Her Rugged Rancher by Stella Bagwell

Author:Stella Bagwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-05-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The next evening was Skyler’s birthday party and though Bella wasn’t in the mood for merrymaking, she couldn’t miss her little niece’s celebration.

Dressed in a red-and-white sundress, with her hair pulled into a messy bun, she drove to Jett and Sassy’s to join the outdoor festivities.

She’d not been surprised to find a big crowd gathered at the back of the house, partaking of barbecued beef and all the trimmings, but she’d been a little put off by the handful of men who’d been trying to strike up a conversation with her from the moment she’d arrived.

“All right, dear brother,” she said to Jett, once she had him cornered away from the crowd. “What do think you’re trying to do? I’m not looking for a date or anything like it.”

He glanced over his shoulder before giving her a sheepish look. “Bella, I’m not responsible for those guys. Sassy invited them over from the Horn. I didn’t tell her that inviting Noah would be enough to make you happy.”

Surprised, Bella stared at her brother. “How did you—”

“Noah brought it up. I think he had some sort of crazy idea that I wouldn’t approve of the two of you together.”

Rather than letting Jett see the sadness in her eyes, Bella looked down at the cup of punch she was holding. “I’m afraid Noah has some mixed-up notions about a lot of things.”

“I thought he’d be here this evening. He adores Skyler.”

“But he hates crowds.” And he doesn’t want to be anywhere near me, Bella could have told him. “I wouldn’t look for him to show up.”

“I think you might be wrong about that.”

She looked up to see her brother’s attention had turned toward a group of people standing beneath the covered portion of the patio. And then she caught sight of Noah among them. The sight of him dressed in a white Western shirt and dark jeans caused her heart to lurch with surprise and an immense sense of despair.

Before she could tear her gaze away from him, she spotted Skyler running up to him. He reacted to the child by scooping her up and balancing her in the crook of one arm. Bella’s heart winced with bittersweet longing as she watched the little girl wrap her arms around Noah’s neck.

He would be a wonderful father, Bella thought. Mainly because he knew all the things not to do.

“Looks like I was wrong about him coming to the party,” she murmured.

Jett tossed her a knowing grin. “Obviously. I’d better go say hello. I don’t imagine he’ll stick around for very long.”

“Uh, Jett, please don’t bring up my name to him. Okay?”

“Why would I bother doing that? You’re already on the guy’s mind. Besides, you’re here and he’s here. It’s an opportune time for you two to get together.”

Noah didn’t want to get together with her. That was the whole issue, she wanted to tell her brother. Instead, she simply nodded and said, “I see Reggie’s wife and she has the baby with her.

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