Page 106 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

Then a shadow fell over me, and the connection between my brain and the rest of me stopped working.

It had to be William. He was right there.

So. Close.

I’d come here to see him. Was he happy? Was he mad? Was he confused?

I forced my neck to move so I could look up and find out.

Chapter 28

-William-

My fingers went numb, but my insides were on fire. A buzzing crawled just under my skin, and my stomach twisted in on itself.

Brook was right there. Right in front of me.

She was the only person in the world that Frank reacted that way to.

She was the only person who looked like that squatting down petting my dog.

She was the only person who made me forget who I was and what I was doing.

It’s a good thing Bert was curious about the newcomer. If not, I might have stopped and stared at her instead of moving forward.

For a moment, Brooke didn’t look up, which was good, because I needed the time to compose myself. I’ve never been good with surprises, and I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

If I hadn’t spent the morning repressing my emotions because of business, I might have jumped off Bert, gathered Brooke in my arms, and showed her just how happy I was to see her. Now I had to switch my brain from the problem with my dad to the delightful surprise of seeing Brooke here.

OfhavingBrooke here.

She finally looked up, and the shy smile on her lips was foreign. Never once in Texas had she seemed this unsure of herself. Even when she’d asked me to help her out of her clothes or let me dote on her after she fell.

Her gaze found mine as she straightened, and her eyes begged me to say something.

But I couldn’t talk. Brooke was wearing a red blouse—with matching lipstick—that dipped much lower than her usual tops. The blouse was tucked into her more than flattering jeans. I wasn’t surprised by the slightly old cowboy boots that adorned her feet. She’d done something to her hair that I couldn’t put my finger on, but it made her look even better than usual.

She was beautiful. Heartachingly so.

“Hey.” She put her hand on her waist and kicked her hip out.

Wow. She looked stunning in those pants.

Her gaze drifted from my head, down my body, took in my riding boots, and then wandered back up.

I fought to untie my tongue.

Frank was still circling Brooke, hoping for more attention, and Bert had gotten tired of waiting his turn, so he inched forward and thrust his nose at Brooke’s chest.

She laughed and held out her hands to stroke him. I deflated when her attention turned from me to Bert. It gave me the minute I needed to take a deep breath, shove my dad’s issues out of my mind, and let the memories from the ranch flood in.

The sights, the smells, the rain. Brooke.

“And who are you?” Brooke asked as Bert nuzzled her.

“Bert,” I said in a stern voice as I gently tugged the reins back. Only then did I realize my hands were shaking. I tried to still them and said, “Be a gentleman.”

My horse let out a small huff but obeyed.

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