Free Taming Talia by Marie-Nicole Ryan Page A

agreement, then said, “Be careful. I’m not very good at setting broken bones.”
    “Hmph.” He inventoried her slight frame. Her raven-black hair was pulled back and bound with a length of twine, her eyes bright with excitement. In spite of all her claims of strength, and while the woman might be a demanding tiger in bed, she was slender and carried an air of fragility about her. Yet he’d felt her strength. Enjoyed it to the fullest. Mouth suddenly dry, he swallowed. “Worry about your own bones.” His words came out with a rasp and sounded gruffer than he intended.
    Damn. She was getting to him on a level he’d never expected. Never wanted. Without another word, he took the rope in his gloved hands, then sat on the floor with his feet and legs outside the gable door. Wrapping his legs around the rope, he eased outside. The wind buffeted his body around, knocking him into the side of the stable. Son of a bitch. He grunted, then started working his way down the rope.
    As soon as his boots reached the level of the snow, he released his hold on the rope, dropping into a chest-high drift. He struggled and kept on his feet. “Okay, throw ’em down.” He ducked as she tossed one shovel then the other a little too close to his head. “Trying to kill me?”
    Her response was a light-hearted giggle. Guess she still didn’t realize how much trouble they were in—deepest shit.
    “Watch out!” she called, then launched from the gable, sliding down the rope as nimbly as if she’d done it every day of her life.
    Jared grabbed the rope to stabilize it and keep the wind from slamming her into the side of the stable. He caught her around the waist and set her on her feet.
    She smiled up at him, her dark eyes shining with mischief. “ Gracias .” She pulled the heavy coat tighter and gave a visible shiver. “Brr. It’s really cold—worse than I thought.”
    He shook his head and handed her a shovel. “No time to waste or we’ll be spending another night in the stable.”
    She took the shovel, gazing at him over the handle. “Now that wouldn’t be so bad—would it?” Her dark lashes fluttered. “All in all, I was very comfortable”—she paused, then added—“in your arms.”
    “Talia, cut it out.” He turned from her and attacked the drift in front of the stable. “First…things…first.” He shoveled, emphasizing each word. “Clear enough to open the door and squeeze through.”
    “ Sí, jefe .” Her shoulders drooped, but finally she put her shovel to furious use, sending snow flying everywhere.
    “Pace yourself,” he warned. “Might not make it all the way to the ranch house today.” His stomach rumbled, reminding him neither of them had eaten since dinner the night before. Another night in the stable would mean another twenty-four hours without anything but fresh milk, but he’d much rather get Talia back to the house.

Chapter Eight
    “Really?” Natalia’s stomach growled. “I’m starving.”
    He glared over his shoulder. “If you hadn’t been so damned determined to venture out into the storm, you could’ve remained inside, reasonably warm and well-fed.”
    “You ordered me to stay inside. I don’t like being ordered to do anything. Besides, I was worried…and everything turned out all right, didn’t it?” If “all right” meant the fucking of her life, then yes, indeed it had. She smiled up at him, feeling her cheeks grow warm from the memory of his lovemaking.
    “Shovel. Now.”
    She bit back an equally abrupt response and set her back to tackling the deep snow. Apparently, he had a short memory. Last night meant nothing to him. Why would it? She was just a lonely widow he most likely intended to separate from her money. And what was he to her? Nothing more than a welcome respite from the neglect and disdain to which she’d become accustomed as the wife of Reginald Cabot Montrose.
    Still, she could envision a future with Jared, working side-by-side with him. Even if he was