Winning the Rancher's Heart by Pamela Britton

Author:Pamela Britton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

He’d left her alone for the rest of the night. He’d had to. If he’d held her in his arms one more time he didn’t think he’d let her go.

“Good night,” said Amanda, the waitstaff manager.

“Night,” he said, lifting a hand. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

Was that a flirtatious grin on the woman’s face? He had a feeling it was. Maybe a few weeks ago he would have taken her up on the invitation in her eyes. Right now all he wanted to do was find Naomi.

“Great party.”

Colby Koch, his new ranch manager/foreman, slipped out of the shadows. “I have a feeling you’ll be booked solid in a week.”

“Maybe,” he said, forcing himself to smile.

He hadn’t liked seeing the man twirl Naomi around. Not one little bit.

“When’s your fancy horse therapist arriving?”

By that he meant Brielle. “She asked for another week off. Something about a family emergency.”

“Well, she better get here quick,” he drawled in his Texas accent. “Gonna get crazy around here soon.”

That he couldn’t deny. And then he caught sight of a red dress coming from the back of the arena and he saw Colby take a step toward Naomi before he cut him off with, “Thanks for your help tonight. Naomi and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

He’d caught the man by surprise. Jax saw him glance in Naomi’s direction, saw the question in his eyes, and he knew his new employee understood what he meant.

Back off.

“If you wouldn’t mind closing up down here, I’ll take Naomi back home.”

He was giving the man the wrong impression. He and Naomi weren’t a couple, but he was certain it sounded that way, especially when he called to her, “Ready to go?”

She was closer now, her skirt gathered in one hand, her heels dangling from her other hand, and she wouldn’t look him in the eye when she said, “I can walk.”

He released a snort. “You are not going to walk.”

Why was she shy all of a sudden? Did Colby notice? Did he care if he did? All he cared about was that she looked exhausted and every protective instinct inside him made him want to rush to her aide.

“Come on,” he said gently, holding out his hand. She stared at it, then looked him in the eyes, and he saw it then, a yearning that he recognized within himself, and every nerve ending in his body suddenly fired. Their dance. That one dance. It’d changed everything.

She took his hand.

“Good night, Colby,” she said softly.

“Night,” he echoed.

When they reached his truck he wanted to lift her into it. Instead he opened her door and helped her up, but his hand lingered in her own and the tension increased and he wondered how the hell he’d drive her home without slamming on the brakes and trying to kiss her.

You got it bad, buddy.

He closed her door. He almost leaned against it. Instead he took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.

Get a grip.

She was tired. Exhausted. That was why she looked at him so softly.

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