Her Rugged Rancher

by Stella Bagwell

  She didn’t answer immediately and Noah glanced around to see she was looking at him with surprise. “Why would you think I’d want to wait?” she asked. “I don’t want her going without a shoe for that long. Besides, I trust you.”

  She said the words so easily, as though she didn’t have to think about them, as though she considered Noah worthy of handling any task she could throw his way. The idea caused a spot in the middle of his chest to go as soft as gooey chocolate.

  “I’ll get my things.” He gestured to a flat piece of ground a few feet away. “If you’d like, you can take her over there in the shade of that pine.”

  Because he’d been helping the other ranch hands brand calves today, his shirt was still soaked with sweat while his caramel-colored chinks and blue jeans were marked with dirt and manure. No doubt he stunk to high heaven, but there was nothing he could do about sparing her the unpleasant odor. Except keep his distance. Something he’d do even if he smelled as fresh as a piece of sweet sage.

  *

  Beneath the cool shade of the pine, Bella stood near Mary Mae’s head, keeping a steady hold on the reins, while her gaze remained fixed on Noah. With the mare’s foot snug between his knees, he was bent over the upturned hoof, carefully hammering nails into the iron shoe.

  While he was totally absorbed with the task, Bella used the opportunity to study his big hands. The backs were browned by the sun and sprinkled with black hair. The fingers were long and strong. Just like him, she couldn’t help thinking.

  Six years ago when Bella had first come to live on the J Bar S, her brother had introduced her to Noah. At the time, he’d been the only man helping Jett take care of the sprawling ranch. In spite of her being numb from a fresh divorce, she’d found Noah’s presence striking and unforgettable. But even then it had been obvious he wasn’t a sociable man. He’d said little more than hello to her that day and since then she could count on one hand the times he’d spoken to her. Until today.

  A few minutes ago, when he’d stopped along the road to check on her, she’d been totally surprised. Not that he was the type of man who’d ever say no to a woman in need of a helping hand. But this morning Jett had told her the men would be branding calves on the far side of the ranch today. She’d not expected to see Noah or any of the ranch hands on this section of the property.

  The fact that Noah had been the one to happen by secretly pleased her. Of all the men Bella had encountered since her divorce, he’d been the only one who’d intrigued her. And to be totally honest with herself, he was the only one who’d turned her thoughts to the bedroom. She realized part of the reason for having such a sensual reaction to the man was his strong, sexy appearance. Yet he was also elusive, full of secrets and determined to keep his distance from her. Just the sort of man a woman liked to undress.

  Funny, she thought, how Jett had believed she was besotted with Curtis, the lawyer she’d worked with for a few years before she’d passed the bar exam. True, she’d liked Curtis and admired his skills in the courtroom. And more than likely she would’ve gone on a date with him, if he’d ever felt inclined to ask. But he’d not asked and in the end, she’d been okay with that.

  As for Noah, she’d never tried to catch his attention. He clearly didn’t want to be her friend, or anything else. And she wasn’t one to push herself on anyone. Besides, Jett had told her long ago that Noah was a very private man, who enjoyed the company of a horse far more than that of a human. There’d been many times she’d felt like that herself.

  Pulling her thoughts back to the moment, Bella saw he was working quickly to snip off the excess ends of the nails he’d driven through the shoe and were now protruding through the outer wall of the mare’s hoof. Using a big steel file, he smoothed away the residual bumps, then placed Mary Mae’s foot back on the ground.

  “All finished.” He straightened to his full height and turned to face her. “The shoe should stay in place for a couple more weeks or so. By then she’ll need four new ones anyway.”

  Bella nodded that she understood. “I’ll make sure Jett sends the farrier up here to take care of her and Casper.” She gestured toward the barn located several yards beyond the house. “I don’t think you’ve seen my barn. After we get Mary Mae unsaddled I’ll show you around.”

  As she waited for him to make some sort of reply, she lowered her lashes and slowly studied his face. For years a black beard had been a trademark of his appearance, but last spring Jett had commented about Noah shaving off his beard. A few days later, as she’d driven by the ranch yard, she happened to spot him from a distance. The change in his appearance had been dramatic, to say the least. And now that Bella could see him up close, she could admit she was mesmerized.

  Noah was not a handsome man. Not by conventional standards, anyway. His craggy features were set in a wide, square-jawed face with a nose that was too big, and sun-browned skin that resembled the texture of a graveled road. Yet there was something about his dark blue eyes and strong quiet presence that oozed sexuality. And right now it was seeping out of his tough work clothes and going straight to her brain. But he clearly wasn’t getting the same vibe from her. The taut look of discomfiture on his features said he wanted to excuse himself and run for the hills.

  After a long stretch of awkward silence, he finally said, “Let’s go.”

  With the mare following close behind her, Bella started toward the barn. The evening sun was beginning to wane and the air had cooled somewhat. The breeze whistling through the branches of the pines felt good against her face, but it couldn’t do anything about the heat that Noah’s presence was stirring up inside her.

  Bella, you’re a fool for having erotic thoughts about Noah Crawford. He’s a loner. For all these years he’s been content to live in a line-shack. He doesn’t want a conventional life. And he especially isn’t looking for a woman who wants a family of her own.

  Disgusted at the nagging voice sounding off in her head, she mentally swatted it away and glanced over at the object of her thoughts.

  “I imagine Jett told you that he tried to talk me out of building the barn.”

  “He mentioned it.”

  “Hmm. I’ll bet he’s done more than mention it,” she said with a short laugh. “But as you can see, I don’t always take my brother’s advice. I wanted a place to keep my horses or whatever animals I might take a notion to get.”

  “What other kind of animals would you want?”

  The doubtful tone of his voice didn’t surprise her. People had all sorts of strange ideas about lawyers. He was probably thinking she considered herself above doing barnyard chores. Or maybe he thought the only things she knew about were depositions and plea deals.

  “Oh, I think I’d like to have a few goats. I love the milk Sassy gets from her little herd. And I want to keep a few yearling colts around. Just for the fun of teaching them about being haltered and saddled—you know, basic training stuff.”

  “You know about dealing with yearlings?”

  There was more disbelief in his voice and Bella refrained from shooting him an exasperated look. Except for what he probably heard through Jett, this man couldn’t know much about her.

  “Noah, I’m thirty-two years old. I know a little more than filing my nails and curling my hair. I’ve been around horses all my life. One of my best childhood friends lived on a horse ranch. We spent hours watching her father train and sometimes he allowed us to help. It was always fun. Now Sassy has the mustangs and I help her with them whenever my job allows me the free time.”

  She glanced over to see a stoic expression on his face. Which wasn’t surprising. The few times Bella had been in his presence he’d not just kept his words to himself, he’d also hidden his emotions behind a set of stony features.

  He said, “You might know the fundamentals, but exposing a yearling to a saddle and bridle is not for the faint of heart. It’s dangerous.”

  “Dear Lord, Noah. The way you talk, simply living is a dangerous task.”


  “Maybe it is,” he muttered.

  She wondered what he meant by that, but knew better than to ask. Instead, she remained quiet and thoughtful as they walked the last few yards to the barn. Along the way, she listened to the jingle of his spurs and the faint flap of the leather chinks against his jeans. The sounds were those of a hardworking man and they comforted her in a way she’d never expected. She had no doubt that if he ever had a woman in his life, he’d certainly be able to take care of her, to protect her in all the ways a man could protect a woman.

  When they reached the big red barn, Bella opened the double doors, then gestured for Noah to lead Mary Mae inside.

  Once they were standing in the middle of a wide alleyway, Noah looked around him with interest. “You must’ve had the barn built of cinderblock for fire purposes.”

  “That’s right. I’m sure that you know as well as I do that up here on the mesa, water is a scarce commodity. And we probably live at least twenty miles from town and the nearest fire department,” she reasoned.

  “I didn’t realize the barn was this big,” he remarked. “From the road it looks smaller.”

  “Jett says I went overboard. But I wanted plenty of room.” She pointed to a hitching rail made of cedar posts. Beyond it was a room with a closed door. “There’s the tack room. Let’s take Mary Mae to the hitching post to unsaddle her.”

  At the hitching rail, he gave the mare’s reins a wrap around the post and proceeded to loosen the back girth on the saddle. While he worked, Bella decided to talk more about the barn. Hopefully, the subject would distract her from the sight of Noah and the way his broad shoulders flexed beneath the blue chambray shirt.

  “Besides the tack room, there’s six horse stalls and a feed room,” she said, while thinking she sounded more like a real estate agent than a woman trying to make conversation with a sullen man. “The loft has plenty of space for several tons of hay, too.”

  “Very nice,” he said.

  Did he really think so? Or did he think she was just a girl with too much money to spend on things she knew nothing about?

  The answers to those questions hardly mattered, she thought. She might have erotic fantasies about Noah, but he’d never be anything more than a ranch employee to her. After six years of ignoring her, he’d made it fairly clear he wasn’t interested.

  “Thanks. I’m proud of it.”

  It took only a few moments for him to finish unsaddling the mare. While he stored the tack and saddle away, Bella grabbed a lead rope and looped it around Mary Mae’s neck.

  “There’s no need to put a halter on her. She’ll lead like this,” Bella explained. “Come along and after we put her out to pasture you can join me for coffee.”

  Even though she didn’t glance his way, she could feel his eyes boring a hole in her back. As though she’d invited him into her bedroom instead of her kitchen.

  “Uh, thanks, Ms. Sundell, but I’d better be getting on home.”

  Impatient now, she said, “My name isn’t Ms. Sundell to you. It’s Bella and furthermore, you know it. As for you getting home, you live not more than five minutes away. And there’s still an hour or more before sundown. What’s your hurry?”

  Not waiting to see if he was going to follow, Bella headed down the alleyway until she reached the opposite end of the barn. There, she opened a smaller side door and urged the mare through it.

  Once the three of them were outside, walking beneath the shade of the pines, he answered her question, “I have a busy day scheduled tomorrow. I need to rest.”

  A loud laugh burst out of her and from the corner of her eye, she could see the sound had put a tight grimace on his face.

  “Rest? Right now I imagine you could wrestle a steer to the ground and not even lose your breath. You need to come up with a more believable excuse than that.”

  He moved forward so that he was on the right side of the mare’s neck and a few steps away from Bella. “Okay,” he said, “here’s another reason for you. I’m nasty and sweaty. I don’t need to be sitting on your furniture.”

  She laughed again. “It’s all washable. Besides, I made a rhubarb pie before I went riding. I’ll give you a piece.”

  “I’ve never eaten rhubarb.”

  “Good. You’re in for a treat.”

  “I don’t think—”

  She interrupted, “It would be impolite for you to refuse my invitation. Besides, the pie and coffee will be my payment for the shoe job. Fair enough?”

  “I wasn’t expecting payment.”

  No. He seemed like the type of man who didn’t expect anything from anybody and it was that cool sort of acceptance that completely frustrated her.

  Holding back a sigh, she said, “I realize that.”

  Bella hardly thought of herself as a femme fatale, but she figured most any single, red-blooded man would be happy to accept her invitation. For the pie, if no other reason. But Noah wasn’t like most men. She expected if there was such a thing as a loner, he was the perfect example of one.

  A short distance away from the east side of the barn, the pines opened up to create a small meadow. After she turned Mary Mae in the pasture to join Casper, she fastened the gate safely behind her.

  “How do you water the horses?” he asked curiously.

  “In spite of what I just said about water being scarce, I found a small spring with a small pool not far from here on a ledge of the canyon wall. The horses can access it easily and the pasture fence includes it. I try to check it daily to make sure it hasn’t dried up.”

  “You’re fortunate.”

  Bella knew he was talking about the water supply, but she couldn’t help thinking that he was right in so many ways. After her divorce from Marcus, she’d not been able to see much of a future. Oh, she’d not given up on life by any means, but she’d certainly been bitter and disillusioned. Coming to the J Bar S, and living with her brother, had helped her get past the failure of her marriage. She might not have the family she always wanted, but at least she had a home of her own and a blossoming career as a lawyer.

  “Believe me, Noah. I realize that every day.” She turned toward the house. “Come on. Let’s go have a piece of pie and you can tell me whether I can cook or not.”

  *

  A few moments later, Noah followed Bella across a stone patio filled with lawn furniture and equipped with a fire pit. For entertaining her many friends, he thought. Most of them would probably be business people or folks connected to her law practice. He doubted a simple cowboy like him, who spent his days in the saddle, would be sitting under the shade of the pines, sipping summer cocktails.

  They entered a screened-in back porch filled with more furniture and potted plants and then she opened a door that took them directly into a spacious kitchen equipped with stainless-steel appliances and a work island topped with marbled tile.

  “Sorry for bringing you in the back way,” she said. “But it would’ve have been silly to walk all the way around to the front door.”

  It was silly of him to be in the house in the first place, Noah thought grimly. In fact, he felt like a deer tiptoeing into an open meadow. He was just asking for trouble.

  “I’m used to entering back doors, Ms.—uh, Bella.”

  She laughed softly. “Maybe one of these days you’ll tell me about some of those back doors you’ve walked through.”

  Only if he was drunk or had been injected with sodium pentothal, Noah thought.

  “That kind of confession might incriminate me,” he said.

  Her eyes sparkling, she laughed again and Noah felt the pit of his stomach make a silly little flip. Without even trying, she was the sexiest woman he’d ever met. And her sultry beauty was only a part of the reason. The richness of her voice, the sensual way her body moved, the pleasure of her laugh and glint in her brown eyes all came together to create a walking, talking bombshell.

  “You need to remember that information shared between a lawyer and his client is private,” she joked, then p
ointed to a long pine table positioned near a bay window. “Have a seat.”

  He looked at the table and then down at his hands. “I think I’d better wash my hands first.”

  Pink color swept over her face. “Oh, I’m sorry, Noah. I haven’t really lost my manners. I just wasn’t thinking. Follow me and I’ll show you where you can wash up.”

  They left the kitchen through a wide opening, then turned down a hallway. When they reached the second door on their right, she paused and pushed it open to reveal an opulent bathroom.

  “There’s soap and towels and whatever else you need. Make yourself at home,” she told him. “When you’re finished you can find me in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks.”

  She left him and Noah entered the bathroom. At the gray marble sink, he scrubbed his hands and face with soap and hot water, then reluctantly reached for one of the thick, fluffy hand towels draped over a silver rack. If his hands weren’t clean enough, they’d leave traces of dirt and manure on the towel. It would be embarrassing to have Bella discover he’d messed up her fine things.

  Hell, Noah, why are you worrying about a damned towel or tracking up the tile? And why should you be feeling like a stallion suddenly led into a fancy sitting room instead of a barn stall? Bella isn’t a snob. In fact, she acts as if she likes you. Why don’t you take advantage of the fact?

  Disgusted by the voice sounding off in his head, Noah hurried out of the bathroom. The sooner he accepted this payment of hers, the sooner he could get out of here and forget all about her and her warm smile and sweet-smelling skin. He could go back to being a saddle tramp. A man without a family and a past he desperately wanted to forget.

  Chapter Two

  When Noah returned to the kitchen, Bella was standing at the cabinet counter. The moment she heard his footsteps, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.

  “I waited about pouring the coffee. It dawned on me that since the day is so warm you might prefer iced tea.”