Page 5 of At the Rancher's Pleasure

She was losing it, she really was.

“Sarabeth? Everything okay?”

Pull yourself together, woman!She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, everything is fine.”

Brett lifted one arrogant eyebrow. “Really? Because I’ve been watching you for the past fifteen minutes. You drove through the gates, stopped and haven’t moved since. I rode over to check whether I can help.”

Ah. That.

Sarabeth winced and wrinkled her nose. How could she explain that she’d got to the intersection, had put on her blinker but she’d been unable to steer her car in the direction of Royal? How could she tell him, tellanyone, that despite her hard-gained independence and sense of self-worth, she was suddenly terrified of walking down Main Street. Of being unable to hold her head up high, knowing that people were remembering why she left Royal, thinking that she’d abandoned her kids, condemning her because they’d only heard one side of the story.

She’d so desperately wanted to be a good mom to her kids but living with Rusty became untenable—he categorically refused her demand to keep his dick in his pants—and her leaving allowed him to claim that she’d walked out on their marriage and abandoned her children.

Sarabeth felt the familiar burn at the back of her throat and her stinging eyes so she turned her head away and scrabbled in her bag for her sunglasses. She couldn’t find them and softly cursed.

“Dammit! Where the hell are they?”

“Where are what?” Brett asked, his deep, husky voice raising goose bumps on her skin.

“My sunglasses!”

Brett lifted his hand, touched her hair and, seconds later, waved her sunglasses in front of her face.Great way to show him that you are a ditsy old broad about to lose your marbles, Sarabeth.

“Thanks,” she muttered, taking the glasses from his hand and dropping them onto her lap. She fiddled with them, so conscious of his strong, tanned arm, his broad body blocking out the sun, the fullness of his bottom lip.

“Now tell me the reason you are hanging out in my driveway.”

She could lie and make up a story. Over the years she’d become quite good at hiding her feelings behind a layer of cool composure, but, for some reason, she thought that Brett might understand her reluctance to drive into town.

She lifted one shoulder in a jerky shrug. “By now, everyone will know that I’m back in Royal, and my marriage and divorce would’ve been regurgitated and discussed incessantly. Rusty, I’m pretty sure, would’ve poisoned the well too. I was just debating whether I’m strong enough to walk down Main Street with my head held high.”

“You’re strong enough,” Brett told her.

She smiled at his instantaneous reply. “You don’t know me well enough to say that.”

“But I know Rusty, and any woman who managed to remain married to that bastard for as long as you did had to have courage.”

“That’s sweet of you to say but didn’t you hear? I was a shrew, stupid and had affairs with anyone who crossed my path.”

Brett’s eyes narrowed. “BS.”

His instinctive defense of her warmed a small part of her heart that had been cold for a very, very long time.

“I’ve never had much time for your ex, Sarabeth, and, as a rule, I discount ninety percent of the crap he says. And if it’s to do with a woman, that percentage rapidly rises.” Brett picked a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers, his expression pensive.

After a short, surprisingly comfortable silence, he spoke again. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a sec.”

Sarabeth watched his loose, confident stride as he walked back to his companion. They spoke for a few moments and then his friend—employee?—mounted his horse and started to lead Brett’s horse away. Frowning, she watched in her side mirrors as Brett approached the passenger side of her door. He yanked the door open and dropped into the passenger seat beside her.

She placed her forearms on the steering wheel and tossed him a puzzled look. “And now?”

“I’ve been wanting to go into Royal since I returned home yesterday but I’ve been putting it off, mostly because I didn’t want to contend with the looks, the questions and the speculation.”

Right. He was, after all, Royal’s Runaway Groom.

“So, let’s do this together. And hopefully—” Brett sent her a mischievous grin “—we’ll blow up Royal’s gossip line.”

“Can we blow up the gossips while we’re at it?” Sarabeth asked, sounding wistful.

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