“You’re impossible,” Amber retorted but let the notion sink in…was there such a man out there for her? Had she given up on finding—or even believing a man like that existed? Especially for her.
“So, since you’re not staying here for a month to see if you’d like to live here, now can you tell me why you’re suddenly taking a leave of absence from your job to hang out with me on the ranch for four weeks? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled you’re here but what’s going on?”
The matchmaking attempt Amber hadn’t been expecting. But, she’d been waiting for this but hoping she wouldn’t ask. “Just…having a bit of trouble with a case I’m involved in. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“A case?” Sadie asked. “As in an abuse case?” She stiffened in alarm. “Amber, is someone bothering you?”
Amber pushed her shoulders back and ignored the trickle of fear trying to wedge its way into her mind. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in bad situations before and that was exactly what she imagined Sadie was thinking about right now.
“Let’s just say I have someone else’s angry boyfriend on my hands. He found out where I was and followed me to the grocery store two days ago.” She didn’t tell her that he’d been following her around or that he’d written threats and placed them in her mailbox.
“You’re being stalked?”
“No. Now Sadie, don’t make more out of this than there is. I’m here to just make sure I’m safe so please let’s not worry about this right now. This weekend is about you. I’m here, I’m safe and by the time I go home this will have calmed down.” She really hoped Sadie would stop looking at her like that. She’d always worried about Amber working at the center so this wasn’t helping calm that fear. “The guy has no idea I’m here or how to find out where I am. So there’s one good thing about this tiny hole-in-the-road town you love.” She smiled at her friend she loved so much.
“So, he’s trying to find you and that’s why you’re here for a month—you’re hiding out? Oh, Amber, I know you and you’re not telling me everything. There’s more isn’t there?”
Amber sighed, realizing the best thing was to get it out there and then move on so Sadie would concentrate on her wedding. “Okay, he broke into my apartment and the police advised me that getting out of town for a while would be advisable. The hotline center insisted I take a leave of absence just to be safe. Your wedding came at a perfect time. Now, they have it under control and will call me the moment they learn anything else. Please stop worrying about me. You know I can take care of myself.”
Sadie didn’t look entirely convinced but after a second she smiled back. “Okay, so the good thing is you’re here for a month and who knows, you might just decide Mule Hollow’s exactly where you need to be.”
Amber just shook her head. Sometimes the best thing to do was to say nothing. Because though Sadie obviously had other hopes for her, Amber knew that falling for a small town or a cowboy…just wasn’t happening. Besides, she’d never been one to hide from trouble and it felt counter to everything for her to be hiding out.
With the wedding that weekend it had just worked out for the best.
But living here permanently wasn’t going to happen.
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More Books by Debra Clopton
New Horizon Ranch: Mule Hollow
Her Mule Hollow Cowboy (Book 1)
Rafe (Book 2)
Chase (Book 3)
Ty (Book 4)
Dalton (Book 5)
Treb (Book 6)
Mule Hollow Matchmakers Series
The Trouble with Lacy Brown (Book 1)
And Baby Makes Five (Book 2)
The Men of Mule Hollow Series
Her Forever Cowboy (Book 1)
Cowboy for Keeps (Book 2)
Yuletide Cowboy (Book 3)
The Cowboys of Sunrise Ranch
Her Unforgettable Cowboy (Book 1)
Her Unexpected Cowboy (Book 2)
Her Unlikely Cowboy (Book 3)
For the complete list, visit her website www.debraclopton.com
About the Author
Bestselling author Debra Clopton has sold over 2.5 million books. Her book OPERATION: MARRIED BY CHRISTMAS has been optioned for an ABC Family Movie. Debra is known for her contemporary, western romances, Texas cowboys and feisty heroines. Sweet romance and humor are always intertwined to make readers smile. A sixth generation Texan she lives with her husband on a ranch deep in the heart of Texas. She loves being contacted by readers.
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Rafe
Copyright © 2015 Debra Clopton Parks
This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Rafe: (Contemporary Western Romance) (New Horizon Ranch: Mule Hollow Book 2) Page 12