Jillian Hart - Montana Cowboy

“She’s nice.” Colbie returned to sidle up to him. “Are you mad about the team thing?”

“Not mad, but something tells me you guessed she was a ringer.”

“Bingo. I see that look in your eye. You care for her.” Colbie patted him on the arm.

“And here I hoped it didn’t show.”

“You have two choices. You can try harder to hide it or you could let her know.”

“She doesn’t feel the same way I do.”

“Yet.” Love gentled her words. Colbie was a great sister, always looking out for him. “Maybe she’ll change her mind.”

“No, and it’s just as well. She’s leaving for home in a few weeks.” He caught a glimpse of her through the open French doors, where she stood in the kitchen stacking the plates on the counter and chatting with Uncle John.

Honor was a city girl and not the farm girl he was looking for. Not the kind of woman who would fit into his life on the ranch. His chest ached with disappointment, but he’d known that about her all along.

It was his heart giving him troubles, because his head knew for absolute certain she was not the woman for him.

“You’d better go change.” Colbie’s sympathy gentled her words. “And don’t be sad. The right woman is out there. I know it. You deserve the very best.”

“So do you.” He gave her hand a squeeze.

* * *

“I don’t believe it! You don’t like Montana?” Bree spiked the ball, sending it flying over the net. The other team members jockeyed into position as the blur that was the ball soared straight up in the air.

“It’s not that I don’t like Montana, it’s that I don’t get Montana,” Honor explained as she punched the ball and it arced over the net.

“What’s not to get?” Kelly, Luke’s cousin, asked as her husband, Mitch, volleyed the ball back to Honor’s side.

“Where’s the beach?” She rocked up on her heels, watching as Colbie dove for the save. “Where’s the ocean? Where’s the mall?”

“No ocean or beach, but we’ve got a mall,” Colbie quipped as she sent the ball up into the air.

“Two hours’ drive away from the Lamberts’. Four round trip.” She moved in to smack the ball with her fist, sending it flying straight at Luke. He was simply where her gaze went. Where she naturally aimed the ball. This wasn’t the first time.

He knocked it back, his violet-blue gaze so intense it was all she could see. She tripped over her own feet and wham! Down she went. When she hit the ground shock ricocheted along her bones as her knee rammed into the earth. The ball thudded next to her.

“Are you okay?” Colbie towered over her, grabbed the ball. “You went down so fast, I couldn’t do anything.”

“It won’t be the first time I’ve tripped over my feet.” She sat up and a shadow tumbled over her. A tall, broad-shouldered shadow. Her breathing hitched when she squinted up at Luke, who offered his hand.

“Let’s get you up and see the damage.” His fingers wrapped around hers. “You weren’t kidding about being a klutz. I didn’t believe you.”

“I can be a hazard to myself.” She found herself rising through the air and on her feet, breathless from the ascent. Maybe, just maybe, she had to admit, it may have something to do with the man. His callused palm, his touch, the snap of feeling that went way too deep.

“You’re bleeding.” Luke released her.

The zing faded predictably. When he knelt down to inspect her knee she had to face facts. She could no longer blame her reaction to him on low blood sugar. Didn’t that spell trouble?

“Doesn’t look too bad. Mostly just grass burn. You’ve scraped a few layers off.” Luke gazed up at her, his head tilted back, exposing the whirl of a cowlick at his crown. “What we need is a Band-Aid.”

“I’m tough. I don’t need a bandage.” Her voice sounded thick to her own ears and a little breathless. A bandage might up the chance of Luke touching her again. What she didn’t want was to prove her hypothesis. That this man affected her in ways she wasn’t ready for. It would be best to deny it, if she could. “What I need is to score the winning point. We’re almost there.”

“Yeah!” agreed Colbie, one arm around the ball, balanced on her hip. “As long as Honor’s okay, let’s do it. You men are toast.”

“Hold up one minute.” Not to be rushed, Luke held up one hand. Only then did Honor notice his Aunt Dorrie hurrying over with a box clutched in one hand.

“I saw you go down, dear.” She bustled up, panting a little. “This was all I could find on short notice. Do you need an antibacterial cream?”

“Thank you.” It was hard not to like Luke’s family. “It’s just a scratch, so I should be fine.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want this to put a kink in your date. There’s nothing like a wedding date.” Dorrie’s eyes sparkled, she handed Luke the box and patted Honor’s cheek. Kind, thoughtful, completely lovable. “So glad you’re here.”

Definitely impossible not to like.

“This won’t hurt a bit.” With a crackle, Luke freed a Band-Aid from its wrapper and knelt before her. She knew both teams watched, that everything had come to a standstill the moment Luke had rushed to her side of the net. That didn’t stop her heart from wobbling dangerously as the big, tough Montana cowboy applied the bandage to her knee with care. At the warm brush of his fingertips against her kneecap, the zing returned so strong, dizziness rushed through her head.

There’s only one solution, she thought. Stop with the touching.

“There.” Luke rose up to his six-foot-plus height, shading her from the sun. Light danced around him, burnishing gold highlights into his sandy hair. Irresistible.

Whoops, where had that thought come from? It was a big mistake. She needed a friend. But the way he was looking at her with more than concern and a lot of caring totally panicked her. What were his expectations? What was he hoping for?

Worse, what if he’d been hoping for more than friendship with her?

“Guess I’ll get back to my side,” he said, backing away, taking his shadow with him. The sun tumbled over her, too bright suddenly for her eyes.

I wish I was ready to believe again, she thought as Colby’s hand settled on her shoulder. To put faith in love.

“Sure you’re okay?” she asked, as if she was wondering about more than the skinned knee.

“I’m great.” She cleared her throat and wished she didn’t feel a twinge of emotion. “Let’s finish this.”

“As victors,” Colbie agreed with an understanding smile. She seemed to notice everything that had gone on and didn’t judge. Just cared.

Yes, she absolutely wished she was ready for a relationship that was more than friendship. Judging by the panic racing through her veins, she wasn’t even close.

“Let’s go!” Luke’s cousin Aubrey called as she caught the ball, stepping back to serve.

“C’mon, we can do this!” Lucy cheered. “Three more points.”

“Two after this,” Aubrey said as she served, sending the ball streaking over the net. The opposing team dove, but failed to set it. It whammed against the ground, cheers went up, but all Honor could see was Luke. His rugged stance and the remembered caring she’d seen.

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