“My, my,” Mrs. Larsen muttered. “He sure is a looker.”
A looker. Yes. That was one way to describe him.
“Paige.” He reached for her, like he feared she’d run away, but didn’t he know? She couldn’t run. She’d tried that already and somehow she’d left a piece of herself with him.
“Here.” Ben’s warm skin brushed hers as he picked up the broom and dustpan and swept up the glass.
His touch melted her. She stayed on her knees and watched him work. Stayed on her knees when he rose and dumped the glass in the trash. Distantly, she realized that Julia was parked near the door, and Gracie stood beside her, watching with those vigilant eyes. But they disappeared again when Ben came back to her and silently held out his hand.
“You’re here,” she said again, still dumbfounded, still trying to find her footing. But she didn’t need to because Ben seized her hand and pulled her up in one strong motion.
“Now, that’s a man.” Out of the corner of her eye, Paige saw Mrs. Larsen fan herself with a napkin.
“Tell me about it.” Her eyes locked on his.
“What the hell is going on here?” At some point, Pete had come out from the kitchen. He crossed his arms and sized up Ben with a long glare. “Whadda you want?”
“It’s okay.” Paige now regretted telling him all the things Ben had said to her that day. Because she knew he hadn’t meant any of it. He’d only been worried about Julia. And about her, like he’d said. Her brother offered to track him down and “kick his ass,” which they both knew was a fantasy, what with his wiry frame, and all. But at the time, it had made her feel better, nonetheless. She gave her brother a look that told him to back off and inched closer to Ben. “You’ll have to excuse my brother.”
A hint of that dizzying grin quirked his mouth. “Y’all have every right to hate me.” He didn’t let go of her hand. And it was a damn good thing because she might’ve toppled over and how would that have looked?
“You scared the sense out of me, Paige. When I pulled you out and realized you weren’t breathing—”
She fisted his shirt and pulled him against her, silencing him with her lips because she didn’t care what had happened three days ago. It didn’t matter. She knew his heart. He’d offered it to her, repeatedly, and she’d been too stubborn to accept it gracefully. Too afraid. She didn’t intend to make that mistake again. So she kissed him as deeply as she’d fantasized about kissing him for all of those long, lonely days, smiling against his lips because he was here and now she didn’t have to learn how to belly dance and she didn’t have to find some distraction to make her forget about the best night of her entire life.
Ben pulled back, shook his head. “Wait,” he sputtered, out of breath. “There’s something you should know.”
Something? No. No. She knew all she had to know. That this man was right. He was worth risking her whole heart. There couldn’t be anything more important than that, but she humored him and tilted her head. “You have about thirty seconds before I kiss you again,” she warned.
He didn’t grin back at her. Instead, his face tensed…“Kevin slit the boat with his knife. He sabotaged the trip.”
The revelation knocked the wind out of her. Okay. So. Yes. That was a slight shock…
“We turned him in,” Ben continued. “And the authorities are dealing with it—”
“She could’ve been killed,” Pete snarled. He strutted forward a few steps, but Paige held up her hand to stop him. “Why would…why…how…?” She had trouble getting out the words past the bulge in her throat. How could someone she didn’t even know hate her so much?
Ben turned to his mother. She slunk forward, hands clasped tightly in front of her tiny waist, chin dipped in repentance. “He was trying to ruin things for you. I can only imagine he was following my lead.” For the first time ever, Gracie Hunter Noble looked her in the eyes. “I’m terribly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. I was only worried about Benjamin. About how a relationship would affect his campaign. But now that he has withdrawn—”
“Withdrawn?” She gaped at him and once again his mother faded to the background, an image with no significance.
“Someone reminded me that I never wanted to be a senator. I realized I could do more good with the ranch than I could sitting in an office.” He glanced over at J and grinned.
She waved in her happy, bubbly way.
Paige tried to wave back but her hand shook too much. “But what about all the work you’ve done?” What about the bill Julia had helped him write?
“If Ben wasn’t so full of himself, he would’ve realized there are ninety-nine other senators,” Julia said, shaking her head in that annoyed, sisterly way. “We’ll find someone else to introduce the bill. Someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”
Paige laughed. And cried. Oh god, when was the last time a whole room full of people had seen her cry?
“Besides, your program is exactly the kind of thing we’re hoping to see more of.” Ben handed her an envelope. “We want to help you do more good. Change people’s lives. Like you did for Julia. After a talk with my granddad, we decided this was the best way to use the land.”
Paige carefully opened the envelope. Inside there was a deed. To the Nobles’ acreage. In her name…
“We all want you to have it,” he said while his mother nodded. “Even my granddad. He wants you to give others the same chance you gave Julia.”
“And our family foundation will fund the therapy program,” Gracie added. And now Paige could see past the coldness of her exterior to a genuine sort of kindness in her eyes. “Anything you need, all you have to do is outline your expenses.”
Paige stared at the envelope, her heart burning. Tears flooded her eyes, and for once she didn’t care who saw them. Because this man standing in front of her had freed her to feel again, and now she didn’t want to escape the emotions that pounded so hard in her chest. She didn’t want to protect herself anymore. Ben had just handed her everything she thought she’d ever wanted, but she realized it meant nothing if she couldn’t share it with him.
She handed the envelope back. “I don’t want it,” she whispered.
He stared at her like he was afraid to touch her, but she wasn’t afraid. She wanted to touch him, wanted to feel his solid warmth. So she smoothed her hands up his sides, over his chest, her knees so weak and inadequate because he felt like home.
“I don’t want any of that nearly as much as I want you, Ben Noble,” she murmured, invading his personal space. “You’re enough. You could’ve shown up here with nothing and it would’ve been enough.”
He crushed her against him and lifted her off her feet. “God, I want you, Paige. You have no idea…”
“I think I do…” she whispered against his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
A low groan droned in his throat.
“Get a room,” Pete muttered.
She ignored him, ignored them all, and gazed into Ben’s eyes so he’d know he had her heart, too. She wouldn’t protect herself from him. Not anymore. “I want to build the program with you. You keep your land. We’ll do this together.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.” He set her feet on the floor, holding her tightly against him, kissing her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, and finally—finally—her lips. She lifted her hands to his cheeks, holding him there. Right. There. Losing herself in the feel of those clever lips…never wanting the moment to end. It was perfect.
“Is this a good time to order a mushroom Swiss burger?” Julia called sweetly.
Pulling away from Ben, Paige shot her a look.
“Coming right up,” Pete said. But instead of going to the kitchen, he approached Julia, positioning himself behind her wheelchair. “First I’ll get you lovely ladies to a table.”
Awww…was Julia blushing?
Before she could get a better look, Ben held her at arm’s length, and gazed into her eyes. “You’re sure? Thi
s is what you want? To run the program at the Noble ranch?”
“I don’t know.” Being coy had never been one of her strengths, but what the hell? She crawled a finger up the center of his chest. “I guess that would make you my boss?”
His eyes fixated on her finger as it lingered over his impressive pectorals. “I guess so.”
“Staff meetings should be fun.”
“Corporate retreats,” he corrected with that sly grin that she would spend the rest of her life dreaming about every night. “Weeklong corporate retreats with team building exercises.” Judging from the playful arch in his eyebrows, he had some ideas for what those exercises might be.
Mrs. Larsen giggled.
Now she was the one blushing.
“I’m offering you the chance of a lifetime, Miss Harper.” He held out an arm like Fred Astaire. “What d’ya say?”
She untied her apron and slipped it over her head, then slung it on the back of a nearby chair. “I accept. But you should know, I’ve already committed to working at the café for a while.”
“You stay as long as they need you.” He shot Pete an accommodating look. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, anyway. It’ll take a while to get things goin’.”
Pete acknowledged Ben with a nod of acceptance.
“So…” He linked her arm through his, and she couldn’t help but notice how neatly she fit against his side. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private and discuss the details.” Before the words were all the way out, he’d already whisked her to the door.
Insides glowing like rekindled embers, she peeked over her shoulder and smiled at the crowd behind them. “Don’t wait up.”
Even though it was only eleven o’clock in the morning, they had a lot to do.
Epilogue
Do you trust me?”
There was a time not so long ago, she would’ve said no. She didn’t trust anyone. But over the last year, Benjamin Hunter Noble III had earned her trust about a thousand times, and she owed this to him.
“On the count of three, we’re gonna run and jump right off the side of that cliff,” he whispered in her ear, then took his time working his lips down her neck. This time, the trembling had nothing to do with a feeling of impending doom and everything to do with his hot breath against her skin.
“That’s not crazy at all,” she teased. Because, even though she wasn’t as afraid as she had been the first time, they were still about to jump off a cliff with a flimsy piece of nylon attached to their backs.
He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a good squeeze. “I love you, Paige. You know that, right?”
It wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but it was the first time she’d heard such somberness in the words.
She rested her head on his shoulder and peered up at him. “Please tell me you’re not saying that because you have a bad feeling about this.”
His gaze held hers and she saw the truth in his eyes. “I’m saying it because it’s true.”
In that case… She smiled up at him, soft and happy. “I love you, too.” In one year she’d learned that Ben was charming and funny, slightly cocky, but real, too. And thoughtful. Optimistic. Protective of those he loved. Loyal to a fault. She’d also learned that she could love deeper and harder and fiercer than she dreamed possible. She’d discovered that an unfathomable connection between two souls really did exist.
And here they were, about to jump off a cliff because Ben made her believe anything was possible. Even flying.
“Wind report looks good.” He shoved his phone back into his satchel. “Ready for this?”
“Of course,” she replied snarkily with a lilt in her shoulder. Because experience had taught her that, when she was with Ben, she had to be ready for anything.
She waited for his countdown, then ran with him, chasing the wild blue sky. Behind her, his legs pumped hard and she let him propel her forward strong and hard into oblivion. As the wind carried them higher and higher, her heart lurched into her throat, starting that adrenaline-fueled fire in her belly. And then they were suspended, dipping and soaring over the peaks below like a majestic bald eagle bathing in the pinkish haze of a dwindling sun.
Paragliding at sunset. It had never been on her bucket list, but Ben had begged her, and, well, she was such a sucker for those puppy-dog eyes of his. Besides that, she’d never been so immersed in beauty that she’d actually felt it this way, the sheer perfection of the world, wild and overpowering with the wind whipping. And yet she still felt so safe and protected with the feel of Ben, warm and steady against her back, soaring over the place they’d built—Ben’s modest log house, the extensive stables stocked with every piece of equipment she’d need to run the therapeutic riding program, the cattle runs that would bring in the cash. None of it seemed real…
“Are you warm?” Ben asked, so thoughtful, as always.
“Practically sweating,” she laughed. But the heat pumping through her wasn’t fear. It was reckless freedom.
Steering them lower, Ben nudged her. “Our pasture’s right down there,” he said over the wind, nodding to the left.
When she looked down, a flash of color caught her eye. Red lines and curves…words. Ben dipped them lower and her eyes strained.
Will you marry me? was spelled out in…roses? It had to be thousands of beautiful red roses.
The burn of happy tears flooded her eyes. “Ben…”
He leaned close, his lips next to her ear. “Paige Harper, you are sassy and sexy and compassionate and brilliant. And sexy. Did I mention sexy?”
Somehow her laugh prompted the tears to fall.
“This isn’t my place. It’s ours,” he murmured into her ear.
She shook so hard she felt it in her bones, and it wasn’t because they were so far above the ground. It was because she’d never known such happiness, such unrelenting joy.
“I want to be with you. Every day. I’m tired of you goin’ home at night. I’m tired of yours and mine. I wanna move on, sweetness. Let’s make everything ours,” he drawled, the wind whistling between them. “I don’t deserve you. But I’ll do my best to try every single day,” he continued.
And then, as if afraid her hesitation was because she wasn’t sure instead of the fact that she wanted to savor this moment, he leaned his head over her shoulder. “The ring is in the truck. Didn’t want to drop it,” he said apologetically. “But I promise, it’s a rock.”
“Stop,” she laughed…and cried, her emotions alternating between giggles and tears. “You don’t have to prove yourself to me, Ben.” Didn’t he know he already had? “I couldn’t give a damn about the ring. Of course I’ll marry you.”
His lips brushed her neck. Just when she thought she couldn’t soar any higher…
“Too bad I can’t kiss you on the lips. Or take you to bed.” Ben murmured against her skin.
God, she loved how he made her laugh.
“Guess I didn’t think this through.”
“It’s perfect.” No one had ever gone to so much trouble for her. “How long did it take you to spell it out?” It had to be days…weeks…
“Doesn’t matter. It was worth every second.” He steered them lower, then nuzzled her again. “There is a pretty private spot down there in that meadow,” he hinted. “To the left of the roses. I packed a blanket and some champagne in the truck…”
Paige stretched her neck to get a better view of the meadow. “Isn’t that Bryce and Avery’s truck? And your mother’s Caddy? And Pete’s Jeep?”
“Dammit,” he muttered. “Word gets around, I guess. Should’ve waited to spill the beans until we’d consummated the pact.” She didn’t have to look at him to see the vibrant grin. She heard it in his voice. An overwhelming sense of gratitude started the tears again. She’d never get tired of that grin.
“Guess we should head down and get this party started,” Ben said, steering them toward the meadow. “You ready?”
“Yes.” More ready than she’d ever been for
anything. Together, she and Ben sank lower and lower through the pink sky.
And this time, she didn’t fear the landing.
About the Author
Sara Richardson grew up chasing adventure in Colorado’s rugged mountains. She’s climbed to the top of a 14,000-foot peak at midnight, swam through Class IV rapids, completed her wilderness first-aid certification, and spent seven days at a time tromping through the wilderness with a thirty-pound backpack strapped to her shoulders.
Eventually Sara did the responsible thing and got an education in writing and journalism. After a brief stint in the corporate writing world, she stopped ignoring the voices in her head and started writing fiction. Now she uses her experience as a mountain adventure guide to write stories that incorporate adventure with romance. Still indulging her adventurous spirit, Sara lives and plays in Colorado with her saint of a husband and two young sons.
You can learn more at:
SaraRichardson.net
Twitter @SaraR_Books
Facebook.com/SaraRichardsonBooks
Desperate for a new start, Ruby James heads for the mountain air of Aspen, Colorado. She’ll be fine as long as she keeps her identity a secret. But that will be more difficult than she imagined when she falls for the gorgeous town deputy…
Please see the next page
for a preview of the next book in Sara Richardson’s
stunning Heart of the Rockies series,
More Than a Feeling
Chapter One
Morning is hands-down the most beautiful time of day in the mountains.
Ruby James stepped out of her Honda Civic and raised her face to the sky, closing her eyes, breathing in the fresh, sweet scent of the new, dew-kissed grass. At five o’clock the sky was still dark and studded with stars, but the frayed edges of the mountainous horizon glowed with the promise of light.
A new day. Fresh, clean air, a blank slate of possibilities. Each morning for the last year, she was the first one to greet it at the Walker Mountain Ranch. And for the first time in her life, she had started to understand freedom. It manifested itself in the expanse of mountainous space, in the stillness of a world still asleep, in the opportunity she’d been given to take care of herself, to pursue a life she wanted, instead of one that had been thrust on her by a broken system.
Something Like Love Page 29