A Rancher's Honor by Ann Roth

Author:Ann Roth [Roth, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Western
ISBN: 9780373755257
Google: uBlsAwAAQBAJ
Amazon: 0373755252
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-06-03T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

“Hey,” Sly said when Lana answered the door late Saturday morning.

“Hi.” Without meeting his eyes, she stepped aside and gestured him through the door.

He took in her stiff posture, solemn expression and too-pale skin and knew something was wrong.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Still shaking off a flu bug.” She waved her hand toward the living room.

“When we talked yesterday, you didn’t mention the flu.”

“I came down with it last Sunday and it didn’t seem important.” Lana took the armchair, leaving him the sofa.

“I’m lucky I didn’t catch it from you,” he said.

Yeah, instead she’d given him a healthy dose of lust that was impossible to shake.

She gave a distracted nod. Her face, usually an open book, was drawn and tight, as her index finger traced and retraced a wavy line on the fabric of the armchair.

“Did you have to miss work?” Sly asked.

She gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

“Because of the flu.”

“I took Wednesday off. Otherwise, I’ve been feeling okay.”

She didn’t seem okay now, not with the green tinge that suddenly tinted her complexion. She appeared paler, too. More puzzling was the tension emanating from her.

Sly cleared his throat. “We’ve been real busy at the ranch. It seems that no matter how hard my crew and I work at it, there’s always some length of fence to repair or replace. We’ve been digging ditches, too, because the old drainpipes aren’t working anymore.”

He wasn’t about to mention Tim or the fact that, tired of waiting for her cousin to pay up, he’d stopped by the bank and picked up a dreaded loan application.

With an absent look, Lana attempted a smile that didn’t quite make it. “I can’t imagine.”

Enough was enough. “Is it me being here, or is it waiting for Sophie that has you wound up so tight today?” Sly asked.

“Uh...” Her cell made the blip sound that meant she’d received a text message. She glanced at it and frowned. “What a surprise—Sophie won’t be coming today after all.”

She flicked a piece of lint from the knee of her jeans, her hair hanging like a curtain around her face, hiding her expression.

Sly could only imagine what she must be going through. “Let me guess—she wants to postpone for another week.”

“Seems that way. And you drove all the way over here.”

“No worries—I could use the break.” Wanting to lighten the mood, he sniffed the air and licked his lips. “Whatever you’re cooking smells great.”

“It’s a chicken recipe I got from my mother. Sophie ate a lot that day at Big Mama’s, and I made a huge amount of food. What am I going to do with it all?”

“I’ll help you out with that,” Sly teased.

Instead of smiling, Lana nodded somberly. “It’s just about ready.”

The table was set for three. Sly helped bring the food to the table, and they sat down across from each other.

Lana had definitely put a big meal together—chicken wrapped in dough, curried fruit, salad and hot rolls. Sly dug in. “This is delicious,” he said, licking his lips in appreciation.

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