Heart Of A Texan. Charlene Sands

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       Three

      On Saturday morning, three days after meeting with Jared Stone, Bella followed a good-natured Marie up to her new rooms at Stone Ridge. The woman seemed genuinely glad to have her there. “I’ll be staying today to help you get settled in,” she said with a smile. “If you need anything, or have any questions, be sure to ask. Mr. Stone is down in his study. He’s anxious to get back to work. If you ask me, it’s too soon, but that boy is determined. He said as soon as you feel up to it, he’d like to see you.”

      Jared Stone had arranged for her things to be moved into the house this morning. All she’d had when she’d walked out of her father’s house in Pacific Heights was a few pieces of luggage and three boxes of baby gear. She’d traveled light...well, as light as she could with a toddler in tow. Sienna had toys and special blankets and dolls that she couldn’t live without. Really, Bella could have boxed it all up and placed it in her car, but her new employer had insisted on sending someone to help move her.

      “Thank you, Marie. I should be down soon. As you can see, I don’t have too much to unpack.”

      Marie’s kind eyes warmed as she took in the meager boxes and suitcases on the floor.

      Oh, goodness, she didn’t want to give the woman the wrong impression. She didn’t mean she was so destitute that these were all the things she owned in the world. Too late. Marie turned her attention to Sienna. “How’s the little princess today?”

      “Sienna, say hello to Marie.”

      Sienna wiggled her fingers in a shy wave. She didn’t want to cross the cookie lady.

      “She’s going to have a bit of fun here on the ranch. You be sure to take her around and explore. There’s a lot to see through a toddler’s eyes.”

      “I will. Thank you.”

      “I’ll be off now,” Marie said. “Remember to ask if you have any questions. I’m just tickled as can be you’re here. You two will bring some life into these four walls.”

      “You may get more life than either of you bargained for.”

      “Nonsense. Children only bring the world joy,” Marie said as she made her way out of the room.

      With Sienna latched onto her hip, Bella looked around the second floor of the house. Two adjoining bedrooms, both with queen-size beds, and a good-sized bathroom would be her new home. The rooms were lovely and in shades of light blues and lavenders with bleached white-oak contemporary furniture. She was pretty certain no one had ever stepped foot inside these immaculate guest quarters. Sienna would give the place a lived-in look within a matter of hours. Poor Jared Stone didn’t know what he was in for, inviting a toddler almost two years old into his home. And poor her, trying to keep Sienna’s antics down to a minimum. Jared didn’t know it yet, but his quiet existence would soon be replaced with chaos and noise.

      Bella walked over to the window and peered directly down into a backyard full of thick green grass and a flowery garden. There was a pool with a rock slide and trickling waterfall. All of the pool chairs and tables were protected and covered, but she could just imagine how inviting the pool would be on a scorching-hot Texas day. Her gaze traveled farther out to a pasture. Those tiny specks across the vista had to be a herd of cattle.

      She glanced around the room again and sighed. “Well, Sienna, time to unpack our stuff.”

      Fifteen minutes later she’d organized the bathroom, complete with an Elmo toothbrush set, child-safe shampoo and body wash and Princess Jasmine towels. Sienna would sleep with her, until she got acclimated, and one way to do that was to put all of her toys in the second bedroom. All of their clothes combined didn’t take up one-tenth of the generous walk-in closet space.

      It was weird coming to live here with a total stranger, though Amy had done a thorough Google search of Jared Stone and eagerly shared that he was a successful rancher, an astute businessman and a budding entrepreneur. Recently he and his brother Cooper had funded the building of a playground for the local community. And his charitable donations didn’t stop there.

       He’s hardly an ax murderer.

      Amy’s words sunk into her skull and she immediately felt better about coming to live here. “Okay, baby girl,” she said. “It’s time to say hello to the boss.”

      Taking hold of Sienna, she climbed down the stairs and went in search of the study. The house wasn’t hard to figure out; it was as sprawling as a two-story ranch home could be, and after stepping into the beautiful gourmet kitchen, excitement stirred as she ogled her new “office.” Sienna babbled loudly in her own sweet language as she made her way past the kitchen to the hallway leading to the study. Sienna squirmed and fussed to be let down. She had yet to have her nap. “Here you go,” Bella said, setting the baby on her feet, “but please don’t touch anything.” She knocked on the partially shut door.

      “Come in.” The pitch of Jared’s voice was deep and welcoming.

      She opened the door and found Jared sitting behind his desk, closing down his laptop computer. Color had returned to his cheeks, his bandages were off and the scrapes on his face appeared to be healing. He wore a black snap-down shirt and jeans, looking much better than he had just three days ago.

      He was handsome, there was no denying that. He now had a healthier glow about him; his eyes, less shadowed by pain, were deeper, bluer, mesmerizing.

      Her heart raced. She would be living with him now, in this house, and all the СКАЧАТЬ