Page 26 of The Rancher’s Ecstasy

“What?” he barked at whoever stood on the other side of the door.

Emily heard Daisy laugh at something Cole said and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Embarrassed, she decided to make a run to the bathroom and grab the clothes that were on the floor on her way. She dressed quickly and walked out of the bathroom.

She could tell that he noticed the way she stiffened when he got close. He ignored it, pulled her against him, and tilted her chin to take her mouth. He leaned away and lifted his head when she relaxed against him with a sigh. Emily opened her eyes and stared up at Cole. She cleared her throat.

“What did Daisy want?” she asked.

He smiled and tightened his arms when she tried to pull away. “She was just checking to see how you were feeling, baby. I was hoping you were still in bed. I wanted to hold you a little longer.”

Emily tugged her arm free and turned away from him, her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“I can’t believe you answered the door like that? She knows what happened.” Her movements were jerky as she made the bed. “Oh, God. What is she going to think?”

“Stop it.” Cole pulled her around and back into his arms. “Look at me, Em. It doesn’t matter if she knows we made love.” He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away. “No. Don’t pull away. It doesn’t matter because I want everyone to know we’re together. I want no doubt in anyone’s mind that you’re my woman.”

Emily laid her forehead against his chest and took a deep breath. She let her hands graze over his sides, feeling the muscles and skin.

“I don’t know if I want them to know. We’ve only known each other for less than two weeks.” Cole chuckled above her.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we care about each other.” He waited for her to say something. “Right, Em?”

She looked up and stared into his eyes.

“Right?” Cole growled, his voice becoming more demanding, but also uncertain.

The exaggerated growl made her chuckle, which turned into a full laugh when his brows furrowed into an exaggerated, fierce frown.

“Not funny, baby. Now, answer me.”

Emily nodded. “Yes, I agree.”

One of his eyebrows cocked. “That we care about each other?”

She smiled up at him. “Yes. We care about each other.”

He bent and took her lips in a long, drugging kiss.

Emily pulled away reluctantly. “I need to check my emails and get some work done, and I’m pretty sure you do, too. You’ve been here for over three days.”

Cole bent and snagged his shirt, pulling it on before picking up his socks and putting on his boots.

“You’re right. I need to check on a few things. Will you promise to call me if you start feeling sick again?”

Emily smiled and nodded. “But I won’t.”

Cole looked at her as he tucked in his shirt. “I don’t care. I want a promise anyway.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Fine. I will call you if I feel sick.”

Cole pulled her into his arms again. “Good girl. How about we meet at the food barn for dinner?”

“Sounds good.”

He bent and kissed her fiercely before pulling away. “I don’t want to go, but I know I need to. We both have things we need to get done, but I’ll see you later.”

Several hours later, she wiped a bit of lipstick off the side of her lips. Emily sighed and tore her eyes from her reflection in the mirror above the sink. This was as good as it got. She knew Cole seemed to like the way she looked, but years and years of being told she was unattractive had taken its toll on her self-confidence, and it was going to take a while to get it back.

Emily grabbed her jacket because the nights were getting cold. The beauty of the star-laden sky took her breath. She would never get sick of looking at the scenery here. Everything was spread out. The fields went on forever with cattle and horses dotted here and there.