Stranded with a Cowboy by Stacey Kennedy

Author:Stacey Kennedy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises ULC
Published: 2023-03-03T14:41:34+00:00

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Lying against the bed of hay, Nora was snuggled into Beau’s side, her head resting against his chest, the heat from her body a welcome warmth. He traced his fingers up and down her spine, and each gentle stroke deepened her breathing. The quiet between them was only interrupted by mouse scurrying around the hayloft, and the horses below chomping on their hay. His mind should stay silent, but thoughts rattled inside his head. Thoughts of this confusing woman so settled in his arms. He knew she had a hard time trusting. He also knew that she had given up on love all together. But he secretly hoped when she was in his arms, she felt...safe. He thought it a damn shame a woman like Nora had never experienced a love so real it brought a man to his knees.

“You surprise me, you know,” he eventually said, breaking the silence.

She leaned back, resting her head on his arm to see his face. “How?”

“You’re the only woman I’ve ever met that hasn’t asked about Annie.” Every single woman—even the one night stands—always wanted to know all about his late wife. Who she was, what she was like, and if they had a good marriage. Then came the questions about her death.

Nora’s eyes turned guarded as she leaned her chin on her hands resting on his chest. “That really isn’t my business to ask about her.”

Beau glanced up at the rafters above them. It occurred to him that’s what he liked about Nora most. She didn’t fuss into someone’s life. She seemed to simply make the lives of those around her happier, and that was her sole focus in life. For a person who said she didn’t want love in her life, she sure knew how to love a person well. “It’s fair to inquire about someone’s past,” he offered.

“Yes, if you’re dating each other, but we’re not, so it really is none of my business.”

He met her gaze again, his jaw muscles clenching at the reminder that she was determined to keep emotionally distant. While he knew that was the right thing, for them, for Austin, her insistence to push him away grated his nerves. “Right.”

Obviously reading his irritation on his expression, she nibbled her bottom lip. “Besides, what’s fun about talking about all the painful things that happen in life?” she offered lightheartedly. “There’s nothing good about it.”

“There is nothing good about it, but to truly know someone you’ve got to know their past.”

Suspicion rested heavy in her eyes. “You’re telling me you like to talk about that painful part of your life?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t talk about Annie for a very long time. Until I saw the effect it had on Austin. Now it’s not hard to talk about.”

She sat up then, pulling the sheet with her, covering her chest. Her hair fell gently over her bare shoulder, a piece of hay sticking out. “What happened with Austin?”

He blew out the breath that naturally wanted to stay deep in his lungs and plucked the hay out of her hair.

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