Free A Family to Come Home To (Saddle Falls) by Sharon De Vita Page B

him and his intentions. Obviously her past history with men must have made her judge their characters poorly. “I don’t intend to do anything of the kind.”
    She heaved a sigh of relief, desperately wanting to believe him. “Then you won’t discuss your plans with Tommy, at least not for a while?”
    He grinned, chucking her under the chin. She looked utterly adorable with worry in her eyes and concerned words on her mouth. She was, he decided, one incredibly caring woman, a woman of deep loyalty as well as passionate emotion. Her intensity touched him profoundly and he couldn’t help but admire her for it.
    “Well, Hannah, I don’t reckon anyone can say you’re a pushover, now, can they?” He chuckled as her eyes lit with fire. “Now, don’t go getting all riled, darlin’. I give you my word.” He lifted his hand in the air as if taking an oath. “For the time being, I promise I won’t tell Tommy I’m not staying. I promise not to discuss how long I’m staying. And I promise not to discuss the future or do anything deliberately to hurt Tommy, the Ryans or anyone else.” His gaze searched hers. “I think that covers just about every eventuality, now, don’t you think?” He continued to study her eyes, realizing there were emotions here he didn’t reckon he understood. “Will that satisfy you, and remove those shadows of fear from those gorgeous eyes?” He slipped his hand from her chin, to stroke the silk of her cheek.
    She was so close, and with her head tilted up like that, it put her luscious mouth right in his line of vision, making him ache.
    For an instant, he wondered how Hannah would react if he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. Before he gave himself too much time to think about it, he decided to find out for himself.
    “Hannah.” Her name was a soft caress as he tilted her chin farther upward and slowly lowered his head, his gaze never leaving hers. He saw the leap of fright in her eyes a moment before her hands pressed to his chest.
    “Jesse.” His name came out a husky whisper because her throat was so dry. “I…I…” She never had a chance to finish her thought. Never had a chance to tell him this was not a good idea.
    Jesse’s mouth, soft and coaxing, came down on hers, causing all thoughts to flee. She meant to push him away. She was sure of it. Instead, her hands slid from the broad expanse of his chest upward, to slide around him and cling.
    She was certain the floor dipped, and then swayed, knocking her nearly off balance as Jesse’s mouth gently seduced hers. Her heart began to knock a quick, staccato rhythm as he continued the kiss, keeping it soft, gentle and oh-so-tender. She reacted more to the tenderness than if he’d merely pressed his mouth against hers and kissed her senseless.
    There was something more here, she realized, than a light flirtation. Something much more. She could feel it in his arms, in the way he responded, the way he held her, as if she was something to be treasured and cherished.
    She’d never known the feeling and regretted it, regretted that she might never know it.
    Until now.
    And that’s what scared her most. She’d yearned and longed to have a man treat her this way, as if she was special and important to him. And felt horribly guilty for her own selfish wanting.
    But now, experiencing what she’d longed for all these years frightened Hannah simply because she knew it would not be easy to turn her back and walk away from the feelings.
    But she knew she must.
    For her sake. For his sake. And more importantly, for her daughter Riley’s sake. She knew how disastrous letting her emotions cloud her judgment could be. Knew and had promised herself she’d never allow it again.
    “Jesse.” His name came out a husky whisper against his lips as Hannah savored the last moments of the kiss, then gently pulled back and away.
    Heart hammering, she pushed her hair off her flushed face and forced herself to meet his gaze, praying he