He reached out and gently traced his fingertip over the slant of her cheekbone. Her skin was as smooth as cream and he had no doubt it would taste just as rich.
His throat tightened as the urge to kiss her, make love to her began to tie his muscles into knots. âNo. Thatâs not what I want to do, Bella. But then you already know what youâre doing to me. I imagine that makes you feel pretty damn good, doesnât it? Knowing you can make a big man like me weak in the knees.â
Her eyes narrowed and then her head shook back and forth. âWhy would you think such a thing? I have no desire to wield power over you. Or anyone else for that matter. Thatâs one of the reasons I like being a lawyer. Because I believe everyone should be on equal ground.â
âWell, in my caseââ
âIn your case, Noah, youâre thinking too much. Worrying too much. Why canât you simply let yourself feel?â
âBecause Iâm feeling things that arenât good for me.â
* * *
Men of the West:
Whether ranchers or lawmen, these heartbreakers can ride, shootâand drive a woman crazy â¦
Chapter One
Of all the damned luck!
Noah Crawford muttered the words under his breath as he rounded a curve of the narrow dirt road and spotted a slender young woman with long dark hair walking in the same direction he was traveling. A saddled bay mare followed close on her heels.
He jammed on the brakes and dust billowed as the truck and trailer came to a jarring halt. Up ahead, the woman quickly took herself and the horse off to the side, then with a hand shading her eyes, turned to see whoâd made the untimely stop behind her.
Bella Sundell.
Her name shivered through him like an unwanted blast of cold wind. Hellâs bells, what was she doing out riding in the middle of the afternoon? Why wasnât she in Carson City, practicing law with her brother?
Heâd worked on this Nevada ranch for seven years and during that time heâd never seen this woman on horseback. Nor had he spoken more than two dozen words to her. In fact, he often went out of his way to steer clear of her.
Too bad there wasnât some way to dodge her now, he thought, as he snatched up his gloves and climbed out of the truck. But she was his bossâs sister. Besides, he wouldnât ignore anyone who needed help.
Striding across the hard packed dirt, he called out to her, âWhatâs wrong?â
âThanks for stopping, Noah.â She pointed to the horseâs front right foot. âShe slipped on a rock and jerked a shoe loose when we were riding in the canyon. I thought Iâd better lead her the rest of the way home. I didnât want to take the chance of damaging her hoof.â
Trying to look anywhere other than her lovely, smiling face, he sidled up to the mare, then bent over to examine her foot.
âRiding in the canyon,â he remarked. âThatâs a little risky for a woman alone, donât you think?â
Silence followed his question, but that hardly surprised Noah. She didnât have to answer to him. He was just the ranch foreman of the J Bar S, hardly her keeper.
Reaching into the front pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a Leatherman tool and quickly went to work jerking out the remaining nails of the loose shoe.
Behind him, he could hear Bella clearing her throat. âIn case you hadnât noticed, itâs the middle of May and the weather is already hot. Itâs shady and cooler down in the canyon. Especially along the creek bed.â
âIt might be cooler,â he reasoned. âBut itâs rough terrain and a fair distance from home. Anything could happen to you.â
âAnything could happen to me right here on the road,â she politely pointed out. âA cowboy not watching where heâs driving could run over me and Mary Mae.â
Like him? To argue the point with her would only end up making Noah look like a fool. A lawyerâs job was to give advice, not take it. And this one was clearly no exception.
Turning his attention to the loose shoe, he levered off the piece of iron, then lowered the mareâs foot back to the ground.
âHang on, girl,â he spoke softly to the horse. âWeâll get you fixed.â
After giving Mary Mae an affectionate pat on the shoulder, he forced himself to turn and look directly at Bella. The result was a familiar wham to his gut. The first time heâd met this woman, heâd been bowled over by her appearance. Creamy skin, long hair just shy of being black, warm brown eyes and soft expressive lips all came together to make one hell of a sexy woman. So much of a woman, in fact, that the passing years hadnât dimmed his reaction to her.