Page 136 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, dumbfounded. “I’ll just start cleaning.”

But Jared was already out of the room. Not three minutes later he came back holding a suede jacket and a plaid wool shirt.

“What’s all this?”

“We need some fresh air.” He picked up the baby monitor and then grabbed Bella’s hand and tugged her to the French door leading out to the large stone patio area. “Here, put this on,” he said, handing her the suede jacket.

He left her to fiddle with knobs and buttons on a fire pit and the next thing she knew, she was sitting on a comfy outdoor sofa in front of a blazing fire. Jared sat beside her and warmth surrounded them.

“I haven’t come out here in a long while,” he said. “I’ve forgotten how beautiful the stars were. Look at that sky, Bella.”

She glanced skyward. “It is quite amazing. So why haven’t you come out here? Is it because of your injuries?”

“No, happened way before that. It used to remind me of...never mind.”

“What?” she asked softly. “What did it remind you of?” She was really curious. Jared usually didn’t speak much about himself and she was eager to learn more about him.

“Just a girl I once...cared for.”

“Oh, so you would come out here with her?”

“Yeah, and we’d talk for hours about our future.”

“I take it it didn’t work out.”

“No, it didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, Jared.”

He took his eyes off the stars to glance at her. “I’m over it. Just kicking myself for being stupid.”

“I doubt you were ever stupid.”

He scratched his head. “No, I was. I trusted her, believed in her, even when I should’ve been more wary. Things weren’t adding up and I was too damn blind to see it. She lied to me over and over, and it was her betrayal that really did a number on me.”

Bella shivered. She could put herself into that equation and the results would be the same. Lies and betrayal and abuse of his trust.

“Hey, you’re trembling.” Jared rose and sifted through a patio box, coming up with a soft gray woolen blanket. He sat beside her and tucked her into the blanket. “Sorry, didn’t realize you were cold.”

“I...shouldn’t be.” Her trembling had nothing to do with the temperature.

“Better now?” he asked, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

“Much.”

Satisfied, he leaned back and put his arm around her. Cushioned by his warmth, she gazed at a sky full of twinkling specks of light. She sighed and her guilt about lying to Jared was immediately replaced by a soothing calm. “Thank you for bringing me out here tonight. It’s just what I needed.”

“Welcome,” he said, smiling. He seemed pleased that he’d pleased her. A girl could let that go to her head. “You seemed a little... I don’t know, sad? Or upset. I thought the fresh air and bright stars might brighten your mood.”

He’d picked up on her anxiety? Here she’d thought she’d covered it so well.

“I’m...okay, Jared. Some days are more difficult than others.”

“I get how hard this is for you. You being awidowand all,” he said ultra quietly, as if the word would somehow set off a whirlwind of emotion. “And if you ever need anything, I’m here, Bella. All you have to do is ask.”

She turned her body slightly, looking him in the eyes. She lifted her hand to his cheek and the fine stubble tickled her fingertips. “Thank you.”

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. And then he turned toward her and their mouths brushed, a gentle, tender caress that felt as natural as the sun shining. His lips were warm and firm and she waited for guilt to summon her, for a backlash of forbidden emotion to warn her off, but none of that happened. Instead she relished the kiss, savored the taste of him, enjoyed the sweeping sensations her body was experiencing.