The Forest Ranger's Child by Leigh Bale Read Free Book Online Page B

considering he’d saved her life several days ago. But she wanted to be left alone. To have time to heal her relationship with Dad and the Lord.
    Obviously her father liked the man. He had a lot in common with the ranger. But Lily didn’t want Nate hanging around all the time. Enough was enough.
    Now, she just had to find a way to convince Nate.

Chapter Five
    “D idn’t mean to intrude.” Nate shook Hank’s hand and smiled, trying to appear casual when he felt anything but. Lily eyed him with a perturbed frown and he felt like an interloper. He shouldn’t have come out here so soon, yet he felt compelled. Like an inner force was pushing him to watch out for this woman and her child.
    Now he felt like a dunce.
    “What do you want?” Lily asked, her dainty forehead crinkled with disapproval.
    “Lily! Don’t be rude,” Hank said.
    Nope, Nate shouldn’t have come. He couldn’t explain why Lily had become so important to him, or the sensations swarming his chest every time he looked into her expressive brown eyes. A man like him ought to have more control over his emotions. Some invisible force pulled him to her in spite of his resolve to stay away. He was acting like a young, lovestruck kid. And he wasn’t in love. He’d know it if he were. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. It took years of deep friendship and growing trust to love a woman.
    Didn’t it?
    “I…I came to see Peg.” Nate stepped farther into the stable and gazed at the stallion standing in the farthest stall.
    Okay, nice recovery, if Lily bought it. Nate loved working with horses and he was good at it, too. He didn’t come out to Emerald Ranch often, but when he did, he always stopped in to see the stallion.
    As he reached a hand out to run his palm over the horse’s left cheek, he peered at Hank. “Have you given him his candy today?”
    Hank jutted his chin toward Lily. “She just gave it to him and he gobbled it down.”
    Nate chuckled as the horse nudged his shoulder. On occasion, Hank let him give the horse his treat. The two men had a rodeo bond. They both loved this horse and it seemed they both cared for Lily, too. “No, boy, you’ve had enough for today. We don’t want you to get the colic.”
    A deep sigh of impatience whispered past Lily’s lips and Nate looked at her. Her eyes narrowed on him, her expression completely hostile.
    Nope, he definitely shouldn’t be here.
    “Well, I best be on my way. I have a few streambeds I want to check throughout the valley, to see what the flooding level is doing today. I’m planning to go up the mountain in a helicopter tomorrow afternoon.” Nate stepped back, prepared to leave.
    “Why a helicopter?” Lily asked.
    He turned to face her, liking the way her beautiful brown eyes crinkled with curiosity. “With three bridges out in Ruby Valley, I called the regional Forest Service office in Ogden, Utah, for help. Because of our serious flood situation, we’re the only ones in the region they’ve allowed to use a helicopter. I plan to fly across the East Humboldt area and the Ruby Mountains. We’ll look for any debris dams that are building up in front of a potential flood. It’s the best way to be aware so we can prepare for danger down below.”
    Her brow furrowed. “What kind of danger?”
    “Debris torrents. They move fast, usually strike without warning, and destroy property and kill anything in their path.”
    Hank scratched his chin. “You mean like a mudslide?”
    Nate shook his head. “No, a debris torrent is caused by boulders, tree limbs and rootwads that dam up in places like narrow canyons and ravines. The melt-off from heavy snows or rains builds up behind it. When it breaks loose, the destructive force is astounding. It can come down the mountain at speeds above thirty-five miles per hour. It obliterates anything in its path, including a ranch house. I’ve seen the devastation it leaves behind afterward, and it’s serious. I want to take a look and see