Heart of the Hunter by Madeline Baker Read Free Book Online Page A

to spend the day watching Lee, she
quickly finished up the dishes, made her bed and dusted the living room
furniture. She hadn’t given the house a good cleaning since she arrived and
this seemed the perfect time to do it.
    It wasn’t a very big house. There were two bedrooms in the
back of the house, a small but surprisingly modern bathroom, a good-sized
living room and a combination kitchen and dining room.
    She stripped the sheets and blankets from the bed in the
spare bedroom to air the mattress, scoured the bathroom fixtures and mopped the
floor.
    She was ready for a break when lunchtime came.
    The hamburgers were grilling when Lee entered the kitchen.
She was relieved to see that he’d donned his shirt. For some reason, the sight
of his bare chest aroused feelings she didn’t wish to acknowledge or analyze.
    Lee hesitated before he sat down, wondering if she’d had a
change of heart about his staying on.
    “Sit down,” she said. “It’s almost ready.”
    Nodding, he pulled out a chair and straddled it. He tried
not to stare at her, tried to think of something else, but he couldn’t keep his
gaze from straying toward her, couldn’t help noticing the way she filled out a
pair of jeans, couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to hold her in his
arms
    He swore softly. She was a white woman, he reminded himself
sternly, and he’d vowed never to get mixed up with a white woman again. It had
been ten years since the incident with Melinda, but he hadn’t forgotten what it
had cost him the last time he’d let a pretty face override his better judgment
and as much as he longed to take Kelly in his arms and discover if she tasted
as good as she looked, he had no intention of giving in to that particular
temptation.
    He ate quickly, thanked her for the meal and left the house,
determined to bury his lust under a coat of red paint and a lot of hard work.
    By nightfall, Lee was bone weary. Feet dragging, he made his
way to the house, convinced he’d managed to subdue his base feelings for a
woman he hardly knew, but one look at Kelly’s face and he knew he was kidding
himself. What was there about this particular woman that drew his gaze again
and again? Was it the pull of her soft golden skin, the sky-blue color of her
eyes, or the simple fact that she was a challenge he was helpless to resist?
    He shook his head imperceptibly. She didn’t wear much
makeup, only a bit of mascara and a touch of pale pink lipstick, and yet he
knew he’d never seen anything as sexy as Kelly McBride clad in a pair of faded
jeans and a white turtleneck sweater.
    Get hold of yourself, Roan Horse, he chided. You’re as randy
as a young stud with his first mare.
    They ate in silence. The lack of conversation made Kelly
uncomfortable and she was glad she’d turned the radio on—until Vince Gill began
singing a song called Nobody Answers When I Call Your Name . The soft
country ballad filled the kitchen, reminding Kelly of how lonely she was. All
she’d ever wanted had been a home of her own and a man to share it with, yet
she’d never found that one special man. Twice, she’d thought she’d been in love.
The first time, she’d discovered that the man she adored was already married.
The second time, she had simply lost interest in the relationship. She’d always
been told that there was someone for everyone, but she was beginning to doubt
it.
    The song ended, only to be followed by another song about
lost love and broken dreams.
    Glancing up, she met Lee’s gaze, felt her cheeks grow hot as
she saw the barely concealed longing in his eyes. He was lonely, too, she
thought.
    Her heart seemed to climb into her throat as she watched Lee
push away from the table. He rose to his feet with all the sleek, lazy grace of
a tiger. He circled the table until he stood beside her chair, one hand
outstretched.
    Feeling foolish and giddy at the same time, Kelly put her
hand in his, let him pull her to her feet, take her in his