She looks at me tenderly.
“That he would never use that strength against a woman.” My smile shrinks.
“And how would you know that?” Her voice is calmly defiant.
“It’s…” My eyes coyly shoot to the side before returning to hers. “It’s in his kiss,” I whisper.
“Oh, you did no—”
The door suddenly cracks open, interrupting her outrage and sending us both into a bout of random laughter.
“What am I missing?” My dad is lost as he stares at us both.
“Nothing.” I clear my throat, holding back another giggle.
“Well, before you go, please write down the address and the number for emergencies.”
In spite of my mother’s humorous yet expected objections, I call Jake up and tell him when we can meet.
Chapter Nine
Jake
As soon as we bump into each other on the sidewalk, I can sense the aloofness Belle tries to project. For a fraction of a second, her eyes widen with shock and the element of surprise.
While her whole body tenses, the morning breeze swooshes over her wide, short-sleeved dress, momentarily pressing it onto her breasts that rise and fall with hasty breaths.
Immediately, her expression changes to one of slight anger. She’s clearly upset that I haven’t called since that night at the ranch.
And I can’t exactly blame her, now, can I?
For the past few days, I’ve been facing my own turmoil. Feeling as though my whole world is being shaken to its core. The way we made love awakened some dormant emotions in me, ones I thought I had lost forever. The sensation of her body against mine. The closeness. The intimacy. The perfect rhythm we both seamlessly maintained with almost no effort.
It was clear to me that night that she’s more than just a beautiful woman.
She may, very possibly, be the very woman made for me.
I’ve struggled to sleep at night or shake her image out of my head. Belle and the way she makes me feel are a new element in my life that comes without a warning and has settled within the depths of my heart, refusing to budge.
Belle Frances, in all her softness and unassuming grace, is a mighty magnet… and because of everything that I’ve been through, I’m the iron she pulls without mercy.
When she leads me down the narrow alleyway, I think the worst. She must be breaking up with me. But instead, she keeps an open mind and sprinkles the perfume I chose for her over the warmest spot on her neck.
I don’t want any defenses when she’s around, but if I had any, she’s sure to destroy them just by standing in front of me, being her.
I can’t help it.
I kiss her and she pulls away, and I know it’s not because she doesn’t want me to, but because she’s a decent woman who knows that the small-town tongues can often be unkind.
And then comes another blow. She tells me that she’s volunteering, and there I am, mesmerized by every little thing she says and does. It’s a magic spell she casts on me, utterly oblivious to the fact that I’ve already been enchanted.
I’m working in my shed when she finally calls, and I’m over the moon to hear about her acceptance of my invitation.
Immediately resorting to plan B, I call on Buck and inform him that his new temporary position is in action. He can easily run the ranch for a few days since he’s the head foreman and the one I trust the most amongst all my men.
Not seeing any reason to stop me from enjoying a vacation with my Belle, I race to the house and grab the packed bag, giving Katie a few days off, before heading back out and into my car.
The lake house is an hour’s drive away, and after picking up Belle from town, the minutes begin to fly without me feeling the time.
“How can you say that?” she objects with a scrunched nose as we speed through the highway.
“Well, technically Johnny Cash did rockabilly, not country!” I insist. “Hence—”
“Hence?” She chuckles, throwing her head back.
“Hence,” I stress, “Hank Williams is the greatest on the list. I’m sorry.”
“You’re outta your mind.” She shakes her head, bobbing it along to the music blasting from the car radio.
“Probably.” I lower my voice, eyes narrowing while still on the road.
“Yeah? You’re agreeing with me, just like that?”
“With you so close?” I quickly glance at her, careful not to lose focus. “I’m bound to lose my shit.”
“Hey!” She giggles. “Careful. I don’t wanna be stranded with a madman in the middle of