Free Branded by Scottie Barrett

lying like that. And why had his kiss unsettled her so? Her lips still tingled from that swift mating of their mouths. Lord, she thought, anymore chaste of a kiss, and she could have imagined it being bestowed by her town's ancient vicar.

Chapter Five
    The bone chill of the icy spring morning melted away as Slade walked his horse back to the barn. He looked down in disgust at the bloody carcass of the calf draped over the horse’s withers. He would have to burn the carcass or the buzzards would be swarming. Between the wolves and the Banyons, his herd would soon be down to nothing.
    On particularly disappointing days like this, he toyed with the idea of abandoning it all to take up bounty hunting again. An occupation, he'd been far more suited for. He was starting to consider it seriously, now. He didn’t hold much hope that he could get back his cattle from the Banyons. Earning some bounties might be the only way to save the ranch.
    Heading back to the farmhouse, he noticed the steam on the kitchen window, and his mouth watered at the prospect of Dora's cooking. He needed something to take the taste of dust out of his mouth. The spicy cinnamon smell of apple pie drifted to him as he opened the back door, but it was the sound of Lacey's laughter that sent a shudder of longing through him. It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed not to have kissed her properly last night when she’d arrived home with Banyon's men. The angry words Lacey and he had exchanged had torn at him all night.
    Lacey leaned over the flour coated table struggling to roll out a stubborn piece of pie dough. A lock of hair fell into her flour-smudged face, and he longed to wipe his thumb across her cheek and clean away the white powder. But he knew he would not be able to stop at her cheek.
    The sight of her in his home was starting to feel too right. He didn’t know what it would do to him when Grady came to take her away.
    Lacey moved the hair out of her eyes with her forearm depositing more flour on her face. Her sweet lips tipped up into a weak smile that gave him some hope. Perhaps, she’d forgiven him for his high-handed manner.
    "Hope you're hungry for pie."
    "I'm always hungry for pie." He looked at the half-dozen pies cooling on the table beneath the kitchen window, steam still rising from the bubbly filling. Four of them had perfectly browned crisscrossed crusts. The other two looked more like burnt pancakes, and he realized he was glad to be back home standing in the warmth of his kitchen with her.
    He looked at her beaming face and knew without a doubt, which pies he'd be eating tonight.
    "Let me do that for you," she offered as he went to pour himself some coffee.
    "Thanks, Duchess."
    Her eyes widened as she handed him the cup, and he realized she was staring at his shirt. He’d forgotten it was splattered with calf’s blood.
    "A wolf got another baby."
    She looked truly saddened.
    "Don’t know how much more of this I can bear." He didn’t know why he was telling her this. He hadn’t even admitted it to himself, until now. It was something in the way she looked at him.
    "You’ve been working so hard. And you want this so much. It would be a shame for you to give up now." She teared up.
    "Don’t take it seriously, Lacey. Only a typical rancher, griping about his bad luck. Don’t forget to save me one of those pies of yours."
    Looking puzzled, she pointed at her sunken pies. "You do realize that those particular pies are mine?"
    "Yup," he said and tugged the brim of his hat down. He walked out with a smile. Just a little conversation with Lacey, and he was feeling a helluva lot better.
    # # #
    The sun had hovered low in the sky all day. Slade could feel his shirt clinging with sweat to his skin. He stabled his horse, then paused for a moment to watch Thorpe leading out the ranch's newest acquisition, a prideful, obstinate mare. On paper, the horse's pedigree was impeccable and Slade, bidding against other eager buyers, had