Her Rugged Rancher

“You can use them when I’m not around.” He let the trailer gate swing open and immediately the mare backed up until she was standing safely on solid ground.

Bella immediately snatched a hold on Mary Mae’s reins and Noah realized she had every intention of hanging around until this job was finished. So much for losing her company, he thought hopelessly.

“Do you have tools with you to deal with her shoe?” she asked.

“I have tools. Just not a big assortment of shoe sizes. This one I just took off still looks pretty straight. I can reset it,” he told her.

“I didn’t realize you were a blacksmith.”

His gaze fixed safely on the mare, he said, “I’m not.”

“What are you then, a farrier?”

“No. Just a guy who’s taken care of horses for a long, long time. But if you’d feel better about waiting on a real farrier to fix Mary Mae, that’s fine with me. He’ll be coming by the ranch in a couple of weeks to deal with the remuda.”

She didn’t answer immediately and Noah glanced around to see she was looking at him with surprise. “Why would you think I’d want to wait?” she asked. “I don’t want her going without a shoe for that long. Besides, I trust you.”

She said the words so easily, as though she didn’t have to think about them, as though she considered Noah worthy of handling any task she could throw his way. The idea caused a spot in the middle of his chest to go as soft as gooey chocolate.

“I’ll get my things.” He gestured to a flat piece of ground a few feet away. “If you’d like, you can take her over there in the shade of that pine.”

Because he’d been helping the other ranch hands brand calves today, his shirt was still soaked with sweat while his caramel-colored chinks and blue jeans were marked with dirt and manure. No doubt he stunk to high heaven, but there was nothing he could do about sparing her the unpleasant odor. Except keep his distance. Something he’d do even if he smelled as fresh as a piece of sweet sage.

* * *

Beneath the cool shade of the pine, Bella stood near Mary Mae’s head, keeping a steady hold on the reins, while her gaze remained fixed on Noah. With the mare’s foot snug between his knees, he was bent over the upturned hoof, carefully hammering nails into the iron shoe.

While he was totally absorbed with the task, Bella used the opportunity to study his big hands. The backs were browned by the sun and sprinkled with black hair. The fingers were long and strong. Just like him, she couldn’t help thinking.

Six years ago when Bella had first come to live on the J Bar S, her brother had introduced her to Noah. At the time, he’d been the only man helping Jett take care of the sprawling ranch. In spite of her being numb from a fresh divorce, she’d found Noah’s presence striking and unforgettable. But even then it had been obvious he wasn’t a sociable man. He’d said little more than hello to her that day and since then she could count on one hand the times he’d spoken to her. Until today.

A few minutes ago, when he’d stopped along the road to check on her, she’d been totally surprised. Not that he was the type of man who’d ever say no to a woman in need of a helping hand. But this morning Jett had told her the men would be branding calves on the far side of the ranch today. She’d not expected to see Noah or any of the ranch hands on this section of the property.

The fact that Noah had been the one to happen by secretly pleased her. Of all the men Bella had encountered since her divorce, he’d been the only one who’d intrigued her. And to be totally honest with herself, he was the only one who’d turned her thoughts to the bedroom. She realized part of the reason for having such a sensual reaction to the man was his strong, sexy appearance. Yet he was also elusive, full of secrets and determined to keep his distance from her. Just the sort of man a woman liked to undress.

Funny, she thought, how Jett had believed she was besotted with Curtis, the lawyer she’d worked with for a few years before she’d passed the bar exam. True, she’d liked Curtis and admired his skills in the courtroom. And more than likely she would’ve gone on a date with him, if he’d ever felt inclined to ask. But he’d not asked and in the end, she’d been okay with that.

As for Noah, she’d never tried to catch his attention. He clearly didn’t want to be her friend, or anything else. And she wasn’t one to push herself on anyone. Besides, Jett had told her long ago that Noah was a very private man, who enjoyed the company of a horse far more than that of a human. There’d been many times she’d felt like that herself.

Pulling her thoughts back to the moment, Bella saw he was working quickly to snip off the excess ends of the nails he’d driven through the shoe and were now protruding through the outer wall of the mare’s hoof. Using a big steel file, he smoothed away the residual bumps, then placed Mary Mae’s foot back on the ground.

“All finished.” He straightened to his full height and turned to face her. “The shoe should stay in place for a couple more weeks or so. By then she’ll need four new ones anyway.”

Bella nodded that she understood. “I’ll make sure Jett sends the farrier up here to take care of her and Casper.” She gestured toward the barn located several yards beyond the house. “I don’t think you’ve seen my barn. After we get Mary Mae unsaddled I’ll show you around.”

As she waited for him to make some sort of reply, she lowered her lashes and slowly studied his face. For years a black beard had been a trademark of his appearance, but last spring Jett had commented about Noah shaving off his beard. A few days later, as she’d driven by the ranch yard, she happened to spot him from a distance. The change in his appearance had been dramatic, to say the least. And now that Bella could see him up close, she could admit she was mesmerized.

Noah was not a handsome man. Not by conventional standards, anyway. His craggy features were set in a wide, square-jawed face with a nose that was too big, and sun-browned skin that resembled the texture of a graveled road. Yet there was something about his dark blue eyes and strong quiet presence that oozed sexuality. And right now it was seeping out of his tough work clothes and going straight to her brain. But he clearly wasn’t getting the same vibe from her. The taut look of discomfiture on his features said he wanted to excuse himself and run for the hills.

After a long stretch of awkward silence, he finally said, “Let’s go.”

With the mare following close behind her, Bella started toward the barn. The evening sun was beginning to wane and the air had cooled somewhat. The breeze whistling through the branches of the pines felt good against her face, but it couldn’t do anything about the heat that Noah’s presence was stirring up inside her.

Bella, you’re a fool for having erotic thoughts about Noah Crawford. He’s a loner. For all these years he’s been content to live in a line-shack. He doesn’t want a conventional life. And he especially isn’t looking for a woman who wants a family of her own.

Disgusted at the nagging voice sounding off in her head, she mentally swatted it away and glanced over at the object of her thoughts.

“I imagine Jett told you that he tried to talk me out of building the barn.”

“He mentioned it.”

“Hmm. I’ll bet he’s done more than mention it,” she said with a short laugh. “But as you can see, I don’t always take my brother’s advice. I wanted a place to keep my horses or whatever animals I might take a notion to get.”

“What other kind of animals would you want?”

The doubtful tone of his voice didn’t surprise her. People had all sorts of strange ideas about lawyers. He was probably thinking she considered herself above doing barnyard chores. Or maybe he thought the only things she knew about were depositions and plea deals.

“Oh, I think I’d like to have a few goats. I love the milk Sassy gets from her little herd. And I want to keep a few yearling colts around. Just for the fun of teaching them about being haltered and saddled—you know, basic training stuff.”

“You know about dealing with yearlings?”

There was more disbelief in his voice and Bella refrained from shooting him an exasperated look. Except for what he probably heard through Jett, this man couldn’t know much about her.

“Noah, I’m thirty-two years old. I know a little more than filing my nails and curling my hair. I’ve been around horses all my life. One of my best childhood friends lived on a horse ranch. We spent hours watching her father train and sometimes he allowed us to help. It was always fun. Now Sassy has the mustangs and I help her with them whenever my job allows me the free time.”

She glanced over to see a stoic expression on his face. Which wasn’t surprising. The few times Bella had been in his presence he’d not just kept his words to himself, he’d also hidden his emotions behind a set of stony features.

He said, “You might know the fundamentals, but exposing a yearling to a saddle and bridle is not for the faint of heart. It’s dangerous.”

“Dear Lord, Noah. The way you talk, simply living is a dangerous task.”

“Maybe it is,” he muttered.

She wondered what he meant by that, but knew better than to ask. Instead, she remained quiet and thoughtful as they walked the last few yards to the barn. Along the way, she listened to the jingle of his spurs and the faint flap of the leather chinks against his jeans. The sounds were those of a hardworking man and they comforted her in a way she’d never expected. She had no doubt that if he ever had a woman in his life, he’d certainly be able to take care of her, to protect her in all the ways a man could protect a woman.

When they reached the big red barn, Bella opened the double doors, then gestured for Noah to lead Mary Mae inside.

Once they were standing in the middle of a wide alleyway, Noah looked around him with interest. “You must’ve had the barn built of cinderblock for fire purposes.”

“That’s right. I’m sure that you know as well as I do that up here on the mesa, water is a scarce commodity. And we probably live at least twenty miles from town and the nearest fire department,” she reasoned.

“I didn’t realize the barn was this big,” he remarked. “From the road it looks smaller.”

“Jett says I went overboard. But I wanted plenty of room.” She pointed to a hitching rail made of cedar posts. Beyond it was a room with a closed door. “There’s the tack room. Let’s take Mary Mae to the hitching post to unsaddle her.”

At the hitching rail, he gave the mare’s reins a wrap around the post and proceeded to loosen the back girth on the saddle. While he worked, Bella decided to talk more about the barn. Hopefully, the subject would distract her from the sight of Noah and the way his broad shoulders flexed beneath the blue chambray shirt.

“Besides the tack room, there’s six horse stalls and a feed room,” she said, while thinking she sounded more like a real estate agent than a woman trying to make conversation with a sullen man. “The loft has plenty of space for several tons of hay, too.”