometry together.”
“That’s right. You were so quiet. I don’t know if I ever heard you speak up in class.”
Celia shifted closer to Kyle. “Math wasn’t my best subject.”
“So Josh tells me you’re newlyweds.”
“Guilty. Is it that obvious we’re wildly in love?” she cooed, looking up at Kyle, practically batting her eyelashes.
Wildly in love? What the f**k?
“Yes, and I’m happy to see it. You were always so shy.”
Again, what the f**k? Celia? Shy? Since when?
“Hitting the rodeo circuit cured me of shyness. Good thing, huh?” Celia hip-checked Kyle. “Or I never would’ve roped me a hot bull rider.”
Kyle wondered if she’d hidden a flask in her boot and had been drinking today. Celia calling him hot? In front of people? He decided to go with it and hooked an arm around her shoulder. “Well, she never lacked for hot cowboys chasin’ after her on the circuit. I had to bide my time, swoop in and sweep her off her boots when she least expected it.”
Ronna sighed. “So romantic. You are planning on sticking around? Not going to sell? Because the place is worth a lot of money.”
Josh flipped Ronna’s hood over her head. “Forgive my nosy wife. She’s overwhelmed with pregnancy hormones and says the first thing that pops into her head.”
“I’m ready to have this baby now,” Ronna said, flipping the hood back down. “If Josh will let me out of the house, I’ll bake a loaf of pumpkin bread and bring it up.”
“That would be much appreciated.” Kyle thrust out his hand. “Thanks so much for everything today, Josh. Hopefully you won’t regret having us as neighbors with all the questions that’ll be coming your way.”
“Happy to help.”
When Kyle opened Celia’s door to help her into the truck, he saw her wince as her back met the seat. Her ribs were probably killing her. Just like her not to mention it.
Neither spoke until they parked in front of the house. “Anything else I need to do with the cattle tonight?” he asked her.
“Make sure the water isn’t frozen. If it is, you’ll have to break off the crust.”
“Okay. I’ll load up the woodstove, check that, and then I’ll be in to make sure you didn’t get cow shit in them stitches today.”