Page 149 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Same here, Mom. I’m glad you had a good time on your trip.”

Jared ended the conversation and ran a hand down his face. With Bella angry at him, he felt at odds with everything, and now he’d have his mother to contend with. She was astute in matters of the heart; one look at him with Bella and his mom would figure out that something was going on between them.

Around lunchtime, he heard Bella being unusually quiet tinkering in the kitchen and he knew what that meant. She didn’t want him popping in to watch her cook. That was too damn bad. He needed to iron this out with her or this uneasy feeling in his gut would never go away.

He took a few calming breaths and then marched to the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, he found her at the island chopping onions with a vengeance. “I bet you wish that was my head.”

She glanced up and eyed him. “No. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Where’s Sienna?” he asked, walking into the room.

“Napping. She had quite a morning.”

“Blueberry pie and a wild horse ride.”

Bella put the knife down. They stood with the granite island between them. “It’s not a joke. She was really scared...and so was I.”

“I’m not making a joke. I’m sorry, Bella. I never meant for you to be frightened.”

“You have no idea what it’s like being a single mother. I’m all Sienna has. And she’s all I have. I love her beyond belief. And it’s my job to protect her.”

“Protect her, Bella. Not stifle her.”

“Jared, for heaven’s sake. She’s not even two years old.”

“I know that. But I also want you to know that I’d never put her in danger. She was safe the entire time. I’d die rather than have anything happen to her. I can protect her, too.”

“You almost did die not too long ago. You can’t protect her, not the way I need. You don’t see the danger in things. You drive fast, race motorcycles, take too many chances. Almost dying in that accident didn’t change you.”

Jared put his hands on his hips and stared at her. This conversation was going nowhere.

“Listen, I’m really sorry for making you worry. For scaring Sienna. It won’t happen again. I can’t take us being angry at each other, Bella. Not after last night. Not with the way I feel about you.”

Bella put her head down and her arms braced on the counter began to tremble. Tears dripped from her eyes.

“Ah, Bella.” He came around the counter and turned her into his arms. “Don’t cry.”

“It’s the...o-onions,” she whimpered.

“It’s not the onions,” he said softly, brushing away the soft strands of hair falling into her face. “I’m sorry, sweet angel. So sorry. I promise to be more cautious with you and Sienna. Just don’t cry anymore.”

His plea had the opposite effect and she broke down completely, sobbing into his chest. It was as if all of her troubles had come crashing down on her and all he could do was hold on to her tight, absorb some of her pain. Make her feel safe again.

“Let it out, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’m here.”

A nibble of curiosity about Bella’s background was beginning to grow in his mind. She seemed to be hiding more than her grief, but he wasn’t entirely sure about it and now was not the time to question her. Or maybe Jared really didn’t understand what she was going through. Maybe, unintentionally, he was making things worse for her.

Finally after a minute, she quieted to a sniffle. “I’m...sorry. I messed up your shirt.”

She patted his chest and lifted her soft, sad eyes to his. His heart squeezed tight. “Anytime, Bella. Ruin all my clothes, I don’t mind.”

The tiniest smile graced her face. She was so pretty, red-nose, swollen eyes and all. Or maybe he was such a goner when it came to her.

“You always say the right thing,” she whispered.

Her voice was sweet, touching him in a dozen amazing ways. “I think we had our first fight.”

She nodded. “I think we did.”