Free Stockyard Snatching by Barb Han Page A

I think,” she said. “Guess I shouldn’t have had that cup of coffee on an empty stomach. I feel nauseous.”
    Dallas cut right.
    “Where are you going?” she asked.
    “Somewhere I can get you something to eat,” he said in a don’t-argue-with-me tone.
    So she didn’t. There wouldn’t be a point, and Kate didn’t have the energy anyway. She’d drained herself putting up enough of a fight to go with him.
    “What about your truck?”
    “We’ll swing by and pick it up after I get food in you.”
    She expected Dallas to pull into the first fast-food drive-through they saw, but there were none on the route he chose. After a good twenty minutes, she started to ask where he was taking her and then saw the sign for his family’s ranch, Cattlemen Crime Club.
    “Why are we here?” she asked. Wasn’t this too far out of the way?
    “Because I need to know that you’ll be safe while I feed you,” Dallas said, pulling up to the first gate and entering a code. A security officer waved as Dallas passed through the second checkpoint.
    “I still think these guys are after Jackson, not me,” she countered. “But I won’t argue, since we’re already here.”
    Kate didn’t want to admit to being curious about Dallas. In fact, she wanted to know more about him, and that was a surprise given that she didn’t think it would be possible for her to be interested in another man so soon after Robert.
    Interest wasn’t necessarily the word she’d use to describe what she was feeling for Dallas. Attraction? Sizzle? She felt those in spades. Neither seemed appropriate under the circumstances. But there was something about the strong cowboy that pulled her toward him. Something she’d never felt with another man. Not even with Robert. And she wasn’t sure how to begin to process that. Kate had loved Robert…hadn’t she?
    She’d been married to the man and yet she hadn’t felt this strong of a pull toward him. There was something about the cowboy that caused goose bumps on her arms every time he was near. So much more than sexual attraction.
    And even in all the craziness, she couldn’t ignore the heat of that kiss.

CHAPTER SIX
    To say the ranch was impressive was like saying Bill Gates had done okay for himself.
    The land itself was stunning even though the cold front had stripped trees of their foliage, scattering orange and brown leaves across the front lawn.
    The main building was especially striking. It was an imposing two stories with white siding and black shutters bracketing the windows. Grand white columns with orange and black ribbons adorned the expansive porch filled with black, orange and white pumpkins. Large pots of yellow and orange gerbera daisies led up the couple of stairs to the veranda, where pairs of white rocking chairs grouped together on both sides. The dark silhouette of a witch loomed in the top right window. Kate counted fourteen in all, including a set of French doors on the second floor complete with a quaint terrace. When she thought of a Texas ranch, this was exactly the kind of picture that would’ve come to mind.
    The place was alive with charm and a very big part of her wished this for Jackson. Given the strain on her family since the divorce and the adoption, she didn’t expect to go home for the holidays this year.
    In fact, that was the last fight she and her mother had had.
    If her mom couldn’t support her decision and accept Jackson, then Kate had no intention of visiting at Halloween, Thanksgiving or anytime. Jackson was just as much a part of the family as she was, so rejecting him was no different than rejecting her.
    Thinking about the fight still made her sad and she wished her mother understood. But her mom had been clear. Kate had been clear. And neither seemed ready to budge.
    And right now, Kate had bigger problems than disagreeing with her mother over her adoption.
    “Do you live here?” Kate asked, wiping away a sneaky tear while trying to take in all the warmth