RESCUED BY THE RANCHER

by Soraya Lane

  “Mommy?”

  The sight of her little man sitting up in bed with his hair sticking up on end and a scared expression on his face made her shove away any thoughts about her own problems. She had her son and they were both safe. Right now, that was all that mattered.

  She didn’t have any control over the other stuff, not right now, anyway. And she didn’t know Jake well enough to help him out. Yet.

  He stood in his bedroom and stared at the closet – the one he hadn’t opened in way too long. Everything in there was zipped into plastic covers, a handful of things that he’d never managed to send to the charity store, but it was time. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t deal with her things, because he was past the grief stage, had been for a long time. His problem was that getting rid of Rachel’s clothes meant finally admitting that he needed to move on with his life.

  Jake heard a shuffle of feet downstairs, followed by muffled laughter. He was certain his dog was part of the reason for the cheerful sounds, which meant that he probably needed to go check on him… or maybe he wanted to check on his guests. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to bury his head in the sand – there was a woman in his house, sleeping under his roof, who was making him think all kinds of things that he hadn’t even considered in years. And that scared him. It scared him so fucking bad that he wanted to get in his truck and drive away… and not come back until they were gone.

  But that wasn’t an option and he knew it.

  Jake opened the closet instead, having a look through the things. They were old and probably a little out of fashion, but he doubted Faith would care right now. She was in a stranger’s house wearing pajamas, so anything had to be better than that.

  He grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, then a sweater in case she was cold. She was probably the same size as Rachel had been, or close enough to it. Jake shut the doors, shook his head and marched back out to the kitchen. Moving on. That’s what he was doing. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, and it wasn’t. But he was doing it, and that was a heap better than what he’d been doing the past four years.

  “Faith?” he called out as he walked downstairs.

  Oh. They were still in the hall, with Tom lying on the floor. His dog was virtually on top of him, close to squashing the kid.

  “Sa—”

  Faith spun around and laughed, eyes shining in a way he hadn’t seen them sparkle before. “It’s fine,” she told him. “Tom’s been begging me for a dog so he’s loving this.”

  Jake glared at his dog, and got the same response he’d received the night before when Sam had been asleep on the kid’s bed. So much for the obedient canine he’d mistakenly thought he owned.

  Tom was giggling, play-fighting hard to Sam’s gentle tussling.

  “I get the feeling I don’t give him enough attention,” Jake muttered.

  Faith met his gaze, smiling. “I get the feeling that Tom’s missing getting to be all rough and tumble.”

  He didn’t ask the obvious question – whether or not the kid had a dad in his life. Instead he held out the clothes. “These are for you.”

  The question in her gaze was clear, but she reached for them anyway. “Thanks. Are you sure…”

  “I’m sure,” he interrupted, not ready to have that particular conversation with her just yet. “My keys are on the counter and I’ll leave some cash there, too. Get whatever you need.”

  “Thanks, Jake,” she said, nodding her head like she didn’t know what else to say, humbled by someone offering to help her. “I might head into town after breakfast, and I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

  He kept his eyes trained on the kid, still tumbling with his dog, not knowing which was worse – staring at Faith or her son.

  “You’re off to work?”

  “Yep. I’m starting three horses under saddle right now, and I’ve got a field full of pregnant mares.”

  She laughed. “Don’t tell me they’re being demanding?”

  Jake shook his head. “They can smell carrots from a mile off, which means I’m down there pampering them every damn day.”

  “So long as you’re not rubbing their backs and whispering sweet nothings in their ears.”

  He laughed. It had been a long time since he’d joked around with a woman, and it was nice. Better than nice, it was damn good. “If only you knew the half of what I do for them.”

  “Hey, Jake?”

  He turned back to look at her, pushed his hands into his jean pockets for something to do.

  “You’re trusting me with your money and your car. Why?” Faith asked, eyes searching his.

  Jake looked into her eyes – big and blue – knowing how easy it would be to get used to having a woman in his home again, being part of his life. “Same reason you trusted me enough to stay here last night.”

  They were both silent, but neither of them broke the contact.

  “Besides, that boy is never going to let you get away with leaving yet. He’ll be begging to see Sam again as soon as you head for town.”

  “Maybe we’ll take the dog, too,” she teased.

  “Yeah?” Jake looked from her to Sam. “I’d like to say he wouldn’t leave my side, but he’s already proved he’s a traitor.”

  Jake left his guests in the hall and headed for the back door. He whistled out, paused, and shook his head again before pulling on his boots. His dog was a goddamn traitor… and so was he. Because the only thing he could think about was a woman with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, and how nice it would be to finish work for the day and walk in the door to her smile.

  The last thing Faith wanted to do was go into town. Town was where her burned out shell of a home was; the place she should never have come back to no matter how tempting it had been. She’d seen enough of the house in the dark as it blazed to know there was no point going back there. All of her possessions were long gone, which meant she had no other option but to head in and get some things to see her through the next few days.

  It was still early, so all she could hope for was that she could get in and out as quick as possible.

  “Come on, Tommy,” she said. “Leave that poor dog in peace and come have some breakfast.”

  Her little man gave the dog a look that said his mom was the biggest pain in the butt ever, but he followed. And so did Sam. It made her smile because she and Tom had been on their own for his entire life. Now, having a faithful dog trotting along beside them like there was no place else in the world he’d rather be made her feel… wanted. And it had been a long time since Faith had felt wanted by anyone other than her son.

  “Mom, how long will we be here for?”

  She looked down at Tom, hoisting her boy up into her arms as they walked into the kitchen. She spied the keys and a decent chunk of cash sitting on the counter where Jake had said it would be.

  “I don’t know, honey. As long as we need to be, I guess.”

  Faith had no idea why he’d taken them in, why he was being so kind to them, but she knew she had to do something to repay him. There weren’t many people who did things like that out of the kindness of their hearts, and she intended on thanking him properly. And she needed to find out exactly why he had women’s clothing in his closest in her size, and why his eyes sometimes flashed with such obvious pain she wanted to reach out and touch him, just to let him know he wasn’t alone.

  Being alone was a feeling she knew only too well and a man like Jake didn’t deserve it.

  But there was more to it than just wanting to comfort him. After so long without a man in her life, of never letting anyone get close, Jake had made her feel something that she hadn’t experienced even once in her life. With this handsome stranger she felt protected and she had no idea why, other than the fact that her heart skipped like an overactive child every time he came near.

  Which meant she couldn’t stay here for long. Faith had survived on her own because she never trusted anyone, never let anyone too close. The moment she did, she knew she’d be vu
lnerable, and she wasn’t ever going to be a victim again. Her dad kicking her out and leaving her with no one in the world to turn to had made her too strong to let anyone stand in her way.

  She’d come back to Fairview to finish her family affairs for good, to move forward in a way that meant she’d never have to look back again. So as nice as Jake was? As much as he made her feel things she’d often longed for and never experienced? She had to make plans to leave. Fast.

  The last thing she needed was to be tempted by a black eyed, dark haired cowboy…

  Faith looked out the window and caught sight of Jake crossing the closest field, rope slung over his shoulder.

  Who was she kidding? Being tempted was exactly what she needed. So long as she didn’t let herself fall in love.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  JAKE paused in the doorway. He kicked off his boots and inhaled. If had been a long time since he’d walked into his own home and smelled dinner cooking, without having to have prepared it himself.

  He followed his nose, heading down the hall and into the kitchen. Jake stopped again, took a deep breath and watched a scene he’d never expected to experience.

  The boy was lying on his stomach watching television, legs in the air and crossed at the ankles, His dog had already snuck back inside for the day and was stretched out beside him, and Faith had her back to him as she stood at the range.

  Jake clenched then unclenched his fists, took a deep breath before making his presence known. He’d be lying if he said he was comfortable, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make an effort.

  He cleared his throat.

  “Hey.” Faith spun around, eyes bright as she smiled. She had an apron on, her hands messy from whatever it was she was making. “I was hoping to have this finished before you came back inside.”

  He moved forward, held on to the back of one of the dining chairs as he watched her. “You manage to get everything you needed?”

  She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt he didn’t recognize, so he was guessing she did fine. Plus, her hair was tied up in a high ponytail now and he could see she was wearing a few touches of make-up, not that she really needed any.

  “I hope you don’t mind but I got a few things for myself, just the basics, and I picked up some groceries. You didn’t have a lot in the cupboards, so I got enough for the next couple of days.”

  Jake shrugged. He didn’t care that she’d spent his money, or the fact that she’d restocked his kitchen, but a couple of days? Hell, he was struggling with just tonight. But then he’d asked her to stay and where the hell was she going to go if he changed his mind?

  “You mind if I go wash up?” Jake needed to get out of the kitchen. A shower was what he needed – long and hot enough to wash both dirt and memories away.

  Faith wasn’t even watching him any longer.

  “Sure, go for it. I’m just going to pop this in the oven.”

  Jake smiled at her son when he realized the kid had been watching them all this time. He was a nice boy, quiet but friendly, and his dog didn’t usually take a liking to anyone who wasn’t worthy. So why did it scare the hell out of him that there was a child sitting in his living room?

  He marched down the hall and walked straight into the bathroom. Jake stripped, kicking his jeans and boxers off, and throwing his shirt on top of them. He reached in, turned on the faucet, and walked under the water. Shit! It was freezing cold, but it did what it needed to – stripped him of all thoughts of the buxom blonde out there in his kitchen who seemed very much like she’d just moved in and taken over the role of being his wife. He’d been the one who’d invited her to stay, he just hadn’t expected such a simple domestic act like her cooking him dinner to affect him so much.

  He held Rachel’s hand, looked into her eyes, sitting across the table from her.

  “You’re pregnant?” He laughed. “I’m going to be a dad?”

  Jake let out a whoop and ran around to her chair.

  “You’re going to be an amazing dad, you know that?”

  He touched his hand to her belly, spread his palm over it and looked into her eyes. “You realize this kid will be riding horses as a toddler, right?”

  Rachel laughed. “I love you.”

  “Baby, I love you too.”

  Jake stifled the groan – the roar – that was fighting to be heard in his throat. It wasn’t fair. Just when he thought he’d moved on, when he hadn’t had the dreams or the thoughts about her, his mind slammed him with a memory like a kick to the gut.

  He turned the water up hot, burning hot. Cold hadn’t helped him, but maybe scorching his skin would. Maybe he needed to stay in the shower a while…a long while.

  What the hell was she doing? Faith was acting like a seasoned homemaker when she’d never had anyone other than herself and Tom to care for – she was behaving like she was the woman of the house, catering for her husband at the end of a long day. Jack had done a lot to help her, which was the reason she was making an effort, but that panicked look he’d had in his eyes told her he might run out the door and not return until they were long gone.

  Speak of the devil… she untied the apron, folded it and placed it in the drawer where she’d found it.

  “Smells great.”

  This time Jake had a wide smile on his face when he walked in. And he looked handsome as sin. Faith had thought he looked good in his work clothes, all messy from a day outside on the land, but now? He had a pair of faded jeans on with a worn patch on one knee that looked like it was about to become a hole. His t-shirt was white, fitting close enough for her to see his muscles clearly defined, and his hair was still damp – messy and dark. The rancher was hot, she’d give him that. Which left her wondering all over again how a guy like Jake could be single.

  “It’s just lasagna. It’ll be ready soon,” Faith told him.

  He walked past her. Damn. He even smelled good.

  “I was going to offer you a glass of wine, but the only bottle I have in here is probably years old.” Jake was rifling through a cupboard. “You don’t drink beer, do you?” His expression was hopeful.

  Faith laughed. “As a matter of fact, a beer is exactly what I feel like.” Perhaps not with dinner, but sitting down with a beer and chatting to her rescuer didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

  Jake shut the cupboard and opened the fridge instead. “I don’t believe you, but here.” He passed her a beer. Then he frowned. “Help if I opened it first.”

  He moved closer, into her space. Faith looked up at his face as he expertly took the top off her bottle, watching him, taking in what it felt like to have a man so near. Especially one that smelled like soap, with a body so big that she couldn’t see around him or over him without moving.

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  “Did you see the sheriff? Talk to him about what happened?”

  Faith took a long, cool sip of beer. “No.” The sheriff was not someone she wanted to talk to. “I was hoping the fire chief would be in touch if there was any news.”

  Jake nodded. “I’ll call him in the morning, see what’s happening.”

  She smiled, refusing to think about anything right now other than the man beside her and her son in the other room.

  “I hope this isn’t too much. I mean, me cooking, being here…” Faith let her voice trail off. She didn’t know what to say to him, this man who’d been so kind to them, but who was clearly struggling with having them in his home.

  “It’s different,” he admitted, taking a long sip. “But I’m guessing it’s kind of awkward for you, too.”

  Faith smiled. She wasn’t used to such honesty, and part of her wished he’d given her a different answer, but he’d been truthful and that’s what mattered. She sat at the counter, keeping a barstool between them so they weren’t too close.

  “Cheers,” she said, holding up her bottle to clink against his. “To new friends.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow, but he held his bottle up in silent acknowledgement, bef
ore taking another sip.

  “So how were those pregnant mares today?” Faith asked him.

  That made him laugh. “Good. No one demanded a manicure.”

  “No rubbing hooves, then?”

  Jake shook his head, beer bottle poised for another sip as he grinned at her. “Nope, no rubbing hooves.”

  They sat in silence for awhile, both looking down, focused on their beers. Maybe he was as out of practice as she was when it came to casual conversation, to flirting, or not flirting in their case.

  “Did you manage to sort a locksmith out, to look at your car?”

  Faith nodded. “Yep, all under control. I’m just waiting on a new set of keys to arrive.”

  “You know, I still can’t believe someone would torch your house. That anyone around here would be that, I don’t know, so mean-spirited.”

  She gave him a tight smile. “I can.” She didn’t want to admit it, but there was one person she knew who could be capable of doing it. Someone who had a motive, only she’d never have thought he’d have the guts. She could be wrong, but something told her she could just as easily be right.

  Jake looked confused. “When you said you hadn’t been here in a long time…”

  Faith sipped her beer before jumping from the stool, saved by the oven timer as it alerted her to the lasagna being ready.

  “Let’s save that conversation for another day.”

  Jake didn’t push her, just shrugged and leaned forward on the counter, elbows resting as he held the beer out in front of him.

  “You didn’t have to cook me dinner.”

  Faith laughed. “Yeah, I did. After what you did for us last night? I think dinner is the least I could do.” She paused, glanced at him over her shoulder before taking the dish from the oven. “Besides, I had to cook something for Tom.”