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Chapter 91: Epilogue
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Cattenach Ranch Chapter 1
VOLUME ONE: REDEMPTIONIn the private cemetery on her family's ranch, Olivia Cattenach knelt by her brother's grave and brushed grass clippings from the headstone. Six months since Justin had been killed in action. Hard to believe. The loss was still as fresh as the day two soldiers had shown up at her front door with his tags and their condolences.Worse than losing her brother, her best friend, was the reality of a life cut short at just twenty-eight. Tragedy didn't begin to cover it. One IED, one wrong step, and he was gone. Erased as if he'd never been here at all.Knowing Aunt Mae was standing behind her at the wrought iron gate, waiting to start the day, Olivia sighed, took a sip of coffee from a travel cup, and tried to keep her morning visit short. But, damn. The sharp stab of loneliness pierced her stomach.She glanced past his grave and that of her parents' to the northern pasture in the distance, teeming with long golden stems as far as the eye could see. "In another mon
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 2
She couldn't blame him for not catching her drift. It's not as if she'd ever flirted with him before. She wasn't even sure she knew how, at any rate. In these parts, the direct approach of buying someone a beer at the sole tavern in town was the equivalent of an offer. He went eerily still and, as if in slow motion, his gaze slid from the clipboard to her. Hard black eyes nailed her to her spot and probed as if searching for the Holy Grail of meaning. Unnerved and feeling more than a little stupid, she shifted her weight to her other foot. "Have you ever thought about it? Me, you, clothes on the floor?" Yikes. Couldn't get any more obvious than that. She'd kill Aunt Mae later.A harsh inhale, and he turned his head, glaring at the mountains in the far distance. His Adam's apple bobbed with a swallow and he closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking at her once again. Interest flared in his eyes, but uncertainty was gaining ground.Finally, he switched the clipboard to his
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 3
A promise. After an honorable medical discharge, that's what had sent Nate from Chicago to Meadowlark, Wyoming. The "honorable" part of his release from the Army was a joke, but his pledge to a dying comrade was not. Redemption was asking too much, but he could hope. Something told him he'd still be seeking absolution when he took his last breath on some distant day.It should've been him six feet under with Justin standing vigil at Nate's funeral. Not the other way around. And he'd pay for it the rest of his pathetic life. He was here, as Justin had asked of him, but there was no atonement for getting a friend killed.He stared out the massive living room window at a dark Cattenach Ranch, waiting on Olivia to return from upstairs. Justin had talked about his family and the land often, but somehow hadn't done any of it justice. Nate had envisioned a little farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rolling hills and cows. Showed what he knew.It had taken five solid minutes o
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 4
"Bones." The owner in question stepped onto the porch, shutting the screen door behind her. "When he was a puppy, he'd bring me skeletal remains of whatever animals he could find. Ergo, the name." She sat in the chair next to his and laid her head against the back, her eyes suspiciously red and puffy. She'd put a sweater on to ward off the chilly night.Figuring she'd talk when she was ready, he continued petting the dog and took in what he could of his surroundings. Another ten years, and he might get used to the silence, the fresh air."Looks like you made a friend already." She turned her head and offered a sad smile.He glanced at Bones again. Great name. "I always wanted a dog." Frowning, he snapped his mouth shut, unsure why he'd told her that."Your parents wouldn't let you have one?"Considering his foster families claimed eating was a privilege, and those were the decent ones, he didn't respond."Do you have anything waiting for you back in Illinois? A job? Family?"He
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 5
Olivia sipped coffee at the kitchen table while Aunt Mae flipped strips of bacon at the stove. Sizzles and pops filled the room in a sound as comforting as it was familiar. A large stack was piled on a draining plate and two of the men had already stopped by for a bite."Have you seen Nate this morning?" Olivia moved scrambled eggs around her plate, hoping it looked like she'd eaten more than she had, else Aunt Mae would fuss."No, but he's probably comatose if he drove straight from Illinois."No doubt. "I should've discussed him living here." It had been an impulsive offer after she'd read Justin's letter, but she couldn't bring herself to regret the decision. According to her brother, he suspected Nate had no family and wanted him to find a place to call home once he was out of the service. Justin had said other things, stuff she didn't want to dissect yet, but she'd process later. "Is it okay with you?"Up went Aunt Mae's brows. "I don't get involved in your hiring, baby girl.""I
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 6
At the cemetery fence, he paused. "He's buried here?""Yes, along with four generations of Cattenachs." She faced him, watching the hard edges of his profile. "Our parents died in a car wreck when we were eight. I didn't sleep well for a long time afterward and I refused to get in a vehicle for a year, thinking I'd die, too. I won't pretend to understand what you're going through, but what helped me was coming here, talking to them." He turned his head and looked at her, gaze sweeping over her face like a caress. Understanding and respect shone in his eyes before he broke the connection and glanced at the cemetery again.Bones nudged his hand and, with a blink of surprise, Nate looked at the dog."I think he senses what troubles you. Maybe you should let him sleep in your bed, see how it works out." She opened the gate and walked to Justin's grave.Nate's quiet footsteps padded behind her, but he said nothing. He spoke very little, actually, but his eyes gave a lot of him away. G
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 7
After the foreman's temper tantrum yesterday morning, Nate had spent the day ten feet from Olivia while she'd shaved wool off sheep. Many, many sheep. At least he knew what shearing meant now. It looked exhausting. A week ago, he wouldn't have said so, but since watching her and Nakos for nine solid hours, Nate would've rather done eight-hundred push-ups than partake.And he'd tried damn hard not to think about how great her ass looked in jeans every time she'd bent over. Which had been a lot. Or the way sunlight had lit her cornflower eyes and auburn hair on their walk. Or the way she'd smiled sweetly at him as if she could chase away all his dark simply by wishing it.Justin had been like that, too - worked his way past Nate's defenses and burrowed deep. Didn't matter how many times he'd told Justin to go away or gave off fuck-you vibes, the guy had just kept at it with charm and smiles and blah, blah, blahing Nate to death. Until he'd found himself liking the fellow soldier so much,
Cattenach Ranch Chapter 8
She grabbed the reins of two horses and walked them out the opposite end and into a clearing. Long prairie grass stirred in the wind as the pink sky faded to navy. She tied the brown horse to a post by a fence and held the black one in place.Nate eyed her, then the animals. "Never ridden one of these.""This is Midnight. He's a three-year-old stallion and very mild-mannered. Come on over here." When he did as asked, she took his wrist and had him run his hand down the horse's nose. In turn, Midnight nudged Nate's shoulder, and Olivia laughed. "There, he likes you."She instructed him how to mount, and he climbed onto the saddle. She did the same on hers, looking way more graceful about it, and settled her horse next to his."My guy here is Pirate, and he's a two-year-old gelding. Now, you know how to ride a motorcycle, so you're at an advantage." She set one hand on his stomach and the other on his forearm, and he inhaled hard. "Driving a bike requires using your core and arms. Yo
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