Page 151 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

She didn’t want to think about Jared with another woman...ever. But she needed a few answers. Was he telling her he thought they would last? That his feelings for her were strong enough to overcome whatever his ex had done to him? “She must’ve hurt you badly.”

He kissed the top of her head. “She did.”

“How? What did she do, Jared?”

He hesitated a long while and she thought to retract her question. Tell him it didn’t matter. Tell him he didn’t have to reveal his secret, because she couldn’t reveal hers, and already the guilt she experienced was piling up.

But before the words were out, Jared began. “I met Helene in Dallas more than two years ago. She was working as a secretary in my friend’s construction office. She was new in town, from this little country in Eastern Europe, and we hit it off immediately. We began dating that summer and things spiraled from there really quickly. I mean, I thought she was the one. I met her brother, she met mine. We were happy. You know, looking back, I see all the red flags, but at the time I was sort of blind. I fell hard for her and asked her to marry me. We were to have a Christmas wedding.”

“And then what happened? Did she break it off?”

“No, I did. I surprised her one day at her apartment and walked in on her and hersupposedbrother in bed together. God, I felt like a big idiot. She’d set me up. She’d needed permanent entrance into the country and the man she’d introduced as her brother had really been her lover.”

“Wow. That must’ve been a shock.”

“You have no idea.”

“Jared, I’m sorry.” She lifted up enough to reach his mouth and kissed him.

He smiled. “Don’t be. I’m fine, other than it’s been sort of hard to trust anyone, you know?”

Pricked by guilt over her lies to him, she sighed. “I do know. Thanks for sharing that with me.”

“Hey, I’m okay. But I know you’re struggling about some things, too.”

She froze. Oh, God, had he picked up on her lies? Was he suspicious? Because she’d saved his life, he’d taken her at her word about who she was. She still didn’t think she knew him well enough to reveal her secret. She trusted him with her body, yes. But, she couldn’t possibly trust him with Sienna’s safety. He was a good guy, but his judgment at times came into question. What had happened today with the horse had sealed her stance on the matter. So as much as she wanted to share her burden with him, her instincts were telling her it was too soon.

“I mean, you’ve been through so much, losing your husband and raising Sienna.”

Her shoulders fell in relief. “I won’t lie. It’s been difficult. But it’s getting better.”

“Am I part of your healing?”

“Maybe. Am I part of yours?”

“Hell yeah, you are. The day of the accident, I remember you telling me how lucky I was. I didn’t think so at the time, when everything in my body ached. But now I do. Now, thanks to you, I’m lucky enough to ache in different ways.”

He kissed her lips quickly and laughed.

“You!” She tossed a pillow at his head and he dodged it.

“Pillow fight,” he announced.

“Not right now. I’ve got to get upstairs. Sienna’s restless and bound to wake up soon, but I’ll take a rain check on that pillow fight. It could get really interesting.” She rose and donned her clothes rapidly. Jared snagged her arm and pulled her in, claiming her lips in one last kiss. A doozy.

And then she was off to see about her daughter, smiling wide in direct contrast with the hefty dose of dread draining into her stomach.

To say she was conflicted was a gigantic understatement.

Eight

The sun was just setting on the Christmas tree farm, the temperature brisk. The whimsical laughter of children filled the air as Bella shopped for the perfect Christmas tree. Jared followed directly behind her, holding a bundled Sienna, the two thick as thieves now.

“How about this one, Sienna?” Bella asked. She pointed to a Douglas fir that rose eight feet in the air.

Sienna tugged on her red-and-white knit cap and giggled. “No.”

It had fast become a game.