Read Online A Rancher's Love by Capri Montgomery - Free Book Online
Authors: Capri Montgomery
Ads: Link
her, wanted it desperately and the thought of her leaving hurt.
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. What he wanted to say, or more like what he meant to say, was that she was drifting, but that his ranch could make a good home. He hadn’t exactly said that. She had come out of the shed, wrapped in the beige shower robe and told him it was his turn. She looked sad, which wasn’t his intention in the conversation. He didn’t want to push her away, yet he had the feeling that’s exactly what he had done.
He changed in solitude with his thoughts and then they walked back to the house together.
Sometimes he kept an extra pair of clothes in the shed, but he hadn’t been focused since she left. The result of his discombobulated thoughts was the two robes in the shed. He had taken one out, and by the next day he forgot so he took another. He had almost taken out three until Jasper stopped him and reminded him that he had already taken two out. That was earlier in the week and had he stayed on track, without intervention, he would have had every bathrobe in the house relocated to the shed.
45
A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery
“She’s already gone home for the day. I’ll fix you something to eat,” he moved around the kitchen, pulling pots and pans out as he went.
“I can cook.”
“I want to fix it,” he glared at her and she held up her hands in surrender.
“Okay. You fix it then. I’m going to take my case upstairs and get freshened up. Is the spare room still available to me?”
He would prefer her to sleep in his room. “Of course.” He refrained from saying the words he really wanted to say. He refrained from telling her just how much he would want her to sleep with him, not just sexually, but just her presence, he needed her presence in his bed; to hold her all night. Admitting his love for her was only the beginning. Keeping her, convincing her that they could have forever together, was going to be the difficult part. She was determined to go it alone and he wanted her to go the distance with him. He wanted her to let him help her, but the distance his ranch sat from any city was just too great for her to open a shop and have to commute every day. She wanted a bakery and he wanted to help her reach that goal, but he also wanted her. He didn’t want long distance. He didn’t want to see her once or twice a year until they drifted apart. He wanted her here, with him, on his ranch and in his bed.
“You’ve always been up to the challenge,” he told himself. “She’s worth fighting for;” those words were his promise to himself that he would fight for her.
46
A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery Chapter Six
“I t’s been a week,” Dean said as Zoe stood at the kitchen sink washing the dinner dishes.
“Are you telling me it’s time for me to go?” She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve picked my destination.
I just have to book the tickets and hotel room.”
That was not what he meant. “I want you to stay.” He spit the words out because skirting around his feelings with her wasn’t helping things. She obviously wasn’t going to pick up on his subtle invitation so he had to stop walking on eggshells, being afraid he would upset her independent spirit. Clearly she had grown up nearly taking care of herself. She felt as if she had to prove something to everybody, maybe more so to herself.
“And do what, Dean? I haven’t done one, single, solitary thing to contribute around here.”
“That was redundant,” he scowled at her. She had done something. Not only was she contributing to his happiness, she had cooked him dinner, made sweets for the ranch hands, and driven Jasper nearly crazy with her insistence on helping with the cleaning. Or more like her insistence on cleaning certain areas of the house before Jasper arrived. Jasper was not happy with that at all.
“What are you, an English teacher now?” The tone in her voice wasn’t
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. What he wanted to say, or more like what he meant to say, was that she was drifting, but that his ranch could make a good home. He hadn’t exactly said that. She had come out of the shed, wrapped in the beige shower robe and told him it was his turn. She looked sad, which wasn’t his intention in the conversation. He didn’t want to push her away, yet he had the feeling that’s exactly what he had done.
He changed in solitude with his thoughts and then they walked back to the house together.
Sometimes he kept an extra pair of clothes in the shed, but he hadn’t been focused since she left. The result of his discombobulated thoughts was the two robes in the shed. He had taken one out, and by the next day he forgot so he took another. He had almost taken out three until Jasper stopped him and reminded him that he had already taken two out. That was earlier in the week and had he stayed on track, without intervention, he would have had every bathrobe in the house relocated to the shed.
45
A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery
“She’s already gone home for the day. I’ll fix you something to eat,” he moved around the kitchen, pulling pots and pans out as he went.
“I can cook.”
“I want to fix it,” he glared at her and she held up her hands in surrender.
“Okay. You fix it then. I’m going to take my case upstairs and get freshened up. Is the spare room still available to me?”
He would prefer her to sleep in his room. “Of course.” He refrained from saying the words he really wanted to say. He refrained from telling her just how much he would want her to sleep with him, not just sexually, but just her presence, he needed her presence in his bed; to hold her all night. Admitting his love for her was only the beginning. Keeping her, convincing her that they could have forever together, was going to be the difficult part. She was determined to go it alone and he wanted her to go the distance with him. He wanted her to let him help her, but the distance his ranch sat from any city was just too great for her to open a shop and have to commute every day. She wanted a bakery and he wanted to help her reach that goal, but he also wanted her. He didn’t want long distance. He didn’t want to see her once or twice a year until they drifted apart. He wanted her here, with him, on his ranch and in his bed.
“You’ve always been up to the challenge,” he told himself. “She’s worth fighting for;” those words were his promise to himself that he would fight for her.
46
A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery Chapter Six
“I t’s been a week,” Dean said as Zoe stood at the kitchen sink washing the dinner dishes.
“Are you telling me it’s time for me to go?” She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve picked my destination.
I just have to book the tickets and hotel room.”
That was not what he meant. “I want you to stay.” He spit the words out because skirting around his feelings with her wasn’t helping things. She obviously wasn’t going to pick up on his subtle invitation so he had to stop walking on eggshells, being afraid he would upset her independent spirit. Clearly she had grown up nearly taking care of herself. She felt as if she had to prove something to everybody, maybe more so to herself.
“And do what, Dean? I haven’t done one, single, solitary thing to contribute around here.”
“That was redundant,” he scowled at her. She had done something. Not only was she contributing to his happiness, she had cooked him dinner, made sweets for the ranch hands, and driven Jasper nearly crazy with her insistence on helping with the cleaning. Or more like her insistence on cleaning certain areas of the house before Jasper arrived. Jasper was not happy with that at all.
“What are you, an English teacher now?” The tone in her voice wasn’t
Similar Books
