Free Montana Mavericks Weddings by Diana Palmer Page B

down from the horse with deft, sure motions. His face was as rigid as stone, and the black eyes that met hers were frightening. Around them, the men could sense trouble brewing and the man Chayce had been talking to yelled for the men to come on and take their morning break. It was almost comical how quickly they scattered.
    With the horses grazing just behind them, theywere alone in the deserted pasture, a good distance from the calf and its mother, with whom it was now reunited.
    â€œYou could have been gored,” Chayce said through his teeth. “You could have been killed, damn it!”
    She bit her lower lip hard. She felt like a fool already and here he was, rubbing it in. She didn’t know why she’d done something so stupid in the first place. She’d never thought of any danger with Chayce nearby.
    â€œCome here, you little idiot!”
    He jerked her into his arms and wrapped her up bruisingly tight. She could feel the wild racing of his heart, hear his quick, sharp breathing.
    Only then did she realize that she’d frightened him. Imagine that, she thought dazedly, frightening Chayce, who never felt fear at all.
    â€œI wasn’t in any danger,” she mumbled against his damp shirt. “You were here.”
    â€œI knew I couldn’t get to you before the cow did,” he growled out at her temple. “The only hope I had was to spook the cow or bring her down, and my hands were shaking.”
    Her heart turned over. She drew back a breath, just enough to let her see his hard face. It was amazing, the look on it. He was afraid for her.
    His eyes narrowed as he realized what she was seeing. His jaw tautened and he put her away from him abruptly. He could barely get a complete breath.
    â€œDon’t do that again,” he said curtly.
    She shook her head, still fascinated by his concern for her. He’d always stood between Abby and danger, but it had never affected him quite like this. Not so that his hands shook.
    â€œAnd don’t get any ideas,” he added impatiently.
    She shook her head again.
    His nostrils flared. He looked around them, took off his hat, wiped his sweating brow on his sleeve and slammed the hat back onto his head.
    â€œLet’s go,” he said shortly. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
    He helped her to remount with careless efficiency and swung back into his own saddle. He didn’t say a word as they rode from place to place, watching small groups of cowboys work cattle from one range to another. It was a huge operation, and Abby had never realized just how big it was until now. It was a responsibility that would make mincemeat of the nerves of a lesser man. She remembered all the things Troy had said about the obstacles that beset ranchers in the modern world.
    â€œDo you agree that wolves shouldn’t run on cattle range?” she asked abruptly.
    He glanced at her. “I get along all right with wolves,” he said. “If I have any problems, I call the wildlife people and have the threat removed.”
    Her eyebrows lifted. “What about park buffalo infecting the herds with brucellosis?”
    â€œIf you inoculate your herd, they can’t catch it,” he said simply.
    â€œHow do you feel about conservation?”
    â€œIs this a quiz?” he asked. “And if it is, what’s the prize?”
    â€œSorry.” She withdrew again.
    He reined in and pulled her horse around as well. “I think that conservation is essential,” he told her. “We’re experimenting with hardy forage that doesn’t require tons of fertilizer to grow. In fact, we’re processing animal waste to meet that requirement. We’re experimenting with grass strains that thrive in the conditions here, and we’ve cut back even in our graze plantings to natural ways of controlling insect pests.” He frowned. “Didn’t you know that I sit on the board of the local resource