Read Online Explosive Memories by Sherri Thomas - Free Book Online Page A

anxiety in her chest would go away.
    At five, she gave up and yanked on a pair of tan dress shorts with a thin fuchsia shirt. Keep busy . That was the next step. By seven, she paced the cabin. At eight, the walls closed in, and she slipped into a pair of brown flip flops and wandered outside.
    The sounds of the ranch broke the silence screaming in her head. A cow mooed, answered by two more. The horses whinnied to each other, and the sheep rounded off the morning chatter. The golden dog ran, barking as it chased after one of the cowboys on horseback.
    While the atmosphere was great for relaxing, if her days contained nothing but sitting around and watching the others work, she’d go mad. A person could relax for only so long. Maybe she should accept Darcy’s job offer, but was that the wisest choice? Yes, the ranch was beautiful, and it would mean a paycheck…but it would also involve being in constant contact with Trent.
    She walked over to the tree line and found an inviting path leading into the woods. Should she venture inside the unfamiliar forest? Certainly a walk would be better than the alternative of sitting here doing nothing. And if she did accept Darcy and Nick’s offer, she’d have to familiarize herself with the layout of the land, so why not get a head start.
    Not wanting to get lost, she kept to the trail, careful not to trip on any branches. Her shoe apparel provided little protection against the hazards of the root and twig carpet. As she roamed deeper into the forest, a calming silence wrapped her in a cocoon, and she wondered aimlessly down the aisle, glancing around for any wildlife. Exercise was definitely what she’d needed. Her heart felt light. No heaviness rested on her chest or shoulders. Serenity surrounded her, giving her a clear head to consider her options.
    While taking the job would help her financial situation and boredom, dealing with Trent on a daily basis might be more than she could handle. And she refused to be naïve in thinking she’d be able to avoid him. The fact he lived here forced contact by its own violation, but was she capable of keeping the encounters to a minimum? Could she keep him at arm’s length and…?
    Ha. Who am I kidding? One touch of those sinful lips and she’d melt.
    Heat from the sun beamed in through an opening of the trees, and she edged closer to a drop off. Birds chirped, flying high over a ravine. At the bottom, a creek ran the middle of the crevasse and opened into an oval pond. On the other side sat a rundown shack.
    Gravity shifted under her feet, and Jordan grabbed the sapling next to her, hoping the tree spanned big enough to lend support. Was that the place she spent the night in Trent’s arms?
    No wonder she never found the hut. How had he driven to the site? Was there a road? A trail? She squinted in the bright light. A mosquito landed on her neck, another on her arm. Smacking at the blood suckers, she backed away.
    Maybe Darcy knew a better way—she swatted another bug from her cheek—and knew where to get a bottle of insect repellant. Retracing her steps, she made her way back to the ranch.
    “Hey, where’d you run off to?” Chris asked as he came from Nick’s cabin.
    “Just took a long walk.” She bit her tongue to keep from asking him about the shack. What if the family didn’t want anyone snooping around? Or worse, what if he insisted on going with her? She needed to do this alone. “Have you seen Darcy?”
    He nodded. “She’s working on the guest cabins. Come on, I’m headed that way.”
    “You sure it’s okay to interrupt?” she asked, falling into step beside him.
    “You kidding? We’re pretty laid back around here, especially when there’s not many guests, and knowing Darc, she’d love the break.”
    Glancing his way, she smiled. Chris made her feel comfortable. He had a relaxed way about him. He stood tall with a grin on his lips even when he wasn’t looking in her direction.
    “I hear you and Trent are old