Love Profound (Cowboys & Angels 2)

“Thanks,” Cord said.

Tripp stood and looked west. “Damn, those clouds are building. Looks like another storm is brewing.”

“Shit, if we get any more rain, the river’s gonna crest over the bank,” Trevor said.

I rubbed the cold bottle of water against the back of my neck.

“Ah, Wade? You mind stepping over here?” Cord asked.

“You can’t find the gloves?” I asked, making my way to him. He wore a pissed-off look.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He pointed. “Dude, you better hope those are my sister’s. Then again, you better hope they’re not.”

Furrowing my brows, I said, “What in the hell are you talking about?”

He grabbed my T-shirt and pulled me around the door, pointed to Amelia’s panties.

The memory of us fucking in the truck hit me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Dude, I know you are not smiling about this.”

I dropped my smile and reached for the panties, shoving them into my pocket. Turning to Cord, I said, “They’re your sister’s. And I smile because she makes me happy. Would you rather her be with some asshole who uses her and then moves on to the next girl? I love your sister, Cord, and, yes, we have sex. I had sisters, and I can imagine that pisses you off. But y’all have to stop threatening me. I’m gonna be honest with you, I plan on asking Amelia to marry me some day so you better get used to the idea that we’re together in that way.”

Cord’s mouth dropped open.

“Dude, I respect the hell out of you for standing up to me. You’re right, Amelia is an adult, and we need to realize that she isn’t walking around wearing a chastity belt.”

“Thank you.”

He pointed at me. “Next time, though, y’all pick up after you do the deed. Christ Almighty, I didn’t need to see that.”

Cord walked off, mumbling something under his breath.

A crack of thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Let’s go! We need to get this hay up to the barn before another storm hits,” Trevor called out as he reached for a bale and tossed it up on the trailer.

Tripp climbed into the ranch truck as the rest of us loaded up the hay. The breeze coming in from the approaching storm felt nice and actually made us work a little faster.

After everything was loaded, we headed to the barn and unloaded it all.

“Y’all getting hungry?” Waylynn asked.

Tripp wiped his brow. “Hell, yeah. Mom got something going?”

“Yep. Roast, veggies, fresh bread that Chloe helped her make. Oh, and Aunt Vi’s made her sweet potato soufflé. I’m pretty sure there is whiskey in it, though.”

Steed jumped off the pile of hay and fist pumped the air. “Yes! Damn, I love that stuff.”

“Come on, that storm’s coming in and from what the weather is saying, it’s gonna be bad. Farther up the river they’ve gotten five inches of rain already. We’re under a tornado watch.”

I turned to Trevor. “Some of the horses are out in the north pasture. We should bring them in, at least the mares and foals.”

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous way.

“Wade and I will ride out and gather them up. We won’t be long,” Trevor announced.

“I’ll go with you,” Mitchell said.

“You need any more help, Trev?” Steed asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, the three of us can get it. Just don’t eat all the damn food.”

The rain was coming down so hard it stung my face as I rode alongside Trevor and Mitchell.

Trevor pointed and shouted, “There they are! Get them all tied on the lead and bring them in.”

We followed him over to the group of horses. The lightning was insane. I don’t think I’d ever seen the sky light up so much. Every time the thunder cracked, a foal would try to take off.

“Is that it?” Mitchell asked, ducking when lightning hit close by.

“Fucking hell. We need to get back. I can hear the river coming up.”

We turned to see the Frio River swollen over its banks.

“It’s flooding fast. Let’s get out of here,” Trevor said. He kicked his horse and we started trotting back at a slow enough pace that the foals could keep up.

Mitchell rode to the side, and I rode in the back. Looking to my left, I saw a foal caught in the water.

I quickly caught up to Mitchell. “There’s one left behind. I’m going for her.”

He turned and looked over his shoulder. “Fuck! The river’s coming up too fast, Wade.”

“I’ll rope her in. Just keep going.”

“Wade! Wade!” Mitchell called after me, but I kept heading to the foal.

“Just keep going! I’ll catch up!” I yelled back.

Getting my rope ready, I swung it a few times and got it over her head. Tying it around the horn of my saddle, I kicked for Marley to back up and pull the foal out of the water. Once I got her out, I jumped down and checked her. Poor thing was so exhausted from trying to swim. She could hardly move.