The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Part 1 (9 page)
Read The Rancher and the Runaway Bride Part 1 Online
Authors: Susan Mallery
Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Literature & Fiction
He grumbled low in his throat, but didn’t respond.
“You talk tough, but I’ve seen you petting them,” she said, rising to her feet. “Especially Peter.”
“Who the hell is Peter?” He stood up and glared at her. “You’re not going to start naming them. Over my dead body. Next thing you know you’ll be attached to them and won’t want me to give them away. No names.”
“Peter is the black kitten with a white patch on his nose. You were holding him. I saw you, so don’t bother denying it.”
“I was not. I was checking to see if he had something in his paw. I thought he was limping.”
“Sure. It’s a good story, Brady. You
might
get someone to believe it. Just not me.”
He glanced around as if checking to make sure they were alone. “All right,” he said, his voice low. “Maybe I was petting that one, but I still don’t like cats.”
“You’re right. You adore them.”
She laughed and he joined in. He made a move toward her, as if to deliver a mock blow. She raised her hands in a gesture that was two parts protection, one part surrender. Not sure if she’d stepped forward or if he’d been the one to close the distance between them, she found herself in his arms.
As hugs went, it wasn’t especially romantic. He held her lightly, his hands barely touching her back. Yet there was a rightness, as if they’d been created to fit together. Her body heated unexpectedly. Her thighs began to tremble, as did her arms.
After a brief squeeze, he released her. Slowly, she let her arms drop to her side, oddly reluctant to move away. Nerves tingled where her fingertips had rested on his shoulders.
“Thanks, Brady,” she said, wondering if he could hear the shaking in her voice. What was wrong with her? It was just a hug. “I mean, for the job and the raise. And for trusting me. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. Good night, Rita.” He bent over and brushed his lips against her cheek.
Her heart lurched in her chest and her breath caught. She spun on her heel and walked rapidly to the front door, calling a quick “‘Night” over her shoulder as she ducked inside.
By the time Randi made it back to the safety of her room, she still hadn’t been able to slow her breathing. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and was shocked to feel heat. Was she blushing? She wasn’t embarrassed, she was stunned.
“Calm down,” she told herself as she paced from the door to the window. “Deep breaths. It’s not a big deal. Just a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Just like Noah does all the time.”
Maybe the actions looked like the same brotherly affection, but her reaction couldn’t have been more different. With Noah, she felt a sisterly love. With Hal, she never felt anything at all. But in Brady’s arms—“Don’t think about it,” she said. “Remember who you are and what you’ve done. Brady isn’t going to be interested in a woman like you.”
Maybe. Probably. Certainly. But that knowledge didn’t stop her from pressing her fingertips to the cheek he’d kissed. Nor, when she was in bed and staring at the ceiling, could she stop reliving those brief seconds in his arms. Her body hadn’t reacted that strongly to the passionate kisses she’d received from the young men she’d dated in college. And all Brady had done was kiss her cheek.
A noise downstairs caught her attention. She heard measured steps on the stairs and knew Brady had returned from his final check of the ranch. Every night he walked around the barn and the bunkhouse, making sure all was well. He guarded his domain much as Princess guarded hers.
Randi turned on her side and pulled her knees up to her chest. Longing filled her. Longing for a home and a place to belong.
But with her past haunting her at every turn, how was that ever going to happen?
Randi has been on the run for several months, but when she’s finally found the place she wants to be, she knows she can’t stay. Brady’s ranch is everything—a great job, wonderful friends and…Brady. For the first time, Randi is happy. It’s all too good to last. She can’t run from her past forever. Sooner or later she has to confess everything to Brady and see the hate in his eyes. She can’t wait much longer. The hit men are tracking her down and getting closer each day. Read Part 2 and learn if Randi has put the lives of her new family in jeopardy.
A pounding rainstorm hits the town of Grand Springs, Colorado, causing blackouts and mudslides. As the people of Grand Springs are forced to come together, find out who will find love, family and each other.
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ISBN-13: 9781460330975
THE RANCHER AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE PART 1
This is the revised text of a portion of a work first published by Harlequin Enterprises Limited in 1997.
Copyright © 1997 by Harlequin Books S.A.
First part of revised text Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
36 Hours That Change Lives…
The rainstorm hit hard and fast. No one was prepared. Grand Springs, Colorado, was in for the roughest 36 hours they had ever experienced. Blackout, thunder, lightning, mudslides, road closures, cave-ins, accidents, premature labors…and even murder. There was nothing to do but to wait out the ravaging storm and pick up the pieces when the skies cleared. Every life was changed. For some, it was a new beginning. For others, it was the end of everything they loved.