AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sunny got up and crutched over to the top of the steps. “Okay, let me rephrase that. What’s going on between you and Belle? And don’t you dare say nothing. Because it wasn’t nothing that was going on when I stepped out on the porch this morning. You two were staring at each other like frostbite victims looking at tubs of warm bathwater.”
Sunny had always been good at analogies. That’s exactly how he’d felt. Like Belle was a bathtub filled to the brim with perfectly warmed water and all he’d wanted to do was sink deep inside her. Of course, he wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.
“You must not have been fully awake if that’s what you saw.”
“Oh, I was fully awake. And what I saw on your face was exactly what I saw a hundred times before. You were looking at Belle just like you used to look at Liberty.”
That got his attention . . . and scared the hell out of him. He might be able to deny what had been happening on the porch to his sister, but he couldn’t deny it to himself. He had felt something this morning. Something similar to what he’d felt the other night when Belle had kissed him. But it wasn’t like the infatuation he felt with Liberty. It was just lust because he’d gone so long without sex. That was it. Nothing else.
“I don’t know what you saw, Sunny, but I’m not interested in the Holiday twins—either one.” He finished rinsing off his feet and got up to shut off the hose. When he turned back to the porch, Sunny was looking at him with concern.
“Are you sure you haven’t taken your infatuation with Liberty and turned it on Belle? Because Belle isn’t Liberty, Cory.”
“I figured that out a long time ago, Sunny.”
“Then why did you insist she stay here?”
He knew in order to get the concerned look off her face he’d have to be truthful. “Because ranching isn’t as easy as I thought it would be and Belle knows her way around the ranch.”
She stared at him for a long moment before a grin spread over her face. “So you talked her into staying because you’re scared?”
“Not scared. I just need her help until Hank gets back.”
The grin got bigger. “Are you admitting you’re not a rancher, Cory?”
He climbed the steps until they were eye level. “I’m not a rancher . . . yet. But I will be with a little more practice.”
“Well, you won’t be getting any help from Belle. She told me she’s planning on leaving this morning.” She hesitated. “Probably because my brother was looking at her like she was a deep-basted turkey and he was a stray, starving dog.”
“Very funny. You have to talk her out of leaving.”
“Me? I’m not the one who’s scared of running the ranch alone.” She sent him a smug smile before she crutched her way into the house, leaving Corbin to follow behind and try to figure out what to do. He would walk across a bed of rusty horseshoe nails barefooted before he told Belle he was scared.
Luckily, while he was getting dressed, Rome called to ask if he wanted to help with the branding and it gave Corbin the excuse he needed to keep Belle from leaving. As soon as he ended the call and finished getting dressed, he walked down the hall to her room. She answered the door dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Why had he been hoping for the thin white nightie? He mentally shook the image from his mind and pinned on a smile.
“Great. You’re ready.”
“Ready? For what?”
“Rome just called and says he needs help with the branding. Since he’s family, I figured you’d want to help too.”
“I can’t. I need to find a place to stay.”
There was something about the stubborn set of her jaw that said she was determined to stand her ground. Which meant he needed to try another tactic.
“Okay, well, I guess I can figure out how to get to the Remington Ranch by myself.”
“Wait, Sunny’s not go—oh, of course she’s not. Her ankle.” Her face scrunched up with concern and he knew he had her.
“It’s fine. I can figure it out. You do what you need to do.” He turned to leave, but only got two steps before she stopped him.
“I’ll go with you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Corbin’s riding had greatly improved since the last time Belle had seen him ride. He no longer looked tense and awkward. In fact, all the way to the Remington Ranch, he sat in the saddle as if he’d been riding for years instead of just a few weeks. One hand lightly held the reins while the other rested on his thigh and occasionally reached up to pat Homer’s neck.
Belle struggled to keep her eyes off him and he seemed to be having the same problem. Every time she glanced over, he was watching her . . . and no doubt thinking the same thing she was: what the heck had happened on the porch that morning?
