by Leigh Duncan
On her own, Sarah was vulnerable.
When Josh swallowed so visibly that his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, Ty dialed back his anger. Not even a greenhorn like Sarah could get lost on the flat prairie. Behind him, smoke rose from the big wood-burning stove in the bunkhouse. She couldn’t miss the dark smudge against the sky.
“You want me to go back and get her?”
“Nope.” Ty waved the boy off. Josh had been asking for more responsibility lately, and he’d given him a chance. But, clearly, the young man wasn’t ready to take charge of their guests. Not yet. “My fault. I’ll handle it.”
He turned away, thankful no one could see the worry that tugged at the corners of his mouth. As he led Ranger over grass trampled by the herd, he realized putting the kid in charge hadn’t been his only mistake. The Circle P offered its guests the chance to experience a different way of life, and, in his mind, that meant leaving the gadgets back at the ranch.
He shook his head. Yesterday, when she’d reached for her phone he hadn’t missed the way Sarah’s demeanor had instantly shifted from open and friendly to tense and anxious. Before she’d pressed a single button, her shoulders had squared and her eyes had hardened. That call had been work-related, and her reaction made him wonder why she’d chosen such a tough profession in the first place.
Did she come from a broken family? Had she spent time in foster care as a youngster?
Whatever her background, she wasn’t all straightlaced and uptight. Not like he’d expected her to be. In fact, when she let her hair down, she could be downright fun. But the image of Sarah’s hair cascading around her shoulders made him think of running his fingers through the fine, silky strands. From there, he was only one small step away from pulling her close and tasting her lips. A not-unpleasant fullness stirred below his waist at what might come next. The touch of smooth skin. The light scrape of nails across his back. Whispered conversations in the middle of the night.
Ty straightened. He’d given his heart away once already, to a woman he’d known far longer than he’d known the slim social worker, and look where that had gotten him. Divorced and in danger of raising a kid who wasn’t his. Only a fool would fail to see how attached Sarah had become to Jimmy. She’d never understand how he could turn his back on the child.
Two people with such wildly differing viewpoints had no business in a relationship.
No, he wasn’t looking for anything more than friendship from Sarah. Or any other woman for that matter. His life on the Circle P kept him busy enough, too busy to find someone special and build a relationship. Yes, he’d admit he sometimes regretted not having someone to come home to after a long day of mending fences or feeding cattle, but his one attempt at marriage hadn’t worked out so well. Maybe one day he’d try again, but right now a wife and family weren’t in the cards he’d been dealt.
Something rustled in the bushes off to Ty’s right. He glanced up from the hoofprints he’d been tracking, prints that led him away from the path the herd had taken. Had he stirred up the local wildlife? All manner of animals called the grazing land home. Some weren’t all that friendly. Though the predators usually prowled at night, he half hoped for a glimpse of an endangered panther. A wild boar or bobcat were more likely and, one hand on his rifle butt, he waited while something moved through a thick stand of pepper trees.
What the—
Ty swore softly. Whatever he’d expected, a riderless and winded Belle was the last thing he wanted to see. The mare trotted toward him, weaving her way through the palmettos.
Where was Sarah?
Despite a tight feeling in his gut, Ty calmly picked up the horse’s reins and looped them around his saddle horn. A quick scan of the mare’s tack reassured him that everything was right where it was supposed to be…except for her rider. The muscles across Ty’s stomach drew taunt.
“Where is she, girl?” he muttered.
He whipped a pair of binoculars from his saddlebag. When he focused in on the area where he expected to find Sarah, his heart leaped into his throat.
The woman stood, statuelike, in the center of a small clearing.
Snakes. Had to be.
A gator would have charged long ago. A hog would have brought her down in an instant.
His hand hovered over the rifle in its scabbard. Reluctantly, he left it where it was. Television and movies to the contrary, making a clean shot from a moving horse was nearly impossible. He’d be far more likely to hit the girl than the snake. And that was a chance he couldn’t take. There was only one thing to do and, no matter what the consequences, Ty told himself he had no choice.
Sarah’s life came first. Even if it meant putting Ranger’s at risk.
Leaving Belle to her own devices, he slowly rode toward the clearing.
“Easy now,” he whispered when Ranger stopped and pawed the ground. Together, they’d run across enough snakes for Ty to know the horse wouldn’t bolt. That didn’t mean the quarter horse was happy to enter the immediate vicinity of a sunbathing diamondback. Ten feet long and thicker than Ty’s upper arm, the rattler stretched across the sand just beyond the spot where Sarah stood, frozen.
He patted Ranger’s neck. “I see it, too, but we gotta get the girl.”
The big horse blew a forceful breath but kept moving. One hoof at a time, Ranger took them closer until Ty saw the fear—bright and glassy—in Sarah’s eyes. He signaled her to remain still. His focus on the snake, he watched for any sign the beast might coil and strike while he positioned the horse between it and Sarah.
The tip of the snake’s tail twitched. A warning rattle sounded. Beneath him Ty felt Ranger quiver. Leaning down, Ty wrapped his hands around Sarah’s waist.
“On three,” he whispered. “One. Two.”
He lifted while she practically leaped into his arms. In one smooth move, he settled her sideways in front of him. Her arms curled around his neck. Holding her close, Ty let Ranger have his lead. Once the horse put a safe distance between them and the clearing, Ty risked a quick look over his shoulder. The snake had disappeared leaving a wide track in the sand as the only sign of the danger they’d faced.
Now that they were safe, he let fear and anger overtake him.
“What on earth were you thinking?”
Sarah’s muffled voice rose from the face she’d buried in his shoulder. “I was trying to take a call. Belle wouldn’t go where I wanted.”
“And no wonder. She knew the snake was there. You were damn lucky that rattler didn’t coil, didn’t strike.”
In his arms, he felt shivers course up and down Sarah’s spine. The reality of how scared she’d been struck home. He felt sick to his stomach for yelling. She’d always seemed so strong and sure of herself. This vulnerability was unexpected. He didn’t know quite how to handle it, so he did the only thing that came to mind. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. They rode for a while before she stopped shaking and her hands thawed. “You okay?” he asked at last.
“Yeah.” The fingers she’d threaded through his hair curled into themselves as if she’d suddenly realized what she was doing. She pulled away from him, taking the warmth of her body with her. “I think I can ride by myself now,” she whispered.
“Yeah, yeah, okay,” he agreed, though he wanted nothing more than to hold her in the shelter of his arms.
He dismounted. He was only keeping her safe—or so he told himself—as he helped her
down from her perch atop Ranger. But the brush of her body against his sent a current straight through him. He heard the sharp intake of her breath, saw the slight widening of her eyes and knew she felt the same thing. She’d lost her hat somewhere along the way. Wisps of hair had fallen into her face. With the barest touch, he brushed them from her forehead.
“Sarah?” he whispered.
Her face flushed, but her voice remained firm and unshakable. “I think we’d better get back to the others, don’t you?”
Ty’s hands dropped from her waist. He stepped back to put some distance between them.
“It’s about time for lunch,” he said, regaining control. “We’ll head back to camp.”
He remounted Ranger while Sarah turned toward Belle. But all the way back to the camp he couldn’t stop thinking about how well she’d fit in his arms and how cold and empty they felt without her.
* * *
IN THE LUNCH line an hour later, Sarah swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat every time she thought of how close she’d come to being bitten. She placed a hand over her heart and felt a wave of relief that it still beat within her chest. Spotting Ty at one of the tables, she grimaced, this time because one look at the rancher sent her pulse into overdrive. Okay, so riding off into the wilds of South Florida on her own hadn’t been her smartest move. And getting down off of Belle without checking the area for snakes or other wildlife had bordered on insanity. But having the big, strong rancher rescue her had been almost as dangerous. No doubt he’d kept her safe, but was her heart now at risk?
She hadn’t meant to bury her fingers in his thick hair, hadn’t intended to snuggle so close to his chest that the ragged thud of his heartbeat filled her ears. But she had. Of course, he’d just saved her life, so maybe it was natural to feel drawn to him.
Yeah, right. You just keep telling yourself that.
The truth was, she’d been fighting an attraction to the rancher since the first time she met him. She’d staved it off by hauling out all the usual arguments. The man was too opinionated, didn’t know a thing about kids, wouldn’t even acknowledge his own son. Still, she’d been shocked when he’d held her. She hadn’t expected to feel so safe, so secure wrapped in his arms. For one long, wonderful moment, she’d wanted to stay pressed against his chest forever.
And then, she’d regained her sanity. Only, she’d backed away so quickly she was certain she’d given him the wrong impression.
So, what was she going to do about it?
The line shuffled forward. Doris ladled thick Brunswick stew into Sarah’s bowl.
“Thanks.” She fought back a frown. Though the stew smelled divine, she wasn’t sure how she’d manage to swallow a single bite. The opportunity to be embraced by strong, male arms didn’t come along often. For it to happen the same day she came within ten feet of possible death, well, both had stolen her appetite along with her breath.
The best thing, the safest thing, was to avoid all such occurrences in the future. She studied the tall man who spoke with Seth on the opposite side of the room. Unless she intended to pack up and leave, avoiding Ty for the rest of the journey would be impossible. Especially when she longed to feel the rancher’s arms around her again.
Her thoughts bouncing in too many directions, she grabbed a wedge of corn bread from a serving tray before taking a second one for the boy beside her.
“Ms. Doris and I fixed the beans for supper tonight. Did you know if you break beans, they pop like a firecracker? Only Ms. Doris says they snap. She calls ’em snap beans.”
Sarah stared down at the little boy whose New York accent had already softened. Another week or two on the ranch and he’d sound Southern born and bred. Just like his dad.
“I washed the tomatoes for the salad, but Ms. Doris says I don’t have to eat it. And I took all the pickles out of their jars and put ’em in the big dishes. Then we made cob-cob-cobbler. Aren’t you going to have some? I sprinkled the stuff on top.”
Sarah managed to grasp Jimmy’s hand an instant before his fingers poked into the crust of the big dessert pan.
“You did a very good job.” She spooned a small portion of berries and crunchy topping onto her plate and dished up a larger helping for the boy. “What are you and Ms. Doris doing this afternoon?”
Jimmy carried his tray to a vacant table. “We’re gonna make pies. I like pie. Chocolate is my favorite, but Ms. Doris says we’re gonna make apple.”
“Mmm. I like apple.” Sarah wondered if she’d be hungry by then. She glanced down at Jimmy’s tray. The boy had slathered a pound of butter over a thick slice of bread. His bowl, though, was empty. She tipped hers, offering some of her own.
“Nmmmf,” he said around the mouthful of corn bread he’d stuffed in his mouth. Something equally unintelligible followed.
Sarah pointed to Jimmy’s glass of milk and suggested he take a sip.
“No, thanks,” he said when he’d swallowed. “Mr. Ty said I hav’ta eat whatever’s on my plate.”
Sarah reluctantly dipped her spoon into the bowl. If Jimmy was taking the rancher’s advice to heart, hungry or not, she guessed she’d have to follow the rules. Fortunately, the stew tasted as good as it smelled. She was scraping the last of the delicious broth from her bowl when Ty stood to address the group.
“If I could have your attention before we head out again this afternoon.” While conversations trailed off and the clatter of silverware stilled, Ty removed his hat and brushed his hair away from his forehead. “Ya’ll know we want you to experience a different way of life while you’re at the Circle P, one your grandparents might have lived. However, no one wants you to put your lives in danger. But that’s what happened this morning when one of our guests had a run-in with a diamondback rattler.”
The room went deathly still except for Hope Garrison who gasped, “Was anyone hurt?”
“No, ma’am.” Ty spun his hat by the brim.
As his gaze drifted across the gathering of ranch hands and guests, Sarah felt her heart stutter. She’d known from the beginning that forgiveness didn’t play a big role in Ty’s vocabulary. For proof, she only had to look at the way he’d treated Chris and Tim. Snuggled against his chest as he carried her to safety, she hadn’t given a single thought to the possibility that he’d use her mistake against her. Watching him now, though, she knew he was only minutes away from aiming an accusatory finger at her and pointing out how foolish it had been to wander off on her own. She braced herself for a scathing rebuke while Ty scanned the room.
“The weather’s turned a might cool and the snake was so busy sunning himself he didn’t want to be bothered, but next time, we might not be as lucky, so ya’ll take care out there. Okay?”
Her throat taut, Sarah nodded along with everyone else.
“From now on, I’d like to make sure one of our ranch hands stays with all our guests whenever they leave the camp.” Ty aimed a glance at the Garrisons. “Hope, Jim, Seth’ll assign someone to go with you this afternoon if you want to do some more birding.”
Sarah saw the glimmer of fear in the look Hope shared with her husband. Tom cleared his throat. “No need,” he said to his wife’s obvious relief. “We’ll stick with everyone else.”
Ty nodded. “Well, then, that’s all I had to say. Whenever you’re ready, ya’ll can mount up. We’ll try to round up another group of cattle this afternoon and tomorrow. Just remember, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, be careful.”
Relieved that Ty hadn’t raked her over the coals, Sarah tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he did something totally unexpected. And now that he’d shown his kinder nature, keeping her guard up around him was going to be even more of a challenge. Especially when she’d decided that facing another snake wouldn’t be so bad if it meant riding off in Ty’s arms.
Chapter Seven
“Sarah, you want to hand him up?”
With dinner out of the way, Ty had run out of excuses. It was time to make good on the promise he’d given Jimmy that morning, the one the little rascal had been hounding him about ever since.
Ty reached down from Ranger’s saddle. As he grasped Jimmy’s waist, his hands brushed Sarah’s. The tiny jolt that usually coursed through him whenever he touched her struck again. He gave her his best, reassuring look.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
Sarah’s bland expression was difficult to decipher. Her “I’m sure he will be” was so hard to fathom that Ty would have scratched his head if it hadn’t meant dropping a very excited five-year-old. He’d have sworn the attraction he’d felt as he held her in his arms hadn’t been one-sided, but ever since she’d backed away from their near-kiss, Sarah had given him the cold shoulder.
Women. He’d never understand ’em.
At least he was on to some of Sarah’s ways, no matter how hard she’d tried to fool him. He knew she hoped he’d develop such close ties to Jimmy that he wouldn’t be able to give the boy up when the paternity tests proved what he’d been saying all along—that he wasn’t this kid’s dad. But she was in for a shock. He wouldn’t let himself get that close to the child. Once the results came in, she’d have to start looking for the boy’s real dad. And then Jimmy and Sarah would disappear from his life.... Just like Millie had.
He wrenched his thoughts away from the past and lifted the dangling kid high into the air. At the sound of boyish giggles, Ty leaned forward and ruffled the kid’s hair. But when he clucked to Ranger and the horse started forward, Jimmy fell as silent as a tombstone. Not one word passed his lips for the entire five minutes it took to make a slow circuit around the yard.
