Million Dollar Cowboy (Cupid, Texas #5)(98)

"I thought we had a deal. I take you in, give you all the love I have and in return, you don't act like a jerk when I try to save you from yourself."

"Mew."

"You know there are night animals that see you as a tasty treat. Coyotes, foxes, owls . . . If you don't want to be someone's midnight snack, I suggest you come to Mama."

"Mew."

"No? Is it me? Tell me, where did I go wrong?"

Dart's tail switched and he buried himself so deeply into the shadows she could barely see him.

"C'mere, sweetheart." Kaia fished a liver treat from her pocket, hoped he liked that better than tuna, and set it on a knothole in the branch between them. "There's more where that came from. Consider me your gravy train."

Dart hunched into a tiny ball, curled his tail around him tight, and stared narrow-eyed at her.

"What? When have I ever done you wrong? Name one time."

"Mew."

"Not buying it, huh?"

She heard the rumble of a truck engine, straightened up on the limb, and craned her neck to see who it was.

Archer's SUV.

With Ridge behind the wheel.

Her heart was a rocket, shooting to the moon. He'd come back!

From her vantage point hidden in the tree branches she could see him, but he couldn't see her.

Ridge got out of the pickup.

Kaia's stomach flipped and her chest squeezed tight and her pulse was a wild thing, writhing through arteries and veins.

What was he doing here? Why was he back so soon? Was everything okay with his father? 

He sauntered up the sidewalk, headed for her house. He had no idea she was in the tree.

Kaia couldn't help taking advantage of the opportunity and ogled his backside. She leaned over the edge of the branch, watching his back pockets sway.

Nice, very nice.

He adjusted his Stetson, pushing it back on his head, as if he had something serious to tell her. He rang her doorbell.

She canted her head, appreciating how his tight-fitting Wranglers cupped his muscular butt.

Whew-wee! Perspiration broke out on her forehead and in um . . . other places.

She let go of the branch with one hand, used it to fan herself.

Dart picked that moment to dash down from his perch higher on the same limb and he came flying toward her, nimble as a squirrel. He ran straight at her, his kitten claws catching in her hair.

She shrieked.

So did Dart.

And the next thing she knew, Kaia was lying on her back on the ground, guppy-gasping for air.



"Kaia." Ridge knelt beside her. "Speak to me."

She would if she could, but she couldn't catch her breath.

He scooped her into his arms, held her close to his chest, and carried her into the house. She waved her hand, trying to get him to wait, to go look for Dart, but he wasn't paying attention.

"He . . . he . . . he . . ." She wheezed, partially from the air being knocked out of her lungs and partially because she was in his arms.

Gently, he settled her on the sofa, and looked down at her, concern knitting his face.

She nodded, still struggling to inhale with seized-up lungs.

"Shh," he said. "Wait until you get your breath back."

She nodded. Buddy and Bess came over to lick her face, thumping their tails and looking concerned.

"Dart," she finally got out.

"What?" He looked confused.

She swung her legs off the sofa, tried to get up, but dizziness swamped her. Whoa! She sank back against the cushions.

"Are you all right?" Ridge's voice was stuffed with concern and his hands were gentle on her body. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, but . . . wait a minute. What are you doing here? I thought you went to pick up Duke in El Paso."

"I did. I'm back."

"So quickly? Why aren't you still with him?" she asked, hoping he'd tell her he couldn't stay away from her one second longer than necessary.

He shifted his gaze, glanced away from her. "We had it out. Big-time."

"Over what?"

"My mother. Vivi. Everything."

"That's good. Right? You finally cleared the air after all this time."

He shook his head. "Nothing changed."

"Oh Ridge, I'm sorry."

He shrugged like a snake shedding old skin, as if it were nothing, as if he wasn't lacerated inside. But Kaia knew the difference. She knew how desperately he craved his father's approval, even if he couldn't admit it, even to himself.

"I'm leaving," he said. "I came to tell you goodbye."

"Tonight?" She heard tension in her voice, felt it grip and crawl, squeezing her stomach, her lungs, her throat. Moving up to her head, throbbing at her temples. "You're leaving tonight?"

"I have to go," he said. "Immediate problems in China."

"I see."

"It's my livelihood, Kaia."