Russ glared at him before turning on his heel and walking inside. He ran up the stairs to his bedroom and slammed the door. Heading over to the window, he gazed down. Did he really want to go out on a limb and fight for Lizzie? It seemed petty to even try, especially after the incident at the hospital. She had, no doubt, already made up her mind from what transpired yesterday. Somehow, he didn't think he stood a chance. Stripping off his shirt, Russ decided on a cool shower before dinner. He didn't want to go back downstairs in the mood he was in and spoil Rooney's night.
Chapter 26
Kate leaned her head back under the pulsing jet of the shower, rinsing the shampoo from her hair. A quick lift of her face under the warm spray and she was done. Flicking the taps off, she stepped out onto the bath mat and lifted her towel from the rail, wrapping it around her as she walked back into her bedroom. She took clean underwear from her top drawer and thought about what to wear.
Normally she wouldn't care but tonight looked a bit more special. Stevie was here with Rooney, and that may be cause for a celebration. Skinny jeans would be okay so long as she wore a nice top with them. That way if they ended up sitting outside, the mossies wouldn't make a feast of her legs like they usually did. Being a red-head and fair-skinned had its problems and that was one of them.
After Kate had dressed, she wrapped the towel around her hair and scrunched it to absorb most of the moisture. Unwrapping it, she shook her head and her wet locks fell over her shoulders in a mass of tight red curls. With just a touch of make-up, she was ready.
Wally wound his way through her legs waiting for his dinner as usual. When she looked in his bowl to find it still full from breakfast, she scolded him. "You’re getting far too fussy for a barn cat, pal. Now, let me go. I need to eat and spend time with friends and idiot men who don't know what's good for them."
She dimmed the lights in the lounge and kitchen, leaving one on outside so she could see her way home without stumbling in the dark. Wally meowed and followed her to the front door. "No." Kate stroked his head as she opened the door.
The cat spat and lashed out, scratching her hand in the process before running through the house, hissing.
"Shit." The blood ran down her hand and the scratch stung like crazy. She looked up to see Cade standing at the door, his gaze concerned. "What the hell was that all about? Since when did you scare the crap out of my cat?"
He grabbed her hand to inspect the scratches. "Hell, Kate. I'm sorry. I didn't think your cat would be scared of dogs living on the farm." He pushed her back into the hallway and hobbled in, shutting the door behind him.
"What dog?"
"I'll tell you about it later. Let's get this clean before we go for dinner." He followed her into the kitchen. When she reached under the kitchen sink for the first aid kit, he nudged her out of the way and leaned down to get it.
Kate watched his blond curls and resisted the urge to touch them as he placed the kit on the bench and undid the lid. With unhurried precision, Cade pulled out a small bottle of disinfectant and a large band aid, along with a tube of antiseptic cream. He took a small bowl from the rack on the bench and poured disinfectant into it, using cotton wool balls to wipe the blood from the back of her hand.
Her heart rate hitched up a few notches as he held her hand and she had to concentrate to keep her breathing steady. Having Cade in her house alone was too tempting by far. "Thanks." He dried the scratch and dabbed cream on before taking the backing off the band-aid to cover it. "I didn't take you for the caring type, Cade."
"You wound me with your assumptions, Kate. I'm not the playboy you make me out to be."
"Really? Funny how I don't actually believe that, but it's not my problem." She moved past him in the tiny kitchen, the contact with his body making her stomach quiver. "Let's go and have dinner, shall we? They're probably waiting." She walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to open the front door again. On the step sat the dog that caused the incident with Wally. It backed away when it saw her. "That dog better not be a stray hassling the cattle."
"It's okay, girl." Cade brushed past Kate and reached down to stroke his dog on the head. "This is Molly. I rescued her yesterday and she's turning into my shadow."
"You rescued her? Why and where from?" Kate stood and looked from him to the dog. She shut the door as he started for the house and followed him.
"Tell you all about it later, after dinner when the squirt has gone to bed. She doesn't need to know what happened."
"What were you doing at my front door anyway?"
He glanced up and down her body, sending small jolts of electricity down her spine and to her sensitive spots. When he didn't answer, she shrugged, deciding to ignore him. They walked around the side of the house and true to her promise, Rooney had a glass of wine for Kate. "Thanks. I need this tonight."
"Sounds like everyone’s had a rough week. What's the problem, Kate?" Rooney took a seat on the cane lounger and held her hand out for Kate to join her.
"Short-handed
