A Family for Tyler by Angel Smits

Author:Angel Smits
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE WINDOWS STOOD wide-open. In town, Emily never left her windows open. In the dead of summer, she kept them closed tight and cranked the air-conditioning.

It was the antithesis of her childhood, where they’d had no A/C—the old single-wide had probably been built before it was invented. So they’d sweltered all summer, pretending that open windows let in cool air.

That was why she’d awoken with such a start at the horse’s whinny.

For a brief moment, she’d thought she was back at the trailer. And Sugar was waiting in his stall for her, expecting to be fed, combed and ridden like hell across the hills.

But when she opened her eyes to the strange room, to the warmth of Wyatt’s body, she knew she wasn’t back there. Relief warred with the renewed grief that Sugar was gone.

Instead of waiting for the panic to creep in, Emily looked at the man asleep beside her. The sheets slipped low enough to entice her. Memories—new memories—cascaded into her mind. She tried to tell herself that last night had been a mistake. A wonderful, amazing mistake, but a mistake. She should have never come out to the ranch. She should have stayed in town, safe in her apartment. Should have never...

But if she hadn’t come out here, she’d have missed out on the laughter and the fun. And this strange sense of belonging that had settled around her.

Last night, Wyatt had made such sweet love to her. She wanted—desperately wanted—more.

But the past had too strong a hold on her. The panic attack she was fighting off told her she was too messed up.

If things progressed between them, would she be able to live with the anxiety and pain? Would he?

Caretaker. That word came back to her. It was who he was. He’d want answers and he’d do his damnedest to fix it—fix her.

But he couldn’t—could he?

When he held her, when the house buffered her, she felt safe and at home. But the ranch was more than Wyatt and a house. It was animals, people and constant reminders.

She wanted more than that. She wanted to be part of his life. All of it. But those reminders too often triggered the anxiety attacks. That wasn’t fair to him.

Dare she try? The very idea scared her to death.

The sounds of the horses drew her attention again, and for the first time, she felt the yearning stir inside her. Carefully, Emily crawled out of bed. Maybe from here she could peer at the horses. They were far enough away...and Wyatt was here. The longing was too strong to resist. She swallowed and moved ever so slowly.

The T-shirt she’d worn last night was nowhere to be found, but Wyatt’s shirt was draped over the end of the bed. She grabbed it and hastily pulled it on.

Only part of the corral was visible through the trees’ thick branches. But she saw movement and flashes of white here and there through the leaves.

She glanced over her shoulder at Wyatt again. She was a fool to think anything could come of this.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.