Romancing the Rancher

by Stacy Connelly

  Theresa laughed at the proud look in the woman’s eyes. “Actually, I think you can. You and the doctor here were both so kind and caring, and it was like magic to me. That you had the power to make people feel better.” And that was what being a nurse was all about, wasn’t it? Whether working in an ER or a small-town doctor’s office, the patients were the ones who mattered. “And of course, it didn’t hurt that you gave me that really cool hot-pink cast.”

  “Always a popular fashion accessory for daring young girls,” the nurse teased. Her expression sobered slightly, and Theresa sensed the woman’s quick evaluation, looking for lasting injuries from the car accident. “So, you’ll be going back to work soon?”

  Her mother opened her mouth, no doubt to bring up the hospital administration classes Theresa hadn’t signed up for and didn’t want to take, but her aunt silenced her with a gentle touch.

  “I haven’t been medically cleared yet.” Her plans for the future were as up in the air as when she’d arrived, but her conversation with Jarrett that night in the stables had opened her eyes. He’d made her realize her own feelings of guilt and loss were holding her back every bit as much as her physical limitations.

  “Well, I’m sure I’ll hear about it. Nick, Drew and Sam might have grown up enough to stay out of trouble, but there’s a new generation of Pirellis now. We saw Sophia’s darling boy for a checkup just the other week.”

  As the talk turned to the newest Pirelli grandchild, Theresa’s thoughts stayed focused on Marie Oliver’s words. What would it be like to follow a patient, not just for a few weeks, but from one generation to the next? To know not just their medical history, but so much of their life story?

  Theresa had treated countless broken bones during her years in the ER, but as much as she hated to admit it, those patients quickly became nameless, faceless cases, known only by their injuries. The compound fracture in room one, the lacerated spleen in room two, the first-degree burn in room three.

  That was part of the job, of course, and not something she should feel guilty about. She’d always thought an ER was the place she could do the most good, that the fast pace and sometimes hectic atmosphere was where she thrived...

  Suddenly aware of the conversation around her coming to a halt, Theresa looked up in time to see Jarrett hold out his hand. The clean white bandage gleamed against his tanned skin. “Can I have this dance?”

  Her mother made a soft sound, similar to the one she’d made when she saw the low-heeled but strappy sandals Theresa was wearing. Are you sure that’s a good idea?

  No, Mom, she thought to herself. Not sure at all.

  But as she placed her hand in Jarrett’s, a bad idea had never felt so good.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You do realize we’ve just opened ourselves up for a whole lot of questions from my family, don’t you?” Theresa asked as Jarrett led her toward the dance floor.

  “Yeah, I bet your brother will want to ask most of his questions with his fists.”

  “You don’t sound too worried.” And maybe he didn’t need to be. Yes, Alex was used to chasing down bad guys, but Jarrett had made his living wrangling bulls. She didn’t really think the two men would come to blows, but it just might be an even match if they did.

  “Worried? Nah, some risks are worth taking.”

  Everything about Jarrett was a risk. Yes, she was an adult, but her family would worry about her rushing into a relationship with a man she’d known such a short time. She hadn’t yet found a way to silence Alex’s voice in her head, either. Was she just using Jarrett as a distraction? Trying to lose herself in a man she’d be leaving in only a few weeks? And if her feelings were something deeper, something more, didn’t that pose an even greater danger?

  As he pulled her into his arms, Theresa took an awkward, unsteady step. “I, um, haven’t danced since the accident.” Her leg was getting stronger, but she still had moments of stiffness when the muscles would tighten and refuse to give.

  Not a problem at the moment, she thought as his palm slid to her lower back and he pulled her body closer to his. Heat spread from his palm throughout her limbs, threatening to melt muscle and bone and every bit of resistance within her.

  A corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “Not a lot of call for it on the ranch, either.”

  The work he did with the horses was as graceful as a dance—the first few steps slow and deliberate as he gave the animals time to adjust, to relax and follow his lead. And maybe he had treated her the same way when she first arrived, but Theresa no longer feared he saw her as broken.

  Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, he said, “I figure we make the perfect dancing partners—you lean on me, I lean on you. As long as we keep our feet moving, we can call it dancing.”

  It was what a relationship was supposed to be, wasn’t it? Two people trusting in one another, balancing the other’s strengths and weaknesses, turning to each other when times got tough.

  With her right hand cradled securely in his palm, Theresa tentatively slid her left arm around his shoulders. Her muscles protested a bit, but not as much as they might have a few days ago. And with the right incentive... Since the accident, she had tried to do any number of tasks—braiding her hair, tying her shoes, holding a knife. The damaged nerves made all those actions awkward at best, impossible at worst, and she’d hated for anyone to witness those clumsy, frustrating attempts.

  But as she cupped the back of Jarrett’s neck, as her fingers slid into his rich, chestnut hair, she didn’t feel the least bit clumsy. With the heat flaring in his eyes, the slight catch in his breath, she felt sexy, seductive...whole.

  “How long do you have to stay at this thing?” His voice had dropped to a deep rumble, one Theresa could feel with her breasts pressed against his chest.

  The vibration seemed to settle inside her heart, kick-starting the beat to an even faster tempo. “Not much longer,” she said, even as the pulse pounded out a different answer. Now. I want to leave now. “You know, my family is always trying to get me to take it easy. Not to push myself too hard.”

  “So if you cut out of here early, to go back to the cabin and...relax, you’d really be taking their advice.”

  “Following doctor’s orders, even.”

  And Theresa had always prided herself on being a model patient.

  * * *

  Even so, she wasn’t able to slip away as quickly as she’d hoped. She’d planned to sneak out after the cutting of the cake, but her parents along with her aunt and uncle had wanted more family pictures taken. Unfortunately, their family was a large one, making the perfect shot with everyone smiling just right nearly impossible. Especially once her brothers and male cousins started goofing off, pulling faces and cracking jokes right at the click of the camera.

  “Honestly, it’s like they’re all still twelve,” Sophia complained, even as she reached over and held up two fingers behind Sam’s head.

  “Good thing you’re much more mature,” her husband, Jake, said wryly, their infant son cradled in his arms.

  Theresa laughed but couldn’t help shifting impatiently as the photographer reset for another shot. Jarrett had left not long after their dance, and she’d honestly thought she’d be on her way back by now.

  What if he thought she’d changed her mind?

  Had she changed her mind?

  Could she really go through with this? She hadn’t even known Jarrett for two weeks and in just over that amount of time, she’d be going back to St. Louis. Did she really want to make love with Jarrett when she was leaving so soon? Did she really want to leave so soon without making love with Jarrett?

  Her shoulders fell on a sigh as the questions circled through her thoughts until she was dizzy.

  Her eagle-eyed mother was quick to notice and asked, “Are you all right? It’s been a long da
y, and with you wearing those shoes...”

  After the accident, Theresa had promised herself that she wouldn’t use her injuries as an excuse or as a crutch, and the last thing she wanted to do was worry her mother. Still...desperate times called for desperate measures. “I am getting a little tired.”

  The words weren’t a lie, after all, and in the end, they worked like magic. The clowning around stopped, and soon the photographer had what he promised to be the perfect family portrait. Theresa said her farewells to Drew and Debbie, who were heading out on their honeymoon and wouldn’t be back before Theresa returned to St. Louis, and promised to see her parents and brothers before they headed home.

  She actually thought she might make her escape when Sophia sidled up next to her. “Well, I know why Drew and Debbie are so anxious to get out of here, but what about you? Could it have something to do with a certain cowboy waiting for you back at the ranch?” she asked with a smirk.

  “You heard my mother. It’s been a long day, and I chose inappropriate footwear.” Her teasing didn’t last as she confessed, “I’m not sure what to do, Sophia. I...care about Jarrett, but how stupid am I to start something when I’m leaving so soon?”

  “You’re not stupid. You’re one of the smartest women I know, but sometimes I think you play things too safe.” When Theresa opened her mouth to protest, Sophia beat her to the punch. “How long did you and Michael date before you slept with him?”

  Theresa sighed. “Point taken.”

  “Look, I’m going to give you the best advice I can. Follow your heart.”

  “You make it sound like I’m falling in love with him. But I’m not. I can’t be.”

  “I hate to break it to you, Theresa,” her cousin said with a sympathetic smile, “but I know you too well. If you’re thinking about sleeping with Jarrett, you’re not falling. You’re already there.”

  * * *

  Sophia’s words followed Theresa all the way back to the Rockin’ R. With each passing mile, her panic grew. Love Jarrett? It couldn’t be true. Sophia was still a newlywed with a gorgeous husband and a beautiful baby. She had stars in her eyes that made her see happily-ever-after where none existed.

  Theresa cared for Jarrett, of course. But it didn’t have to be love. Didn’t have to be forever. Didn’t have to mean her heart would break when she left him behind.

  The car’s headlights cut through the darkness as she turned down the gravel road leading past the stables. She wasn’t surprised to see the doors open and the lights glowing from inside. Naturally, Jarrett would want to see to the horses first. His connection to the animals in his care was just one of the things she...liked about him.

  Oh, hell. Maybe she was just fooling herself, but when she caught sight of him through the open doors, still wearing his dress clothes from the wedding, standing outside Silverbelle’s stall and running a hand down the shy horse’s nose, she couldn’t have driven by.

  She made her way carefully across the ground. Her mother had probably been right about the shoes, but Theresa had known she’d be sitting for most of the wedding and reception. She hadn’t expected a late-night trek out to the stables when she slid the strappy sandals on early that evening.

  Her knees wobbled a bit, but that could just have easily have been because Jarrett had turned to watch her approach. His heated gaze followed her every step, and when she would have stopped a foot or so away, he caught her around the waist and pulled her as close as he had on the dance floor. Closer even as he ducked his head to breathe in the scent of her perfume.

  “Did I tell you how gorgeous you look tonight?” he murmured in her ear. “Way too fancy for these stables.”

  “You’re looking pretty fancy yourself.” It was hard to imagine Jarrett looking better than he did in a Western shirt and denim jeans, but the dress clothes were a sexy change. The dark blue shirt brought out more of the green in his hazel eyes along with flecks of gold that glowed as he gazed back at her.

  “At least I still have boots on.”

  “Something tells me you always have boots on,” she teased.

  “Not...always.”

  Her face heated at the implication, but she still didn’t look away. She wanted those boots off. Wanted everything off. A desire that must have been written across her features for Jarrett to see as he all but groaned her name a split second before he claimed her mouth with his.

  He tasted like rich, decadent chocolate and bright, bubbly champagne, and she answered his kiss like a woman starved. She couldn’t get enough, craving even more, and yet she sensed Jarrett holding back. The control that had been such a turn-on the first time they kissed became a frustration.

  Breaking away, she caught his handsome face in her hands as she stared up at him. “I’m not that fragile, Jarrett. Don’t touch me like I’ll break. Like I’m broken.”

  Like a buzzer at the starting gate, her words released him. He kissed her again, giving desire free rein as his tongue tasted and explored, urging her on with an advance-and-retreat rhythm that had her melting against him. His hands moved from the relative safety of her waist to more dangerous territory, one curving over her hip, pulling her as close as the narrow skirt of her dress would allow. She arched her back, clinging to his arms and gasping at the heat and strength of his arousal. Startled, really, by just how much he’d been holding back...

  At first, the low rumble of sound blended into the moment. A vibration of need and desire growing stronger, closer, louder... Only after Jarrett pulled away with a ragged gasp did Theresa finally realize what she was hearing.

  “Expecting someone?” she asked as she struggled to catch hold of her breath and her runaway desire. She slid the strap of her dress back in place as if a dozen sparkly beads on a piece of string would shield her from the hunger in his gaze.

  Jarrett’s wry smile played at odds with the heat in his eyes. “Not unless Alex has decided to come save you from yourself.”

  “He wouldn’t go that far.” Theresa laughed shakily, even while she hoped it wasn’t her brother driving up to the stables. No way would Alex miss the telltale signs of what had just happened—Jarrett’s rumpled hair, the touch of lipstick on his mouth, his untucked shirt. But after Jarrett straightened himself up as best he could and headed toward the doors, she heard him swear beneath his breath and realized it wasn’t one of her relatives climbing from the rental car parked outside after all.

  “Summer...what the hell are you doing here?”

  * * *

  As Theresa walked down to the stables the next morning, she had a hard time ignoring the concern echoing in every step along the way. Jarrett hadn’t said much following Summer’s arrival the night before. At first, Theresa wanted to believe the surprise had simply caught him off guard. But the long—and lonely—night had given her too much time to wonder if his silence and withdrawal might have had more to do with what the two of them had been doing before his sister’s interruption.

  But as she stepped inside the cool building, it wasn’t Jarrett she saw walking along the stalls.

  “Morning.” Jarrett’s sister greeted her with a bright smile.

  His sister... Theresa still wasn’t sure what she might have expected Summer to look like—or sound like—but she had yet to figure out how a Midwestern rancher and cowboy had a Southern debutante for a sister.

  Half-sister, she remembered, as he’d quickly pointed out during their brief introduction last night.

  With her honey-streaked brown hair caught up in a ponytail and her face free of makeup, Summer Carrington looked right at home in the stables. And not nearly as out of place as she had the night before standing in the middle of Jarrett’s rental office as he carried in her designer luggage. She’d traded in her off-white silk pants and peach cashmere sweater for boots, jeans and a riding jacket, making her offer to help Jarrett with the stables and the h
orses not seem quite so unbelievable in the light of day.

  Wondering if Jarrett had come to that realization, too, Theresa said, “Morning. Did you get all settled in last night?”

  Summer wrinkled her nose as she made a face. “Not exactly. Jarrett’s already warned me not to unpack since he says I won’t be stayin’.”

  “I think you caught him a little off guard.”

  “I know.” She kicked at some loose straw with the toe of her boot. “But if I told him I was comin’, he would have said no anyway. So at least this way, I get to see him even if it’s just for a day or two.”

  Her heart aching at the longing in the younger woman’s eyes, Theresa tried to rein the emotion in. She didn’t know the whole story here. Heck, she probably didn’t even know half the story. For all the talking she’d done about her family and her past, Jarrett had remained tight-lipped about much of his. Other than the one night when he opened up about his accident. He’d let down some of the walls around him then, and she’d let down her guard.

  She’d kissed him that night. But more than that, she’d started to fall for him...

  Swallowing hard against the thought, she asked, “Have you had a chance to talk to him this morning?”

  Summer shook her head as she reached out to pet Duke. The horse welcomed the newcomer like an old friend, nudging her shoulder to encourage Summer to keep up the good work. “He was already gone this morning. I met a girl on the way in—Chloe? She said he called her to come out first thing to handle the riding lessons.”

  A touch of color highlighted her cheeks as she said, “I didn’t know that he’d rented out the first cabin.”

  Theresa had joked about Jarrett sleeping in the stables. She hadn’t been far off. It turned out he had a small bedroom tucked behind his rental office, which he’d given up to Summer the night before. Theresa hadn’t asked where Jarrett planned to sleep once he made the offer to his sister. Her conscience had been too busy mocking her with the possibility of where she might have spent the night if not for Summer’s arrival.