Her Rugged Rancher. Stella Bagwell
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one of those old-maid aunts who got in the way and made a nuisance of herself.”
She felt his blue gaze wandering over her face and Bella wondered how it would be if his fingers followed suit. The rough skin of his hands sliding along her skin would stir her senses, all right. Just thinking about it made goose bumps erupt along the backs of her arms.
He said, “I doubt that would’ve ever happened.”
She grunted with amusement. “Which part do you doubt? Me being an old maid? Or getting in the way?”
“Both.”
“You’re being kind.”
“I’m never kind,” he said gruffly. “Just realistic.”
Yes, she could see that much about him. A practical man, who worried about the dangers of life rather than embracing the joys.
“Well, it’s all for the best that I moved up here on the mesa. Sassy and Jett need their privacy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had another child or even two to go with the three they have now.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me, either.”
A stretch of silence followed and while she sipped her coffee, she watched him scrape the last bite of pie from the saucer.
When he put down his fork, she decided she’d better say something or he was going to jump to his feet and leave. And she didn’t want him to do that just yet. Having him sitting here in her kitchen felt good. Too good to have it all end in less than fifteen minutes.
“Jett tells me the calf crop is turning out to be a big one this year,” she commented.
“That’s right. And Sassy has had some new foals born recently. Have you taken a look at them?”
“No. Unfortunately, I’ve been tied up with several demanding cases. But I plan to stop by the ranch house soon to see the kids. Maybe she’ll drive me out to the west range to see them.”
“You like being a lawyer?” he asked.
His question surprised her. She figured he wasn’t really interested one way or the other about her personal life. But he’d taken the trouble to ask and that was enough to draw her to him even more.
“Yes, I do like it. That’s not to say that I don’t get exhausted and frustrated at times. But for the most part, I like helping people deal with their problems.”
“Must be nice for you to get to work with your brother. Jett is easy to get along with. Me being here for seven years proves that,” he added.
She smiled faintly. “Jett values your work, Noah. If it wasn’t for you taking charge of everything I’m not sure he could even have this ranch. Aside from that, he cherishes your friendship.”
“Yeah, well, I owe him a lot.” Avoiding her gaze, he placed his cup on the table, then scooted the bench back far enough to allow him to rise to his feet. “The pie was delicious, Bella. Thanks. I can now say that I’ve eaten rhubarb.”
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Going already?”
He still didn’t look at her. “I have chores at home to deal with.”
“Then you probably don’t have time for me to show you through the rest of the house?”
“Afraid not.”
She tried to hide her disappointment when she spoke again, “We’ll save that for next time.”
He didn’t reply to that and Bella figured he was probably telling himself there would be no next time. She’d never had a man make it so clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. But rather than put her off, it only made her more determined to spend time with him again.
As he gathered his hat from the rack on the wall and levered it onto his head, Bella stood and joined him at the door.
“I’ll walk with you out to the truck,” she told him.
“No need for that.”
There wasn’t any need, she thought. But she wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. “Don’t deny me. It’s rare I have company of any kind.”
They left the house the way they came in and as they walked toward his waiting truck, he said, “I imagine you have plenty of company, Bella.”
She smiled faintly. “What makes you think that?”
“Jett does a lot of entertaining at home. And you two are brother and sister.”
“Jett and I are siblings, but we think differently. Besides, most of his entertaining has to do with his law practice or ranching cronies. As for me, I don’t normally mix business with my home. I have invited our mother over for a night or two, though. She thinks I need my head examined for building a house up here on the mesa, away from everyone. She’d go crazy from the solitude.”
“And you haven’t?”
That made her laugh. “Not yet. Of course, my sanity is subject to opinion,” she joked.
He didn’t smile. But then, she didn’t expect him to. She’d never seen a genuine smile on his face.
By now they’d reached the driver’s side of the truck. After he’d opened the door and climbed behind the wheel, he glanced at her briefly, then stared straight ahead at the windshield.
“You be careful when you ride in the canyon,” he said.
She wanted to believe his warning was out of concern for her safety. Not because he was a bossy male. “I will. And thank you again for your help.”
“No problem.”
He closed the door and started the engine, leaving Bella with little choice but to step back and out of the way.
“Goodbye,” she called to him. “And you don’t have to be a stranger, you know. The sky won’t fall in if you stop by once in a while and say hello.”
He lifted a hand in acknowledgement, then put the truck into gear. Bella remained where she stood and watched the truck follow the circle drive until it disappeared into the dense pine forest.
So much for making an impression on the man, she thought. Noah hadn’t even bothered to give her a proper goodbye. But then Noah Crawford wasn’t like any man she’d ever met before. And that was darned well why she was determined to see him again.
* * *
Later that night, as Noah sat on the front step of his little cabin, he was still cursing his unfortunate luck of running across Bella. If he’d stayed with the men a half hour longer before heading home, he might have missed her. Or if she’d still been down in the canyon, he would’ve never known she was there or that her mare had thrown a shoe.
But for some reason, fate had aligned everything just right to put them on the road at the same time. No, fate had situated everything all wrong, he thought dismally. Now he was going to have a hell of a time getting Bella off his mind. After this evening, each time he passed her fancy house, he would think about too many things. How the kitchen had smelled of her baking, the way she’d talked and smiled as they’d sat at the pine table, and last, but hardly least, the way his heart had thudded like the beat of a war drum each time he’d looked at her.
Through the years Noah had worked for Jett, the man had never warned him to steer clear of his sister. Why would he bother? Both of them knew that Bella would never give Noah a serious look, anyway.
No, early on Noah had made his own decision to avoid Bella. Because he’d instinctively understood she was the sort of woman who could cause him plenty of trouble. Certainly not the devastating kind that Camilla had brought him, but enough to cause havoc in his life.
The sky won’t fall in if you stop by once in a while and say hello.
Had she truly meant that as an invitation? he wondered.