Free Cole's Montana Bride (Sweet,clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides Series Book 7) by Maya Stirling
Authors: Maya Stirling
herself, she'd once loved such a long time ago. She thought it must the isolation of being in this cabin with him, the wildness of the rain hammering against the wooden walls protecting them from the Montana elements.
Cole went over to the single bed once more. He pulled the remaining sheet free from the bed and folded it into a neat pile, small enough to fit on his hand.
He came over to Victoria and wordlessly gestured for her to sit on the chair. She did so and watched, enraptured, as he kneeled down and gently took both her feet and placed the folded sheet on the wooden floor. He softly rested the base of her feet onto the thick, folded sheet and glanced up at her.
"Your little toes are like ice," he said with a quirk of his brows. He glanced down at her feet and then back at her. "That feel better?" he asked. Victoria swallowed and nodded, saying nothing, because there was nothing she could utter that would express how she felt at his sudden kindness, the gentle touch of his warm hands on her cool skin.
Cole took his place next to her on his chair. He opened up the wrapping and offered her a biscuit. "These are Mrs. Stone's special recipe. I think it's a secret. So don't ask her when we get back to the ranch house," he said.
Victoria took one of the small biscuits and examined it. "They look delicious," she said.
Cole took one for himself and quickly bit into it. His eyes lit up. "I can vouch for that," he said.
Victoria tentatively raised the biscuit to her mouth and took a small bite. She glanced over at Cole and saw that he was watching her every move. Some loose biscuit crumbs tumbled down the front of her chin. Victoria tried to stop them, but not before Cole had reached over and caught some of them in the palm of his hand.
"Don't want to make a mess of the cabin," he joked.
Victoria smiled and continued to savor the taste of the biscuit. Once her mouth was empty she spoke. "You were right," she said.
Cole lifted a brow. "About what?"
"Mrs. Stone's recipe is in danger. Once I get back to the ranch I'm going to insist she give it to me," she said.
"Good luck with that," Cole answered.
For a few minutes they sat side by side and just stared into the small glowing flame inside the stove. The rain still hammered against the outside of the cabin. Victoria felt a curious sense of safety sitting here with Cole. The warmth of the stove, the taste of the food, the feel of his presence next to her, all conspired to make her feel a singular comfort that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Her professional, orderly life in Helena seemed like something that existed in another world. And here, with Cole by her side again, Victoria had a strong sense that this was a world she had missed without ever admitting that fact to herself.
For a while all she could hear was the flickering flame, the rain outside and Cole's soft breathing. They both seemed to be lost in a moment that couldn't have been planned, but which was satisfying nonetheless.
Then the peace of the moment was rudely shattered by one simple question. One that Victoria had been secretly hoping Cole wouldn't ask. Because asking it would inevitably break the moment, force them both to think of things they'd spent the whole day so far avoiding as best they could.
Cole's voice was quiet but there was a determined edge to it as he spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" he said.
After a long pause he finally spoke in a quiet but direct tone of voice. "Can you tell me why you left?"
CHAPTER SEVEN
He'd finally asked. And all Victoria could do, momentarily, was make sure that she didn't look Cole in the eye. She didn't dare look at the determination she was certain would inevitably be burning in his gaze. She knew this was the chance he'd been waiting for. He wouldn't pass up this opportunity, now that it had fallen into his lap, courtesy of the Montana climate.
Victoria paused and fixed her gaze on the flames inside the stove. The silence in the room
Cole went over to the single bed once more. He pulled the remaining sheet free from the bed and folded it into a neat pile, small enough to fit on his hand.
He came over to Victoria and wordlessly gestured for her to sit on the chair. She did so and watched, enraptured, as he kneeled down and gently took both her feet and placed the folded sheet on the wooden floor. He softly rested the base of her feet onto the thick, folded sheet and glanced up at her.
"Your little toes are like ice," he said with a quirk of his brows. He glanced down at her feet and then back at her. "That feel better?" he asked. Victoria swallowed and nodded, saying nothing, because there was nothing she could utter that would express how she felt at his sudden kindness, the gentle touch of his warm hands on her cool skin.
Cole took his place next to her on his chair. He opened up the wrapping and offered her a biscuit. "These are Mrs. Stone's special recipe. I think it's a secret. So don't ask her when we get back to the ranch house," he said.
Victoria took one of the small biscuits and examined it. "They look delicious," she said.
Cole took one for himself and quickly bit into it. His eyes lit up. "I can vouch for that," he said.
Victoria tentatively raised the biscuit to her mouth and took a small bite. She glanced over at Cole and saw that he was watching her every move. Some loose biscuit crumbs tumbled down the front of her chin. Victoria tried to stop them, but not before Cole had reached over and caught some of them in the palm of his hand.
"Don't want to make a mess of the cabin," he joked.
Victoria smiled and continued to savor the taste of the biscuit. Once her mouth was empty she spoke. "You were right," she said.
Cole lifted a brow. "About what?"
"Mrs. Stone's recipe is in danger. Once I get back to the ranch I'm going to insist she give it to me," she said.
"Good luck with that," Cole answered.
For a few minutes they sat side by side and just stared into the small glowing flame inside the stove. The rain still hammered against the outside of the cabin. Victoria felt a curious sense of safety sitting here with Cole. The warmth of the stove, the taste of the food, the feel of his presence next to her, all conspired to make her feel a singular comfort that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Her professional, orderly life in Helena seemed like something that existed in another world. And here, with Cole by her side again, Victoria had a strong sense that this was a world she had missed without ever admitting that fact to herself.
For a while all she could hear was the flickering flame, the rain outside and Cole's soft breathing. They both seemed to be lost in a moment that couldn't have been planned, but which was satisfying nonetheless.
Then the peace of the moment was rudely shattered by one simple question. One that Victoria had been secretly hoping Cole wouldn't ask. Because asking it would inevitably break the moment, force them both to think of things they'd spent the whole day so far avoiding as best they could.
Cole's voice was quiet but there was a determined edge to it as he spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" he said.
After a long pause he finally spoke in a quiet but direct tone of voice. "Can you tell me why you left?"
CHAPTER SEVEN
He'd finally asked. And all Victoria could do, momentarily, was make sure that she didn't look Cole in the eye. She didn't dare look at the determination she was certain would inevitably be burning in his gaze. She knew this was the chance he'd been waiting for. He wouldn't pass up this opportunity, now that it had fallen into his lap, courtesy of the Montana climate.
Victoria paused and fixed her gaze on the flames inside the stove. The silence in the room
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