Return to Marker Ranch by Claire McEwen

Author:Claire McEwen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd
Published: 2016-07-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

LORI STOOD NEAR the entrance of the church, waiting for Mandy, who was moving in slow motion today. If her sister didn’t hurry they’d be stuck way in the back, where people always whispered to each other. She liked to sit up front, where she could see and hear everything. Mandy teased that she was still the straight-A, front-row student she’d been in school. Maybe it was true.

She passed the time looking at the view. The church was in a beautiful spot, on a hill above Benson. From here Lori could see all the way out across the high desert east of town. And if she turned to face the other way, the peaks of the Sierra rose sharply behind the church, as if lifting their fingers up to God. At least, that’s what the pastor always said.

She fixed her eyes on Mandy, trying to will her away from her conversation with Marybeth Bradford, a widow who ran the senior bingo games and was always hitting Mandy up for cookie donations. And of course her sister always obliged.

Just then, a man walking up the rise from the parking lot caught her eye. He wore dark jeans, and his black cowboy boots were clean and polished. Her eyes traveled up past his slim hips to the simple pale blue dress shirt. Broad shoulders. Dark eyes. Dark hair. Seriously handsome. Then it registered. Wade.

She took a step back and bumped into the pillar behind her. What was he doing here? He came straight for her, eyes locking on to hers. He didn’t stop for a greeting—typical Wade—just went right into what he wanted to say. “I’m sorry if I messed things up with Seth last week. I never meant to undermine your authority—I was being protective and I didn’t have the right. I don’t know how to make this better, but I’m here because I want to.”

His words raced over her skin, igniting nerves. He was danger. Making her want so much. Reminding her of that kiss. That dance in the parish hall. Both had left an impression of softness and heat that she kept tasting on her lips. “Why here? You don’t go to church.”

He glanced over at her sister and then back. “I do now. Your sister has some pretty strong opinions about what a little religion might do for me.”

“My sister?” Lori looked over at Mandy and caught her watching them. She narrowed her eyes, and her sister glanced away, biting a smile off her lip. “She invited you here today?”

“She did. But I’m the one who said yes. I wanted to see you.”

He was braver than she was, just putting his thoughts right out there. His words were tempting her to give in. To admit how much she’d missed him this past week. To acknowledge how sad she’d felt when Mandy made her imagine life without Wade.

But seeing him wasn’t easy, either. Because she liked things organized and orderly, and he had her emotions in chaos.

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