RESCUED BY THE RANCHER Read Online Free Page B

out to the kitchen. Moving on . That’s what he was
doing. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, and it wasn’t. But he was doing it, and
that was a heap better than what he’d been doing the past four years.
    “Faith?” he called out as he walked downstairs.
    Oh. They were still in the hall, with Tom lying on
the floor. His dog was virtually on top of him, close to squashing the kid.
    “Sa—”  
    Faith spun around and laughed, eyes shining in
a way he hadn’t seen them sparkle before. “It’s fine,” she told him. “Tom’s
been begging me for a dog so he’s loving this.”
    Jake glared at his dog, and got the same
response he’d received the night before when Sam had been asleep on the kid’s
bed. So much for the obedient canine he’d mistakenly thought he owned.
    Tom was giggling, play-fighting hard to Sam’s
gentle tussling.
    “I get the feeling I don’t give him enough
attention,” Jake muttered.
    Faith met his gaze, smiling. “I get the feeling
that Tom’s missing getting to be all rough and tumble.”
    He didn’t ask the obvious question – whether or
not the kid had a dad in his life. Instead he held out the clothes. “These are
for you.”
    The question in her gaze was clear, but she
reached for them anyway. “Thanks. Are you sure…”
    “I’m sure,” he interrupted, not ready to have that particular conversation with her
just yet. “My keys are on the counter and I’ll leave some cash there, too. Get
whatever you need.”
    “Thanks, Jake,” she said, nodding her head like
she didn’t know what else to say, humbled by someone offering to help her. “I
might head into town after breakfast, and I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
    He kept his eyes trained on the kid, still
tumbling with his dog, not knowing which was worse – staring at Faith or her
son.
    “You’re off to work?”
    “Yep. I’m starting three horses under saddle right
now, and I’ve got a field full of pregnant mares.”
    She laughed. “Don’t tell me they’re being
demanding?”
    Jake shook his head. “They can smell carrots
from a mile off, which means I’m down there pampering them every damn day.”
    “So long as you’re not
rubbing their backs and whispering sweet nothings in their ears.”
    He laughed. It had been a long time since he’d
joked around with a woman, and it was nice. Better than nice, it was damn good. “If only you knew the half of what I do
for them.”
    “Hey, Jake?”
    He turned back to look at her, pushed his hands
into his jean pockets for something to do.
    “ You’re trusting me
with your money and your car. Why?” Faith asked, eyes searching his.
    Jake looked into her eyes – big and blue –
knowing how easy it would be to get used to having a woman in his home again,
being part of his life. “Same reason you trusted me enough to stay here last
night.”
    They were both silent, but neither of them
broke the contact.
    “Besides, that boy is never going to let you
get away with leaving yet. He’ll be begging to see Sam again as soon as you
head for town.”
    “Maybe we’ll take the dog, too,” she teased.
    “Yeah?” Jake looked from her to Sam. “I’d like to say
he wouldn’t leave my side, but he’s already proved he’s a traitor.”
    Jake left his guests in the hall and headed for
the back door. He whistled out, paused, and shook his head again before pulling
on his boots. His dog was a goddamn
traitor… and so was he. Because the only thing he could think about was a woman
with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, and how nice it would be to
finish work for the day and walk in the door to her smile.
    The last thing Faith wanted to do was go into
town. Town was where her burned out
shell of a home was; the place she should never have come back to no matter how
tempting it had been. She’d seen enough of the house in the dark as it blazed
to know there was no point going back there. All of her possessions were long
gone, which meant she had no other