Kiss of an Angel by Janelle Denison Read Free Book Online Page B

Damn. He’d wanted her to touch him in the worst way, but he knew if she did, he’d go up in smoke and take her with him.
    Scowling at everything in general, he grasped her hand in a businesslike manner and practically dragged her behind him. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he muttered, forging a path up over the final crest of the ravine. A couple of times her boots slid from under her, but he had a firm enough grip on her to keep her on her feet. Once they were on flat land he let go of her hand.
    Another pasture stretched out ahead, and beyond that was the main ranch road. A sweet, clean breeze curled around them.
     “Oh, J.T.,” Caitlan breathed, gesturing to the group of elk grazing near the tree line. “This is so beautiful.”
    Seeing the wild beauty of his land through someone else’s eyes gave J.T. a new appreciation for it. “I guess I see them so often, I take everything for granted.”
    “I could watch them for hours,” she said in a soft voice. The animals maintained a guarded wariness and wouldn’t need much provocation to bolt.
    “We don’t have hours,” he reminded her, and started forward. Several of the elk backed away.  Others sprinted into the grove of trees lining the far side of the pasture. When she caught up to him he said, “You never did say where you were from or what you do.”
    Caitlan looked surprised at the switch in conversation. “Chicago. I’m an illustrator for a children’s magazine.”
    “You’re a long way froth home, city girl.”
    “Yes.” One of those secret smiles brushed her lips. “But I get a hankering for the country and horses every once in a while.”
    And she’d no doubt get bored after a week or two, he thought, knowing from experience that city women didn’t adapt well to life in the country. “Did you grow up in the country and around horses?”
    “My uncle owned a ranch in Montana and I spent my summers there.”
    “So what brings you to such a rural place as an Idaho dude ranch?”
    She shrugged and scuffed her boots over the grass. “A vacation. I just wanted to get away for a while.”
    “Are you staying at Parson’s by yourself, or is there someone waiting and worrying about you?” And why did he even care? His only concern should be getting her safely back to Parson’s, regardless of who might be waiting for her there.
    She shook her head, and the sun painted golden highlights in her hair. “No, I came by myself.”
    “Well, you can call Parson’s as soon as we get back to the main house and let them know you’re okay.”
    She gave him her dimpled grin, and this time J.T. only felt a minimal shock at seeing it. “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing. “Someone’s coming.”
    J.T. glanced up. Sure enough, three figures appeared on the horizon.  Two men on horses and a horse with no rider. J.T. whistled loud and shrill, garnering their attention. The riders spurred the horses into a gallop. Minutes later, J.T. recognized his ranch foreman, Frank, and his brother-in-law Kirk. J.T.’s faithful chestnut, Quinn, tagged behind on a lead rope.
    Kirk reined to a stop a few feet away, a sly grin on his handsome face. “Sorry, boss,” he said, thumbing back his Stetson on his head, his light blue eyes appraising Caitlan. “We didn’t consider you might not want to be found, or realize you’d have company with you.”
    Frank, chuckling at his partner’s comment, halted his horse and Quinn beside Kirk. He grinned good-naturedly, adding more wrinkles to his well-weathered face. “And here we were, worrying you’d got stranded out in the open and froze to death last night,” he said, his voice a raspy drawl.
    J.T. watched a blush rise on Caitlan’s cheeks from the men’s innuendos. A rush of protectiveness gripped him. Assuring himself that the feeling was nothing more than paternal instinct kicking in, he pinned both men with a shrewd look. “Can it, guys. This is Caitlan Daniels and, quite frankly, she saved my