The stranger pulled the phone away from his ear and stared down at it. “Doesn’t look like I’m going to reach anyone this way.” He dropped it into a breast pocket and looked around as though wishing a car to amble by.
“You are stubborn, aren’t you?”
A shock of surprise flashed across his face. “Let’s just say this isn’t sitting well with me.”
None of this was sitting all that well with her either. “Okay.” She shoved her hands down on the ground and pushed upright. “Enough is enough.” No sooner had she straightened than the ground shifted beneath her.
“Whoa.” Stretching forward, strong hands gently grabbed her arms. “See? And unfortunately, putting you on the back of the bike isn’t going to be any better than you riding that horse off into the sunset. How far are we from town?”
“You mean the way the crow flies?”
“That far?” He ran one hand roughly across the back of his neck.
She dared a nod, relieved the knot at the back of her head hadn’t objected, and the ground beneath her saw fit to remain stable. “Yes, and you can let go of me now. The world has stopped spinning.”
By now Starburst had made her way over and was gently sniffing at Hannah’s shoulder. “Sorry, girl. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Scare her?” The stranger’s eyes rounded.
Hannah scratched under Starburst’s jaw and took in the animal’s unexpectedly calm demeanor. “Maybe you’ll work out after all,” she cooed, “as long as we keep you away from two wheelers.” She lifted her gaze to meet both the cause of her current dilemma as well as her rescuer. “I promise I will be fine but I do need to head back or people are going to start to wonder if I decided to ride all the way back to Dallas.”
“If you insist on riding home at least let me follow you.” The way he looked from her to the saddle and back with such concern in his eyes, she couldn’t very well say no.
“Fine.” Moving in front of the saddle she lifted one foot into the stirrup, grabbed hold of the saddle horn, and just as she started to pull up stars danced in front of the horizon. Prepared to land once again flat on her back, instead she found herself cradled in the stranger’s arms.
“We really have to stop meeting this way.” The man words may have been meant to disarm the situation with humor, but his dark eyes were heavy with concern. “I’m still not so sure about this idea of yours.”
To tell the truth she was starting to have some doubts herself, but there weren’t a whole lot of choices because she sure as hell wasn’t going to get on the backend of that motorcycle, nor was she willing to leave Starburst standing in the field by herself. The only choice she had was to pull up her big girl panties and get herself home, but first she’d have to extricate herself from this man’s arms and prove she could stand on her own two feet. “You can put me down now.”
Of all the possible thoughts crossing his mind, cooperation didn’t appear to be one of them. For just a moment or two she thought he might actually refuse and simply carry her all the way home. Another long pause hung between them before he slid one hand out from under her, letting her feet touch the ground, then cautiously eased the other hand away as well. Taking in a deep breath, she stuck her foot in the stirrup to climb up again, only this time his hands were at her side just in case.
Swinging her leg over, she straightened in the seat and blew out a grateful breath, relieved to be perfectly balanced. “Better give me a head start. I don’t need Starburst spooking again. When I’m almost out of your sight it’ll probably be safe for you to start that contraption up. Agreed?”
Again, another second of hesitation passed but he had to be as aware as she was that they had little other choice. “Agreed.”
Grabbing hold of the reins she tugged left, turning Starburst in the direction of the ranch. The unexpected and almost absurd encounter had her glancing around looking for any sign of a mysterious dog. Nothing in sight. Too bad. Would’ve made one hell of a story to tell her grandchildren.
***
Read more of HANNAH… available now on Kobo!
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Books by Chris Keniston
Farraday Country
Adam
Brooks
Connor
Declan
Ethan
Finn
Grace
Hannah
Ian
Aloha Series
Aloha Texas
Almost Paradise
Mai Tai Marriage
Dive Into You
Shell Game
Look of Love
Love by Design
Love Walks In
Waikiki Wedding
Surf's Up Flirts
(Aloha Series Companions)
Love on Tap
Head Over Heels
Perfect Match
Just One Kiss
It Had to Be You
Honeymoon Series
Honeymoon for One
Honeymoon for Three
Family Secrets Novels
Champagne Sisterhood
The Homecoming
Hope's Corner
More on Chris and her books can be found at www.chriskeniston.com
Follow Chris on Facebook at ChrisKenistonAuthor
or on Twitter @ckenistonauthor
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One — Epilogue
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