Page 140 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Will do,” he said.

“No, don’t be silly. I’m...fine.”

Marie shook her head adamantly. “You need air, Bella. You two go on. And while you’re outside, Jared, please take a look in the shed for the nativity scene. I don’t see it here. I’ll take Sienna into the kitchen for a snack. Come on, little one,” Marie said gently, unraveling the garland surrounding her and taking her hand. “I think I found some animal crackers just for you.” Sienna followed Marie out of the room.

Bella stood to face Jared. “This is not necessary.”

“Marie says it is and I learned a long time ago not to argue with a force of nature. C’mon, I need your help anyway. The nativity scene is the one decoration that must go up. It’s a Stone family tradition.”

“Okay, Jared. But only to help you search because there’s nothing wrong with me.”

Jared grinned and led the way, saying over his shoulder, “I’ve noticed.”

His compliment went straight to her head.

She sighed and exited the house. They walked side by side, Jared commenting on the cooler weather to come. She was used to San Francisco fog and clouds and cold winter nights. It was nothing new to her. But Jared believed she lived in Dallas with Amy, so she wasn’t going to say too much. “So what do you do when you’re not working with your brother?” she asked.

“I have a few other enterprises and an office in Dallas, which I’ve been neglecting lately. But I have a good team that’s covering for me while I’m out. I tend to get restless just being on the ranch, so I became a novice entrepreneur.”

“Must keep you really busy.”

“I like the challenge.”

“You’re not a homebody?”

“Me? No. That would be Coop. He’s happy on Stone Ridge.”

“And what makes Jared Stone happy?” she asked.

“Let me show you,” he said, leading her into a five-car garage attached to the house. It was dark inside until Jared flipped on the overhead lights. Squinting at first, she focused her eyes. They were standing in a showroom of expensive cars and motorcycles. “I guess you could call this my hobby.”

“Wow. This is amazing.” She turned to face him and smiled. “So, you’re in the new car business.”

His eyes lit up. “Funny girl.”

She smiled again and strolled around the garage, taking in a white Corvette convertible, a jet-black Jaguar, a souped-up Jeep and two motorcycles. One she recognized as a Harley-Davidson. Everything represented speed and danger. That’s what made Jared Stone tick.

Jared followed directly behind her and she was keenly aware of his presence. There was something incredibly intimate being in here with him, as if he was revealing his true self to her. As she turned to him, she found pride in his eyes and a boyish eagerness. Her nerves began to tingle.

“It’s all really nice,” she said, holding back her reservations about the danger these cars represented. Jared was a grown man and she couldn’t very well lecture him when she’d married a man who’d flown helicopters for a living, sometimes under extreme conditions. “Do you have a favorite?”

He stood close, very close. “That would be the pile of ashes I left on the road.”

“Oh...sorry.” But a car could be replaced. Jared had been lucky to walk away from that accident without any permanent damage to his body. The memory of that night still made her queasy. The bond she had with him was growing stronger every day.

“I’m getting over it,” he said, taking a strand of her hair in his hand. She swallowed hard, seeing this man so close up under the bright lights and noticing not one flaw on his handsome face. “I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.”

“Jared,” she said on a breath.

“You’re my angel, Bella. And I can’t stop thinking about kissing you again.”

“We shouldn’t,” she whispered without too much resolve because inside she was melting. Inside, her heart ached for a bit of tenderness to help her forget her terrible grief. Inside, she wanted the comfort and, yes, the excitement of being in Jared’s arms once again.

He cupped her face in his hands. “I know you’re still hurting, Bella. Tell me to back off and I will. I promise.” His reverent tone tugged at her heart. “But I need to hear you say it.”

She stared at him and no words formed on her lips. No refusals. She couldn’t tell him to back off. She couldn’t walk out of there and turn her back on him.

“Bella.”