A Maverick and a Half by Marie Ferrarella

Author:Marie Ferrarella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

It was getting to be a habit, coming to Anderson’s ranch, Marina thought as she watched Jake play peekaboo with Sydney. A habit she had to admit that she looked forward to, maybe even a little more each time than the last.

She told herself not to, that she shouldn’t—but that didn’t change things. The rest of the week couldn’t go by fast enough for her.

This was their third weekend here—the invitation had been extended from just one day to two. In order to keep everything light and friendly, she and Sydney went home each Saturday night, only to return the following morning, even though Jake had innocently pointed out that it would be easier on her if she and her daughter just stayed on the ranch and spent the night.

And, she also had to admit, they were becoming closer. All of them. Although she had always tried to keep her professional life separated from her personal one, there was no way she could deny that she and Jake were getting closer.

As far as she and Jake’s father went, well, nothing was said but she could feel the barriers between them disintegrating. Despite all her promises to herself never to allow another man to get close enough to touch her soul, she knew it was happening with Anderson. Seeing his kindness to her daughter and watching the way he acted toward his son had done that—penetrated her once-impenetrable shield without so much as firing a single shot at it.

“Ms. Laramie.” The way Jake said her name made her realize that he’d already said it more than once and was now trying very hard to get her attention.

“Sorry,” Marina apologized. “I was thinking about something and I guess I just didn’t hear you. My mistake. What did I miss?”

“That’s okay, Ms. Laramie.” The look on the boy’s face told her that he would forgive her anything. “I just wanted to know if it was okay with you to give Sydney a ride in my wagon.” He indicated the bright red, shiny wagon that Anderson had brought out to the corral earlier. “I’ll prop her up in her car seat and I’ll go real slow,” Jake promised.

“Let me secure the car seat first,” Anderson interjected, taking part in the negotiations. “I’ve got some rope in the barn—if it’s all right with you,” he qualified, looking at Marina.

She had to admit that the prospect of what Jake was suggesting made her a little nervous, but she also knew that she couldn’t allow her overprotectiveness to get in the way of Sydney experiencing things.

“And you’re sure you’ll go slowly?” Marina asked the boy.

Jake nodded his head so hard, it looked as if it was bobbing. “Like a poky old turtle,” he told her, drawing a cross over his heart.

Marina laughed. She knew he was saying that for her benefit. “That doesn’t sound like it’ll be all that much fun for you.”

The corners of Jake’s eyes crinkled. “Oh, it will be,” he assured her, then confided, “I like hearing Sydney laugh.

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.