she’d made the decision to keep the ranch, he had been furious and said his kindness to her had ended, and that he wouldn’t lift a finger to help and wanted her to find out the hard way just what a mistake she had made.
She sank into the porch swing, thinking there was no way she could have made a mistake in deciding to build a life here. She had fallen in love with the land the first time she’d seen it when she’d come for the reading of the will. And it hadn’t taken long to decide even though she’d been robbed of the opportunity to connect with her grandfather in life, she would connect with him in death by accepting the gift he’d given her. A part of her felt that although they’d never met, he had somehow known about the miserable childhood she had endured and was giving her the chance to have a way better adult life.
The extra men she had hired to work the ranch so far seemed eager to do so and appreciated the salary she was paying them which, from what she’d heard, was more than fair. She’d always heard if you wanted good people to work for you then you needed to pay them good money.
She was about to get up to go back into the house to pack up more of her grandfather’s belongings when she noticed someone on horseback approaching in the distance. She squinted her eyes, remembering this was Denver and people living on the outskirts of town, in the rural sections, often traveled by horseback, and she was grateful for the riding lessons her parents had insisted that she take. She’d always wanted to own a horse and now she had several of them.
As the rider came closer she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach when she recognized him. Jason Westmoreland. She definitely remembered him from the night of the charity ball, and one of the things she remembered the most was his warm smile. She had often wondered if he’d been as ruggedly handsome as she recalled. The closer the rider got she realized he was.
And she had to admit that in the three times she’d been to Denver, he was the closest thing to a modern-day cowboy she had seen. Even now he was riding his horse with an expertise and masculinity that had her heart pounding with every step the horse took. His gaze was steady on her and she couldn’t help but stare back. Heat crawled up her spine and waves of sensuous sensations swept through her system. She could feel goose bumps form on her skin. He was definitely the first and only man she’d ever been this attracted to.
She couldn’t help wondering why he was paying her a visit. He had expressed interest in her land and in Hercules when she’d met him that night at the charity ball. Was he here to convince her she’d made a mistake in moving here like her parents and uncle had done? Would he try to talk her into selling the land and horse to him? If that was the case then she had the same news for him she’d had for the others. She was staying put and Hercules would remain hers until she decided otherwise.
He brought his horse to a stop at the foot of the porch near a hitching post. “Hello, Bella.”
“Jason.” She gazed up into the dark brown eyes staring at her and could swear she felt heat radiating from them. The texture of his voice tingled against her skin just as it had that night. “Is there a reason for your visit?”
A smile curved his lips. “I understand you’ve decided to try your hand at ranching.”
She lifted her chin, knowing what was coming next. “That’s right. Do you have a problem with it?”
“No, I don’t have a problem with it,” he said smoothly. “The decision was yours to make. However, I’m sure you know things won’t be easy for you.”
“Yes, I’m very much aware they won’t be. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
“Yes. We’re neighbors and if you ever need my help in any way just let me know.”
She blinked. Had he actually offered his help? There had to be a catch and quickly figured what it was. “Is the reason you’re being nice that you still want to buy Hercules? If so, you might as well know I haven’t made a decision about him yet.”
His smile faded and the look on his face suddenly became intense. “The reason I’m being nice is that I think of myself as a nice person. And as far as Hercules is concerned, yes, I still want to buy him, but that has nothing to do with my offering my help to you as your neighbor.”
She knew she had offended him and immediately regretted it. She normally wasn’t this mistrusting of people, but owning the ranch was a touchy subject with her because so many people were against it. He had wanted the land and Hercules but had accepted her decision and was even offering his help when her own uncle hadn’t. Instead of taking it at face value, she’d questioned it. “Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“Yes, maybe you shouldn’t have.”
Every cell in her body started to quiver under the intensity of his gaze. At that moment she knew his offer had been sincere. She wasn’t sure how she knew; she just did. “I stand corrected. I apologize,” she said.
“Apology accepted.”
“Thank you.” And because she wanted to get back on good footing with him she asked, “How have you been, Jason?”
His features relaxed when he said, “Can’t complain.” He tilted his Stetson back from his eyes before dismounting from the huge horse as if it was the easiest of things to do.
And neither can I complain, she thought, watching him come up the steps of the porch. There was nothing about seeing him in all his masculine form that any woman could or would complain about. She felt her throat tighten when moments later he was standing in front of her. Something she could recognize as hot, fluid desire closed in on her, making it hard to breathe. Especially when his gaze was holding hers with the same concentration he’d had the night of the ball.
Today in the bright sunlight she was seeing things about him that the lights in the ballroom that night hadn’t revealed: the whiteness of his teeth against his dark skin, the thickness of his lashes, the smooth texture of his skin and the broadness of his shoulders beneath his shirt. Another thing she was seeing now as well as what she remembered seeing in full detail that night was the full shape of a pair of sensual lips.
“And what about you, Bella?”
She blinked, realizing he’d spoken. “What about me?” The smile curving his lips returned and in a way that lulled her into thoughts she shouldn’t be thinking, like how she’d love kissing that smile on his face.
“How have you been...besides busy?” he asked.
Bella drew in a deep breath and said, “Yes, things have definitely been busy and at times even crazy.”
“I bet. And I meant what I said earlier. If you ever need help with anything, let me know.”
“Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it.” She had seen the turnoff to his ranch. The marker referred to it as Jason’s Place. And from what she’d seen through the trees it was a huge ranch and the two-story house was beautiful.
She quickly remembered her manners and said, “I was about to have a cup of tea. Would you like a cup, as well?”
He leaned against the post and his smile widened even more. “Tea?”
“Yes.”
She figured he found such a thing amusing if the smile curving his lips was anything to go by. The last thing a cowboy would want after being in the saddle
