better, but her first hundred yards at a light jog almost made her change her mind. Doggedly, she pushed herself a little faster, and this time, when she reached the road that led over the bridge, she went the opposite way, following the fence along the field. Mrs. Thalberg had told her last night that the field was hay to feed the cattle through the long winter, and they’d be harvesting it next month. Then the old woman had said Emily’d better see Nate while she could because come haying season, he’d be working dawn to dusk to get the hay in before the weather could ruin it.
She hadn’t told the widows that Nate had dropped by her building yesterday. She could only imagine what they’d make of that.
With the mountains towering on one side of her, and the rolling green hayfields on the other, she tried to clear her mind and concentrate on nothing at all. In the distance, across the fields, she could see several buildings that must be part of the Silver Creek Ranch. She made out horses and riders, but couldn’t see what they were doing. Yet after a while, even the scenery couldn’t distract her from feeling light-headed, and queasiness followed soon after.
She wasn’t that out of shape, she told herself. But she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Stopping to lean a hand against the fence, she found herself panting, head bent, wondering if she was really going to be sick.
And then she heard the sound of a horse’s hooves thudding on the dirt road. Still breathing too fast, she glanced up and knew in a moment that it was Nate riding down the road toward her, a cowboy fantasy come to life, his body moving in perfect rhythm with the horse, that dog running behind.
Oh God. He’d seen her drunk and loose, vulnerable and poor, angry and defensive. Was he now about to see her lose the banana she’d had for breakfast?
Chapter Five
Nate drew back on the reins, and Apollo obediently came to a halt. The horse nickered softly, gesturing with its head at Emily.
“I know what you mean, boy,” Nate murmured, his earlier curiosity at the sight of her running toward him, having turned to exasperation.
She looked clammy and pale, with her breathing coming too quickly. He reached into the saddlebag for a bottle of water, then dismounted. Apollo contentedly bent to graze in the grass beside the road, while Scout danced excitedly at his side, panting from the run.
Emily frowned at Nate, but before she could open her mouth, he held out the water, and said, “You’re not used to the altitude yet. Take some slow, deep breaths, and you’ll start to feel better.”
She winced but did as he ordered, and he could see when she gradually regained control of herself. After a couple sips of water, the color began to return to her face.
“Don’t you work enough at the building all day?” he asked. “Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
The annoyance faded from her expression as she studied him. “Why do you care?”
He found himself smiling. “Because you’re being nice to my grandmother. And I’m regretting getting her that cell phone because she’s suddenly calling me more than once a day and manages to get your name in there.”
She rolled her eyes, but there was a reluctant grin on her lips that reminded him too much of the woman she’d been at the tavern, the one who didn’t seem to exist except when she’d had a couple beers. No, the real woman had problems, lots of them, and that was pealing like a warning bell in his mind.
“Look, I’m sorry your grandmother is annoying you,” she said, bending down to pet a very grateful Scout, who leaned against her legs and gazed up with adoration. “I like her a lot, but I won’t overstay my welcome. She should leave you alone after that. And about Charlie from the power company, you shouldn’t have done that. I can take care of myself just fine. You may get a thrill out of rescuing women, but—”
“Rescuing women?” he countered, chagrined to realize that she saw right through to part of his biggest flaw. If it was only about rescuing women, maybe he could have conquered it already. “I saw him passing on the street and knew you needed a break. And as for right now, if I hadn’t come along, you might be planted facefirst in my hayfield.”