One Ranch, Two Brothers
Chapter Seven: By BelleDayNight
Kagome stood rigid as Kouga leaned towards her. She couldn't believe that he was about to kiss her! He hated her and she hated him and yet, why wasn't she moving away to stop this affront on her person?
Kouga's hand reached towards her face and slipped past her cheek towards her hair. Kagome held her breath in anticipation.
Without touching a single hair on her dark head, Kouga pulled his hand back, but was holding something within his closed fist. Kagome blinked in confusion, what was going on? Kouga opened his hand and a small white moth shot out into the night.
Without a word Kouga walked back to his side of the truck and got inside. He cranked the engine and then sent a concerned look towards his dog, Lady. "If you don't want to walk back, I suggest you get in." He told Kagome without sparing her a glance.
Kagome stepped up to the cab of the truck and buckled herself. She stared out the window, not looking at the driver that was such a total bother to her sanity. "Glad you seem to remember that we're stuck in mud."
She spared the cowboy a glance from the corner of her eye and was rewarded at seeing his knuckles turn ghost white as he gripped the steering wheel hard. "I had forgotten about that. Get out." He stepped out of the truck and slammed his door shaking the entire frame of the vehicle and waited in front of the hood for Kagome to join him.
Kagome stuck her head out the window. "Shall I put her in neutral first?"
Her answer was a scowl from the unfriendly rancher. Deciding she'd rather get back to the house than stay stuck in the wild with such a jerk and a lame dog that placing the truck in neutral without gratitude wouldn't be a big deal.
After setting the truck in the right gear, Kagome climbed out of the truck and joined Kouga. He placed his hands on the hood and looked over at her as she placed her hands a bit further. "On the count of three, push with all your might. Be sure to use your legs."
Kagome planted her feet firmly. "Alright," she answered prepared.
"One, two, three!" Kouga counted and the pair shoved off together. The frustration both were feeling was channeled into strength in moving the truck out of the mud embankment it was perched within.
Perhaps it was a little bit too much strength as they both slipped into the mud when the truck unexpectedly moved easily away from them. Kagome looked to her right and was met with the annoyed gaze of the ever-friendly rancher, Kouga.
Kouga swept his hand over his face to clear the mud from where he landed in the muddy landscape. He was tempted to crack a grin at the similar situation Kagome was in. He took a deep breath and then stood. He extended his hand towards Kagome. "Come on, let's get back before you bring me even more bad luck."
Kagome glared at the offered hand and got up on her own. She wiped her palm over her face to clear off the mud that had found its way onto her jaw. She flung the brown slosh towards the arrogant man. She grinned when it made a satisfying 'plop' sound upon his face.
Kouga watched as the lady doctor went back to the passenger seat and crossed her arms in a standoffish manner. He looked up at the sky demanding that God reveal why he put him in such situations. Slowly he walked back to his seat and tried to ignore the memory of laughing at his younger brother when that Sango woman from town and he fell into the mud. It wasn't such a funny situation now that he was on the receiving end instead of playing the role of observer from his window in the office.
The ride back towards the ranch house was silent with only the occasional whimper from Lady breaking the thick silence. As the barn came into view Sesshoumaru and Souta could be seen walking back a pair of horses.
The truck had been stopped for a grand total of three seconds when Souta threw open Kagome's door and took in her appearance of mud splattered clothing. "You went mud wrestling with out me?" He teased, struggling valiantly to keep a straight face.
Kagome shoved her brother hard in the chest as she stepped out of the pick up truck. "Just get the dog, will you?" She asked the young man who was now frowning at the mud hand prints staining his shirt.
"Is this a new Wolfe tradition?" Sesshoumaru asked Kouga with an amused expression. He ducked the fist that Kouga aimed for his jaw. "You and Miroku both seem to enjoy throwing beautiful women into the mud."
"Shut up or you're fired." Kouga growled. He walked past his foreman to stand over Kagome's shoulder as she began to treat Lady. "Is she going to be alright?" He asked his veterinarian in a gruff voice.
Kagome looked up and grinned at him, catching him off guard. "Yes, she sprained her little doggie ankle, but I believe her labored breathing is because she's about to have puppies."
Kouga's eyes grew the size of saucers. He took off his Stetson and ran his dirty fingers through his long clean hair. "Puppies? Are you sure?"
Kagome gave him a funny look. "Yes, I'd say I'm pretty sure." She rolled her eyes and concentrated on the female dog.
"Oh, well if that's the case, Sess and I are going to go back out in the field. We noticed some fencing that could use some mending," Souta announced excited by the prospect of doing real ranch work.
"Alright, I'll see you at dinner then," Kagome answered absently as she concentrated on the soon to be mother dog. She felt around her swollen abdomen and then looked over at Kouga, who was the only occupant in the barn beside her. "No one noticed she was pregnant?"
Kouga shrugged as he kneeled in the hay beside her on the barn floor. "Not really, I guess we just kind of assumed she was getting fat or her fur was getting thicker for the winter, you know?"
"Men are so unobservant," Kagome muttered under her breath. A few more moments passed and she checked the dog's pulse rate and saw that it was fine. She glanced over at Kouga. "You're still here?"
Icy eyes narrowed at her in annoyance before Kouga stood and stomped out of the barn. Kagome watched him leave and felt a little guilty at her behavior. This was his dog, so naturally he was concerned. However, he was a big fat jerk and she didn't want him around her when she was concentrating.
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Kouga was enraged at the woman. Lady was his dog and he wanted to know how she was. But, no! That Kagome, had make him feel like a fool and a trespasser on his own land! Oh, he hated women.
He looked down at the luminescent face on his wrist watch. It was ten-thirty at night and pitch black outside with the exception of the starlight and the quarter moon. He could see Sess and Souta working on the fence with the aid of a mag-lite. It was a fairly dangerous task in the dark, but he wasn't concerned. His foreman knew what he was doing.
Curious, Kouga walked towards the barn to see how Lady was doing. He was surprised to find the building empty. Well, not quite empty since there was one mother dog and six puppies suckling on her. He walked towards the new family and petted his dog on top of her head. He couldn't help but smile at the cute puppies. Ever since he was a boy, the sight and smell of puppies always filled him with warm fuzzy feelings.
The question remained however, where was the nuisance veterinarian?
He soon had his answer as he saw her dark form leaning against the fence of his pasture watching the progress of Sess and his cousin, Souta. As he walked towards her, he realized that she was still in her mud-stained clothes from earlier. That thought brought the incident of how he almost kissed her to mind.
Thank God that white moth landed in her hair and knocked him out of his daze. That woman must have used some sort of witchcraft because he was certainly bewitched. As he walked silently towards her he was surprised when she turned to face him.
Her face offered no welcome. "What do you want? Lady is fine." Kagome added on a second thought.
"I know, I saw." Kouga answered as he ignored her open hostility and stood beside her at the rail of the fence. He stood close enough that their arms were touching. "I wanted to thank you for doing such a good job." Kouga started staring off towards his foreman who was fixing the fence.
Kagome shrugged, effectively moving her arm away from Kouga's. "I was just doing what I'm paid for."
Kouga turned to look at her and saw that she was looking across the field away from him. He lifted his hand to her chin, the skin was soft and smooth; he had wondered how it would feel. He turned her to face him and meet his eyes. "Thank you," he told her softly as he closed the distance and kissed her lightly on the lips. He pulled back before she could respond and quietly left the scene of the crime without another word.
It took all his reserved strength to pull away from her soft, inviting lips and only sample the honeyed flavor in the most innocent of touches. Kouga had no idea why he kissed her. It was obvious she bewitched him. He'd talk to Miroku immediately and see if there was any way to get another animal doctor on the ranch. He frowned at his own conspiratory thoughts as he passed the barn. She was doing a good job; he really had no right to fire her. He shook his head; he would simply have to steer clear of the she-devil. That was the only solution.
Kagome stared in shock at her employer's retreating back. 'Did he just kiss me?' Subconsciously she lifted her fingers to touch her lips; they were still warm from his touch and tingling with odd sensations. She shook her head and turned back towards her brother and old friend. "I must be hallucinating, that did not just happen."
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Inuyasha rolled his eyes in his dressing room mirror as his stylist brushed out his long mane of silvery white hair. He was scheduled for a publicity interview for his newest movie. Ever since he had become an unattached bachelor the offers for films had declined.
"Sir, I really think you should consider my suggestion." His agent Myoga was saying.
Inuyasha yawned at the portly man's reflection. "I just got rid of one ball and chain why would I want a new one? Maybe you aren't trying hard enough to find me more gigs."
Myoga shook his head anxiously and fearfully. He was always afraid of being fired by the temperamental man. "I still don't understand why you ended things with Ms. Higurashi," Myoga continued. He had always liked the young woman.
Inuyasha laughed at that comment. "Oh please, how could I have kept up that relationship? She never had any time for me! There was always some dying animal that was more important to her that she had to go rush off to go save."
"That was her job, sir." Myoga quietly defended the brilliant young animal doctor.
"Whatever, the point is I should have been her number one priority and not some silly career." Inuyasha continued dismissively. He paused and looked back over at his agent in the mirror. "Where is she by the way?" He frowned, "Not that I care of anything."
Myoga sighed at his young master's attitude. "I'm afraid no one knows. She packed up and left New York about three weeks ago and left no forwarding address." He paused, "I took the liberty to try and track her down through some of her colleagues. They said she left the message that the people she wanted to know her location already knew."
Inuyasha raised a brow as his hair stylist finished his 'master piece' and turned in his chair to face his agent. "So she doesn't want me to know then?"
Myoga opened his mouth to reply but his master cut him off. "It doesn't matter. Hurry up, we need to get ready for this stupid interview. If we don't hurry I'll miss the football game. I've got quite a fortune invested on how the Colts do this game."
"Very well sir," Myoga reluctantly agreed as he rushed to gather Inuyasha's coat and hold it out for him. Maybe one day he'd have the courage to stand up to his boss, but that was not this day.
TBC