Page 32 of Wyoming True

He withdrew his hand. He was glaring at her now.

She moved away discreetly and turned back toward the ocean. The moon made a trail of sparkling light in its wake. The waves ran into the shore noisily with whitecaps grasping the white sand only for an instant before the ocean dragged them back out to sea.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said, her back to him. “My first husband was fond of beaches, and he had houses in Jamaica and the Bahamas, where I could stay when I liked. I spent a lot of time wading in the surf, just like here.” She ran back to the surf and danced in and out of the foaming whitecaps until her hip started to protest.

She made a face and turned, walking slowly back to Jake, who had both hands in his pockets. He was still scowling, but now his attention was on Ida, not the past.

“You’re limping,” he noted.

She made a face. “I know better than to go dancing with waves,” she said and laughed softly. “My hip won’t permit much of that. Everything aches when I overdo.”

He moved closer. “Hurting?” he asked softly.

She nodded. She bent to put her shoes down and bit back a groan.

“Here. Lean on me.”

She did, while she got her feet back into her shoes. “Stupid, running through the waves like that,” she confessed.

“Which I mentioned,” he pointed out.

She drew in a breath. “So you did.”

“Was it just your hip and thigh?” he asked quietly.

She sighed. “Mostly.”

He was reading between the lines. A fall like hers must have produced a lot of injuries. More than she’d admitted to. “And they let your damned husband out of jail,” he growled.

“Ex-husband,” she reminded him. “Very ex.”

“So he is.”

She started to walk toward the car, very slowly and with obvious pain.

“Come here,” he said gently. He bent and lifted her, holding her close while he walked.

She looked up at his square chin, nicely shaven, and the scent of expensive cologne wafted down into her nostrils. He was warm and very strong. She’d never felt so safe in her whole life. She curled into him, her arms around his neck, and laid her cheek on his broad chest.

That soft submission made his heart race, hardened his body. He was being drawn into a raging passion that he didn’t want to feel. He still adored Mina. There was no room in his life for another woman.

But this one was soft, and cuddly, and damaged, and she appealed to him in ways he didn’t quite understand. He was wary of her. She had a scarlet reputation and he didn’t trust her. Was she pretending? But why would she need to? She had money of her own. She was rich. She wouldn’t be chasing him for anything he had.

He was very quiet. She could feel his heart going at her ear, feel the wild beat of it. He was attracted to her. It made her feel like a girl again, all tingly and fascinated. But she was uncertain. Her second husband had been like this, tender and protective and kind. And once they were married, behind closed doors he became a monster.

Her arms loosened their grip and she stiffened, just a little. She couldn’t afford to give in to desire. It was treacherous, even with a man who seemed safe.

Jake noted the stiffening. Apparently, she was as uncertain as he was. Just as well. He wasn’t going in headfirst again, not with a woman who drew gossip like this one did.

He put her down gently at the back door, which the driver was holding open for them. He helped her in and slid in beside her, nodding to the driver.

ASTHEYDROVEback toward the airport, he noticed the pain on her face.

“Do you have anything left to take for it with you?” he asked.

She turned her head, surprised.

“Any of the ibuprofen,” he clarified.

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