Cowboy Who Came For Christmas. Lenora Worth

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      She looked so shocked, he figured she just now realized she’d mentioned her past. “No.”

      “What brought you here?”

      She glanced around as if searching for a good response. “Art. I like how everyone here is involved in folk art.”

      “How did you find out that everyone here is an artist?”

      She gave him a blank stare and shrugged. “Artists tend to find each other.”

      “Why is everyone around here so tight-lipped?”

      “You haven’t met everyone around here.”

      “You have a way of answering a question with a counterstatement. Were you ever a lawyer?”

      Shock again. “No. I just don’t like to talk about myself.”

      “And why is that?”

      She got up and threw another log on the fire. “You might be able to get out and walk around today. The snow and ice will be here awhile, so I doubt you’ll be able to get down the mountain today, but you can at least search for...that man.”

      “You mean Joe Pritchard?”

      Her hand stilled on a log before she tossed it into the fire. “Whoever he is.”

      Hmm. A bit of defensiveness and deflection. She sure didn’t like to talk about herself and apparently, any wanted criminals, either. Adan’s burning gut told him Sophia knew more about Joe Pritchard than she was letting on. If he had any service on his phone he could run a check on her, too.

      “I intend to get out and search for him,” he replied with a cool assurance that didn’t calm his stomach. Then he polished off the last of his second biscuit. “Thank you for breakfast.”

      She turned and took his plate before he could set it down. “Want more coffee?”

      “Sure.”

      He got up and followed her into the tiny kitchen and, too late, realized this space wasn’t made for two people. They bumped together when she whirled to take his cup.

      “Excuse me,” she said, a becoming blush moving down her cheeks. She lowered her gaze and held her head down.

      “I can get my own coffee,” he said to fill the space.

      “Let me get it.”

      She took the cup right out of his hand, her fingers brushing his in a soft sizzle that surged through him all the way to the tips of his boots.

      Adan backed up, regrouped and reminded himself he didn’t like entanglements of any kind. Even while he envisioned his hands entangled in all that rich auburn hair.

      * * *

      SOPHIA GRIPPED THE sink with one hand and scrubbed with all her might with the other hand. She hated stains.

      And she also hated having Adan Harrison in her home. And she hated lying and hiding things.

      But she had no other choice. Did she?

      When she’d come into the kitchen earlier and seen his too-big body curled up on her too-small couch, she’d had to swallow back a shard of longing. She’d always imagined having someone special in her life, and she’d tried so hard to make that happen. Once. But once was enough for Sophia.

      Having Adan asleep on her couch was one thing. Getting all fuzzy hearted and sentimental was quite another. So she’d reminded herself to stay away from the sleeping giant and to keep her hands and her daydreams to herself. After a sleepless night of trying to figure out what her next move could be, she’d decided she had to be nice to the big Texas Ranger. For now.

      This man wasn’t here for a fling.

      He’d come to this mountain to find a killer.

      And she’d come to this mountain to escape. Just to escape.

      Why was he here now and when would he leave? Who was out there taunting her? Her mind skittered over memories still too fresh to tuck away completely. Did someone know her sins?

      Sophia stared at the sink and decided it was clean enough. She rinsed away the cleanser and washed out her dish towel, then dried her hands and grabbed her lotion bottle to moisturize them. Then she turned to tidy up the living room. Adan had folded his bedding and pillows and left them on the sofa. She touched a hand to one of the pillows and remembered his head touching that same spot.

      The bathroom door opened, causing her to jump back like a kid caught with her hand in the candy jar.

      Adan walked into the room, chewing up space with each step. “I’m gonna walk down the mountain to check on my truck.”

      Relief flooded through her. He’d be out of her hair for a couple of hours so she’d have a chance to talk to Bettye. Trying not to sound too happy, she said, “Oh, okay. Be careful.”

      “You’re going with me.”

      Panic scurried across Sophia’s nerve endings. “What? Why?”

      He stood by the fire, his hands in his pockets. “Don’t look so scared. I need you to be my guide and to help me with spotting any signs of activity out there. You know these woods better than me.”

      She did know these woods. She also knew how to steer him away from places he didn’t need to go. Her heart beat in little skips and jumps, but she didn’t have a choice in this matter, either. She would have to serve not only as Adan’s guide, but his guard, too.

      She ran a hand over her hair. “I’ll get my gear.”

      He gave her a puzzled glance. “I figured you’d protest and stomp your foot and come up with some good excuses.”

      Sophia quirked an eyebrow. “Would that have worked?”

      He laughed at her remark. “No. I’d still take you with me.”

      “Even if I refused to go?”

      “That would only make me suspicious.”

      “You mean even more suspicious than you already are?”

      “Yeah. Even more.”

      She went about putting on her hat, gloves and coat so she could hide the fear and disappointment his words brought out. “Why don’t we get going while the morning sun is bright and shiny? The snow won’t melt completely. Too cold out here.”

      “Fine.”

      That sun might shine a light on things she wanted to hide. But if she kept him on the road and out of the woods, they should be okay.

      She should be okay.

      He grabbed his coat and hat. Then he turned to holster his gun. “Let’s go then.”

      Sophia felt as if she was about to go on a death СКАЧАТЬ