A Hero To Count On. Linda Turner

Чтение книги онлайн.

      Hunter Sinclair was, Katherine decided three days later, the biggest pest she’d ever met. After his annoying comments at breakfast on Saturday, she’d done everything she could to avoid him, without success. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he had radar where she was concerned. Whenever she slipped off by herself, he always seemed to show up.

      She still didn’t know how he’d known she was at the ranch’s hot springs yesterday. She’d taken her sketchpad and pencils and slipped away from the homestead in Rainey’s SUV. All she’d told Rainey was that she was going out on the ranch somewhere to work on the illustrations that were due at the end of the month. No one had seen her leave the homestead, let alone followed her. Considering that, she should have had the rest of the morning to herself. Instead, she’d hardly settled beside the bubbling hot springs when Hunter drove up in his Toyota 4Runner.

      “What are you doing here?”

      Not the least bit put off by her greeting, he’d only grinned and started toward her with the lazy grace of a mountain lion on the prowl. “I was just out exploring and decided to check out the springs,” he said easily. “Buck told me the Indians used to camp here.”

      It was a good story, and another woman might have swallowed it without a blink of an eye. But thanks to Nigel, she wasn’t nearly as naive as she’d once been. “Really? And you just happened to show up when I was here?”

      “That’s right,” he chuckled. “Coincidence is a pretty amazing thing, isn’t it?”

      “Coincidence, my eye,” she retorted. “You followed me!”

      “Now, sweetheart, why would I do that?”

      “Don’t call me sweetheart!”

      “Yes, ma’am. What would you like me to call you? Personally I like darlin’. It’s got a nice ring, you know. But I can’t call you that without kissing you first. That’s one of my rules—”

      Frustrated, irritated, fighting the smile that tugged at her lips, she hadn’t said another word. She’d packed up her art supplies and left.

      When he’d gone out last night to one of the local watering holes, she’d told herself she was glad. There was bound to be a woman there who would catch—and keep—his attention for the rest of his stay at the ranch. Then he would stop yanking her chain and pestering her.

      Clinging to that thought, she should have slept the night away. Instead, the darn man chased her into her dreams, and she’d tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling for hours before finally falling asleep around four in the morning.

      Not surprisingly, the rest of the family, including Hunter, had already eaten breakfast by the time she woke at ten, and the house was deserted. Desperate for a cup of tea, she stepped into the kitchen, only to discover a note from Elizabeth on the refrigerator.

      Hey, sleepyhead. Hope you slept well. John and I have gone to the cabin, and Buck and Rainey and Hunter are riding fence on the ranch’s north boundary. If you want some company, take the dirt road west of the barn and it’ll take you to the cabin. I packed a picnic lunch for the three of us, and Rainey left her keys for you on the kitchen table. See you later. Elizabeth.

      So Hunter was with Buck and Rainey. She shouldn’t have been relieved—she СКАЧАТЬ