Page 42 of Hearts at War

Damn, woman. This was like an interrogation with the rapid fire questions.

“Texas.”

“What about—”

She didn’t let me finish. “How long are you going to live here?”

Okay. This isn’t twenty questions. She was nervous. Scared, even. The idea of opening up to me would place too much trust in me. She didn’t trust me with the facts about her.

“Not sure.” I cleared my throat, waiting for more.

“Why ranching?”

I smiled, humored that she’d pick that topic. The one I could ramble about for hours. “To start with, I can’t get enough of the outdoors. The fresh air, the open sky, sunshine warming my face. I’m best suited to be outside.”

A slight yawn left her lips, and I smiled, knowing it was working. I was tiring her out.

“I’ve always been a horse lover, so that plays a part too. Rodeos were never my thing. But working on a ranch, with the land and the animals, that’s where I belong.”

Rambling about my career choice wasn’t a scintillating topic, not for a fancy city girl displaced here in a small town that was no more than a dot on the map. And that was why it worked so well.

I bored her to sleep.

Eventually, I went quiet and rolled my head on my pillow again.

She was out. Her lashes lay in thick, dark crescents on her cheeks. That soft glow hadn’t gone yet. It was so dark in here, but my eyes had acclimated so I could make out every delicate detail of her face.

Don’t be a creep. It was invasive to stare at someone when they were unconscious. I wasn’t going to be a stalker or weirdo, gawking at her. But I couldn’t look away just yet. Indulging myself, watching her sleep, I became mesmerized by the serenity on her beautiful face.

Why are you scared? Are you scared? Or just nervous?

Gavin hadn’t told me much in-depth about her, and now, I was struck with a need to know. I could ask him again. I could approach Eric at the ranch, too, and inquire—loosely—about this raven-haired woman who hated to ask me for help tonight. It was impossible to miss how much she’d struggled with it, but I admired that she’d toughed it out.

I had to know more. I wanted...more.

How the mighty have fallen.

I rolled my eyes and faced the ceiling, peeved that no matter how many times I was reminded of keeping my life free of drama, I wasn’t free from this sneaking intrigue about Heather. But just asking around about her wouldn’t be breaking my cardinal rule about not getting involved with another woman.

Right?

Chapter 15

Heather

Strong arms wrapped around me. Muscles, hard and formed, not suggested bumps, tightened as I nestled against his warm body. No sounds came to me. Not a smell, a sight, nor a taste.

All my senses were locked into just this one.

I felt him.

I felt it all.

The heat that poured off him and coaxed me to never let go. The firm solidity of his hard body, honed with fitness that he didn’t only ooze masculinity. He just was. All man. Formidable like a solid support that would never fail to keep me safe.

This deep, soul-satisfying comfort seeped through me. From the contact of his skin against mine, his limbs tangled with mine, and the promising pressure of that huge bulge poking into my stomach...

I was surrounded, but not suffocating.