To Desire a Wilde (6 page)

“W
e've got ten pens set up and the men have rounded up roughly 70 to 75 cattle to start. That sound about right? Is that the number you were thinking to start with, El?”

Ellie turned around and glanced over her shoulder at Shilah as he sat astride his large stallion, his gaze fixed on the pen holding the cattle in preparation for the first stages of Ellie's investigation.

Ellie frowned, running a critical glance over the large pen. “Hmm,” she murmured, biting the corner of her lip, her brow furrowed in concentration. She checked the small clipboard she held, containing notes that she used religiously whenever doing fieldwork. She took pride in the detailed system she'd created on paper, hoping it would work the way she'd planned; she hoped it would create a viable way to maximize results and keep chaos minimal.

As had been the plan, Ellie had taken the time the previous week, before actually coming to the ranch to work out the system she'd designed, to not only create her methodology, but to also set up her lab at her father's clinic.

Although the blood she'd be drawing from the cattle would be sent to the lab in Cheyenne, Ellie also planned to review it, as well.

Although she knew…prayed, that the evidence would prove the men's animals were free of disease, she wanted the reassurance that she had done everything in her power to keep the research pure.

That was the part of the process she enjoyed the most—research. In school it was what she'd excelled at, and was one of the reasons she'd won out for the scholarship to learn abroad. It was also what had eventually led to her being asked to take on this case.

The only thing that put a damper on her enjoyment of this particular research was the reason she had to do it, and for whom. The risks and consequences for the ranch, if she were to find out there was indeed evidence of mad cow disease, would be catastrophic.

“You know, I think this is just about the right amount we need for now, Shilah,” she answered, raising her voice so he could hear her over the loud cries of the cattle.

“Great, so what's the objective for today? I just want to make sure I'm clear so I can relay the information to the men. Don't want to take any chances on this not being done right. A lot is riding on this,” he said in his deep voice, sending a fizzle of heat over Ellie, a reaction she ruthlessly forced to the side.

There was no room for that. She was on the ranch for
one reason, and one reason only—to do the job she was paid to do. Without fail she would do that job without interference from anyone, least of all Shilah Wilde.

She glanced back over at Shilah. Despite the smile on his face, there was a hint of grimness in his tone. Ellie completely understood the reason for the strain, which mimicked the tension she herself was feeling.

As he was looking over the cattle, a slight frown marring his perfect face, Ellie in turn allowed herself to look at him fully, drawing in a deep breath of resignation.

He wasn't supposed to be here with her. When she'd met with Nate yesterday and they'd gone over the tentative plans for the next two weeks, she'd been assured neither he nor his brothers would be here while she conducted the research.

Instead, he'd informed her that she would be working with Jake, who was the ranch's foreman, along with a crew Jake was already in the process of assembling to assist her in any way she needed.

Nate had told her in no uncertain terms that neither he nor his brothers wanted be involved. They all knew the seriousness of the situation, and didn't want there to be any question of bias, based on Ellie's history as a family friend, or her father as the ranch's vet. Nate had gone on to tell her that they felt confident their animals were clean and the investigation was one that had their full backing, knowing it would exonerate the ranch in the end.

Nate's heartfelt assurance had gone a long way in easing the last of the discomfort she'd felt in accepting the position, as had the brief hug he'd given her, welcoming her back home.

Surprised at the unexpected display of friendship, a friendship that dated back to childhood, she'd blinked several times, battling back the emotion she felt from the small, but sincere, gesture.

She'd had mixed feelings about accepting the position, one that had been extended to her after her involvement in a similar investigation, two years ago.

Having worked with the USDA as a subcontractor before, Ellie's name was in the database and, as only a select number of veterinarians in the country had her particular expertise, she'd been offered the position.

However, when offered the position, Ellie had given her supervisor full disclosure regarding her association with the ranch. After a careful review of her records, she'd been approved.

She knew that was partly due to the fact that her supervisor had not only worked with her during the previous assignment, but that he'd once taught a class she'd attended. He assured her he believed her ethics were beyond reproach and her familiarity with the Wildes wouldn't interfere with her performing her job.

Although she'd discussed it with her father before accepting the position, it had taken Nate's warm acceptance of her as well as the job she was there to conduct before Ellie felt at ease.

Additionally Nate had assured her that neither he or his brothers would interfere with the investigation, and would give her the space she needed to work without them hovering.

His reasons had mimicked the very same reasons she'd given Shilah when he'd taken her to lunch.

At the time when he'd told her, she knew she
should
feel pleased. Yet she found herself wondering if the
decision had been a unanimous one between all the brothers. Particularly Shilah.

She turned back around and found Shilah's dark gaze focused intently on her and suppressed a shiver.

So much for giving her the “space” Nate had promised.

As much as she knew he shouldn't be there with her, having given her objections when he showed up that morning soon after her arrival on the ranch, there was no use lying to herself like she wasn't glad he was there.

Expecting to be with the foreman, as had been the plan, Ellie arrived in time to see Nate and Shilah involved in a…discussion. The argument had been short and to the point, and although she'd only caught the tail end of it, and had been too far away to really hear the conversation, Ellie could feel the anger rolling off both their big shoulders as the two men faced off.

Ellie wondered at Shilah's reasons for going against Nate's wishes. A part of her hoped it wasn't just to keep an eye on her, but because he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind, as she hadn't been able to keep her thoughts away from him.

“Ellie? The men are ready to roll. Which pen do we tackle first?”

With a start, Ellie turned to see Shilah staring across at her. She knew there was no way he could know the direction of her thoughts, but there was something about the way he was looking at her, in that certain way he alone had, even when they were younger. It made her feel as though he could read every single thought in her mind, that he could somehow see deep inside, to the very heart of her.

A ghost of a smile played around his mouth, making her heartbeat speed up just the smallest bit, and a bead of sweat trickled down between her breasts, despite the way the day had cooled. Her nipples responded on cue to his stare.

She felt them constrict painfully, as though he'd touched them. As though they were reaching out to him for his touch.

She brought herself up short when she consciously found her body leaning toward him, his horse inches from hers.

She drew in a shuddering breath and turned, breaking the visual connection.

Dear God, she was losing it. Ellie shook her head as though to clear it, desperately trying to call up what her response was supposed to be, mentally scrambling to remember what his question had been.

A frown marred his perfect features. “Are you okay, El?” he asked, his voice deep with worry.

“I—I'm fine,” she said. Removing her hat, she ran her hand through her hair, dampened with sweat. “Just tired, I guess,” she said, although that had nothing to do with the reason for her momentary memory loss.

His glance fell from her face, down the line of her neck, and stopped at the valley of her breasts. As though he knew what was happening to her.

As though he knew he was the cause.

Ellie's body tightened. It was as though he'd touched her, as though she could feel his strong hands brushing over her breasts.

“How about we go with the red team?” he asked, referring to the red bar code she'd placed on one of the pens.

“Yes…that sounds good,” she said, keeping her thoughts firmly under control. “We'll color-code the cattle according to the pen they'll go in. Tell the men to herd them in, ten at a time, so as not to scare them.”

While in veterinary school, Ellie had learned of a technique that seemed very effective for keeping cattle calm, a state she wanted them to be in. She would not only be drawing blood from them, but also observing them for physical signs of stress and other ailments to make her full assessment.

“Sounds great, doc,” he quipped. “You're the boss,” he said with a wink, a sexy smile crossing his sensual mouth, and Ellie was helpless against the humor and the smile.

“And don't you forget it,” she replied, keeping her face stern, refusing to respond to either the humor or the way his smile made her insides go to pure jelly.

“Not likely to forget.”

“Then we can take the next shipment and place them in the pen adjoining, and we'll start tagging the remaining,” she went on, fighting to keep the conversation on business.

“Hmm.” She stopped, thinking momentarily. “I'm thinking the quickest way, probably the most efficient way, would be to tag them after they've had the first blood drawn. We then keep those cattle in the same pen together, for observation. This will eliminate crowding and keep them calm. After they've been cleared the men can release them. I'll have their blood stored and we'll move on to the next group. That's pretty clear, right?” Ellie asked, scrunching her nose, running her gaze over the open area filled with the waiting cattle.

The task wasn't an easy one, but she knew it was manageable as long as everyone was on the same page.

“Clear as mud!” was his reply. Startled, Ellie glanced away from the cattle and laughed lightly. Although she'd been asking the question of him, actually she'd been voicing out loud her thoughts, something she often did.

“Great, as long as we're clear…at least I'm assuming being clear as mud is a good thing?” she asked, and he laughed along with her.

“Yep. Pretty sure I've got it straight,” he said with a wink.

“I'll get the men right on it. Shouldn't take us more than a few of hours to get through the first pen, draw the blood and tag the cattle. The men I've chosen for this job are pretty experienced with this,” he said. He turned, reining in his horse, and galloped toward the holding pen where the men were beginning the systematic separation of the cattle.

Maybe she'd conjured up in her mind that what she'd seen in his eyes, the look of admiration and longing, had been nothing more than leftover sentiments from days gone by.

But on the heels of that thought surfaced memories of their kiss, the way he'd held her. Mentally throwing up her hands, Ellie threw herself into work.

She began the arduous task of cataloguing the cattle, the first step in her process before she'd draw blood and perform her observations. Ellie wasn't even aware of the passage of time, her day flying by.

Ellie rubbed at her knee, feeling tension form a tight knot beneath the surface.

Throughout the day, she'd alternated between riding horseback, helping to herd the cattle into their assigned pens, and drawing blood from the cattle, labeling the vials and then observing the animals for signs of illness.

Many times she'd felt Shilah's eyes on her, and it was those times she'd taken pains not to rub at her knee, not wanting him to know how badly it was beginning to ache.

He must have seen her, because toward the end of the day, when they had two pens of cattle left to get through, he called for backup.

No sooner had he called out for his men to round up more help, than Ellie was shaking her head, giving a counterorder.

A young ranch hand glanced from Ellie's set features to Shilah's, the boy's face bewildered, not sure who he should listen to.

Ellie sighed and turned to Shilah, knowing the young man was waiting for his boss to give him the final verdict.

“I thought we agreed…out here, I'm the boss,” she said, and held her breath, seeing indecision cross his face.

He stared over at her, and despite the set expression, she saw the underlying look of concern reflected in his eyes as his glance slid over hers.

“We can pick this up tomorrow, El,” he said, his voice low, for her ears alone.

“I'm fine,” she replied, yet was touched by his concern. Their horses were so close that they were almost touching noses. Impulsively, Ellie reached across
the short expanse between them to place a hand over his large forearm. As soon as her hand touched his, she felt the thick muscle bunch beneath her fingertips.

He held her gaze, lifted her hand from his arm and brought it to his mouth, where he placed a soft kiss in the center of her palm. Ellie felt the light caress sear a path straight from her palm throughout her body.

“Shilah—” she choked out.

“I know you're in pain, Ellie,” he interrupted, quietly, for her ears alone.

She felt none of the shame and anger she normally felt whenever she detected sympathy from those around her. It was somehow…different, the sympathy she felt from Shilah. A connectedness that went beyond the physical, one that left her shaken.