The Rancher And The RunawayBride: Part 2 by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online

my mama taught me well. I’m not
     going to assume that you’ll be cooking dinner just because you’re a woman. You put
     in a hard day’s work, just like I did. In fact, you were up earlier. I was being polite.”
    “Oh.” Who would have thought?
    “Just, oh ? What about a heartfelt apology?”
    She smiled. “Don’t you think ‘heartfelt’ is just a little too strong? This is a situation
     that calls for a casual apology.”
    “I’ll take either one.”
    She touched the cream to his belly. Muscle rippled. Her mouth went dry. She had to
     clear her throat before she could speak. “Why don’t we share kitchen duties? I’ll
     be in charge of the potatoes and setting the table, you can take care of the meat.
     The salad’s already made.”
    “Fine.” He closed his eyes again. “When you’re done with my chest, I’ve got some dandy
     scratches at the top of my thighs.”
    Randi froze.
    Brady opened one eye and grinned. “Gotcha.”
    * * *
    After dinner, Randi sipped her wine and sighed. “I am content. I worked hard this
     morning, helped you rescue Princess, a cat and her kittens, then finished up with
     a wonderful meal. Life doesn’t get much better than this.”
    “Agreed.” Brady leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.
    After she’d seen to his scratches, he’d pulled on his shirt. The logical side of her
     brain had been relieved. With him decently covered she was at less risk of making
     a fool of herself. The illogical side of her brain had murmured a protest, wanting
     to continue to look at his bare chest. At least she had the memories, she reminded
     herself. When she was alone in her room tonight, she would relive the experience of
     seeing and touching him.
    You might be growing up, but you’re still not very bright when it comes to men , she told herself. But somehow, with Brady, she didn’t care. It was safe to dream
     about him because he wouldn’t ever want her.
    “I should go clean up the dishes,” she said, making no move to rise.
    “I’ll help…in a minute.” He poured more red wine into her glass, then filled his own.
    She glanced around the dining room. A large hutch stood on the far wall. There was
     a buffet under the window. Several old samplers, obviously handed down for generations,
     decorated the walls. “This is such a great house,” she said. “I wonder if your parents
     miss it.”
    “I’m sure they do, but they know it’s waiting here for them. That makes a difference.
     When I got homesick, that’s what I told myself.”
    “When were you gone?”
    “I rode the rodeo circuit for nearly ten years.”
    “Really? I’ve been to a few rodeos and enjoyed them. I didn’t get to as many as I
     would have liked. My mother didn’t approve.”
    “Why?”
    Randi stared at her glass. “Oh, it wasn’t socially correct. Now, if I wanted to go
     to the ballet, that was fine. Or the opera. What were your events?”
    “Bareback and bronc riding. I was a bull rider for a couple of years, but those guys
     are crazy.”
    She raised her gaze to meet his. “I agree. It’s dangerous, but at least it’s fair.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I don’t know. I guess if a man wants to ride a bull that’s his business. The bull
     is larger and can take care of himself. I always hated calf roping. Those poor baby
     calves getting caught, then hog-tied. It doesn’t seem like a test of equals.”
    “If they grow up to be the bull riding stock, at least they get their own back.”
    She laughed. “I like that. I’m sure most of the calves don’t, but I’m going to insist
     on believing they do.”
    They sat next to each other at right angles, at one end of the long table. The large
     room made Randi want to whisper, as if they could be overheard. In some way, that
     added to the intimacy of the moment.
    “The rodeo was a good life for me,” he said. “I traveled, saw a lot of the country,
     met interesting people.”
    “Women?”
    He grinned.