Her Rugged Rancher

“I waited about pouring the coffee. It dawned on me that since the day is so warm you might prefer iced tea.”

He removed his gray cowboy hat and Bella watched one big hand swipe over the thick waves. His hair was the blue-black color of a crow’s wing and just as shiny and she suddenly wondered if a thatch of it grew in the middle of his chest or around his navel. And how it might feel to open his shirt and look for herself.

“The coffee would be good,” he told her.

Clearing her throat in an effort to clear her mind, she said, “Great. Well, if you’d like, you can hang your hat over there by the door and I’ll bring everything over to the table.”

He waited politely until she’d put the refreshments on the table and taken a seat, before he sank onto a bench on the opposite side of the table from her.

Bella cut a generous portion of the pie and served him, then cut a much smaller piece for herself.

“I’d offer to put a dip of ice cream on top, but I’m all out,” she told him.

“This is more than fine,” he assured her.

Even though he began to consume the pie and drink the coffee, Bella could see he was as taut as a fiddle string. Apparently he was wishing he was anywhere, except here with her. Strangely, the notion intrigued her far more than it bothered her.

From what Jett had told her, he’d often encouraged Noah to find himself a woman, but the man had never made the effort. If Jett knew the reason why his foreman shied away from dating, her brother had never shared it with her. And she’d not asked.

It would look more than obvious if she suddenly started asking Jett personal questions about his foreman. Still, she’d often wished an opportunity would come along for her to get to know more about the rough and rugged cowboy.

Now, out of sheer coincidence, he happened to be sitting across from her, without anyone around to listen in on their conversation. She wanted to make the most of every moment. She wanted to ask him a thousand questions about himself. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to voice even one. She didn’t want to come across as a lawyer digging for information, any more than she wanted to appear like a woman on the prowl for a man.

“So how do you like your new house?” he asked.

Encouraged that he was bothering to make conversation, she smiled. “I do like the house. It’s comfortable and meets my needs. But I have to be honest, there are times the quietness presses in on me. After living with Jett and Sassy and three young children, the solitude is something that will take time for me to get used to.”

“I don’t think Jett expected or wanted you to move out of his home.”

She shrugged with wry acceptance. “I didn’t want to end up being one of those old-maid aunts who got in the way and made a nuisance of herself.”

She felt his blue gaze wandering over her face and Bella wondered how it would be if his fingers followed suit. The rough skin of his hands sliding along her skin would stir her senses, all right. Just thinking about it made goose bumps erupt along the backs of her arms.

He said, “I doubt that would’ve ever happened.”

She grunted with amusement. “Which part do you doubt? Me being an old maid? Or getting in the way?”

“Both.”

“You’re being kind.”

“I’m never kind,” he said gruffly. “Just realistic.”

Yes, she could see that much about him. A practical man, who worried about the dangers of life rather than embracing the joys.

“Well, it’s all for the best that I moved up here on the mesa. Sassy and Jett need their privacy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had another child or even two to go with the three they have now.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me, either.”

A stretch of silence followed and while she sipped her coffee, she watched him scrape the last bite of pie from the saucer.

When he put down his fork, she decided she’d better say something or he was going to jump to his feet and leave. And she didn’t want him to do that just yet. Having him sitting here in her kitchen felt good. Too good to have it all end in less than fifteen minutes.

“Jett tells me the calf crop is turning out to be a big one this year,” she commented.

“That’s right. And Sassy has had some new foals born recently. Have you taken a look at them?”

“No. Unfortunately, I’ve been tied up with several demanding cases. But I plan to stop by the ranch house soon to see the kids. Maybe she’ll drive me out to the west range to see them.”

“You like being a lawyer?” he asked.

His question surprised her. She figured he wasn’t really interested one way or the other about her personal life. But he’d taken the trouble to ask and that was enough to draw her to him even more.

“Yes, I do like it. That’s not to say that I don’t get exhausted and frustrated at times. But for the most part, I like helping people deal with their problems.”

“Must be nice for you to get to work with your brother. Jett is easy to get along with. Me being here for seven years proves that,” he added.

She smiled faintly. “Jett values your work, Noah. If it wasn’t for you taking charge of everything I’m not sure he could even have this ranch. Aside from that, he cherishes your friendship.”

“Yeah, well, I owe him a lot.” Avoiding her gaze, he placed his cup on the table, then scooted the bench back far enough to allow him to rise to his feet. “The pie was delicious, Bella. Thanks. I can now say that I’ve eaten rhubarb.”

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Going already?”

He still didn’t look at her. “I have chores at home to deal with.”

“Then you probably don’t have time for me to show you through the rest of the house?”

“Afraid not.”

She tried to hide her disappointment when she spoke again, “We’ll save that for next time.”

He didn’t reply to that and Bella figured he was probably telling himself there would be no next time. She’d never had a man make it so clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. But rather than put her off, it only made her more determined to spend time with him again.

As he gathered his hat from the rack on the wall and levered it onto his head, Bella stood and joined him at the door.

“I’ll walk with you out to the truck,” she told him.

“No need for that.”

There wasn’t any need, she thought. But she wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. “Don’t deny me. It’s rare I have company of any kind.”

They left the house the way they came in and as they walked toward his waiting truck, he said, “I imagine you have plenty of company, Bella.”

She smiled faintly. “What makes you think that?”

“Jett does a lot of entertaining at home. And you two are brother and sister.”

“Jett and I are siblings, but we think differently. Besides, most of his entertaining has to do with his law practice or ranching cronies. As for me, I don’t normally mix business with my home. I have invited our mother over for a night or two, though. She thinks I need my head examined for building a house up here on the mesa, away from everyone. She’d go crazy from the solitude.”