Page 168 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“It wasn’t storming when I left the house,” he said through gritted teeth. “What was I supposed to do? Johnna called in a panic. Her dog knocked loose a steel pipe in the barn and it fell on top of him. The dang thing would’ve crushed Rusty to death if I hadn’t gotten there fast enough. I had to take the back road shortcut and that meant taking the Harley.”

Cooper closed his eyes and shook his head. “Man, bro. You don’t get it. You went out on slick roads and nearly got yourself killed. This is your second crash this month. When are you gonna learn?”

“Don’t lecture me, Cooper. I’m gonna be fine.”

“Yeah, once again you defied the odds. How many more chances do you think you’ll get?”

Bella stepped up then. “Jared, are you all right?”

“I’m just a little banged up. I’ll be fine,” he assured her.

“Someone should look at your leg.” She glanced at his ripped pants. Blood was already drying on the wound.

“I’m bruised. That’s all. No big deal,” he said.

She walked into the bathroom, soaked a towel with hot water and antiseptic soap and then returned to the bedroom. “Here,” she said, handing him the towel. He appeared startled. Did he expect her to nurse his wounds? He could’ve been killed today. Did the man have a death wish? “For your face. You’ll frighten Sienna if she sees you like that.”

She glanced around the bedroom, the place where magic happened between them, the place where she’d felt safe and sheltered. But she didn’t feel that way anymore. Now, her eyes were open wide, seeing Jared as he really was, perhaps for the first time. The healthy version of Jared Stone was a man who loved to test his limits. He had a garage full of vehicles to pursue his pastime and he’d never tried to hide his true personality from her. In fact, he’d been only too happy to share his love of speed and danger with her.

He’d said it himself. He wanted to live his life fully before time ran out, the way it had for his father. Jared, once free of restrictions and physical limitations, couldn’t wait to hop on his motorcycle and race the storm. And she had been too busy falling in love with him to think this through. Now the cold slap of reality hit her hard.

Jared Stone wasn’t father material. He wasn’t husband material. He was a man who had been kind and caring to her, but that’s where it had to end.

Bella had already lost one good man. She couldn’t stand to lose another. Not to death. It was too final, too heart-wrenching. And she’d learned one lesson from her father, if only one, and that was she’d never try to change a person who didn’t want to change. If this was the way Jared wanted to live his life, she wouldn’t stop him.

“Cooper, will you check on Sienna for me? I need to say something to Jared.”

“Uh, sure.” He gave her a knowing look, bowing his head to her, his eyes seeming to plead with her to be gentle. “Take your time.”

Once Cooper left the room, she had Jared’s full attention. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes stung and the words were hard to come by. “Jared, I’m...sorry. This isn’t going to work.”

“What isn’t?” His hand froze where he’d been cleaning the blood off his face.

“You and me.” She managed a tiny smile.

“Bella, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do know what I’m saying. I’m saying...we’re over.”

“What, because of this?” His voice rose. He tossed the towel aside and stood, but his wounded leg gave way. He collapsed back on the bed.

Her heart bled, seeing him that way. He braced his elbows on the bed and stayed put. “I can’t do this again,” she said. “I’ve been down this road before. I’ve already lost one good man.”

“Bella, come on. You’re not gonna lose me. I’m here. I’m fine. I couldn’t let that dog die.”

“But you could’ve taken your car and driven a little slower. You could’ve been more cautious with your life. Every time Paul went up in his chopper, I worried. But he was doing his job, supporting his family. It’s what he knew. And when he died, I was crushed. He left me a lonely widow with a child to raise on my own. It’s taken me a long time to get to this place in my life.”

“I’m not going to let you go.”

“You can’t stop me. I’m not one to criticize anyone’s life choices. Lord knows my father did that to me to the point of suffocation. He tried to run my life and take away my own dreams, my own passions. I won’t do that to you. No matter how much I care about you, we’re not a good fit.”

“I say we are.”

“No. You’re not what Sienna and I need.”

His gaze burned right through her. “Not true, Bella. You know how good we are together. All three of us.”

Oh, God. His words destroyed her. She wanted to believe him, to trust him, but she had Sienna to think about. She had to protect her from another loss. It was better to end it here and now. “There’s more I have to tell you and you’ll be less inclined to want me around once you hear it.”