Free His Outback Cowgirl (Wildflower Ranch Book 4) by Alissa Callen Page B

she turned and sagged against him. He fitted her against his chest and held her while her world broke into two.
    When her sobs had quieted and his shirt was soaked with tears, he still held her. An owl hooted but she didn’t stir. Exhausted and drained, she’d cried herself to sleep.
    He gathered her into his arms and carried her to the campfire. He removed her boots and settled her inside the soft flannel of her bedroll. She murmured and her still wet lashes fluttered, but she didn’t wake.
    Throat tight, his fingers skimmed the satin softness of her cheek to brush away her silken hair. Cordell had been right. For a non-risk taker, he’d taken a massive risk being alone with the woman he was falling for.
    He swallowed. But it was too late to implement damage control. Not only was she a grieving woman who had no idea where she’d head next, she was a restless cowgirl who’d not be interested in a boring and steady cowboy. He closed his eyes as desolation barreled through him. No longer was Bridie the woman he was developing feelings for.
    Instead, she was the woman he’d fallen for. Hard.

Chapter Six

    B ridie opened her eyes to the grey light of a new day. She could smell bacon and hear a birdsong dawn chorus. It seemed everyone was awake but her. She dragged her fingers through her tangled hair and pushed herself into a sitting position. Muscles protested. Muscles that had nothing to with riding but everything to do with sobbing out her heart while Ethan held her.
    She rolled her shoulders but failed to loosen the tension that felt as though it was embedded in her bones. Ethan had been right. She did need to let her grief go even if it was the worst possible timing, and in a strange way, she did feel lighter. But now the embarrassment and regret of making a fool of herself in front of Ethan created a whole new tension. It mattered, and not just a little, what he thought of her.
    “Morning, princess.”
    “Morning.” Ethan’s cheerful and casual tone gave her hope he didn’t now want to distance himself after her emotional eruption. “I haven’t slept in that long.”
    He chuckled and the smell of coffee overlaid the smell of bacon and eggs as he walked over, two steaming mug in his hands. “Long enough. The moose and her baby are already awake.”
    “Are they? How long have they been up? I must get another photo.”
    “Not long.” He passed her a coffee.
    “Thanks.”
    He sat on a nearby log and took a swallow of his own coffee. “It’s not quite sunrise yet so there’s still time for your coffee to kick in and to take more photographs.”
    She took a tentative sip to make sure she didn’t burn her mouth. But it was the coffee strength, not the heat, that caused her eyes to water.
    She blinked. “That’s one strong cup of coffee.”
    “As Henry would say you could float a horseshoe in it.” Ethan’s eyes searched hers. “I thought you might need it.”
    Despite the embarrassed heat flooding her cheeks, she didn’t look away. “Thanks for last night. I’m sorry I was such a ... mess.”
    “You don’t need to say anything.” Ethan’s tone was low. “Everyone deals with grief in different ways but even the strongest of us can only keep it at bay for so long.”
    She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
    “Just be gentle with yourself,” he added softly.
    She took another sip of coffee to hide how much his empathy touched her. It was understandable her emotions would be raw but that was no excuse for any more tears or for the deep yearning to again feel his strong arms around her and the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek. Sure, she was attracted to Ethan but being honest with herself she knew it went deeper than that. She’d never felt such a strong and complete emotional connection before. The only thing was that she couldn’t trust it wasn’t just her grief making her feel things that weren’t really there.
    To her relief, Ethan stood. “How about we add some bacon