by Delilah Hunt
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2011 Delilah Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-926950-84-6
Cover Artist: LF Designs
Editor: Caitlin Ray
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To all the authors who have inspired me from childhood and into adulthood, you have my undying gratitude, and for everyone who has taken the time to read my words and help bring life to these characters, I am ever thankful.
LOVE UNSPOKEN
Delilah Hunt
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
“Is this going to take much longer?” Noelle drummed her finger against the counter, glancing down at her watch.
Hands shaking, the sales clerk plucked the receipt from the register. “Not another minute, Miss Williams. Everything should be inside.” The nervous woman held out a bag.
Noelle grabbed the paper bag from the clerk and hastened through the exit door. She was behaving awful, a new low for her. It wasn’t the cashier’s fault she was being used as an errand girl, picking up her mother’s purchases because she was out at lunch with her sister.
She hadn’t received an invitation. No surprise there. Her sister, Aleah didn’t have a blemish across her name. Noelle did, one borne out of sheer selfishness and stupidity that she was still trying to make up for.
A beeping sound jolted inside her leather handbag. Noelle reached into the bag and silenced the vibration of her cell phone. She frowned. Did her parents know her phone went off for every fucking thing on her schedule, just so she’d always be prompt and never have to hear a word of complaint?
Doubtful.
Cutting across the street to the parking lot, she pushed the button and unlocked her sports car. Feeds the image, she thought, as she bent low to enter the Corvette. Out of nowhere, a finger tapped lightly at her back. Noelle stiffened. Alarm bells tolled in her ears. The hell if she was going to take being approached from behind in broad daylight without a fight.
“Get your hands off me,” she whispered with dead calm, tilting her head to the side. Her gaze scoured upward… and upward. The warning bells rang a different tone, a melodious chiming. The kind that made her stomach flutter and made her want to smack herself across the face.
It was Cole McKinney. Blood rushed into her face. Noelle took a deep breath. If she’d known who it was, she would have tried for a better reaction.
“Yes?” She raised her eyebrows, awaiting some form of response. Whatever that might be for a person who couldn’t speak. More important, a ranch hand whose name shouldn’t be in her vocabulary.
Despite her cold demeanor, his lips twitched into a semblance of a smile as if he’d found something amusing about her. Long thick fingers dug into the pocket of his jeans, which were hung low on his lean waist. The man reminded her of a bear. Thick brown hair, streaked with strands of gold, reflecting the sunlight. Eyes dark, like pools of ink. He wasn’t breathtakingly handsome…a bit on the rough side…but still, looking at the dark giant made her lower belly tingle.
It was stupid. Cole had to be the tallest and biggest man in these parts, not someone any woman in her right mind would welcome into her bed without the fear of being manhandled and broken. Her eyes went to his biceps. His entire body was comprised of solid muscles more befitting a power lifter, than a cowboy in Copper Mesa, aka middle of nowhere, Colorado.
He pulled out a plastic card she immediately recognized and handed it to her. Noelle took it from him, making sure to avoid contact.
“How did you get it?” she asked, unable to keep the suspicion from her voice. Before he had a chance to answer her face heated. It was her mistake. In her haste, she’d forgotten to retrieve the credit card from the sales clerk.
“I…um. I’m sorry.” She hated apologizing. A flaw that perhaps she should have worked on—perfected seven years ago.
Cole lifted a brawny shoulder and waved his hand. Guess that means no big deal in Sign Language, Noelle thought. Not that she had any way of knowing for certainty. The only language she’d taken in the prestigious private school she’d attended was French and she couldn’t recall a lick of it.
Noelle darted her gaze around. Although they weren’t alone in the parking lot, she felt awkward standing there with him and it had nothing to do with his unending silence. She was afraid to look into his eyes. There was just something about those beautiful dark orbs that made her feel as if she could read into his mind. Noelle sighed inwardly. It was a ridiculous thought and she had no business noticing so much about him. Especially details she couldn’t blame on the proximity of her home to the ranch belonging to her neighbor Randy Somerset.
“Did you park near by?” She needed to say something, anything to fracture the excruciating silence. If only she knew how one went about a conversation with a—a? She didn’t even know what to call him or his condition rather, because Cole had to be much more than his affliction.
He shook his head and pointed ahead of her. Confused, Noelle nodded in pretense of understanding and mustered up a smile.
His thick brows furrowed as he stared at her for a second longer. Reaching into his back pocket Cole pulled out a small notepad.
Noelle watched, unsure what to make of him and the quick motion of his hand, scribbling on the paper. He tore off the sheet, handing it to her.
“My truck. It’s at the shop. I left it there for a tune-up.”
She mouthed the word Oh and looked around. It was June, the sun at it’s highest point of the day and blazing down on the small town. Today was one of those days when not even the cool crisp air of the Rocky Mountains could bring relief from the heat. Noelle itched to get inside her car under the cool breeze of the air conditioning. How long was he planning on waiting out here for his truck? Within an hour or two, the only driving the cowboy would be doing was inside an ambulance for heatstroke instead of his precious red pickup.
I can’t believe I’m asking this. “How long is that going to take?”
His eyes narrowed in confusion. Noelle pursed her lips and clarified. “This tune-up, how long do you have to wait for your truck before it’s ready?”
He held up three fingers then a shrug, making her feel as if her concern was out of place. Whatever. She had enough to deal with on her conscience and a dead cowboy was not a welcomed addition.
“You plan on staying out here the entire time?”
She’d failed to keep the shock from her voice. That had to be the only explanation for his reaction when he tilted back his head and laughed, or what she assumed was his version of a laugh. A small puff of air, barely audible, yet there nonetheless along with a wicked grin that was doing a number on her senses.
Yeah, this isn’t gonna do.
“Don’t you have to get back to work, whatever it is you do with those cows?”
Another nod. He stuck a finger in the direction of the ranch and made a walking motion with two digits.
He couldn’t be serious. It had to be over a hundred degrees and the ranch was at least two miles out of the way.
Noelle propped her arm on the hood. “I had no idea life was that hard on the ranch for you to attempt suicide.”
His lips spread into a wide grin. Weird. Didn’t he talk to his fellow workers? None of them had a smile for her. Not
after the harsh rejections she threw out left and right from the cowboys desperate for any woman within a fifty-mile radius of the isolated cattle ranch.
Noelle made an exaggerated point of checking her watch. She really did need to hurry back home and despite what Cole might think, she couldn’t leave him out there without a ride back to the prairie.
If her father saw her with him or found out about her ‘generosity’ Noelle knew it would just be another tear, unraveling everything she’d worked for years on. With the heat scorching at her skin, she glanced backward at the man standing inches away from her small car. Nope. She wasn’t going to leave him out there. Easing into the driver’s seat, she turned to him. “Come on in. I’ll give you a ride back.”
Cole blinked in apparent shock before lowering his gaze to his boots then back up. He shook his head, making no attempt to accept her offer.
Noelle glared at him. “What’s wrong with my car?”
He lifted an eyebrow, expression darkening as if he didn’t appreciate her outburst. Gripping a pen, he began to write on the little notepad.
He handed it to her. I meant no offense, Ms. Williams. I don’t want to dirty your car.
The steam fizzled out of her. He was only being considerate. Noelle looked him up and down. He was wearing a deep red plaid button-down shirt, dusty blue jeans. His boots were smeared with red dirt and dust, more than a little worn.
She gripped the steering wheel. “It’s fine, Cole. It’s just a few minutes ride. I doubt you’ll ruin the leather.”
He gave her a long stare before opening the door to her right. Noelle cranked the engine into drive. Jesus Christ. Why had she invited him in? In the space now cramped by his impressive frame, she had a clear shot of his profile. Despite his rugged looks, she realized that he couldn’t be much older than her own twenty-five years. If she had to guess, he was just entering his thirties or almost there. She stole another glance through the corner of her eyes. Did she make him nervous? She couldn’t imagine anything ruffling such a large man, but he had referred to her as Miss. Somewhere inside him, there had to be some form of respect for her. That was good; after all it was the main thing she strived for.
Noelle kept her eyes on the road. A minute passed, then the temptation proved too much. She shifted her head to the right. His eyes captured hers in the exact moment. The hand on the steering wheel slipped for a split second. She dragged her gaze away, focusing on the curved road ahead.
Music. Her fingers scrambled for satellite radio button. An eighties song blared through the speakers, one she didn’t recognize but was ever thankful for. It dulled the echo of silence and misplaced longing that was threatening to surface in her heart. Eighties music was her best friend today. With the music on, her guilt in ignoring him was assuaged. She cranked up the bass and hit the gas.
****
He was making her uncomfortable. And it wasn’t in the good way a woman felt when in the presence of a man she found attractive. That much about women he knew. Cole studied Noelle as she drove. His groin tightened with excitement. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Had to be the prettiest black girl he’d ever seen.
His forehead creased. No, that wasn’t right. Noelle was the prettiest girl he’d ever laid eyes on. Her race had nothing to do with it, although he couldn’t help but admire the way her cinnamon colored skin glowed under the sunrays. It was silly and he’d never admit it to anyone, but looking at her made him feel warm. His fingers ached to reach out and touch her skin to see if it felt as smooth and silky as it looked. He didn’t care where he touched her. Legs, arms, her stunning round face with those high, almost regal cheekbones, it didn’t matter.
He curled his fingers into a fist to keep from doing just that and have her scream in holy terror. Best if I stop looking at her. He turned toward the window, still thinking of her. Aside from her appearance, he knew nothing about her, or at least anything that was the truth and not drunken tirades of a few angry cowboys, strapped for a woman to bed and cash to fill their pockets who thought of Noelle as an easy target.
“Bitch looks like she hasn’t been laid in years,” he’d heard one of them mumble. Noelle had been on the ranch that day, performing one of her routine sales visits, wearing an expensive business attire, button nose up in the air and doe-shaped eyes straight ahead. That had been more than a year ago, however, and the first time he’d laid eyes on her. Naturally, she hadn’t noticed him working alongside the foreman to shoe the horses.
He continued to watch her. Slender manicured fingers turned the steering wheel with a grace that was almost laughable, considering it was just a fucking car. But that was her. From what he’d seen of Noelle in the past year and a half of working on the land next to her family’s, she was utter perfection and out of the question for him, even if she wasn’t opposed to being with someone outside of her race. His friend Beau would have a better chance of being with her than anyone else. He curled his fists. Damn, he hated the thought of the ranch foreman or any other man pursuing Noelle when he’d already been deemed unfit to enter the competition.
“I’m going to stop by the southern border, all right?”
Her raspy voice brought him to the present. Cole jerked his head. The southern border was on the opposite end, hidden from her home, compromising mostly of brushes and trees. It was rare the days that anyone was sent to work on this portion of the ranch. Meaning, Noelle didn’t want anyone to see them together.
The car rolled to a sleek stop parallel to a bank surrounded by barbed wire fencing, the same fencing that spanned the entire two thousand acres.
He climbed out, fully expecting her to speed away before he had a chance to close the door. Instead, Noelle dipped her head to look out at him. “Hey, cowboy. No more suicide attempts for the day, agreed?”
He stared at her and she raised an eyebrow for emphasis then offered the faintest hint of a smile. Just barely… but those plump wide lips did move.
Moments later she was speeding down the asphalt, particles of dust kicking up behind the yellow Corvette.
What a way to turn the day around. Hell, his entire week. This morning he’d gotten up, annoyed and disappointed that his truck had decided to act out despite spending the few hours he had to spare working on it. Chalking it up to bad luck, he’d taken it in today and wrote the expense off, as a couple of hundred dollars less he had to send home to his parents.
Cole scrubbed a hand to his jaw at the thought of the ranch his parents and brother were struggling to hold on to. If he hadn’t left and found work on Somerset Ranch, the homestead would have fallen apart by now and his family would no longer have a place to call home.
He pushed those thoughts aside as best as he could. He was going home this weekend and would have the entire two days to worry about the future of the Tumbling Y. By the time he reached the tack room and pulled down his saddle and rope, a couple of the other hands were gathered outside unloading bags of feed from a truck.
The foreman stepped through the arched doorway and stared at him in astonishment. “That was fast. I thought you said it was gonna take a few hours to get your pickup. Slow day at the shop?”
Cole eyed his friend. The two of them had hit it off since his first day on the job. Beau Henderson was the only person in town who understood him. The foreman had a close relative who was also speech impaired. He and his entire family had learned sign language from an early age to communicate with the relative.
“I left it there. It’s taking much longer than I thought.”
Beau let out a whistle. “You must be fucking Speedy Gonzalez to make it back here so fast. I thought all the guys were too busy to give you a ride back.”
Cole chuckled and shook his head. “No. Someone gave me a lift.” No need to mention who it was. He could already see the little tigress pouncing all over him if he let it slip she’d given him a ride. Hmm, not that it would be such a bad thing come to think of it. If she placed those soft hands on the right spots, gave him a few scratches, i
t might just be well worth it. His cock hardened inside his jeans before he forced himself to focus on his surroundings. He had no right getting hard for Noelle.
Luckily, the foreman didn’t press the issue. “Since you weren’t here for the cattle drive, I used Bradford as point rider and had Langley take over his lead spot on the side.” Beau snorted. “Big mistake as you can imagine. We lost two of the yearlings, just a bit down the road from the Williams’ place.”
The Williams’ place. Cole silently repeated the words to himself. When Beau grabbed his own saddle from against the wall and called out, “Saddle up. We’re riding out to find them before boss gets wind of it.” Cole was one step ahead wrangling his thoughts from straying toward the possibility of seeing Noelle again.
Once on horseback, Cole rode alongside the foreman until he realized there was no way they were going to get a rein on where the yearlings went unless they headed into the bushes.
He turned to the Beau and signed, “I’ll take over the western front.” He pointed his thumb in the direction of the sprawling terracotta painted three-story country house belonging to the only African-American family in Copper Mesa.
Beau gave the official okay as Cole guided the stallion, Firebrand, toward the wire fence separating the two properties. Although not even half the size of the ranch, the bushes behind the house were a decent size for the animals to wander into danger.
Jumping from his mount, Cole led the horse under the shade of a Ponderosa Pine, tying a jerk knot around the trunk. He’d never been on the property before but he knew the landscape well. There were far too many low lying branches that spelled hazard if he tried to scour the area on Firebrand. After he’d climbed the fence and was minutes underway into his search for the yearling bulls, Cole felt two distinct taps on his back.