Back to the Heart (2 page)

Ana coughed, but he didn’t turn. It took her a minute to realize he had headphones on—or rather, earbuds—which was why he was so oblivious to her presence. A bit annoyed, she decided to stand there until he turned and noticed her. And while she waited, she looked him up and down like a piece of meat.

Shaggy blond hair, toned biceps, a cute butt in loose jeans. Rugged—she could only imagine that was what his face looked like. Handsome, probably. Nothing that would knock her socks off, though, especially since she was so guarded against men. Not long ago, a handsome face would have been enough. Not anymore.

The minutes ticked on, and the man was no more aware of her than he had been when she stepped inside. While patience was normally one of Ana’s virtues, it was getting late, and she was weary from her drive. Best to get this introduction over so she could get to bed and start her new life bright and early the next day.

She sighed as she uncrossed her arms and went to tap on the stranger’s shoulder. In her haste, she didn’t see the rock right in her path, and ended up tripping over it and landing hard on the floor. Maternal instincts kicked in faster than she could have imagined, and she braced herself with her forearms to protect her stomach.

The fall must have gotten the stranger’s attention, because before Ana knew it, strong hands were pulling her back up onto her feet. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her a second time when she met the man’s gaze. The bluest eyes she had ever seen were staring back at her. It was barely tempered by the realization that they weren’t his real eyes—they were colored contact lenses. It didn’t matter. This was possibly the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Are you all right?” His concern was genuine. He dusted the bits of straw from her forearms and examined the scrapes from the fall. All Ana could do was stare at him speechless as he walked over to the corner of the barn where his things were strewn and returned with a bottle of water to wash her wounds clean.

I’m fine.” She jerked away from him the second the water hit her skin, though she hadn’t meant for her reaction to be so harsh. “I’m Ana White, Molly’s elder daughter. I just got in from New York a little while ago, and she said I should come introduce myself before I went to bed. So here I am.” She outstretched her hand awkwardly, trying to get the butterflies fluttering inside her stomach settled.

New York.” He repeated the words, seemingly lost in thought. “My name is Ryan Black. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand with a smile, recovering.

Ryan Black.” The name sounded disingenuous, especially how it mirrored her own. “What brings you to the big little city of Bandera?”

Just passing through.” He capped the bottle of water, his eyes never leaving hers. His gaze was so intense that it made Ana shift uncomfortably. There was nothing savage or dangerous about it, more like an interest bordering on heat. A heat she was trying desperately not to reciprocate.

Passing through from where?” She blinked a few times, trying to break the intimate connection between them. Couldn’t he see that she was pregnant? Probably not. Her baby bump still wasn’t showing very well. But what did it matter anyway? This man was nothing to her. A stranger on her parents’ ranch. An imposer.

I decided to take some time off from my life to travel around the country.”

Like this?” She gestured toward the pallet Ryan had made himself in the corner of the barn with a sleeping bag. The guy must be as broke as a joke if this was the way he preferred to travel.

He shrugged. “It’s easy, it’s inexpensive, and I get to work with my hands.” He brought his hands up, looking down at them. Big, strong hands, covered in wood shavings from the sandpaper.

The smell in the barn was intoxicating, the way he’d been working with the wood. It reminded Ana of all the times she’d come in here and happened upon her father building a bench or constructing something for one of the neighbors. It reminded her that she was safe here. But this wasn’t the man to protect her, and though she felt warm toward him, they had just met. She was reacting to what she saw, what she smelled, not to some bum just trying to get by.

Well, it looks like you’re doing a good job.” Her eyes darted around the barn, assessing his work again. It was far easier than looking him in the eyes.

I hope your mother is pleased with it.” He wiped the dirt from his hands onto his jeans. “She’s a wonderful woman, and she makes the best pot roast. I’d sand a thousand barns for some more of that.”

Ana couldn’t help but grin. She had missed her mother’s pot roast as well, but she hadn’t even remembered it until Ryan brought it up. Maybe he was genuine after all. He seemed like a nice enough guy.

Well, Ryan, as I said, I just wanted to introduce myself. Now that I’ve done that, I think I’ll be off to bed. I had a long drive, and I’m tired.” She yawned.

You should go inside and put some Neosporin on that.” He nodded at her arms. Ana had already forgotten she had injured herself.

She lifted her arms, glancing at the scrapes, which were already beginning to dry and scab. “Yeah.”

I’m sorry I couldn’t catch you.”

You didn’t even know I was there.”

I know, but I’m still sorry.”

She stared at him like he was an anomaly. There was something about the man that captivated her. How strange that he was traveling on his own, going from ranch to ranch looking for work in exchange for room and board. Maybe in the following days, she’d find out more about him. He would be staying for another week. They’d cross paths again.

Well, good night, Ryan Black.”

Sleep sweet, Ana White.”

Ana spun on her heels and continued back toward the house, her heart drumming in her chest. She could feel Ryan’s eyes on her as she walked away. He was probably thinking what all men thought when they met a woman they found attractive, and she wanted none of that. That was how she had gotten here in the first place.

Ryan loved working with his hands. The sandpaper beneath his palm, the sweat rolling down his back and chest, the smell of wood and hay from being inside the barn reminded him of simpler times. Times so long ago they seemed like a dream.

This wasn’t his life. Not really. But working on the ranches and farms he’d visited these past few months helped him to forget, if only for a little while. He had needed the space. If anyone besides his brother knew what he had done, he would have been followed, as he always was wherever he went, whether it be to the grocery store or a movie premiere. The paparazzi were there.

But not here. Not out in the middle of nowhere. Out in the middle of a little town, down a country road, on a secluded ranch. They wouldn’t find him here, and he was glad.

As he worked on the barn, he was so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard the woman walking up behind him. It was a stupid mistake. She could have just as easily been coming to kill him. After all, he did have enemies. Who didn’t when they were as well-known as he was?

Ana wasn’t a hit man, but when Ryan turned and laid eyes on her, it was like a shot straight through his chest. His heart stopped beating. She stole his breath and erased everything he thought he knew about himself. In that one moment, all that was clear to Ryan was that he had met the woman he was going to marry, and that life would never be the same again.

He would have kissed her right there if she would have let him. She looked at him like he was a stranger, because he was, though he could sense the desire behind her eyes as well. She found him attractive, but she was afraid of that. Ryan had been around enough women to know that look. She had been hurt, and recently.

As he helped her up, he glanced at her left hand to make sure there was no wedding ring. If there had been, he might have been heartbroken right on the spot. Luck was on his side, though, and her slender fingers were bare. But then he noticed the slight swell of her belly. Maybe luck wasn’t on his side after all. There was no way of knowing without speaking to her further, and she seemed so rattled that she just wanted to escape.

Ryan watched Ana’s backside as she walked away from him, enjoying the sway of her hips. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The way his body and soul yearned for her to come back, it was something he’d never experienced before. In all his years around the gorgeous, sophisticated women of the big city, not one had ever inspired such a longing in him as Ana did now.

That was why he was more than delighted to see her the next morning at the breakfast table, even though she looked glassy-eyed and half-asleep. He offered a shy smile across the table as he buttered one of Molly’s homemade biscuits.

Did you sleep well last night?” he asked, trying not to make his interest obvious.

Fine. You’re awfully bright eyed and bushy tailed.” Ana avoided Ryan’s gaze as she took a long sip of coffee—black and hot.

It’s early to bed, early to rise on the ranch, right, Molly?”

Ana’s mother was still scurrying around, making sure everyone had everything they needed before she sat to serve herself.

Every day, Sunshine.” Molly beamed at him.

Sunshine?” Ana couldn’t hide the sarcasm.

When I first laid eyes on him, the first thing I noticed was the way the sun reflected from his hair.”

So refresh my memory,
Sunshine
, where are you from and what are you doing here? I was a bit tired last night when we spoke,” Ana said.

It felt more like an interrogation, but Ryan could understand her concern. Ana must worry for her mother and sister.

Well.” He shifted in his chair, replaying his story in his head. He had recited it at least a dozen times, but it hadn’t felt wrong like it did now. If he planned to marry Ana someday, then it was better to be honest, but her mother and sister had already heard one story. He would seem untrustworthy if he gave her a different one, and he didn’t want to be sent packing. Ryan decided to be vague. “I decided to take a year to live my life differently. Traveling around the country like this has always been a dream of mine. I figured there’s no time like the present. And I’ve been enjoying it so far. I’ve been able to meet a lot of wonderful people and do a lot of work that feels worthwhile.”

And all for the price of some pot roast.” Molly let out a short laugh.

Ryan is from Pittsburgh,” Celia answered the question Ryan was trying to avoid. He was not, in fact, from Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh.” Ana nodded. “And what did you do in Pittsburgh that allowed you to take time off to do something like this?”

She didn’t think he had a job, a home, or a family. None of that could be further from the truth.

I do a bit of everything.” Ryan cast a glance in Ana’s direction, and when their eyes met, her cheeks flushed the softest shade of pink. It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it was enough. She wasn’t going to press for more. Not yet, at least. If they got as close as he wanted to, he would have to explain the truth to her later.

We need to go dress shopping today.” Celia was sitting across from Molly, looking lost in thought. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind with the wedding so close at hand.

Of course.” Ana pulled her eyes away from Ryan, opting to stare at her eggs and bacon and hash browns instead. Molly always made a feast for breakfast, insisting it was the most important meal of the day.

I saw a dress in one of the little boutiques downtown that I thought would be lovely on you.” Celia smiled.

I look forward to seeing it.”

Well, I suppose I should get back to work. Those fence posts won’t replace themselves.” Ryan wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood, excusing himself from the table. He didn’t want Molly to think he was taking advantage of her hospitality. He had come here to do a job.

Would you like to take some biscuits for later?” Molly held the plate of biscuits up.

No, ma’am. If I have too many more of those, you’ll be finding me sleeping under that big oak tree out back instead of working.”

You’re so skinny, I feel like I need to fatten you up.” Her eyes drifted down the front of his flannel. Ever since he first arrived, she’d been nothing but kind. The world needed more women like Molly White. Her husband had been a lucky man when he was alive.

I’m sure I’ll have gained a few pounds by the time I leave here.” Ryan smoothed down the front of his shirt, letting out a short laugh. His eyes strayed to Ana, who was staring at him, or, rather, through him. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

Well, I’ll see you ladies later.” He tipped his baseball cap to them before heading out the door, taking thoughts of Ana with him.

Dark clouds hung overhead, threatening to break into a torrential downpour. This was not a great day for dress shopping, especially on the little strip mall downtown where parking was so sparse—and on a weekend when the stores were all crowded, no less.

As Ana stared up at the sky, she wondered if this was an omen. In New York, she’d thought she was going to have it all. Now she had nothing.

Looking at dresses with her sister didn’t make her feel any better. While she was happy for Celia, she couldn’t help but think that this was how her life was supposed to have been. She was the older sister, after all. She should have an amazing husband and a good career by now. Instead, she was unemployed and pregnant with the child of a man who treated her like the dirt stuck to the bottom of his shoes.