RESCUED BY THE RANCHER Read Online Free Page A
Author: Soraya Lane
he’d done for her.
“Hey, Faith?” he asked.
She paused and turned.
“I don’t believe in handouts, either. But you
know what?” He moved closer to her, standing less than a yard away. He towered
over her, looking down straight into her eyes. “Some asshole tried to burn you
alive in your house last night, and as far as I can tell, you’re a great mom.
So when I tell you I’ll get you anything you need, I mean it.” He ran a hand
through his hair, looking like he didn’t know quite what to do or where to
look. “You can keep a tally and pay me back if that’s what you need to do.
Either way, I just want to help, so don’t be so proud that you can’t accept
it.”
Faith heard her son again, but she took the
time to reach out to Jake. Something was
wrong , something within him was conflicted, she could tell from the little
lines around his eyes that creased with worry when he looked at her, from the
quiet strength that radiated from him.
“You’re a kind man, Jake.” She touched him,
curled her fingers around his left forearm as it hung loose at his side. “I’ll
never forget what you’ve done for us.”
He made a gruff kind of grunt and looked away,
but she didn’t release her hold until he made eye contact with her again.
“Tom’s awake,” she said, taking a step
backward, and then another. “I’ll just go get him sorted, in case he’s confused
about waking up here.”
She could feel Jake’s eyes on her back as she
headed for the bedroom, but she didn’t turn around. The last thing she needed
was to be attracted to the man who’d rescued them, or try to dig deeper and see
what made him so serious and sad. She needed to do what she was here for –
finalize her father’s estate, deal with the insurance and look at putting the
land on the market. Then she could figure out what the hell she was going to do
since her plan of moving back here and putting down roots had so obviously
soured. Maybe she’d have to take the money and run.
“Mommy?”
The sight of her little man sitting up in bed with
his hair sticking up on end and a scared expression on his face made her shove
away any thoughts about her own problems. She had her son and they were both
safe. Right now, that was all that mattered.
She didn’t have any control over the other
stuff, not right now, anyway. And she didn’t know Jake well enough to help him
out. Yet.
He stood in his bedroom and stared at the
closet – the one he hadn’t opened in way too long. Everything in there was
zipped into plastic covers, a handful of things that he’d never managed to send
to the charity store, but it was time. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t deal
with her things, because he was past the grief stage, had been for a long time.
His problem was that getting rid of Rachel’s clothes meant finally admitting
that he needed to move on with his life.
Jake heard a shuffle of feet downstairs,
followed by muffled laughter. He was certain his dog was part of the reason for
the cheerful sounds, which meant that he probably needed to go check on him… or maybe he wanted to check on his guests. It
didn’t matter how much he wanted to bury his head in the sand – there was a
woman in his house, sleeping under his roof, who was making him think all kinds
of things that he hadn’t even considered in years. And that scared him. It scared him so fucking bad that he wanted to get
in his truck and drive away… and not come back until they were gone.
But that wasn’t an option and he knew it.
Jake opened the closet instead, having a look
through the things. They were old and probably a little out of fashion, but he
doubted Faith would care right now. She was in a stranger’s house wearing pajamas,
so anything had to be better than that.
He grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, then a
sweater in case she was cold. She was probably the same size as Rachel had
been, or close enough to it. Jake shut the doors,
shook his head and marched back
“Hey, Faith?” he asked.
She paused and turned.
“I don’t believe in handouts, either. But you
know what?” He moved closer to her, standing less than a yard away. He towered
over her, looking down straight into her eyes. “Some asshole tried to burn you
alive in your house last night, and as far as I can tell, you’re a great mom.
So when I tell you I’ll get you anything you need, I mean it.” He ran a hand
through his hair, looking like he didn’t know quite what to do or where to
look. “You can keep a tally and pay me back if that’s what you need to do.
Either way, I just want to help, so don’t be so proud that you can’t accept
it.”
Faith heard her son again, but she took the
time to reach out to Jake. Something was
wrong , something within him was conflicted, she could tell from the little
lines around his eyes that creased with worry when he looked at her, from the
quiet strength that radiated from him.
“You’re a kind man, Jake.” She touched him,
curled her fingers around his left forearm as it hung loose at his side. “I’ll
never forget what you’ve done for us.”
He made a gruff kind of grunt and looked away,
but she didn’t release her hold until he made eye contact with her again.
“Tom’s awake,” she said, taking a step
backward, and then another. “I’ll just go get him sorted, in case he’s confused
about waking up here.”
She could feel Jake’s eyes on her back as she
headed for the bedroom, but she didn’t turn around. The last thing she needed
was to be attracted to the man who’d rescued them, or try to dig deeper and see
what made him so serious and sad. She needed to do what she was here for –
finalize her father’s estate, deal with the insurance and look at putting the
land on the market. Then she could figure out what the hell she was going to do
since her plan of moving back here and putting down roots had so obviously
soured. Maybe she’d have to take the money and run.
“Mommy?”
The sight of her little man sitting up in bed with
his hair sticking up on end and a scared expression on his face made her shove
away any thoughts about her own problems. She had her son and they were both
safe. Right now, that was all that mattered.
She didn’t have any control over the other
stuff, not right now, anyway. And she didn’t know Jake well enough to help him
out. Yet.
He stood in his bedroom and stared at the
closet – the one he hadn’t opened in way too long. Everything in there was
zipped into plastic covers, a handful of things that he’d never managed to send
to the charity store, but it was time. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t deal
with her things, because he was past the grief stage, had been for a long time.
His problem was that getting rid of Rachel’s clothes meant finally admitting
that he needed to move on with his life.
Jake heard a shuffle of feet downstairs,
followed by muffled laughter. He was certain his dog was part of the reason for
the cheerful sounds, which meant that he probably needed to go check on him… or maybe he wanted to check on his guests. It
didn’t matter how much he wanted to bury his head in the sand – there was a
woman in his house, sleeping under his roof, who was making him think all kinds
of things that he hadn’t even considered in years. And that scared him. It scared him so fucking bad that he wanted to get
in his truck and drive away… and not come back until they were gone.
But that wasn’t an option and he knew it.
Jake opened the closet instead, having a look
through the things. They were old and probably a little out of fashion, but he
doubted Faith would care right now. She was in a stranger’s house wearing pajamas,
so anything had to be better than that.
He grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, then a
sweater in case she was cold. She was probably the same size as Rachel had
been, or close enough to it. Jake shut the doors,
shook his head and marched back