Page 21 of A Forever Kind of Rancher

Oh. Cake. That’s what it was. He could see it now, even if it was fuzzy at the edges because he’d rather look at her hands holding the platter than at what was on it. But she’d made it, so he would eat it.

“Are you really eating standing hunched over a counter like a rabid wolf?”

“I don’t think rabid wolves eat pot roast, I think they eat pretty women carrying cake.”

He shouldn’t flirt with her. But her cheeks turned pinker. So he considered that a win.

“Maybe just a regular wolf, then.”

He grinned, making sure to flash his teeth. “Hard to say.”

“You should sit down. There are studies on how you shouldn’t eat standing up.”

“Are there?”

“I’m pretty sure. It’s something I’d say to my kids, anyway.”

“Oh, well, then, I guess I’ll consider myself chastened.”

She glared at him. “I don’t think you are.”

“No. You need shame to feel chastened, I think.”

“And you don’t have any shame?”

He made sure to grin even wider. “None whatsoever.”

If only that were true.

If only he didn’t care so damned much about doing the right thing, and at this point it had nothing at all to do with Daniel. It was about her.

And that was immovable, as far as he was concerned.

“I really...” She closed her eyes for a moment, and he looked at how her lashes fanned out over her high cheekbones and felt a bit like his heart had lifted to the base of his throat, and his lungs right along with it. “I appreciate you doing this,” she said, opening her eyes, letting out a breath.

It was like she released his breath along with it.

Then she walked over to the kitchen island and set the cake plate on it. There was nothing more than a slim length of counter between them now.

She put her hands on the counter and examined them.

He did too.

Her hands, not his.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Daniel has been your friend for longer than you’ve known me,” she said. “You didn’t take his side.”

“There’s no side here,” he said. “To be very clear, I was done with him the minute I...that night, before you got there, he kissed another woman. I had never seen that before, I swear to you. And I looked the other way, I’ll admit that. There were things I didn’t want to know, because...” This was dangerous ground. They both knew it. “You know why.”

“Do I?” she asked.

The words were too loud in the silent kitchen, even though they were practically a whisper.

“Yes,” he said. “You do.”

He cleared his throat. And took another bite of roast. Then he looked at her again. “I tried to keep myself out of your marriage. But I wouldn’t have after I saw that, okay? I want you to understand. I was outright done with him the minute I knew he wasn’t faithful to you. I told him so today.”

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