Rowan took the bottle but held Skye’s gaze. “Skye,” she said quietly.
Skye’s brows knitted together.
“Is it Alzheimer’s? Or dementia? Or—?” Rowan asked gently.
Skye gasped. “No! No. It’s…he’s…” She glanced again at the open door, looking wistful. “No,” she sighed. “Macular degeneration.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Skye.”
Skye nodded, blond hair falling across her face. “It’s why I finished school early. Things are getting hard. He has to stop doing surgeries. It…it sounds terrible, but sometimes I think Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia might be better in some ways. He’s still got all his other faculties. Mind sharp as a razor.” She smiled ruefully. “He’s still got the entire Merck Veterinary Manual memorized verbatim. He’s frustrated. And people are starting to notice, but they don’t know why yet. We haven’t made an official announcement. He’s got an appointment in Denver for laser therapy in two weeks. He needs more time, to get used to the idea, to acclimate. He’s hoping for a miracle. I’m hoping it slows the progression long enough for him to learn the skills he’s going to need when…”
She didn’t need to explain further. “Well, no one will hear it from us,” Rowan replied, squeezing Skye’s hand.
“No,” said Seth, echoing her sentiments. “Though I’m very sorry to hear about it, Skye. If there’s anything you need, we’re just a phone call away.”
If Rowan were a jealous woman, she’d be rattled that Seth would apparently offer his help to any damsel in distress. But he wasn’t looking at Skye with the same heat, the same hunger.
He was just a good man doing the right thing.
That alone made Seth Barlow a rare beast.
Back home, just like Doc Chambers had predicted, Kinka limped off to check on his flock.
Willow headed inside to watch cartoons.
Alone on the porch, Seth didn’t seem to be able to wait a moment longer, either. He moved in close and kissed her, soft and lingering, finally releasing her before things got too heated.
“Will you come again tonight?” she asked.
He gave her a sly look, and she slapped his chest with a grin. “Yes,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “But I want you to come first.”
“Seth!”
He chuckled and pulled her close. “Not what I meant. I’m worried about you, Rowan. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
Impossible to do when he was this close.
“I want you to come to Snake River,” he clarified. “You and Willow. Can you come this afternoon? I’ve got…a little something worked out. And after all this…” He gestured to the truck bed. “Willow could use something fun.”
Rowan didn’t want anything (like Court’s presence) dampening her time with Seth, but the man was right, Willow could use something to take her mind off last night.
And frankly, so could Rowan. Her body still ached from a combination of being knocked on her ass and being manhandled by a smoking-hot cowboy. She needed a lot less of one and a whole lot more of the other. But Willow came first.
“What did you do?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “I put together a surprise for my niece. That’s all I’m saying.”
His niece. That sounded good, felt good. It felt like a more tenuous connection, a stronger bond, like something meant to be, something unbreakable.
“Seth, you’ve done so much for us, I—”
His lips came down on hers again, cutting her off. It was a full minute—or maybe an hour—before he drew back, letting her catch her breath. “Not enough, Rowan,” he murmured. “Not enough.” He left her on the porch, and Rowan had to fight not to follow him down the stairs. “I’ll call you after lunch,” he promised before he got behind the wheel.
True to his word, the phone rang just as Rowan was washing the plates from lunch. The Caller ID sent a ripple of excitement through her, and she took a deep breath as she lifted the receiver.
“Are you ready?” came Seth’s deep-timbered voice over the phone.
Rowan’s entire body came to life. She glanced furtively at Willow, wishing that she was alone. “Ready? I…” Who wouldn’t be, when a man like Seth Barlow asked? Rowan cleared her throat. “I—”
“For the surprise,” Seth amended, and Rowan felt somewhat deflated but curious just the same.
“Yes,” she finally said. “We’re ready.” Reluctantly, she hung up the phone and turned to Willow. “Baby? Do you want to go to Snake River? To see the horses?”
Willow’s eyes lit up, and Rowan felt that the excitement was contagious, though for an entirely different reason.
“Get your boots on,” she told her. “And don’t forget your gloves.”
“Can we take apples? And hay? And—”
“Dakota will have those. We’ll have to listen to what she tells us. She’s in charge.”
Willow’s eyes widened. “She’s in charge of the whole ranch?”
“Well, no,” Rowan amended. “She’s in charge of the horses. And the Barlows have several.”
Willow stopped to consider this. “I want to be in charge of horses,” she decided.
“Really?” asked Rowan. “Horses? Not sheep?”
Willow’s nose wrinkled. “Sheep aren’t as fun.”
There was no point in arguing with a four-year-old about things like legacy and family tradition. Besides, even Rowan could admit that the girl had a point. Sheep were not as fun.
They piled into the car and headed down the highway. As far as Rowan was concerned, even knowing that Court would be there, she couldn’t get to Snake River fast enough.
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
Seth waited in the driveway with Court and Dakota, wishing there wasn’t such a large welcoming committee watching Rowan pull up. He wanted to get her alone again, as soon as possible, just to feel her pressed up against him. He merely smiled at her politely, though, as she got Willow out of the car and crossed the driveway to greet all of them.
“Hi,” said Dakota, lowering herself to meet Willow. “I’m Dakota.”
Willow grinned. “You own all the horses.”
Dakota’s grin was just as big. “Weeeeell,” she said, “I don’t own them. Not all of them. But I do feel like they’re mine.”
Seth had no doubt of that, and Dakota was entitled to that sentiment. She worked damn hard for those horses. They were all like her children—even the wildlings that could barely be roped seemed to hold a special place in the woman’s heart. The legal ownership of Snake River’s horses was just that, a legal technicality. Dakota Vasquez was their true and rightful owner, as far as Seth was concerned.
“Do you want to meet some of them?” Dakota asked Willow.
The question was met with unbridled enthusiasm, and Willow exchanged Rowan’s hand for Dakota’s as they all headed toward the horse barn.
Seth stayed back, though, letting the group get ahead of him, and Rowan did too. She glanced up at him with a barely contained grin before looking quickly away.
“Thanks for inviting us,” she said. “Willow’s looking forward to her surprise.”
“I have one for you, too,” Seth told her.
Rowan finally looked at him again. Her curious yet happy gaze made him feel warm all over. “For me?” She blushed furiously. “Seth…we can’t…I mean, this is your family’s ranch,” she whispered.
He laughed and reached for her arm, turning her gently toward the barn. “Trust me,” he said. “It’s not that kind of surprise…although now that you mention it…” He let his voice trail off and the teasing words linger for a moment as his hand slid down her arm, over her hip, and squeezed her ass. He let go quickly, though, because it would just be torturing them both to get too worked up out here in the open.
“Come on,” he finally concluded and started for the barn behind the others.
Inside the building the others were already far ahead. Nearer the barn door, the smaller office door opened, and Walker stepped out into the hall. He hesitated for a moment when he turned to the right and saw Dakota leading Willow down the aisle.
Beside Seth, Rowan’s gait faltered.
Walker finally tore his eyes from the trio in the lead and swung his head around to see Seth and Rowan bringing up the rear. His expression was dark, which was the usual these days. As they approached him, he ignored Seth and barely nodded at Rowan as he stalked toward the exit. “Rowan,” he growled, which Seth guess counted as a greeting in Walker-speak, even if it wasn’t particularly friendly.
She physically shrank from the eldest Barlow as he passed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Seth murmured, leaning in.
Rowan looked up at him with a grimace. “I’ve always been…intimidated by him,” she whispered. “I didn’t even realize he knew my name.” She watched him walk away and seemed relieved that he was leaving. “Is he…?” She glanced furtively at Willow walking ahead of them. “Is he angry?”
Seth shook his head and sighed. “No. Well, yeah, but not at you. He and Austin have been going at it for a few days now. Seems like lately all they do is butt heads. But don’t worry about it. Honestly. It has nothing to do with you. We’re all excited to meet our niece, even Walker,” Seth told her, though that last part might be stretching the truth just a bit. “We’re not going to circle around her, though. We won’t overwhelm her. We’ll take it slow.”