Staking His Claim (Ranchers of Chatum County 1)

His eyes stayed hot on hers but he didn’t answer.

She tried speaking again. “Thanks for saving me. Again.”

He did respond to that. “Not a problem. Better me than the next guy.”

She still wasn’t so sure about that. “You think?”

“Yeah.”

He turned away and came back seconds later with a tube of antiseptic ointment and a moistened cloth. He held the cloth in front of her and gently offered, “You trust me to do it?”

She puffed out a breath as something unknown passed between them. “Yeah.”

He placed the cloth on one knee and then the next, loosening the dried blood, rubbing gently, carefully removing the sand and flakes of rock from the dried sores. It took awhile and she sat still, trying to distract herself from the pain by watching his hands on her.

He had large strong hands, with thick, blunt fingers. They were cool and capable as they touched her skin. Elaina felt a trace of heat hit her high in the breasts and slide down through her system, landing in a damp pool of need between her thighs. Shocked, she trembled softly and raised her eyes back to his face.

His movements stalled and she knew he felt the tremors in her body as his eyes left his task and lifted to hers. Incendiary heat passed between them. She licked her lips and stared at his male beauty.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak. “So—you’re not always mean.” The words were off the top of her head but they conveyed her exact thought.

His ministrations stopped completely and she felt his attention leave her abraded flesh and center wholly on her.

She sucked in a breath at the naked look of self-contempt in his eyes.

“I was hard on you yesterday.” His hand stroked absently down her leg to her calf, and he rubbed back and forth, stopping to cup the feminine definition of her muscle. “I’m sorry about that. I get pissed when I get scared. And it scared me shitless to think about you putting yourself in danger.” His eyes continued to rove over her features as his hands stroked her skin. “You’re young and small and weak. There are bad people out there, baby.” The visible anxiety in his eyes told Elaina his worry was sincere. “You have to be careful all the time, you know?”

His hand lifted to her face and cupped her chin, his calloused finger tilting her face completely to his. “Okay?”

“Y-yes.” Elaina was mesmerized by his masculine beauty so close to her. Her heart was beating in wild gallops; her brain seemed absent from her body. Again, she spoke without thinking, “You’re so handsome.”

Her face immediately flushed red when she realized she had spoken the thought out loud.

His hand tightened on her chin and one side of his mouth lifted in an attempt at a smile that failed completely. “Yeah? Well, you’re gonna be stupendous when you get grown. You’re beautiful already and there’s no fucking way you can stay here with me. This was a bad idea.”

He let go of her face and pushed back from her onto his haunches. I’m gonna get you cleaned up and get you back home. I got a pair of crutches. You’ll be fine until they get back.”

“Why do you get to say—the f-word and I don’t?” she whispered.

His hand lifted to her face one last time and held her cheek, his thumb running over the tracks that the earlier tears had left. He leaned into her, put his mouth to her ear and whispered, “You get grown up some and I’ll let you say it to me all you want.” His mouth lingered, and Elaina quivered as she felt him breathe in her scent and place a slow kiss on her ear.

This was the third or fourth time he had made a comment about her growing up. It sent shivers through her system.

Her arms were just about to reach up and enfold his neck when he abruptly stood to his feet and turned away.

****

The next day Raul fought with himself off and on about checking on Elaina. He knew Brian and Janie were home, he’d seen their truck flying down the road leaving a cloud of dust a couple of hours before.

At three o’clock, he couldn’t fight the beast inside anymore and flipped his cell open.

Brian answered it on the first ring. “Hey man. Thanks for bailing us out. Again.”

“No problem. She was pretty shaken up yesterday. Vicious twist to the ankle. She okay?”

“Yeah. Janie drove her to the clinic this morning just to make sure there’s no fracture. Just a sprain. Thanks, man.”

“Sure. How’d the trip go? Janie buy out the stores?”