“It can be.” Brandee released the head gate and walked out of the birthing area. “Let’s get out of here so she can get up and smell her baby.”
The calf still hadn’t moved, but now the cow got to her feet and managed a lumbering turn. She seemed a little disengaged from what had just happened.
“She doesn’t seem too interested in her baby,” Shane commented, his voice low and mellow.
“Give her a minute.”
And sure enough the cow ambled over to the baby and gave him a good long sniff. This seemed to stimulate the calf and he gave a little jerk, which startled the cow for a second. Then Mama gave her baby another couple sniffs and began licking.
“What do you know.” Shane gently bumped against Brandee. “Looks like we did okay.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “We sure did.”
Within an hour the calf was on its feet and Brandee wanted very badly to get off hers. Several hands had swung by to check in and thumped Shane on the back when they found out he’d participated in his first calf pulling.
“I think we can leave these two for now,” Brandee said, pushing away from the railing. “I really want a shower and some breakfast.”
“Both sound great.”
Twenty minutes later, clean and dressed in leggings and an oversize sweater, Brandee pulled her damp hair into a topknot and padded into the kitchen, where Shane had already put on a pot of coffee and was staring into the refrigerator. He hadn’t noticed her arrival and she had an unguarded few seconds to stare at him.
He’d been a huge help tonight. She wondered if he still disliked ranching as much as he had when he’d first arrived. Seeing his face light up as they’d pulled the calf free had given her such joy. She was starting to get how being partners with someone could be pretty great. Too bad there was a sinkhole the size of Hope Springs Ranch standing between them.
He must have heard her sigh because he asked, “What are you hungry for?”
He turned to look at her and she realized he was the manifestation of every longing, hope and fantasy she’d ever had. She had closed the distance and was sinking her fingers into his hair before the refrigerator door closed.
“You.”
Eleven
Shane’s arms locked around her as their mouths fused in a hot, frantic kiss. She was everything sweet and delicious. And sexy. He loved the way her hips moved against him as if driven by some all-consuming hunger. He sank his fingers into them and backed her against the counter.
If he’d thought she made him burn before, the soft moans that slipped out when he palmed her breast awakened a wildness he could barely contain. The big island in the kitchen had enough room for them both, but before he could lift her onto it, she shook her head.
“My room.”
For an instant he froze. Over the last week, she’d made it pretty clear that her bedroom was off-limits. What had changed? He framed her face with his hands and peered into her eyes. She met his gaze with openness and trust. His heart wrenched and something broke loose inside him.
“You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known,” he murmured, dipping his head to capture her lips in a reverent kiss.
She
melted into his body and he savored the plush give of her soft curves. Before the kiss could turn sizzling once more, Shane scooped Brandee off her feet and headed to her bedroom.
She’d left the nightstand lamps burning and he had no trouble finding his way to her bed. Setting her on her feet, he ripped off his T-shirt and tossed it aside. She managed to unfasten the button on his jeans before he pushed her hands aside and finished the job himself. Once he stood naked before her, he wasted little time stripping off her clothes.
Together they tumbled onto the mattress and rolled. Breathless, Shane found himself flat on his back with a smiling Brandee straddling him. Gloriously confident in her power, she cupped her breasts in her hands and lifted them in offering to him.
Shane’s erection bobbed against her backside as he skimmed his palms up her rib cage and lightly pinched her tight nipples. He wanted what happened between them tonight to be something neither one would ever forget and tangled one hand in her hair to draw her mouth down to his.
Again they kissed with more tenderness than passion. The heat that had driven them earlier had given way to a curious intimacy. Shane kissed his way down her throat and sucked gently at the spot where her shoulder and neck came together. Her fingers bit into his shoulder as she shivered.
“You like that,” he said, teasing the spot with his tongue and smiling at her shaky laugh.
“I like a lot of things that you do to me.”
“Like this?” He brushed his hand over her abdomen. Her thighs parted in anticipation of his touch, but he went no lower.