Page 12 of Jonathan

He felt foolish and was trying to talk himself out of going. He was bone weary and hungry. The damage to the outbuildings was minimal, thank goodness, but the flooding was a problem.

They had lost several plants and trees had been snapped in two by the lightning, some of them uprooted. The cleaning up process would have to wait until the weather had cleared.

It was still raining, but not as hard as it had been before, and the sky was getting lighter. He was wet and cold and hungry and really should head back to the ranch. But here he was, sitting on his horse, outside her cabin. To check on her, that’s what he was telling himself.

All throughout the day as he rode from one end of the property, assessing the damage and seeing to the animals, he had thought of her and wondered if she was safe.

Now sitting astride his horse, a few feet away from the door, he felt foolish. It was late. He should be going home to get some rest. Come early morning, they would have to go about making repairs and salvaging what they could.

His horse was still as if he was waiting on him to decide. There was a light on in the living room and he could see the evidence of a fire burning inside the hearth. She was safe. There was no sign of her, but he assumed she was possibly inside the bedroom, already sleeping.

Just as he was about to turn around and make his way back, she came to the door and opened it. He sat there, his back straight and his shoulders slightly hunched as he stared at her. She was dressed in black leggings and a short enough sweater to reveal the outline of her body.

He really should leave; he told himself desperately. She was obviously all in one piece and that was what he had come to find out. With a muttered curse, he urged the animal forward and dismounted. Without a word to the woman standing inside the doorway, he led the animal to the shelter at the side of the cabin and made his way back.

In silence, she stepped aside for him to enter before closing the door behind them.

Shrugging off his drenched jacket, he hung it on the peg and sat on the stool to take off his sodden boots. She had not bothered to stick around but went in the direction of the living room.

Hesitating only slightly, he followed and found her seated on one of the sofas.

“Hungry?” Her sultry voice had the heat rising inside him.

“Yes.”

“I made something. I finally found out how to make the damn stove work.” Uncoiling herself from the sofa, she brushed past him and headed to the kitchen.

“I wanted to see if you were okay.” He followed her and offered the lame excuse.

“How sweet.” She flashed him a smile as she removed bowls from the cupboard. “I made vegetable soup.” She ladled a generous amount in two bowls and slid one to him. Taking hers, she went to sit at the small dining table by the window.

“Are you just going to stand there?” She asked mildly as she dipped her spoon into her bowl.

With a resigned sigh, he joined her at the table.

Chapter 4

He tasted the stew and lifted his head to stare at her in surprise. “This is actually very good.”

Her tapered brows rose as she took a spoonful. “I should be offended at your reaction, but I’m not. Cooking soothes me. I don’t do it very often, but when I do, I am very good at it. I come from a family of chefs.”

“And yet you are a food critic.”

Her lips curved into a smile that had the heat curling in his lower body. “I like to set my own path.” Tilting her head to the left, she studied the tanned face. The warmth of the cabin had dried his skin and his hair was curling in riotous disorder around his face. “You, on the other hand, have followed tradition to become a rancher.”

“Yes.” He found himself relaxing and wondered if it was the woman or the meal or even the coziness of the cabin. “Ranching is in my blood.”

“You never entertained the idea of doing anything else?”

He shook his head, a smile touching his stern lips and drawing her attention to them. She was wondering if she should try and get him in bed tonight or wait. “I learned to ride before I could walk. It left no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was going to take over from my dad.”

She reached for a glass of water and took a sip. “How difficult is it?”

“Ranching?”

She nodded.

“You’re at it from dawn till dusk and beyond that. You spend most of the time either on a horse or in a jeep. I would say it’s pretty difficult for someone who has no love for it.” He was surprised he was even telling her this much.

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