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He was doing this to Brett, confusing him. He wasn t being fair.
Look, Cade said quietly, it doesn t have to be like this.
Like what?
Tense and shit. Cade took a step back in an effort to give them both more breathing room. We
could forget the past couple of weeks, put them behind us if they make you this uncomfortable.
Brett didn t look convinced, but his eyes remained calm and Cade decided now was as good a time as
any to ask the question that had been keeping him awake at night.
Why are you uncomfortable? he asked, searching Brett s face for clues. That night with Jess, it
was just a bit of fun, nothing serious.
Confusion flashed in Brett s gaze before the anger returned. Why can t you leave it the hell alone?
he seethed, bringing his beer bottle down on the bar with so much force Cade expected the glass to smash
to pieces.
Returning his attention to Brett, he replied with a question of his own. Why is it bugging you so
much?
Maybe because it doesn t seem to be bugging you at all, Brett said, fists curling at his sides.
Realizing they were drawing attention, Brett moved forward, his body heat enveloping Cade as he spoke
again, this time in a much lower voice. You liked it.
Cade gave a small laugh of surprise. Of course I liked it. It was sex, what s not to like?
No. Brett shook his head. Not just Jessica. You liked& even when she wasn t around, you liked&
Tired of beating around the bush, Cade groaned his frustration. Liked what?
Brett couldn t say it but his thoughts were clear in his desperate eyes. You were hard the whole
time, he ground out eventually. I saw you, I saw you looking.
Cade s gut twisted. This wasn t how he d expected the conversation to go. He knew Brett had
suspected this. Hell, he d made a poor show of hiding his feelings for the man, especially that night. But
when he d thought about this confrontation over the past few days, he d dreaded it, dreaded the accusation
and disgust Brett was bound to display. What Cade hadn t counted on was the mix of confusion and
desperate need in Brett s eyes he was facing now. And he d be damned if that wasn t desire burning
beneath all that emotion.
They stared at one another in silence and Cade finally let himself acknowledge the fact that Brett felt
something too. No matter how small it was something.
Brett, honey, a female voice simpered.
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Coming Home
Brett s eyes dimmed once again and he turned his back on Cade. Glancing over the other man s
shoulder, Cade watched Mary Ellen practically rub herself up against Brett. She was a piece of candy, this
one all candyfloss smiles and sugar-coated tones. Not his type at all.
It became clear as Brett slipped his hands down around her tiny waist he was putting an end to the
conversation he d been having with Cade. The high of anticipation and hope Cade had been feeling
swooped downward, the anti-climax almost unbearable as he turned away from Brett and his piece of
sugar. He would have walked straight out of the bar if his cell hadn t started buzzing in his pocket.
He pulled it out and flipped it open, not recognizing the number. Hello, he said into it.
Cade, it s Jimmy here.
Frowning at the strain in the old man s voice, Cade pressed the cell tighter to his ear. Everything
okay, Jimmy?
I tried to get Brett but he ain t answering his phone, Jimmy rushed on. You boys need to come
home. It s Dixie. She s not doing so good.
A sinking feeling weighted down Cade s stomach as he glanced back at Brett. Of all the horses, losing
Dixie would break his heart. Did you call the vet, Jimmy?
Yeah, Rob s on his way now.
Okay, we ll be there in twenty. He snapped the phone shut and strode back to Brett. We need to
get out of here.
Brett didn t look away from his doting friend as he asked, Why?
One of the horses is sick. Jimmy just called me.
This got Brett s attention. He untangled himself from the blonde who pouted up at him. Sorry, Mary
Ellen, Brett said, not sounding particularly sorry at all. I gotta go.
Cade almost felt sorry for the girl who stood forgotten at the bar as Brett headed for the door. But
noting the way the guy behind her was staring at her ass, eyes glinting with interest, Cade shrugged off the
sympathy and followed Brett outside. Mary Ellen wouldn t go home alone tonight.
The atmosphere in the car on the ride home was as strained as it had been on the way to Billy s. But
the tension in the air was a different kind of tension worry, fear.
What horse? Brett asked tersely as they left the town behind them.
Cade held his breath and then released it slowly. Dixie.
They didn t utter another word until they reached the ranch. As soon as Cade pulled up in Brett s
drive, whinnies of pain reached his ears. With Dixie at the front of his mind, he got out of the car and
jogged to the stables with Brett right beside him.
There you are, Jimmy said when they stepped inside the darkened stables. He stood outside one of
the empty stalls beside the stable doors. Or at least it had been empty until now. When Cade reached the
stall and saw Dixie inside, Rob Daly standing beside her, the pit of dread in his stomach deepened. They d
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Ava Rose Johnson
moved her down to this stall so she was right beside the exit. That way if she gave out it wouldn t be such a
difficult task to move her.
How is she? Brett asked flatly and Cade knew he d figured out why they d moved her too.
Now they were closer, Cade could see the weariness in Jimmy s weathered face as he shook his head.
Not doing too good.
The stiffness that was there when I came out last week is much worse, Rob said from the dark stall.
And she s sweating buckets.
She went into convulsions about an hour ago, Jimmy added, grimacing at the memory. Poor thing
fell on the ground. That s when I called Rob.
Convulsions? Cade asked, looking at the vet for confirmation. When Rob nodded, he didn t just
confirm the convulsions, he confirmed Cade s suspicions. Tetanus.
Rob nodded again. I m almost sure. Between the stiffness and the spasms. He dropped to his knees
and pointed to her front right hoof. There s a cut just here on her leg. I missed that last week.
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