Heart Of A Texan

She began nodding. “Me yike it, Mommy.”

“Can you say ‘thank you’?”

“Tank you,” she said without hesitation. Her eyes were transfixed on her new trike.

Jared grinned. “You’re welcome. Now you can ride around the ranch in style.”

“It’s very generous of you,” Bella said.

“There’s a helmet for her, too. Lauren, my sister-in-law, said she couldn’t ride outside the house without one.”

“Yes, that’s true. Again, very thoughtful.”

Bella took the trike out of the box and set it on the floor. Immediately, Sienna, thrilled beyond belief, lifted her leg and tried to climb up. Bella gave her a little push and then she was all set, her butt settled on the padded seat.

“Your feet touch the pedals. Oh, my baby is getting to be such a big girl.”

“I’ll attach this thing,” Jared said, a screwdriver suddenly appearing in his hand. He lifted the rod out and bent on his haunches. His body creaked and his face went white, but his jaw was tight, determined. Bella bent, too, and suddenly she was inches from Jared, breathing in a light musk scent, seeing the tiny lines of pain around his eyes. And for a second, the briefest of moments, she saw not the victim whose life she’d saved, but a beautiful, bone-melting, blue-eyed man.

Amy would say he was a hunk to the hundredth degree.

“Can you hold this?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, yes.” She secured the rod while he screwed it to the back step of the trike.

“There,” he said, his breathing labored. He was taxing himself, but there was a gleam of accomplishment in his eyes that shouldn’t be shot down. “That should work.”

“Yes, it’s nice and tight.”

“And now for your gift.” He began to rise and wobbled a little. She was there immediately to catch him, putting her arm around his waist. He used his other hand to brace himself on the desk and then gazed at her. “I’ve got it,” he said quietly, the sexiness in his voice playing tricks on her.

“Yes, you do. Sorry.”

“For trying to rescue me again?”

“For—” She shrugged. “I don’t know why.” The words tumbled out of her mouth and, too late, she took her arm off his waist. Jared Stone definitely made her nervous.

He smiled. A killer this time, showing white teeth, handsome lines around his mouth and a twinkle in his eyes.

Sienna was patiently examining her new trike. Once again the temptation to ring the bell was too much for her and clanging filled the room. “A set of drums might’ve been less noisy,” Bella remarked.

A chuckle rumbled from his chest, one that caught him off guard. He winced, but it was brief and soon replaced with a smile. “I’ll remember that next time. This one is for you,” he said, pointing to the other wrapped gift. “I’m told every chef should have a good set of these.”

She stared at him for a moment and then carefully unwrapped her gift. It was an attaché case and inside she found a twenty-four-piece set of executive chef knives. They were beautiful, of the finest caliber, the handles made of rosewood.

“Oh...” A lump formed in her throat. She’d grown up with privilege and had had the finest of things, but this gift was special. It was the first time she’d been recognized as a legitimate chef. Other than by Paul. Her husband had believed in her and was awed by her talent, but her father and his wife had never taken her seriously. “It’s too much. I love it but—”

“No buts. Marie told me our kitchen was sorely lacking in equipment, and you should have all the tools you need at your disposal.”

“You mean for those burgers and fries I’m going to toss your way.”

Jared laughed.

“Thank you. It’s a beautiful set.”

Sienna went for the bell again and the ringing echoed off the study walls. “Well, we’d better get out of your hair now. Do you have more work to do?”

“Actually,” he said, running a hand down his face, “I’m getting hungry for lunch. I’m up early most days, so I’m usually hungry about this time.”

It was a little after eleven in the morning. She made a mental note of Jared’s timetable. “It’s good to know. I can make up a simple lunch, if you’d like.”

“No. That’s not necessary. Marie’s got it covered today. You can join me, or you can let the little one play on her trike.”

“In the house?”

“Sure...it’s fine. She can’t hurt anything.”

“Obviously you haven’t been around a two-year-old before.”

“Can’t say that I have,” he said good-naturedly. “But between Sienna and Cooper’s kid, I’m gonna get a real fast education.”

That much was very true.

She opted to let Sienna ride up and down the hallway, guiding her with the rod and praying she wouldn’t take out anything super expensive in her wake.

* * *

Dawn popped its way into Jared’s window much too soon to his liking. He usually wasn’t a bad sleeper, but the afternoon naps he’d been taking since the accident had a way of messing up his schedule. Dr. Corona had told him to rest as much as possible, and by the middle of the day, he was too wiped out to disobey. Who knew broken ribs could cause so much grief to his body?

Feeling helpless wasn’t his style. He was mentally ready to get back behind the wheel. He had a garage full of vehicles, two motorcycles and several cars, as well as a speedboat docked at the nearby lake. He wasn’t about to let what happened scare him away. But he had to heal first, and all the tossing and turning during the night did nothing to help his busted-up body repair itself. Today, even if he had to pry his eyes open with miniature pitchforks, he was going to fight the nap, tooth and nail.

Slowly he hinged himself up from the bed and drew a lungful of air into a diaphragm that was tight and sore. Those first few moves after being bedridden during the night were the hardest. He managed to stand without the help of a cane. Call it ego, but he’d have to be on his last breath before he’d submit to using that thing.

He managed to get his jeans on, grunting with each tug burning straight through his rib cage. The sting lingered like an unruly drunken uncle on Christmas day.

He’d never take getting dressed for granted again. “Marie,” he called out. He hoped like hell she was there. He hoped she’d heard him.

He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, down the hallway and just as he was zipping up his fly, help arrived. It was Bella. She took two steps into his room, and budding sunlight cast a circular light around her head like a halo... His angel.

He blinked.

And was struck by her absolute beauty. She wore white jeans and a silky jade blouse that made her soft green eyes really come alive. With all that blue-black hair cascading down her back in a braid and her face shining and free of anything unnatural, Bella made his breath hitch. His rib cage hurt like hell, but as he slowly released pent-up breaths his focus never wavered. He was totally aware of her now and a spark of excitement strummed inside him, obliterating the pain.

Why now? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed how pretty she was before. Of course he’d noticed, but he’d never let his mind go there. She was an employee, a widow and a mother of a small child. Three very solid reasons why the thought hadn’t entered his mind. But right now, in an unguarded moment, when he wasn’t expecting to see her, suddenly he’d become very aware of her appeal.

Her eyes seemed stationed on his bare chest and her face colored as red as an apple, a tough feat for a woman with olive skin. He’d shocked her, no doubt, but he also witnessed a glint of admiration in her eyes.

“Jared?”