As she hobbled to the bedroom, she said over her shoulder, “Tyrant.”
Kas smiled. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
* * *
Kas used the time it took Tabby to dress to call Jesse Knight.
“Did you get a hold of Sean?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse said. “We’ll be at the ranch tomorrow.”
“Good. I’d like to clear this up as quickly as we can.”
Jesse hesitated. “You know, it may be nothing. Horses become infertile for a lot of reasons.”
“I know. To be honest, I hope it is. I’d hate to think someone is purposely trying to sabotage the horses and…”
“People?”
Kas thought of Levon. “They already have. I know they have. Levon’s death…well, they said it was an accident.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
It didn’t take an investigator to sift through the evidence. Jesse hadn’t even had a chance to look at what was adding up for Kas and he was already summing up what didn’t make sense. It would only get worse when he got to Sweet and had a chance to talk to the hands on the ranch and look at all the strange things that had happened in recent weeks since Darren Lacey and Trip began feuding over the failure of Mad Dog and some of the other horses to produce a pregnant mare.
“If there’s anything to be found with the horses, then Sean will find it. Were there sperm tests done on all the horses? I know that’s the first thing Sean is going to ask.”
“There were. I saw the reports myself which is why I decided to partner with Trip for breeding. These stallions are fertile.”
Kas thought back to the conversation he had with Hunter right after Tabby’s accident. Hunter had been genuinely upset over what had happened during the competition. He didn’t seem like a person who’d meant to cause harm. And yet the veterinarian at the rodeo insisted that whoever put the shoe on Tenterhook must have done it wrong for him to throw a shoe that quickly after being shoed. And then there was Levon’s death. He’d been hit by a horseshoe and struck on the side of the head.
As much as he didn’t want to focus on the superstition of the upside horseshoe in the barn, he couldn’t ignore it in the context of everything else that had happened. Levon had been killed. Both Tenterhook and Tabby had been hurt. It could’ve been a lot worse. Kas couldn’t help but think that’s what someone had intended.
“Sean said Tenterhook should make a full recovery.”
“Yes, he said that to me as well. I’m more worried about Tabby.”
“How’s she doing? Carly and I were in the arena when she hit that wall.” Carly was Jesse’s fiancée and the owner of some prize bulls being ridden on the circuit. “I didn’t see you until I saw you run over to Tabby after her fall. And then you’d gone. I’ve seen a lot of spills over the years. Yours included. But most of the injuries I’ve seen were to the bull riders and bronc riders. Not the barrel racers. I think we were all holding our breath waiting to see Tabby move.”
“You and me both.” He scrubbed his hand over his head, messing his hair in an attempt to rid himself of the image of Tabby’s lifeless body on the ground. The moments after were a blur. Kas didn’t know how he’d managed to get from the stands to the arena, but he was there by her side. Her eyes fluttered open and only then had he taken a breath.
“Kasper?”
“Tomorrow then,” Kas said quickly, realizing he’d drifted into a dark place he didn’t want to go.
“I’ll give you a call in the morning to let you know around when we’ll be there.”
“I appreciate it.”
He disconnected the line just as Tabby appeared in the doorway. He’d heard her coming.
He glanced at her outfit and the scowl on her face. She was adorable. Even when she was giving him sass and irritated about something, she was beautiful and took his breath away as she stood there balancing herself on one leg.
“What? Couldn’t find a matching sweater?” he asked.
She twisted her lips into a wry smile. “Very funny. What am I supposed to do in the snow with this cast?”
She’d pulled a wool sock over the bottom of the cast to keep her toes warm, but as soon as her foot hit the snow, the sock would get wet and her skin would freeze even if she had a cast boot over the cast.
He made his way into the kitchen and started searching drawers quickly.
“You know, you could have just asked me if I have what you’re looking for.”
He continued to open and close drawers and then frowned and stood up straight. “Everyone has plastic bags. We’ll just stick one over the cast to keep it dry.”
She hobbled into the kitchen and walked over to a closet, opened the door and grabbed a box of white kitchen garbage bags off the shelf.
He scratched his chin. “I never would have found them there.”
“You can organize my kitchen if you want, but you’ll have to leave me a cheat sheet for when you leave. I’m afraid I’m not very domestic.”
“Never mind about that,” he said, reaching for her to help her into a chair. She lingered next to him, so close that he could feel the heat from her body. She smelled of lavender and something sweet he couldn’t make out. Feeling lightheaded by their close proximity, he turned her around so she was facing him. Their eyes locked for a brief moment. He wanted to touch her. Kiss her. The thought of the two of them holding each other and being lost in a warm embrace was intoxicating.
He had a feeling there was much more than the sweet goodness of Tabitha Swanson he’d seen on her surface. This woman made him feel wicked and think of things that drove him mad at night when he was alone in his bed.
She looked up at him
