Two Spirit Ranch by Jaime Stryker Read Free Book Online Page A

he loved so much tells me a lot about you.”
“Thank you, Jake.  That means a lot to me,” Terri said.
“Do you have a brother?” Jake asked.
Taken aback, Terri moved away from Jake a few inches.  “Why?” she asked, sounding defensive.
“Uh, it's just...” Jake started to say.  Her reaction to what he thought to be such a simple question perplexed him.  Was there some sort of bad blood in the family?  “I remember way back Bud used to talk a lot about a nephew he had that lived in the city.  I just assumed...”
“Well, uh...” Terri was struggling to come up with an answer when a loud crack and pop came from the railing which suddenly began to give way. Her head was pitching forward into the water and Terri could see her reflection in the still water. But for a brief moment—a mere blink—it wasn't her face she saw but that of her old self, Terrence. She blinked again and he was gone.
Jake immediately reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her back, holding her tightly next to him.
“Whoa!  Careful!  I should have warned you that this pier was built quite a while ago.  I think some of the wood needs to be replaced,” Jake said, still holding on to her.  He noticed that she made no effort to pull away.
Startled, Terri tried to catch her breath.  “Thanks!  I was almost swimming with the fishes down there.”
“You okay?” Jake said, noticing she still appeared shaken.
“Definitely.  Thanks to you,” she answered.  She felt herself become flush at the thought of how her body felt pressed against his hard one.  It was getting colder and she wanted to feel enveloped in his strong arms and pressed against his warm body. Even though she hated to admit it, she missed having a man hold her, making her feel safe and loved. 
“Whatever happened to...” Jake started to say.
Terri sensed he was returning to the subject of Bud’s nephew and desperate to avoid the brother topic she said, “Would you mind if we go check that water temperature now?  I really could use a nice, hot shower after that long drive yesterday.”
There was no reason to reveal more about herself to anyone here, the sting of Tom's rejection still fresh. She would only be here for a few days at most just long enough to decide what to do with the ranch.  That’s what she decided in New York and that was the plan she was going to stick to. This handsome stranger would not deter her from her goal.
“Sure,” Jake answered, her avoidance of the brother question didn't escape his sheriff sensibilities, but he decided it was better not to push the topic.  If there was something she wanted him to know, she'd tell him.  Although, Jake couldn't help but wonder why Bud didn't leave at least part of the ranch to the nephew he spoke of so fondly.

    After they checked the water in the kitchen and hot water finally began to flow, Terri thanked Jake profusely.  “Thank you so much!  You're a genius!”
    “Hardly,” Jake responded.  “I just happened to be here a few times when Bud had to fix it.”
    Jake took a deep breath and tried to ignore the urge he had to take this woman in his arms and kiss her.  The whole evening he'd thought about how good her lips would taste and how her soft, delicate neck would feel against his cheek. Sure, he had had his share of women in Clearview make a play for him, but no woman had managed to catch his eye this way in a very long time.  He wasn’t a saint, but he wasn’t a player either. He respected women and felt it was his duty to honor the badge he wore.
    “I should probably let you get some rest,” he said, fighting the urge to make a move.  He should be a gentleman.  This was Bud's niece after all.  All woman deserved respect, but he felt a particularly strong need to look out for Terri because she was Bud's family.
    She walked him to his truck. The evening had grown quite cool, and the moon shone brightly in the barely cloudy sky.
                Jake thought she looked