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She’d thought it was his kisses that left her all shaky and flustered. But as soon as he stepped out on the porch without a shirt on, she’d felt like leaves trembling in a strong wind.
Corbin had a phenomenal body. The type of body without an ounce of fat. Just stacked muscles one upon the other. When he lived in Houston, he must have worked out at a gym. A lot. He had a toasty tan as if he’d been working the ranch shirtless. When he’d raised his arms over his head to stretch, her tummy had taken a dip at the sight of the pale skin of his armpits covered in dark hair. He had looked so virile standing there stretching with his hair all bed messed that it had taken her breath away.
She was still having a hard time breathing.
Which was why she shouldn’t have agreed to come with him. But she couldn’t in good conscience let him ride to the Remington Ranch alone. Not only could he get lost, but also hurt. He might have gotten better at riding, but he still wasn’t an expert. This was proven a few minutes later when a rabbit raced out of its hole and spooked Homer. The horse jumped sideways, almost tossing Corbin off.
“You might want to keep a hand on the saddle horn,” she said. “Horses are unpredictable.”
He tightened his hold on the reins and placed his other hand on the saddle horn. “How long have you been riding?”
“Since I was four.”
He flashed a glance over at her. “Your daddy put you on a horse when you were only four years old?”
“No. Mama didn’t want us riding until we were six. It was Liberty who thought we should learn to ride at four. I helped her get up on our old plow horse first and then she pulled me up. Thankfully, Betsy didn’t move very fast. She plodded along at a snail’s pace no matter how hard we kicked our bare feet and wanted her to go faster.”
“You didn’t have on boots?”
“Nope. And that’s another thing we got a stern lecture for . . . along with not putting a saddle on Betsy.”
“Hank didn’t spank you?”
“Never.” She glanced at him. “Did your daddy spank you?”
He was silent for so long that she thought he wasn’t going to answer. “My daddy didn’t care enough to discipline us. We were nonentities to him.”
Belle knew he and Sunny had been passed around to different relatives, but she didn’t know all the details. She couldn’t help being curious. “And your mama?”
Again, there was only the sound of creaking saddle leather and horse’s hoofs hitting the hard earth before he spoke.
“Mama had a big dream of what a family should be. But since she only ever loved one man—and that man was a two-timing loser—that dream was hard to obtain. Which didn’t work out so good for me and Sunny. When she found out about Daddy fooling around with another woman, she’d kick us all out. Then when he came back, she’d want the dream again and she’d come and get us at whatever relative she’d pawned us off on.”
The story was so tragic Belle didn’t know what to say. No wonder he wanted to give Sunny a stable home. She had never had one . . . and neither had Corbin.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It wasn’t that bad. It certainly wasn’t as bad as Jesse’s childhood. Sunny and I weren’t physically abused.”
Just mentally.
And Jesse was physically abused? Liberty had told her that he was adopted, but not about the abuse. No wonder Liberty was so protective of him. She had always championed the underdog. Not that Jesse was an underdog. It looked like he had overcome his abusive childhood and become a successful man who had found happiness.
An image of Jesse’s big smile as he showed her the loft he’d renovated for her and Liberty flashed into her head and she felt like the worst person in the world. He’d only been trying to do something kind for her and the woman he loved and Belle had been rude and childish.
Was still being rude and childish.
She might not think he was the best man for Liberty, but that wasn’t her choice. And it certainly didn’t give her the right to be mean to him. She had always prided herself on being kind to others, but she hadn’t been kind to Jesse. And if anyone needed extra kindness, it was someone who had lived through abuse.
Whether physical like Jesse or mental like Corbin.
Which might explain why, when they reached the branding corral, Belle suddenly found herself taking on the role of guardian angel. Corbin couldn’t move without her issuing a warning.
“Corbin! Watch out for that closing gate.”
“Corbin! Don’t get too near that steer’s horns!”
“Corbin! Back up when they release that calf from the chute!”
