The Rancher's Bride by Stella Bagwell Page A

Harlan she was full of mistrust. He could see it all over her, hear it in her voice. He’d been aware of it the first time she’d come here to talk to him. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he decided that her suspicious nature didn’t all stem from her father’s sleazy behavior. This morning, she’d declared it had been years since she’d allowed a man near her. There had to be a reason for that. But would she ever open up enough to tell him? And why did he want to know? The more helearned about her, the harder he was liable to fall. He needed to remember that.
    “Look Rose, I don’t want the Bar M. I just want things to be better for you.”
    Did he really mean that? For once in her life, could Rose believe a man might consider her before himself? She tried to smile at him, but suddenly there was a lump in her throat.
    “The Bar M is my home, Harlan. I’d never be happy without it.”
    Harlan had expected her to say something like that. She was that sort of woman. Loyal to her home and family. In fact, he would probably have been a little disappointed in her if she’d said anything else.
    “I understand,” he said gently, then stepped back from the door. “I’d better let you go now. Is Emily planning on helping you tomorrow?”
    Nodding, Rose started the engine. “We’re going to line ride tomorrow. So if you’d bring her horse with you in the morning, I’d appreciate it.”
    He lifted his hand in farewell. “I’ll have them both there in the morning.”
    Rose gave him an awkward little wave, then quickly drove away. It wasn’t until she was far away from the house that she was able to relax her grip on the steering wheel. But her hands immediately began to shake, forcing her to once again tighten her fingers on the laced leather.
    The man hadn’t so much as touched her, yet she felt as if she’d just spent a reckless hour in his arms. Her heart was racing, her face burned, and her hands shook like an alcoholic’s.
    Rose unconsciously pressed down harder on the gas. She had to get home and away from Harlan Hamilton.
    “Harlan’s daughter is such a sweet little thing,” Kitty spoke up later that night as the family sat around the suppertable. “I’m glad you’ve invited her to spend some time with us. She seems hungry for company.”
    Rose pushed a pile of stir-fried vegetables around on her plate. “She was very sullen the first time I met her.”
    “After spending time with her today, it’s hard to picture Emily as sullen,” Chloe said.
    Rose didn’t want to talk about Harlan or Emily. There were plenty of other happenings in the area they could discuss over supper. But her sister and aunt seemed taken with the subject of their neighbors to the east.
    “I know. Harlan credits me with the change in her. He says she took a quick liking to me.” She lifted her gaze from her plate to see Chloe and Kitty had both stopped eating and were staring at her as if she were about to break open some deep dark secret
    “That’s not surprising. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like you, Rose,” Kitty said.
    Rose had always been too quiet by nature to be much of a socializer. But those people she did come in contact with from time to time, she treated with friendly respect. Yet as far as being someone’s dearest friend, she wasn’t. Other than her sisters, she’d never been able to let herself be that close to anyone.
    “I don’t know about that. But I think Emily was just waiting for someone to come along and befriend her. She lives a lonely life. Especially in the summer when school is out and it’s only her and her father.”
    “Is Harlan good to her?” Chloe wanted to know. “Or is he one of those hard, demanding fathers?”
    Harlan hard and demanding? Rose couldn’t imagine it. She glanced across the kitchen at the twins, who had already eaten and were both now sound asleep on the floor of their playpen. The image of Harlan holding Adam so gently and lovingly floated