Perfect Tales of the Were - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,12

them well enough by now, she thought, to count them among her dearest friends. All those plans she’d had about moving to the middle of nowhere had included making friends, but Cassandra hadn’t counted on just how out of the way her ranch really was when she’d bought it.

The nearest town was Big Wolf, but the people there weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy towards outsiders. They were nice enough on the rare occasions when she went into town, but she hadn’t made any friends there. Making friends in a small town wasn’t as easy as she’d always imagined. She’d thought about different ways she might be able to meet new people—joining civic organizations, sports clubs, charities, and the like—but she hadn’t really figured out how to go about it just yet. She had to find the right fit, and so far, things just hadn’t worked out for her, in that area.

When dinner was over, Cassandra cleared the table and headed into the kitchen to get the dessert she’d made earlier in the day. Emma followed her with the rest of the serving dishes they’d used.

“I wanted to talk to you for a minute, away from Rich.”

“What’s on your mind, Em?” Cassandra faced the other woman, surprised by the serious tone of her voice.

“Cassandra.” Emma’s brows drew into a troubled frown. “I don’t want to speak out of turn, but there’s something I think you need to know about Cody. Something I saw back when he first started.” She seemed flustered, and Cassandra grew concerned. What could put such a worried look on Emma’s face?

“What is it?”

“I saw him going around to your back porch last night,” she admitted. “If he’s romancing you, you may need to be careful.”

“Careful? Careful in what way?” Cassandra was truly concerned. She hadn’t thought Emma was an alarmist, but the other woman seemed truly worried about something.

Emma wrung her hands. “Two of the hands said something that I just can’t get out of my mind, Cassandra. There was a woman in the passenger seat of Cody’s pickup when he came out for the interview. I saw her. Jones and Pepe were with me. We were working on the back side of the bunkhouse, and he’d parked back there, somewhat out of sight of the main house. Jones and Pepe were wondering if the woman was the new guy’s girlfriend and if so, if he’d been rough with her. Cassandra…she had a black eye and dark bruises all over her arm.”

Cassandra’s heart plummeted. Sure, Cody had been a little rougher in bed than she’d expected, but she didn’t think he had it in him to hurt a woman. Did he?

“I just thought you should know. I don’t want to see you hurt.” Emma touched her hand and gave her a meaningful look before leaving the kitchen.

Cody returned to the ranch just as Rich and Emma took their leave. Cassandra saw his truck pull in near the front of the bunkhouse as she waved goodbye to her foreman and his wife with a troubled heart. Should she ask him about what Emma had told her? Or would he even come to her tonight? She wasn’t sure. He hadn’t said anything the night before about a repeat performance, so she just didn’t know what to think.

Indecision and nerves got the best of her by the time there was a discreet knock on the backdoor. He’d come back.

She rushed to open the door.

He leaned down and kissed her before anything else, setting her senses reeling.

“Hello, gorgeous.”

She smiled at the blatant overstatement. “I wasn’t sure you’d come back tonight.”

“How could I stay away?” Concern clouded his eyes. “Unless you want me to. Was I too rough last night, Cass? Do you want more? Or do you want me to go away and never darken your door again?”

“Is that what you want?” she asked uncertainly.

He moved forward, into the house, crowding her back against the kitchen island again. “What I want is more of you. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.” His arms came around her waist, and he lifted her onto the island so her butt rested on the edge. Cody stepped between her legs, the denim of both their jeans rubbing together intimately. “The question is, are you too sore? I wasn’t much of a gentleman last night.”

His grin was devilish, but his words brought back Emma’s concerns, and they wouldn’t leave Cassandra be. She had to ask. She owed Emma that much.

“I’m okay, but Cody,” she paused,