But something deep in her being couldn’t determine if the reward was greater than the risk. And was she willing to risk all of this—both her heart and Seth’s—just to find out?
“I don’t know what to do, Seth. But I do know one thing. If I stay here with you tonight, there’s no way we’re not having sex.”
His chest stopped mid-rise. “I’d have to agree with you on that.”
“For that reason, I think I should head back to my trailer for the night. Even if I stay here and sleep on the couch, I don’t think it’ll give us the space we need to keep things PG.”
“What about PG-13?” He nuzzled his nose against her neck and pressed his full mouth on the sensitive flesh there. She squirmed as his tongue met the slope of her neck in a way that made her toes curl.
“Um, yeah. No chance of that either.”
He drew back. “Josie, I hope you know I’ve never felt this way about someone after only knowing them a week.”
“I hope you know I don’t pretend marry any ol’ cowboy that comes along, either.”
He laughed a little, but then his expression became serious, his eyes sober. “I care about you, Josie. I’m falling for you. Hard. And I want a future with you that has the potential to bring us right back to where we are now, but when that time comes around, I want it to be for real.”
Josie wanted all of those things but couldn’t find the way to say it. Instead, she leaned over and kissed Seth and somehow, it filled in all of the gaps where her words were lacking.
Josie shivered inside her sweatshirt and threaded her hands together in the front pocket. It was dang cold, near freezing. Seth had protested about a hundred times when she made the offer, but it made no sense for him to hike to the barn to feed Hank when she would be passing by on her way to her fifth wheel. She was happy to take the midnight shift.
Stars dotted the black sky above like pinpricks in a heavenly tapestry. There was the familiar farm smell, sharp and earthy, and it seemed heightened this hour of night. She could see the funnel of flickering light coming from the old dairy barn and could hear the bugs that buzzed in its glow yards before she made it to the entrance of the rundown structure.
“Hello?” Josie stepped into the barn. Her boots crunched pieces of straw as she made her way down the breezeway aisle, sending an eerie shiver down her spine. “Anyone here?”
“In here with Hank.” Tanner’s voice still startled her, even though she’d sensed she wasn’t alone. “Just wrapping up.”
She peered into the stall to see Seth’s older brother with the baby calf practically sitting in his lap. The red glow from the heater clipped to the stall wall tinted them a pinkish hue and Josie could feel the radiating warmth even from a distance. “I didn’t realize you’d be here,” Josie said. “I came by to cover Seth’s shift for him.”
“Already taken care of it.”
The generous gesture took Josie by surprise. So much of their relationship felt like a competition, at the very least a constant contention. Tanner’s selfless act was out of the ordinary, no question, and it made a wariness bubble up in Josie that she almost felt guilty about. People could do good things without ulterior motives, right? “That’s really nice of you, Tanner. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t, but I do remember what it’s like to be a newlywed.” He took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped the calf’s milk mustache with the fabric edge. “I figured you two could use your alone time. I texted him telling him so, but seeing that you’re standing right here, I assume he didn’t get it.”
“I don’t think he did.”
“It’s fine. He can owe me one. I gotta take the boys into town to get some new cleats tomorrow, so tell Seth he’s on for the early afternoon shift. From there on out, we can get back to our normal feeding schedule.”
“I can do that. No problem. Thank you again, Tanner. I really do appreciate it and I know Seth does, too.”
Tanner shot Josie a look like he was going to say more, but then his lips pressed tight and he redirected is attention to the calf that began to doze off with its head resting upon his thigh.
“Goodnight, Tanner.” Josie turned to go and was certain her ears deceived her when she heard a faint, “Night, sis,” in reply.
23
Seth
Seth wasn’t one to believe in premonitions, but there was no other way to describe it.
He had been lost in a dream, swallowed up in the illusion of reality that coupled with a deep slumber. In his vision, Josie had Bruiser on a lunge line, circling ‘round and ‘round the pen while she stood in the center, rope in one hand, whip in the other. Flames kicked up from the stallion’s hind hooves, making sparks skitter across the ground like a matchstick striking sandpaper. As the horse sped into a higher gear from a lope to an all-out gallop, Josie kept time, pivoting on her heel to turn with the beast. Embers bounced and raced over the sand in a kindling that grew brighter and stronger with each lap the horse made around the pen.
Then, with one powerful thrust, the back end of the mustang kicked into the air, bucking wildly toward the night sky in a burst that turned everything an orange glow. A wall of fire swallowed up the pen and all within it.
Seth vaulted from his bed and rushed toward the window. His stomach twisted like he was about to become sick, and when the amber blaze of the barn met his frantic eyes, he nearly retched, the visual confirmation of all his fears too much to take in.
His pants and shirt weren’t even all the way on and he was already out the door, fumbling to button himself up while he jammed his feet into his muddied boots.
“Josie!” he shouted, flying down the porch steps two at a time.
There was no reason for her to be out at this hour, but his gut knew he would find her there. His heart dreaded just what shape she might be in.
“Josie!” he yelled again, covering more land with his stride than he ever had on horseback.
“Over here!” A raw voice screamed from the paddocks, then choked out through a sputtering cough, “With the rescues!”
The old dairy barn creaked in the distance as a support beam crumbled, snapping it in two like a brittle wishbone. Shards of red-hot wood splintered to the ground below and within seconds, the stacked bales of hay stored there ignited, the dry grasses the perfect tinder to set the entire barn ablaze. Flames shot up the rustic walls and sparks flared, sending dime-sized cinders spraying out like a fourth of July firework.
“I can’t get them to go!” Josie cracked the whip on the ground, right next to the stallion’s hooves, but he wouldn’t budge. The five horses huddled together and the more she prodded, the more they remained mulishly immobile. “We have to get them out of here, Seth!”
Another crack. Seth cast a glance over his shoulder just as the barn roof caved in the middle, decimating the structure as it fell to the ground with a shake that made the earth move. Flames instantly swelled, plumes of smoke billowing in thick, ebony clouds.
Seth tugged his bandana from his back pocket and quickly tied it at the back of Josie’s head for a mask, then he ripped a strip from the hem of his shirt to twist a makeshift one for himself. Smoke burned his eyes, the dry, intense heat singeing his lashes and brow. His lungs felt like they were on fire, just like everything else around them.