Cass
A week into her stay in Silent Spring, Cassandra stepped out of the shower after her day in the field helping Hope with a quarter horse mare’s first foal.
With four rambunctious kittens playing around her feet as she combed through her wet hair, Cass couldn’t deny that she felt happier than she had in a long time. Happier than ever.
Her work was a big part of that, of course. And it pleased her to think she had made a smart decision to go to school to be a vet tech since she knew with 100 percent certainty she’d love the job. But the other factor in her happiness that could be underestimated?
Emilio Medina.
Just thinking of him sent a thrill through her. She’d been seeing him every evening after work since that first incredible time together at his place. He’d taken her into town a couple of days for dinner. But other evenings he made them something to eat at the pool house. Once he’d even had a three-course meal catered on his balcony overlooking the meadow where his pool would be one day. They’d watched the fireflies come out and toasted each other with champagne.
The stolen hours with Emilio had been amazing. They laughed together. Shared details about their days. Then enjoyed an intimacy that made her blush to think about—and wonder how soon she could be with him again.
As she moved from the pool house bathroom into the closet to slip into jeans and a long-sleeved tee for a bonfire by the pond at Emilio’s ranch, Cass heard the little voice inside her that wondered how she would go back to St. Paul again when it was safe in a few weeks.
But she shoved aside the worries, determined to live in the present. Happiness was a rare and precious thing, something she’d learned well bouncing from one home to the next. It was best to enjoy while it lasted even as she braced for the inevitable ending.
By the time Emilio’s knock came at the front door, Cass had the kittens fed and her hair almost dry. She caught herself hurrying to answer and then forced her feet to move at a normal speed. She wasn’t an overeager teen anymore, even if this crazy fling with Emilio sometimes made her feel that way.
When she opened the door, he wasted no time stepping inside and pulling her into his arms., kissing her thoroughly, deeply, until she forgot everything else.
“Hello,” she finally managed when he eased back. “It’s nice to see you too.”
He grinned as he squeezed her to him again. “Just making sure you knew I’ve missed you today. Are you ready for s’mores?”
“As soon as I grab my jacket.” She reached for a canvas coat on the pegs by the door then halted as her phone rang. Her thoughts went to the foal she’d helped deliver earlier. “Let me just make sure that’s not Hope.”
But the caller ID wasn’t Hope.
It showed the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department.
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