Page 16 of The Rancher’s Ecstasy

Cole chuckled. Everything about her pleased him.

“Absolutely,” he said but didn’t release his hold. “I will as soon as I’m sure you won’t run away from me again.”

Emily’s eyes flashed to him and then away. “I guess I am pretty fun to play with. But isn’t there someone else here you can mess with? Because I’m not strong enough to deal with it.”

His hand tensed. He bent toward Emily and whispered in her ear. “I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. I’m not playing with you, sweetheart. I very much want to be with you, just you.”

She blinked back tears and tried unsuccessfully to pull away from him. “Yeah, right. Are there no other single ladies here then?”

Cole's anger and confusion spiked before he gained control. “Honey, we’re going to talk about what the hell is in that beautiful head of yours.”

A rough, hoarse laugh slipped from her mouth, interrupting what else he was going to say.

“I’m sure other women would fall for that, but I look in the mirror every day, so don’t try to insult me by lying to me.”

Cole stood and pulled her up unexpectedly with him, taking care not to hurt her, and led her around the campfire.

Emily looked at his profile, and a sliver of nerves ran over her. She lifted her chin. She’d made him mad. Well, too bad. She wasn’t paying to stay here for him to play with her for his own amusement. She dug her heels into the dirt when she realized he was taking her around the side of a barn where they would have some privacy. She was amazed she had no fear of him at all. It wasn’t fear that made her apprehensive, but the sensual heat coursing through her body.

She got a little dizzy when she looked up at him. Their heights were disparate. Although he made her feel feminine, nothing made her feel pretty or excited, two of the things her ex-husband had complained about the most.

****

Before they got to the corner, Cole’s cellphone beeped several times, stopping him in his tracks, yet he didn’t release her. He swallowed several curse words and the anger that was riding him. Cole turned to her, holding both of her shoulders in his hands, and waited for her to look at him.

“Look at me.” Several seconds passed without her lifting her head. He waited for a heartbeat, and still no movement. He released one of her slim shoulders, using his hand to cup her chin and raise her face. He inhaled sharply at the pain he saw in her face. He pulled her into him, pressing his torso tightly against hers until no air could get between them. Her head was tucked perfectly under his chin. He ignored how rigid she kept her body even as she pressed closer to his warmth. He didn’t think she realized she was pressing herself snugly against him.

He reluctantly pulled himself away from her, his hands on her shoulders again, and looked at her intently, trying to find the dark shadows he’d seen in her eyes moments before. He gritted his teeth when he saw defeat and anguish before she visibly built her protective wall up against him again.

“I have to go check on the mare that’s been having problems. She’s due any day, but something else is up with her. Can I ask you to stay here until I get bac—?”

She shook her head and tried to look him in the eyes. “No. I really think I should go back to my cabin.” Her voice shook with emotions. “I have a lot of work to do.”

He could tell she was getting agitated and decided to let her go tonight and find her in the morning. He nodded his head. “Okay. I’ll give you tonight. But tomorrow we talk. Don’t even think of hiding from me.” He lifted her face again. A muscle ticked in his upper jaw. “I mean it, Em. If I have to come looking for you...”

“What?” she asked breathlessly.

His phone went off again. “Damn it. I’ll find you tomorrow.” He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “Sleep tight.”

Emily nodded and watched him leave. A suffocating sensation tightened her throat at the thought of being near him, so she knew she would make herself as scarce as possible. She wasn’t afraid of the threat that came from him. She felt a lot of things for him. Way too much, in fact, but fear was not one of them.

Chapter Nine

Cole was tired and in a foul mood. They saved the mare, but the foal was a breech, and by the time they got it out, it was dead. The whole ranch felt its loss.

He leaned against the shower wall with his head bent and stood under the steamy water, letting it wash away the grime of birthing and emotional anguish. He’d love nothing better than to lie down for a couple of hours, but there was work to do and, more importantly, Emily to deal with.

Pulling on his jeans and shirt, he headed down the stairs to the kitchen in dire need of coffee. Everyone was quiet, subdued, which was okay with him. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone right then. Cole rubbed the back of his neck before pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked at the clock, only a little past 5:00 in the morning. Good, he needed to wait to talk to Emily. It was too early to confront her now. Besides, it would give him a few hours to calm down.

He shook his head, looking down at his cup of coffee, but his focus was on what happened with her last night. What in the hell had she been thinking? How a woman that gorgeous would think herself unattractive or unappealing was unbelievable. A scowl crossed his face. She believed he wanted her because she was the only single woman available? Who put this shit in her head?

The possibility that she was doing it because she wasn’t attracted to him crossed his mind. But no, the way she watched him, the throbbing pulse at the base of her neck, and the fact that a flush of arousal sparked every time she looked at him told him she was just as emotionally invested as he was. The sparks that flew between them were so evident that several people had commented on them.

Cole washed out his coffee cup and set it in the drainer. He set his hands on the counter and looked out the window to the yard where several of his men worked on different tasks. He sighed. He had a lot to get done today before he could deal with Emily.

He snagged his hat off the hook in the mudroom off the kitchen before heading out into the yard. He looked toward Emily’s cabin. Yeah, it was a good thing he was giving himself time before dealing with her. He gritted his teeth. If she started in on the shit she was spewing last night, he’d be liable to pull her over his knees and spank her little ass. He guessed that would be a wrong choice and would probably scare her to death and send her running.

Cole’s frustration grew as the day wore on. He stepped into the house, heading straight for the office.