Free Her Rugged Rancher by Stella Bagwell Page B

time Noah would have lingered to relish the peacefulness, but not tonight. He wanted to get away from Jett and the sight of his happy home lit with warm lights. In a few minutes, when Jett walked through the door, the kids would fling themselves at him and Sassy would no doubt greet him with a kiss.
    Noah didn’t know what that might feel like. To have a family shower him with such love. And he’d probably never know. Because he wasn’t ever going to put his trust, or his well-being, in the hands of a woman. No matter how sweet her kisses were.
    The drive to Noah’s cabin took fifteen minutes, not because there were several miles between the two places, but rather the road was rough, making it slow traveling. As Noah maneuvered the truck over the rubboard surface, he tried once again to clear his mind of Bella, but she remained stubbornly fixed in his thoughts.
    Jett had said he was worried about his sister and Noah couldn’t help but wonder if her behavior had anything to do with last Sunday and her visit to the cabin. Or was he putting too much importance on those hot kisses they’d shared?
    Damn it, he’d not wanted to insult her or hurt her. God help him, she was the only woman he’d ever felt the need to cherish and protect. That’s why he’d said those cutting things to her, because she deserved much better than him. He’d thought his bluntness would show her he wasn’t a man who was worthy of her. She needed to understand that he was only a cowboy with nothing to offer her. Nothing at all. And yet, these past few days, he’d been overwhelmed with the longing to see her face again, to hear her voice and feel her soft lips yielding to his.
    As he neared the turnoff to Bella’s place, he told himself he wasn’t even going to look in her direction. But that all changed when he spotted a light flickering through the pines and realized it was coming from Bella’s barn.
    If she was having trouble with one of the horses and needed help, she could call Jett. But he had a feeling she wouldn’t want to disturb her brother’s evening, unless it was absolutely necessary. No, she’d try to deal with the problem herself before she asked for help.
    With a groan of self-disgust, he wrenched the wheel at the last moment and steered the truck onto her driveway.
    * * *
    Bella was walking up the alleyway of the barn when she spotted the headlights sweeping in front of the open doorway. At this time of evening Jett was usually having dinner with his family and none of her friends in town had mentioned they might drive out for a visit. She couldn’t imagine who the unexpected caller might be.
    She quickened her stride, while dusting bits of alfalfa hay from the front of her shirt and jeans. By the time she reached the front entrance, she spotted a man walking toward her. His hat was sitting low on his forehead, making it impossible to see his face, but there was no mistaking the tall, muscled body or that long easy walk.
    Noah!
    Without even realizing it, her heels dug into the soft earth, bringing her to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway.
    He quickly closed the last few steps between them and all at once a familiar trembling began to consume her entire body.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” she asked bluntly. “Has something happened to Jett or his family?”
    â€œNothing is wrong. I saw your light in the barn and thought something might be wrong with one of the horses.”
    If she had any backbone at all, she would tell him to get lost. That she would rather crawl on her belly before she asked for his help. But she’d never been a vindictive person. Besides, how could she send him away when everything inside of her was jumping with crazy joy at the sight of him?
    â€œYou have a cell phone,” she said flatly. “Why didn’t you call Jett and ask him to check on me?”
    His lips thinned to a straight line and as Bella