Chapter 7

At a gentle caress on her cheek, Hazel stirred. Hay surrounded her and pricked her, even through her layers of clothes. A draft of cold air tickled her nose, bringing the waft of horseflesh... and coffee?

Where was she, and why wasn't she waking up in her bed next to Scarlet?

Another caress—this one on her forehead—drew her further into wakefulness. Her lashes fluttered up to find a broad form bent over her—long denim-clad legs, a heavy duster coat over a muscular body, and a handsome scruff-covered face.

It was Maverick. He was holding a steaming mug in one hand, and with the other he was touching her face, his finger drawing a soft line down her temple and then her cheek. His blue eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them, lingering over her face, almost as if he'd been enjoying watching her sleep.

She lifted her lashes more fully and peered up at his handsome features—squared jaw covered in a layer of dark scruff, bronzed cheeks and nose, and prominent chin that showed his strength. As if that weren't enough, his heart-stopping grin fell into place, making her stomach tumble head over heels.

He brushed his knuckles against her other cheek. "Morning, angel."

Angel?

Her pulse came to an abrupt halt. She'd never in all her days heard him call any woman by that term of endearment. Why was he doing so now?

"You're sleeping on the job." His tone held a note of teasing.

She pushed up so that she was sitting, her gaze darting to a shadowed corner of the haymow where Tiny and her foal had last been resting when she'd finally allowed herself to fall asleep. They were still there, and the foal was suckling noisily while Tiny waited, swishing her tail back and forth.

"Thought you might need this." Maverick held the mug toward her, and the scent of coffee filled her nostrils again.

"Thank you, Maverick. You're always so thoughtful." It wasn't the first time he'd brought her coffee after a long night of foaling. He truly was a sensitive man who considered the needs of others. It was just one of the many reasons why he was so irresistible.

She took the mug, wrapping her stiff fingers around it, suddenly realizing how cold the air in the barn was.

Before she could shudder, he was draping her coat over her shoulders. "Got at least a foot of snow on the ground, and it's still coming down heavy."

"Shoot." Her thoughts turned to home and the cattle that Sterling and his ranch hands had already moved to one of the north pastures. Hopefully, they'd had time to round them up and bring them back closer to the barn, where they'd be protected by the foothills, the trees, and the buildings, especially since the calves would need more shelter.

One of their first springs in Colorado, they'd learned the hard way just how dangerous a late winter snowstorm could be to the livestock. Their cattle had been grazing in an area farther out, foraging for grass left from the previous year. When the storm struck, the snow had been too heavy and blinding to round up the cattle. Many of the steers had been buried alive. Others had found places to wait out the storm and survive. But they'd lost at least forty, and it had taken several weeks before they'd tracked down the stragglers.

The serious slant of Maverick's eyes told her he was thinking about the danger too. "I'll be heading out with the fellas to drive the steers in closer."

Even though the Oakleys didn't have as many cattle as her family, they wouldn't want to lose any of theirs either. "How far out are they?"

"Hopefully only about a quarter mile or so."

If the snow was already deep and coming down hard, it would be challenging to move the herd. But they had to bring them in closer, just in case the storm got worse. "And the horses?"

"We've spent the past couple of hours moving them in." His coat and hat were damp. Even his long, dark lashes were laden with moisture.

"So you didn't get any sleep?"

He shrugged and then cocked his head toward her hay pile. "We can't all be so lucky."

She started to climb to her feet, and he was at her side in the next instant, assisting her until she was standing. "I'll go help with the horses. We can bring some of the mares in here, and there's room in the other barn too."

He nodded. "Reckoned you'd want to do that."

She took a sip of the coffee, letting it warm her as her mind went to work finding places for as many of the horses as she could fit in the barns. By June and July, many would be sold, and they'd have plenty of room again. But this time of year, they always had a surplus and not enough stalls for all of them.

Maverick held the coffee for her while she shrugged into her coat and hat, all the while giving her more details about the conditions out in the fields. When she finished and he handed her back her coffee, she spun and began to stalk away.

"Hang on now." He snaked out a hand and stopped her. "Don't run yourself ragged."

She spun to face him again while taking another sip of coffee. "I'll be fine."

"Don't stay out there too long."

"I'm just as sturdy as any man you've got working this ranch, and you know it."

"Even so . . ."

She'd gotten the brotherly lectures from him before and knew he was just trying to keep her safe the way her own brothers would. But at times, especially after the strangely charged interactions with him lately, she was more than ready to stop being like a sister.

She tugged her arm free with more force than usual and narrowed her eyes. "I know it's hard to believe that I'm all grown up now, but I'm not your little sister anymore."

Instead of grinning and brushing off her comment with banter, Maverick moved closer so that he was boxing her in.

He was so near that she fumbled backward, bumping into the nearest stall door and nearly spilling her coffee.

With an intensity in his expression that she'd never seen before, he braced his arms on either side of her, giving her no space to sidle away from him.

She tilted her head back enough that she could watch his face and attempt to discover what he was thinking and feeling, because clearly her declaration about not being his little sister had triggered something within him.

He let his gaze drift almost languidly around her face, starting with her eyes, then moving to her cheeks, her nose, and then her chin. She had the embarrassing notion that he might drop his gaze lower, but he didn't. He shifted it to her hair, raised his hand, and gently touched a strand.

She couldn't do anything but hold her breath. What was he doing?

A second later, he pulled out a tiny piece of hay, then flicked it away.

Her heart had stopped working at some point, although she wasn't sure when. And now she could hardly think as she waited for Maverick to say something.

The blue of his eyes at so close a range was almost too powerful, too mesmerizing, making her knees weak and wobbly. If she hadn't been holding her coffee, she would have grabbed a fistful of his coat and clung to him.

He shifted his hand down and brushed his knuckles across her cheek, just as he had only moments ago when she'd been waking up. He'd never been so familiar with her before. What did it mean?

"I realize you're all grown up, angel." His tone was low, almost husky. "It's hard to miss."

He'd called her angel again, and her insides were melting faster than lard in an iron skillet.

"And let's get one thing real straight. I already got two sisters and don't need another one." He drew a final line down her cheek to her chin, the soft touch making her body quiver with a need she couldn't explain. He stood there a moment longer, almost as if he was debating something. Then he stepped back.

She had the very strange but real urge to launch herself against him and was grateful for the cup of coffee which kept her planted to the stall door. She guessed throwing herself on Maverick would have counted as slightly deranged and lovesick, but with every passing moment, she couldn't keep from feeling as though something had shifted between them—that their relationship was changing, that he was interested in her in a way he'd never shown before.

Or was she only imagining it all?