A Family to Come Home To (Saddle Falls) Read Online Free Page B

man looks like Uncle Jake.” Riley’s voice drifted back toward her and Hannah patted her heart to calm it as she stalked down the driveway, coming to a halt when she saw a stranger holding her daughter’s hand.
    With his large buff-colored Stetson, his faded jeans, boots, and chambray shirt, he could have passed for Jake Ryan’s twin.
    But it wasn’t Jake Ryan, Hannah realized instantly.
    He was a bit taller than Jake, built a bit bigger, and he was clearly younger than Jake, but he had the same inky-black hair curling over the collar of his shirt. And the same incredible Ryan blue eyes.
    And a face that couldn’t deny he was a Ryan.
    While all the Ryan men were undeniably gorgeous, Hannah had always felt more sisterly toward them. She could acknowledge and appreciate their good looks, but had never felt that instinctive female stirring of lust that looking at this man had curling in her gut. The strength of the sensation reminded her that in spite of her deliberately man-devoid life, she was still a young woman and still had all the needs and desires she’d been trying to ignore since Riley’s birth.
    And she wasn’t particularly pleased that those needs and desires had picked this particular moment to rear their rambunctious heads.
    She took a long, slow breath and let her breath out slowly before stepping closer. There were prickles of fear, awareness and a host of other confusing feelings swamping her, and she wasn’t quite certain how to react to them.
    Or to the incredibly gorgeous hunk of male holding her precious daughter’s hand.
    “Hannah-Anna.”
    Unaware he’d even spoken, Jesse stared at the adult version of the adorable little girl. Everything seemed to slow, then still inside him—except his heart. It gave a solid bump, then sped up as if it were on a racecourse. The entire world faded away and there was only her, standing there like an apparition.
    Hannah-Anna.
    A kaleidoscope of emotions, feelings, memories converged all at once, nearly staggering him, flashing instantly through his mind like a movie that had been fast-forwarded at warp speed.
    He saw her as she’d been; the adorable, mischievous girl he’d played tag with, chased around and around her house. He remembered, and could almost hear, her squeals of delight echoing behind her as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, no match for his longer, stronger ones as he caught her, held her, tickled her or pulled her hair.
    Or protected her when anyone else dare tease her.
    It was Hannah-Anna.
    His Hannah-Anna.
    Jesse was almost certain he’d stopped breathing. Surely the earth had stopped moving and time must have stood still as he simply stood there staring at her. The memory of her had snuck up on him, catching him totally off guard.
    Giving his head a shake, he let his eyes close for a moment to gather himself, then slowly opened them, surprised that she was still standing there staring at him as if she’d seen a ghost.
    She was all grown up and the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. His heart kept hammering wickedly as his gaze slowly traipsed over her, wanting—needing to see every inch of her.
    Small and delicate, she had a mass of wavy, golden-blond hair that flowed down her back. Her eyes, a vibrant, vivid blue rimmed by thick black lashes reminded him of a clear Texas sky on a summer day. Wide open and at the moment clouded by some emotion he couldn’t read.
    She wore a pair of shorts that hugged an incredibly sexy butt and revealed a slim expanse of tanned legs long enough to make a man drool. Her feet were sexily bare, and the shirt she had on was the color of ripe apricots and tied just under her breasts, revealing a flat expanse of equally tanned tummy.
    Because his throat had gone as dry as the desert, Jesse had to swallow several times before speaking.
    “Hannah-Anna,” he whispered again. The deep timbre of his voice was husky with emotion and an unmistakable Texas drawl.
    Hannah hadn’t heard her childhood