Her Rugged Rancher

“We wound it up yesterday. Now it’s time to deal with a bunch of fencing. The men won’t like it but that’s okay. They can’t have fun every day.”

Bella smiled as she added salt and pepper to her burger, then pressed everything inside a bun covered with sesame seeds. “Does that mean they consider branding as fun?”

“The lucky ones who get to rope and drag calves to the fire think of it that way. The hands working on the ground might have different ideas. They have the hardest job. That’s why after a few hours I make the men change places.”

It wasn’t surprising to hear Noah tried to keep things fair. As the foreman over a group of ranch hands, she expected he was always evenhanded. But how would he be as a lover or husband? Would he see her as his equal? Or was he an old-fashioned man who would expect his woman to submit to his wants and wishes?

Oh, Lord, Bella, why would you be wondering about those sorts of things? It’s clear he doesn’t want a family. You need to snap out of these silly daydreams you’re having about this cowboy. One of these days you’ll cross paths with a guy who’s meant to be your soul mate. And it’s not elusive Noah.

Shutting her ears to the voice going off in her head, she bit into the hamburger and immediately groaned with pleasure.

“Mmm. You’re a good cook, Noah. This is delicious.”

He shrugged. “I’ve cooked my own meals ever since I was a kid. So I’ve had plenty of practice.”

Had he fixed his own meals out of necessity, she wondered. Or simply because he’d wanted to? From what he’d said, his parents had more or less abandoned him. But surely his grandparents had been around to see to his needs. Or had they? She wanted to ask him, but reminded herself that Noah wasn’t on the witness stand or even sitting across from her desk at the office.

Eventually, she decided to ask something a little less personal. “Did you grow up here in Nevada?”

For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer and then he said, “No. I’m originally from Arizona. The southern part.”

“I took a trip with my mother to Tucson once. It’s beautiful down there.”

“Yes.”

His one-word reply disappointed her. She’d hoped her remark would lead him to open up about his former home or something about his past life. But he wasn’t going for it.

She went on. “But I happen to think our little area of the world right here is very pretty. Do you ever drive over to the lake?”

His brows pulled together. “You mean Lake Tahoe?”

She nodded and his frown grew deeper.

“No. I don’t have any business over there.”

Impatient now, she could barely keep from groaning out loud. Exactly where did he have business, she wanted to ask him. Were his interests confined to riding the range or in a dusty round pen, breaking a horse to ride?

She swallowed another bite of burger before she said, “Put like that, I and thousands more like me, also don’t have any reason to go to Tahoe, except to enjoy the scenery. Jett and I have fond memories of the lake. When we were kids our father would often take us there for picnics.” She sighed. “But that was before he took a permanent walk out of our lives.”

Glancing across the table, she saw his blue eyes thoughtfully studying her face and immediately she could feel a rush of heat fill her cheeks.

“I don’t recall your father ever visiting the ranch. And Jett never mentions him.”

“It’s been years since our father has been near Carson City. Once in a while I get a phone call from him. Or Jett will receive a letter in the mail. The last he heard, Dad was promising to come see his grandkids. So far that hasn’t happened.”

He looked confused. “So you still speak with your father?”

She smiled faintly. “Why not? We understand he’s a wandering musician. If we’d tried to hold him here, he would’ve been miserable. And that wouldn’t have done our mother or us kids much good. As long as he’s playing in a band somewhere, he’s happy. I think it took Jett a lot longer than me to accept our father’s indifference. But having Sassy to love has made my brother look at things from a more understanding perspective. Some people just march to a different drummer and our father is one of them.”

He reached for the bag of chips and poured a pile onto his plate. “Must be nice not to resent the man.”

She shook her head. “I could never resent him. He was always a very loving man. He still loves us—in his own way. And that’s what matters the most to me.”

“It’s clear we see things in a different way, Bella. If I ever had the misfortune to run into my old man again, I’d take great pleasure in busting him in the mouth.”

The hard bitter look on his face struck Bella far more than his words. The fact that he was harboring such anger and resentment toward anyone, much less his father, surprised her. Especially when she’d heard Jett describe how kindly and gently he treated every animal on the ranch. But she had to remember he’d not been as fortunate as she and Jett. They’d had a very loving mother, who’d worked hard to make sure her children had a normal home. From what Noah had told her, he’d not even had that much.

Not wanting to sound preachy, she simply said, “I’m sorry, Noah.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, too.”

They finished the meal with only a few exchanges of small talk. Afterward, Bella helped him clear the table and wash what few dishes they’d used. As the two of them moved around the small space, an awkward tension began to build and she decided it was probably time for her to say goodbye.

With the last plate dried and put away in the cabinet, she folded the dish towel she’d been using and placed it on the end of the cabinet counter. “Thanks for the meal, Noah. I think I’d better be getting Casper back home before it gets dark.”

She expected to see a look of relief cross his face. Instead, his expression remained stoic, making it impossible to discern his reaction to her announcement.

Who are you trying to kid, Bella? His reaction is as clear as a cloudless day. He could’ve offered you coffee or pointed out that the evening was still young, anything to invite you to stay longer. Face it, he’s had all of your company he can stand.

Bella was trying to ignore the insulting voice going off in her head, when Noah said, “Right. It wouldn’t do for you to meet up with a bear or mountain lion in the dark.”

As far as Bella was concerned, he was much more dangerous to her well-being than any wild animal. Because she was drawn to him in ways she couldn’t quite understand. She only knew that being in his presence quenched a need deep inside her.

She moved to the open doorway, then paused. “I keep a little bear bell tied to my saddle horn. The jingle helps ward away any predators.” Now that she thought about it, the little tinkling bell was probably the sound that he’d heard when she’d first ridden up on Casper.

He hardly looked impressed by her safety measures, but he didn’t say anything and Bella quickly stepped out of the cabin and walked over to Casper.

She was untying the get-down rope from the tree limb when she sensed Noah walking up behind her. The fact that he’d followed her out of the cabin surprised her and as soon as the rope fell loose, she turned a questioning look at him.

A frown was on his face and his gaze connected with hers for only a brief moment before it dropped to the ground. He said, “Before you go there’s something I need to say.”

Her heart was suddenly pounding with foolish hope. Maybe he had enjoyed her company after all, she thought. Maybe he was going to tell her he’d like to see her again.

“Yes?” she asked.

His gaze returned to hers and she gave him an encouraging smile.

He cleared his throat. “I—uh, just wanted to say it was nice having you here.”

She couldn’t remember the last time a man’s words had filled her with such warm pleasure. “I enjoyed it very much, too, Noah.”

A frown pulled his brows together and as he swiped a hand through his thick hair, it became clear to Bella that he was carefully trying to choose what he was going to say next. Could it be he was trying to decide how best to ask her out on a date? It was crazy how much she wanted that to happen.

Finally he said, “Look, Bella, you’re a nice lady. And I have to be honest with you. I—well, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t do this again.”

Certain she must have heard him wrong, her head moved stiffly back and forth. “This? What are you talking about?”

The confusion in her voice only seemed to frustrate him more and he raked a hand over his black hair as his eyes evaded meeting hers.