Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2011 Delilah Hunt

ISBN:

978-1-926950-84-6

Cover Artist: LF Designs

Editor: Caitlin Ray

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduc-

tion or distribution of this copyrighted work is il-
legal. No part of this book may be used or repro-
duced electronically or in print without written
permission, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, char-

acters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual events, locales, organizations, or per-
sons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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DEDICATION

To all the authors who have inspired me from

childhood and into adulthood, you have my un-
dying gratitude, and for everyone who has taken
the time to read my words and help bring life to
these characters, I am ever thankful.

LOVE UNSPOKEN

Delilah Hunt

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

“Is this going to take much longer?”

Noelle drummed her finger against the counter,
glancing down at her watch.

Hands shaking, the sales clerk plucked

the receipt from the register. “Not another
minute, Miss Williams. Everything should be in-
side.” The nervous woman held out a bag.

Noelle grabbed the paper bag from the

clerk and hastened through the exit door. She was
behaving awful, a new low for her. It wasn’t the
cashier’s fault she was being used as an errand

girl, picking up her mother’s purchases because
she was out at lunch with her sister.

She hadn’t received an invitation. No sur-

prise there. Her sister, Aleah didn’t have a blem-
ish across her name. Noelle did, one borne out of
sheer selfishness and stupidity that she was still
trying to make up for.

A beeping sound jolted inside her leather

handbag. Noelle reached into the bag and si-
lenced the vibration of her cell phone. She
frowned. Did her parents know her phone went
off for every fucking thing on her schedule, just
so she’d always be prompt and never have to
hear a word of complaint?

Doubtful.
Cutting across the street to the parking

lot, she pushed the button and unlocked her
sports car. Feeds the image, she thought, as she
bent low to enter the Corvette. Out of nowhere, a
finger tapped lightly at her back. Noelle
stiffened. Alarm bells tolled in her ears. The hell

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if she was going to take being approached from
behind in broad daylight without a fight.

“Get your hands off me,” she whispered

with dead calm, tilting her head to the side. Her
gaze scoured upward… and upward. The warn-
ing bells rang a different tone, a melodious chim-
ing. The kind that made her stomach flutter and
made her want to smack herself across the face.

It was Cole McKinney. Blood rushed into

her face. Noelle took a deep breath. If she’d
known who it was, she would have tried for a
better reaction.

“Yes?” She raised her eyebrows, awaiting

some form of response. Whatever that might be
for a person who couldn’t speak. More important,
a ranch hand whose name shouldn’t be in her
vocabulary.

Despite her cold demeanor, his lips

twitched into a semblance of a smile as if he’d
found something amusing about her. Long thick
fingers dug into the pocket of his jeans, which
were hung low on his lean waist. The man

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reminded her of a bear. Thick brown hair,
streaked with strands of gold, reflecting the sun-
light. Eyes dark, like pools of ink. He wasn’t
breathtakingly handsome…a bit on the rough
side…but still, looking at the dark giant made her
lower belly tingle.

It was stupid. Cole had to be the tallest

and biggest man in these parts, not someone any
woman in her right mind would welcome into her
bed without the fear of being manhandled and
broken. Her eyes went to his biceps. His entire
body was comprised of solid muscles more befit-
ting a power lifter, than a cowboy in Copper
Mesa, aka middle of nowhere, Colorado.

He pulled out a plastic card she immedi-

ately recognized and handed it to her. Noelle
took it from him, making sure to avoid contact.

“How did you get it?” she asked, unable

to keep the suspicion from her voice. Before he
had a chance to answer her face heated. It was
her mistake. In her haste, she’d forgotten to re-
trieve the credit card from the sales clerk.

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“I…um. I’m sorry.” She hated apologiz-

ing. A flaw that perhaps she should have worked
on—perfected seven years ago.

Cole lifted a brawny shoulder and waved

his hand. Guess that means no big deal in Sign
Language, Noelle thought. Not that she had any
way of knowing for certainty. The only language
she’d taken in the prestigious private school
she’d attended was French and she couldn’t re-
call a lick of it.

Noelle darted her gaze around. Although

they weren’t alone in the parking lot, she felt
awkward standing there with him and it had noth-
ing to do with his unending silence. She was
afraid to look into his eyes. There was just
something about those beautiful dark orbs that
made her feel as if she could read into his mind.
Noelle sighed inwardly. It was a ridiculous
thought and she had no business noticing so
much about him. Especially details she couldn’t
blame on the proximity of her home to the ranch
belonging to her neighbor Randy Somerset.

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“Did you park near by?” She needed to

say something, anything to fracture the excruciat-
ing silence. If only she knew how one went about
a conversation with a—a? She didn’t even know
what to call him or his condition rather, because
Cole had to be much more than his affliction.

He shook his head and pointed ahead of

her. Confused, Noelle nodded in pretense of un-
derstanding and mustered up a smile.

His thick brows furrowed as he stared at

her for a second longer. Reaching into his back
pocket Cole pulled out a small notepad.

Noelle watched, unsure what to make of

him and the quick motion of his hand, scribbling
on the paper. He tore off the sheet, handing it to
her.

“My truck. It’s at the shop. I left it there

for a tune-up.”

She mouthed the word Oh and looked

around. It was June, the sun at it’s highest point
of the day and blazing down on the small town.
Today was one of those days when not even the

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cool crisp air of the Rocky Mountains could
bring relief from the heat. Noelle itched to get in-
side her car under the cool breeze of the air con-
ditioning. How long was he planning on waiting
out here for his truck? Within an hour or two, the
only driving the cowboy would be doing was in-
side an ambulance for heatstroke instead of his
precious red pickup.

I can’t believe I’m asking this. “How long

is that going to take?”

His eyes narrowed in confusion. Noelle

pursed her lips and clarified. “This tune-up, how
long do you have to wait for your truck before
it’s ready?”

He held up three fingers then a shrug,

making her feel as if her concern was out of
place. Whatever. She had enough to deal with on
her conscience and a dead cowboy was not a wel-
comed addition.

“You plan on staying out here the entire

time?”

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She’d failed to keep the shock from her

voice. That had to be the only explanation for his
reaction when he tilted back his head and
laughed, or what she assumed was his version of
a laugh. A small puff of air, barely audible, yet
there nonetheless along with a wicked grin that
was doing a number on her senses.

Yeah, this isn’t gonna do.

“Don’t you have to get back to work,

whatever it is you do with those cows?”

Another nod. He stuck a finger in the dir-

ection of the ranch and made a walking motion
with two digits.

He couldn’t be serious. It had to be over a

hundred degrees and the ranch was at least two
miles out of the way.

Noelle propped her arm on the hood. “I

had no idea life was that hard on the ranch for
you to attempt suicide.”

His lips spread into a wide grin. Weird.

Didn’t he talk to his fellow workers? None of
them had a smile for her. Not after the harsh

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rejections she threw out left and right from the
cowboys desperate for any woman within a fifty-
mile radius of the isolated cattle ranch.

Noelle made an exaggerated point of

checking her watch. She really did need to hurry
back home and despite what Cole might think,
she couldn’t leave him out there without a ride
back to the prairie.

If her father saw her with him or found

out about her ‘generosity’ Noelle knew it would
just be another tear, unraveling everything she’d
worked for years on. With the heat scorching at
her skin, she glanced backward at the man stand-
ing inches away from her small car. Nope. She
wasn’t going to leave him out there. Easing into
the driver’s seat, she turned to him. “Come on in.
I’ll give you a ride back.”

Cole blinked in apparent shock before

lowering his gaze to his boots then back up. He
shook his head, making no attempt to accept her
offer.

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Noelle glared at him. “What’s wrong with

my car?”

He lifted an eyebrow, expression darken-

ing as if he didn’t appreciate her outburst. Grip-
ping a pen, he began to write on the little
notepad.

He handed it to her. I meant no offense,

Ms. Williams. I don’t want to dirty your car.

The steam fizzled out of her. He was only

being considerate. Noelle looked him up and
down. He was wearing a deep red plaid button-
down shirt, dusty blue jeans. His boots were
smeared with red dirt and dust, more than a little
worn.

She gripped the steering wheel. “It’s fine,

Cole. It’s just a few minutes ride. I doubt you’ll
ruin the leather.”

He gave her a long stare before opening

the door to her right. Noelle cranked the engine
into drive. Jesus Christ. Why had she invited him
in? In the space now cramped by his impressive
frame, she had a clear shot of his profile. Despite

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his rugged looks, she realized that he couldn’t be
much older than her own twenty-five years. If
she had to guess, he was just entering his thirties
or almost there. She stole another glance through
the corner of her eyes. Did she make him
nervous? She couldn’t imagine anything ruffling
such a large man, but he had referred to her as
Miss. Somewhere inside him, there had to be
some form of respect for her. That was good;
after all it was the main thing she strived for.

Noelle kept her eyes on the road. A

minute passed, then the temptation proved too
much. She shifted her head to the right. His eyes
captured hers in the exact moment. The hand on
the steering wheel slipped for a split second. She
dragged her gaze away, focusing on the curved
road ahead.

Music. Her fingers scrambled for satellite

radio button. An eighties song blared through the
speakers, one she didn’t recognize but was ever
thankful for. It dulled the echo of silence and
misplaced longing that was threatening to surface

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in her heart. Eighties music was her best friend
today. With the music on, her guilt in ignoring
him was assuaged. She cranked up the bass and
hit the gas.

****
He was making her uncomfortable. And it

wasn’t in the good way a woman felt when in the
presence of a man she found attractive. That
much about women he knew. Cole studied Noelle
as she drove. His groin tightened with excite-
ment. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Had to
be the prettiest black girl he’d ever seen.

His forehead creased. No, that wasn’t

right. Noelle was the prettiest girl he’d ever laid
eyes on. Her race had nothing to do with it, al-
though he couldn’t help but admire the way her
cinnamon colored skin glowed under the sunrays.
It was silly and he’d never admit it to anyone, but
looking at her made him feel warm. His fingers
ached to reach out and touch her skin to see if it
felt as smooth and silky as it looked. He didn’t

16/322

care where he touched her. Legs, arms, her stun-
ning round face with those high, almost regal
cheekbones, it didn’t matter.

He curled his fingers into a fist to keep

from doing just that and have her scream in holy
terror. Best if I stop looking at her. He turned to-
ward the window, still thinking of her. Aside
from her appearance, he knew nothing about her,
or at least anything that was the truth and not
drunken tirades of a few angry cowboys, strapped
for a woman to bed and cash to fill their pockets
who thought of Noelle as an easy target.

“Bitch looks like she hasn’t been laid in

years,” he’d heard one of them mumble. Noelle
had been on the ranch that day, performing one
of her routine sales visits, wearing an expensive
business attire, button nose up in the air and doe-
shaped eyes straight ahead. That had been more
than a year ago, however, and the first time he’d
laid eyes on her. Naturally, she hadn’t noticed
him working alongside the foreman to shoe the
horses.

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He continued to watch her. Slender mani-

cured fingers turned the steering wheel with a
grace that was almost laughable, considering it
was just a fucking car. But that was her. From
what he’d seen of Noelle in the past year and a
half of working on the land next to her family’s,
she was utter perfection and out of the question
for him, even if she wasn’t opposed to being with
someone outside of her race. His friend Beau
would have a better chance of being with her
than anyone else. He curled his fists. Damn, he
hated the thought of the ranch foreman or any
other man pursuing Noelle when he’d already
been deemed unfit to enter the competition.

“I’m going to stop by the southern border,

all right?”

Her raspy voice brought him to the

present. Cole jerked his head. The southern bor-
der was on the opposite end, hidden from her
home, compromising mostly of brushes and trees.
It was rare the days that anyone was sent to work

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on this portion of the ranch. Meaning, Noelle
didn’t want anyone to see them together.

The car rolled to a sleek stop parallel to a

bank surrounded by barbed wire fencing, the
same fencing that spanned the entire two thou-
sand acres.

He climbed out, fully expecting her to

speed away before he had a chance to close the
door. Instead, Noelle dipped her head to look out
at him. “Hey, cowboy. No more suicide attempts
for the day, agreed?”

He stared at her and she raised an eye-

brow for emphasis then offered the faintest hint
of a smile. Just barely… but those plump wide
lips did move.

Moments later she was speeding down the

asphalt, particles of dust kicking up behind the
yellow Corvette.

What a way to turn the day around. Hell,

his entire week. This morning he’d gotten up, an-
noyed and disappointed that his truck had de-
cided to act out despite spending the few hours

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he had to spare working on it. Chalking it up to
bad luck, he’d taken it in today and wrote the ex-
pense off, as a couple of hundred dollars less he
had to send home to his parents.

Cole scrubbed a hand to his jaw at the

thought of the ranch his parents and brother were
struggling to hold on to. If he hadn’t left and
found work on Somerset Ranch, the homestead
would have fallen apart by now and his family
would no longer have a place to call home.

He pushed those thoughts aside as best as

he could. He was going home this weekend and
would have the entire two days to worry about
the future of the Tumbling Y. By the time he
reached the tack room and pulled down his
saddle and rope, a couple of the other hands were
gathered outside unloading bags of feed from a
truck.

The foreman stepped through the arched

doorway and stared at him in astonishment. “That
was fast. I thought you said it was gonna take a

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few hours to get your pickup. Slow day at the
shop?”

Cole eyed his friend. The two of them had

hit it off since his first day on the job. Beau
Henderson was the only person in town who un-
derstood him. The foreman had a close relative
who was also speech impaired. He and his entire
family had learned sign language from an early
age to communicate with the relative.

“I left it there. It’s taking much longer

than I thought.”

Beau let out a whistle. “You must be

fucking Speedy Gonzalez to make it back here so
fast. I thought all the guys were too busy to give
you a ride back.”

Cole chuckled and shook his head. “No.

Someone gave me a lift.” No need to mention
who it was. He could already see the little tigress
pouncing all over him if he let it slip she’d given
him a ride. Hmm, not that it would be such a bad
thing come to think of it. If she placed those soft
hands on the right spots, gave him a few

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scratches, it might just be well worth it. His cock
hardened inside his jeans before he forced him-
self to focus on his surroundings. He had no right
getting hard for Noelle.

Luckily, the foreman didn’t press the is-

sue. “Since you weren’t here for the cattle drive,
I used Bradford as point rider and had Langley
take over his lead spot on the side.” Beau
snorted. “Big mistake as you can imagine. We
lost two of the yearlings, just a bit down the road
from the Williams’ place.”

The Williams’ place. Cole silently re-

peated the words to himself. When Beau grabbed
his own saddle from against the wall and called
out, “Saddle up. We’re riding out to find them
before boss gets wind of it.” Cole was one step
ahead wrangling his thoughts from straying to-
ward the possibility of seeing Noelle again.

Once on horseback, Cole rode alongside

the foreman until he realized there was no way
they were going to get a rein on where the

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yearlings went unless they headed into the
bushes.

He turned to the Beau and signed, “I’ll

take over the western front.” He pointed his
thumb in the direction of the sprawling terracotta
painted three-story country house belonging to
the only African-American family in Copper
Mesa.

Beau gave the official okay as Cole

guided the stallion, Firebrand, toward the wire
fence separating the two properties. Although not
even half the size of the ranch, the bushes behind
the house were a decent size for the animals to
wander into danger.

Jumping from his mount, Cole led the

horse under the shade of a Ponderosa Pine, tying
a jerk knot around the trunk. He’d never been on
the property before but he knew the landscape
well. There were far too many low lying
branches that spelled hazard if he tried to scour
the area on Firebrand. After he’d climbed the
fence and was minutes underway into his search

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for the yearling bulls, Cole felt two distinct taps
on his back.

His brows furrowed. It reminded him of

the way he had touched Noelle hours before in
the parking lot.

Cole glanced to the side and swallowed

hard. Why was he always so happy to see her
when judging by the fire in those deep brown
eyes, she looked none to pleased by his presence?

“I don’t have to tell you that you’re tres-

passing, do I?”

He blinked in response. Was she serious?
She stared back at him with something

akin to superiority in her eyes. Cole shrugged and
kept on walking. For some dumbass reason, he
hadn’t expected that from her.

Behind him, footsteps quickened, fol-

lowed by her insistent voice. “Just because you
have free reign over at the ranch doesn’t mean
you can have the same liberty here. I don’t know
if it’s because I was decent enough to give you a
—”

24/322

Talk about misjudging a book by the cov-

er. Cole stopped in his tracks, spun around and
issued her a deadly look. He needed her to shut
up so he could detect if one of the animals was in
the nearby bushes and go on about his business.

She opened her mouth to utter something

else but he drew a finger to his lips hoping she
would take the hint.

Come on beauty, I know you can shut up

for one minute.

Her perfectly arched brows narrowed as

she mouthed the words. “What is it?”

Luckier than he thought. She was actually

listening to him. Cole relaxed his posture. He
didn’t want to frighten Noelle by having her be-
lieve a wild animal was on the cusp of attacking
them. Or rather him, because as dubious as he
felt about her in this moment, one thing was cer-
tain– he wouldn’t let anything hurt her.

He crooked his finger, gesturing to her.

Come with me.

25/322

Arms folded, she shook her head fer-

vently. “You go,” she mouthed, jabbing a finger
toward the bushes.

At least there’d be no mistaking her lack

of concern for his wellbeing, Cole thought lifting
the rope from his shoulder. He pushed away the
shrubs. Sure enough the little guy was lying on
its side, the Somerset brand visible on its hip.
The cow appeared to be suffering, one of the hind
legs red and swollen.

Shit. It had to be a snakebite. His next

thought centered on Noelle. Cole glanced back-
ward, swinging his gaze to her long legs. Good.
She had replaced the stylish black pumps from
earlier today with a pair of tan suede boots that
reached just above her calves.

“What’s wrong with it?” She inched

closer to him as if she was unsure her legs were
doing as she commanded.

Cole pointed to the snakebite and she im-

mediately clamped a hand over her mouth and
sprang backward.

26/322

“What are you going to do?”
He lifted a brow. Was she concerned

about the animal or herself?

She tucked a strand of shiny dark hair be-

hind her ear and let out a small breath. “I’m ask-
ing because I hope you don’t plan on leaving it
here to die. Your boss will be getting a bill if my
father has to dispose of it.”

Disappointment rose within him. After

the ride she had given him, he’d thought maybe
there was more to her than what he heard from
the other hands. He was wrong. And despite the
fact that he had no reason to be disappointed in
her, they were nothing, not even friends, he
couldn’t help it. The loss of not getting to know
the person he thought he’d caught a glimpse of
left him hollow.

Ignoring her, Cole hoisted the half limp

yearling into his arms and turned in the opposite
direction. He couldn’t believe he’d felt excite-
ment at seeing her again.

27/322

He kept on moving throughout the thick-

et, hurrying with the heavy weight in his arms.
Still, he heard her quiet footsteps behind him. If
she disliked him so much, why was she following
him, when all he wanted was to get the fuck off
her precious daddy’s property and return where
he belonged?

He paused and waited for whatever it was

she had to say again.

Noelle cleared her throat. “So um… Cole.

Aren’t you worried your boss is going to fire
you? You’re the one who usually rides point, cor-
rect? Shouldn’t it have been your duty to make
sure the animals stay on course to wherever you
guys take them?”

His eyebrows shot up and his movement

halted. It had nothing to do with being worried
about his job. Somerset wasn’t going to fire him.
No. What surprised him was Noelle’s reference
to his work. Earlier he hadn’t expected her to
know his name. That shock was lesser compared

28/322

to her knowledge of his duties on the cattle
drives.

He wanted to say something, anything to

know what was going through her mind when it
came to him. But he couldn’t. She wouldn’t un-
derstand him and he had no wish to have her eye
him and his attempts to communicate with scorn.
He’d have to keep ignoring her. There was too
much at stake for him and his family to get
caught up in the world of Noelle Williams.

29/322

Chapter Two

Noelle stared out of her bedroom win-

dow. She was looking over at that damn ranch
again. Disgusted with her lack of self-control, she
snatched the satin drapes together and pressed
her head to the fabric.

She hadn’t made a good impression on

Cole last week after they’d found the injured an-
imal. She should have just stayed hidden and
continued on with her walk instead of approach-
ing him. If only her stupid feet had listened to her
brain instead of leading her to the last person she
needed to be around.

She’d done so well for the past year,

keeping her distance from Cole, since she’d first
caught sight of him shoeing horses as she spoke
with Mr. Somerset. Noelle curled the edges of the
drapes in her fist, unsure if her first memory of
Cole was a cherished one or part nightmare.

That day, over a year ago, she’d visited

the ranch for the sake of her father’s business, but

had been caught off guard by the sight of a man,
kneeling on the ground. There hadn’t been any-
thing special about him, except his massive
frame, but her heart started to beat a mile a
minute, waiting for him to lift his head. She was
glad he hadn’t noticed her while performing his
duty, because as Mr. Somerset spoke and Noelle
felt her lips moving, her heart continued to beat
fast, palms misting with nervousness she had
never felt before.

When Mr. Somerset paused and called

out to the cowboy, asking him a question, Noelle
learned two things that she would never forget.
The ranch hand’s name was Cole and he couldn’t
speak a word. By the time he looked up from his
task, it was too late for her. She’d caught the
briefest glimpse of his dark eyes and in that mo-
ment, Noelle wanted nothing more than to get the
hell off the ranch and wipe the image of the cow-
boy from her mind. Cole disturbed her because
not once since she’d turned her life around, had a
man captured her attention or made her cunt

31/322

pulse anxiously with untold desires as this silent
ranch hand she knew nothing about.

She had to stay away from him.
“So stupid,” she mumbled, stepping away

from the window and shoving aside the memory.
She had failed at staying away from him as she’d
promised herself and, to make it worse, she
hadn’t even tried to present herself in a positive
light. Hadn’t tried to be anything other than what
he expected from her. Then again, did she even
know how to be different? She’d invested so
many years in cultivating her image. Her looks,
clothes, work ethic. Everything had to be perfect
on the outside, more than enough to make up for
the embarrassment she had caused herself and
her family.

Noelle blew out a shallow breath and

drew open the wide closet doors. She was doing
well for herself. She was no longer the wild sev-
enteen year old bent on self-destruction and
selfish to boot. Noelle Williams was an adult,
desperately seeking the approval and thumbs up

32/322

from her parents. In essence, she was a grown
woman living at home and working for her par-
ents as a gofer.

Cole and everyone else had the image of

her life she wanted them to have. The truth was,
without the glimmer of her parent’s money and
being blessed with a pretty face, there was noth-
ing special about her. That is, nothing positive
which made her stand out.

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Noelle

muttered. Cole McKinney was a ranch hand and
a mute at that. His opinion didn’t make an ounce
of difference in her life.

She was in control. Complete control, she

reminded herself. Noelle dressed, slipping into
one of her many business suits, a crisp side
pleated skirt that fell just above her knees. Today
was like any other day of visiting her father’s cli-
ents and explaining to them the merits of using
his supplemental feed for their herd. The fact that
she was headed over to the ranch where Cole
worked made no difference at all.

33/322

Grabbing up the necessary paperwork,

Noelle carefully laid them in her briefcase, arriv-
ing at the ranch minutes later. Please let that man
be inside. The last thing she wanted was to go on
a wild goose chase all over the ranch searching
for Mr. Somerset because he had forgotten their
appointment.

Worse, she didn’t want to run into Cole,

who would look at her as if all the misfortune in
the world could be laid at her feet. Noelle pressed
the pad of her finger against the doorbell.
Smoothing the hem of her skirt, she ran a hand
over her hair. The straightened strands were held
together in a neat bun at the back of her head.
Excellent.

She waited another minute before ringing

the bell again. No answer. Noelle turned and
looked around. It was midday on the ranch. The
workers were sure to be on every corner of the
grassy land and she doubted any of them would
be of much help to her. People didn’t usually ap-
preciate being talked down to, definitely not the

34/322

hardworking cowboys around here and unfortu-
nately it was a crime she was guilty of.

In her search for the owner, Noelle strode

past the opened barn. The invigorating aroma of
hay, leather and horse floated through the air. To
some the scent might seem offensive to the
senses, but she loved it, ever since her visits to
the riding stables as a child, despite her protests.
Being here represented all the ways she had put
her old life in the city behind her.

At the same moment, a tall, dark haired

man sporting a five o’clock shadow exited the
room with a saddle slung over his shoulder. Fore-
man. Noelle straightened her spine and held on
tighter to her small briefcase.

The cowboy stopped in front of her. “You

looking for the boss, Ms. Williams?”

She nodded. Okay, maybe he would be of

some help. “Is he nearby? I really don’t want to
walk all the way across the ranch searching for
him.”

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The man chuckled and scratched his chin

while looking her up and down. “Nah, don’t
s’pose you would.” He shifted his gaze to one of
the horses grazing under a nearby tree. “Boss is
over by the corral. If you want, I can give you a
ride over there. It’s quite a walk.”

“No thanks,” she replied tightly.
The cowboy lifted his lean shoulders.

“Suit yourself, ma’am.”

Noelle shook her head and kept on walk-

ing. She stole a backward glance at the man. He
was handsome and she must have seen him a
dozen times before, probably even heard his
name here and there. But for the life of her she
couldn’t remember it, didn’t feel the warm stir-
ring that only one quiet cowboy elicited from her
even when he wasn’t around.

She reached the gated area. Noelle could

see the owner of the ranch standing beside a
group of workers. Striding toward them, she felt
their gazes on her, all but for one person. Cole
gave a quick glance her way, a look of disinterest

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crossing his masculine face. She wasn’t surprised
when he lowered his head and returned to tagging
the ear of a calf. Noelle shifted her head, squash-
ing the trace of anger and disappointment that she
hadn’t captured his attention.

Clearing her throat, she issued a greeting

to the gray haired man. “Good morning, Mr.
Somerset.”

Instead of returning her greeting, the

man’s gaze dropped to her briefcase. “I thought
your father was going to run those by me today.”

Noelle forced herself to remain calm.

This was an issue she experienced each and every
time with Mr. Somerset. The sixty-four year old
rancher was among those men who refused to ac-
cept that a woman had knowledge of the ranching
industry outside of cooking for the cowboys. Per-
haps it was the same thing her father experienced
in the beginning of his career, except his gender
hadn’t been the issue in question.

“My father is occupied at the moment. If

you’d rather wait another two weeks for his

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schedule to clear, that’s fine. I have a demonstra-
tion to make over at the Wayland ranch sometime
today.”

Mr. Somerset’s ears perked up and he

quickly reached for her hand, staying her move-
ment. “Hey, now just hold up, little lady. How
about we go inside and you give me the run
down.”

Thank God.
She wouldn’t have to spend another

minute out here where a fucking cow ranked
higher on the scale than her in Cole’s eyes.

An hour later, after she’d extolled the vir-

tues of the latest upgraded feed supplement her
father’s company had developed, Noelle dashed
into her car. She needed to get off the damn
ranch and go home. In her room, specifically,
where she could feel secure that Cole and every-
one else couldn’t see beneath the surface, wasn’t
able to look at her and know the kind of person
she had been. The type that he’d probably only
seen on television and felt pity, maybe disgust

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for. Cole might be the biggest and hardest look-
ing man on the ranch, but there was an innocence
and naiveté about him that unnerved and in-
trigued her.

Noelle scoffed. What a joke it was spend-

ing so much time thinking about him. For that
nice body he had, Cole probably had no idea
what to do with a woman. If anything she should
be the one pitying him. She just had to keep re-
mind herself of that.

Noelle twisted the key in the ignition, re-

coiling as the engine coughed and sputtered.
Could the day get any worse? Annoyed, she
yanked the key and pushed open the door. Not
even a second out of the car and she spied a rider
on horseback coming from behind the thick trunk
of one of the many Juniper trees towering along
the side of the dirt road.

Noelle squeezed her eyes and took a deep

breath. When her eyes fluttered open, she shook
her head at the identity of her companion. Great.
The last person she wanted to see or needed

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around. She gritted her teeth and hedged toward
the front of the car. She wasn’t going to give him
the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.

Popping the hood, Noelle leaned over,

pretending to study the machinery. If she ignored
him, maybe he would go away and leave her in
peace. She fiddled with the nearest engine part
and sneaked a glance over her shoulder to see if
he was still sitting on the horse observing her.

How embarrassing. He was no doubt hav-

ing a good laugh on the inside at her misfortune,
not to mention that such an expensive car had
failed her. She noticed he was no longer on the
stallion. Noelle looked sideways to see where he
had gone off to since the horse was standing in
the same spot without its rider. Every nerve in
her body went on high alert the instant she felt a
hand pushing hers from the engine.

Her heart thumped. Noelle snatched away

her hand. “What are you doing?”

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He gazed at her from the corner of his

eyes and made a sweeping motion with his hand
over the entire engine.

Noelle frowned. “You want to look at it?”

He wanted to help her?

Cole nodded and whipped out the tiny

notepad from his back pocket.

Can’t make any promises, but I’ll see if I

can fix it.

She gaped at him. He was serious. And

then she felt it, the rush of shame seeping into her
bones because of the insensitive way she had
thought of him and treated him. Stepping aside,
she allowed him room to work. Noelle watched
as he braced forward, brows knotted in concen-
tration. His face relaxed somewhat as he took out
an iron object resembling a large screw. He held
it out to her, waving it in the air and pointing.

She bit back a smile at the triumph on his

face, but her lips twitched in revolt. Eventually,
she lost the battle and her smile won out. A look
of surprise crossed his dark features. Noelle felt

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silly when his face closed up because she’d made
the mistake of smiling. He lowered his hand and
placed the engine part on the ground then
scribbled again on the notepad and showed it to
her.

Do you trust me to do it?
Her smile faltered. It was such a simple

question. Cole was asking about the damn car,
yet it felt like he wanted to know so much more.

Biting back a snide remark in retaliation

for the way he was affecting her, Noelle lifted a
shoulder. “Do your worst, cowboy.”

He gave a curt nod, picked up the item

and began whatever it was he assumed he could
do. Noelle straightened, pretending to study the
surrounding. If he had taken one look at her
stranded on the roadside and galloped away on
the horse, she might have felt more comfortable
than having him here…helping her. It made no
sense.

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Held in the grips of curiosity, Noelle

sauntered beside him and asked, “Why are you
helping me?”

He didn’t stop at his task, scraping at the

side of the iron with a silver pocketknife. His
head shifted ever so slowly to the side. His eyes
made contact with hers and Noelle felt the air
sizzle. A tempest of dust whisked through the air,
probably dirtying her shoes but she didn’t care.
Couldn’t.

That hardened gaze drifted downward and

her heart pounded as he surveyed her entire
frame for what felt like an eternity. Her pussy
throbbed. Just when she thought she’d have to
look away first, he turned his head fixing his at-
tention on the engine, effectively ignoring her
question.

One minute passed and then another. On

the brink of uttering a final curse at the car for
breaking down, she heard the hood snap close.
Cole turned to her and pointed to the steering
wheel. Grasping his meaning, Noelle nodded and

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jumped into the car, turning the ignition. The en-
gine purred to life. She didn’t have time to calcu-
late her next move. He had fixed it. Noelle
kicked open the door and stared at him in
surprise.

“You fixed it!”
He wiped a hand along his faded jeans

and shrugged. Was it so hard for him to sign,
write something to her? Irritated and a tad bit
hurt by his attitude, Noelle planted herself in
front of him with her arms folded. “You never
answered my question.”

Pausing, Noelle took a calming breath.

She was coming on too strong with what had to
look like some kind of angry black chick ruse.
“Why are you helping me, Cole?” she repeated in
a hushed tone.

His brows arched and once more he

pulled out the notepad and wrote. Payback. Now
we’re even.

Noelle curled her lips at the words on the

paper. Payback? All she had done was give him a

44/322

ride to the ranch. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
Didn’t people do things like that for each other
every day? Of course they did, but it wasn’t ex-
pected of her. A knot formed in the pit of her
stomach. If it had been anyone else, Cole
wouldn’t have felt beholden for something as
simple as a car ride.

Crumpling the piece of paper inside her

fist, she pushed past him. “That’s fine. I guess no
thanks are needed for fixing my car since we’re
even.”

Not surprisingly she didn’t garner a reac-

tion from him. Cole strode away and mounted his
horse. From the seat of her car, Noelle watched
his hand dip into his back pocket. His head lifted
a fraction as he stared into the car, shaking his
head while removing his hand from the pocket,
devoid of the notepad she’d hoped he was going
for. Once again, disappointment nipped at her
heels. He didn’t even watch her drive off before
turning the horse around in the direction of the
ranch.

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Chapter Three

Noelle.
For the past two weeks no matter how

hard he tried, Cole found it impossible to get her
out of his head. It didn’t make a difference if he
worked himself to the bone, clocking in eighteen
hours each day on the range. As soon as he hit
the sack instead of sleep coming to him, he’d lay
awake for hours wondering what the fuck it was
about her that was causing him to make a fool of
himself.

He wasn’t blind and he wasn’t an idiot

despite certain people wishing to believe that of
him. Cole swallowed hard. He had a horrible
feeling Noelle was amongst those who thought
because he lacked speech, his manhood or intelli-
gence was also in question.

At home on the Tumbling Y in ElkBasin,

a town as much isolated as Copper Mesa, he
didn’t have to deal with that problem. No, his
problem was trying to keep the ranch in the

McKinney name and provide support for his
mother, ailing father and younger brother. As
much as he loved the Tumbling Y, it was in equal
parts the bane of his existence and his saving
grace—the only possession of value he had to
hold on to. If he wanted a woman like Noelle, it
wasn’t going to happen without anything to offer
except a ride in his pickup…or being able to fix a
busted spark plug.

Exiting onto a stretch of road, barren save

for the bales of hay lying on the shorn patches of
grass. Cole felt the familiar stirrings of home. A
herd of cattle, heads low to the low brown grass
scavenged for nourishment. Cole sighed. Why
hadn’t anyone moved them to higher grounds?

He kicked himself mentally. Of course he

knew the reason. They were strapped for cash,
unable to hire more than a handful of part time
workers. His younger brother was still in high
school, completing his final year. Derek didn’t
have the time to take on many of the duties to as-
sist his ailing father and overworked mother.

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A half-mile down the road later, Cole

could not fight the feeling of anger and dissatis-
faction skidding to the forefront of his mind. The
sign his father crafted for the ranch came into
view. Rusted and muddied, the metal crooked to
the side, swaying in the evening breeze. It wasn’t
pretty. Nor was it a welcome sight in front of his
home. The sign represented everything that was
wrong with the ranch, everything that was on his
shoulders to fix. His lips curved in disdain. That
fucking sign might as well represent him. Broken
and lowdown with little appeal to anyone.

No appeal to her.
After pulling up in the driveway, Cole

leaned across the seat to grab his bag. The front
door to their modest split-level home eased
opened. His mother stood there holding the frame
ajar, a kitchen towel clutched between her plump
hands.

“I didn’t know you were coming home

this weekend,” she said as he climbed the porch
steps. Her hands moved in unison to her words,

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although he had no difficulty hearing. “Your
father is resting and your brother’s on his way
home from school. They’ll be glad to see you.”

Cole glanced in the hallway leading to his

parent’s bedroom. “How is he?”

Eight months ago his father suffered a

mini stroke and although he had recovered from
it, Jamison McKinney never regained the major-
ity of his strength, not only that, but it seemed as
if the incident left him prone to even more ail-
ments. His father was a shadow of the hardwork-
ing rancher, who had placed all his hopes and
dreams on this piece of land in southern
Colorado.

“He’s coming along. Your father tries his

best, but…” She shook her head and laid the kit-
chen towel on the edge of the sofa. “Never mind
that. You know I hate to burden you with more
than you already take on. How has everything
been in Copper Mesa? The internet’s been down
so I’m not sure if you’ve sent us any emails or
not.”

50/322

“Same as always. All right.” What else

did she expect him to say? It was what she
wanted to hear, needed to hear and even if things
hadn’t been going well, he would never let on.
His mother was one of the hardest working
people he knew and he damn sure wouldn’t be
the one to lay more stress at her feet, not when it
was his turn to do the brunt of the work and take
care of them.

Her features softened, however the fine

lines around her puffy eyes remained the same.
“That’s good. Your father is looking forward to
having you back here with us.”

Cole lifted an eyebrow. Back here? It

sounded more permanent than his sporadic week-
end visits. “Is there something I need to know?”

She flushed. “I shouldn’t have mentioned

it.” Slowly, she eased onto the couch with
shoulders slumped.

“Mentioned what? I’m thirty years old,

not a child. I expect to be informed when you or
anyone else in this family think you can make a

51/322

decision about my life without letting me in on
it.”

She lowered her head between her hands.

“That’s not how it is,” she began, facing him.
“You know your father and I don’t think you’re
any less capable of managing your life than any-
one else. If it wasn’t for you this ranch would
have fallen to pieces, reverted back to the bank a
long time ago.”

Cole was fast losing his patience with her

ridiculous acknowledgment of his contribution as
if he could do any less. “You didn’t answer my
question.”

She avoided his gaze and toyed with the

ring on her finger. In a low voice she answered,
“Your father thinks it’s best if you returned to the
Tumbling Y. He needs your help here.”

She thought to just mention that and ex-

pect him to pack everything and return?

“What about money?” He held out his

hand, palm facing upward and tapped it with his

52/322

other hand. “Wasn’t the point of me working
someplace else to help offset the cost here?”

“It was and it has helped. It might not

show from the looks of this place, but we’re stay-
ing afloat. I hate having to tell you this, but the
fact of the matter is, your father is not doing well
and it’s just a matter of time before another
stroke takes him from us.”

Cole raked a hand through his hair. Why

the hell did he get the feeling there was more to
this than she was letting on? And so far, there
had been no mention of his younger brother’s
role in all of this. Surely he had to be of some
help.

“What about Derek? He’s old enough to

contribute around here after he graduates. I
can’t up and leave my job.” As if on cue, Noelle
popped into his thoughts, her eyes flashing with
the excitement he knew she would have rather
kept hidden after he’d fixed her car. He wanted to
see that again and again. Wanted to have her dis-
play it to him with open affection. He didn’t want

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to abandon the one place that kept him close to
her.

“Derek won’t be here.” She refused to

meet his eyes. “Your brother received a full
scholarship to ColoradoStateUniversity.”

A fist rammed into his stomach, knock-

ing the wind out of him. An unwanted sense of
anger, jealousy and disbelief settled in his gut. He
didn’t begrudge his brother the achievement, but
what about the opportunities he had to sacrifice
as a teen to stay on at the ranch and help out?
Even before he had graduated high school his
parents had hinted that his presence was para-
mount. And now, they expected him to drop
everything and return home so his brother could
have the opportunities he was denied. Was it be-
cause they had higher expectations of Derek? He,
Cole, was just big and silent, unable to amount to
much in life. Was that how they viewed him?

“I’m suppose to return here and take on

his load in addition to everything else, is that
right?”

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Her dark eyes widened. She quickly

stretched out a hand to him. “Cole. It’s not like
that. You know how your brother is. He doesn’t
love this place as much as you and Derek’s al-
ways wanted to go—”

He didn’t want to hear the rest of what

she had to say. He needed to get away from the
excuses that masked so many truths. Cole stalked
out of the living room and outside to the small
guesthouse he’d taken as his home for a few
years as well. It never bothered him before the
life he had chosen, living here and at the Somer-
set ranch, both places lonesome and devoid of
any social life to speak of. He harbored no ill will
toward his brother if he wanted out and wanted to
experience life outside of cattle ranching. Heck,
his mother was right about the love he had for
ranching, but that was no excuse to assume the
ranch was his entire life. That, although he would
return to the Tumbling Y out of duty, there might
not be someone else who needed him or that he
might not have other obligations.

55/322

Yeah right. Who was he kidding; he had

nothing outside of maintaining the Tumbling Y.
And he was thinking too much about Noelle
again. Last night he’d ridden past the fence and
caught a glimpse of the curtains drawn back, just
barely. He looked up far too late, only to see the
telltale swaying of the curtain. Noelle had been
watching him and he had never been so tempted
in his life to shake a woman. He wanted to drag
the information out of her why she felt the need
to watch him from afar. Then it hit him, whatever
she was feeling, hatred or interest, he was equally
as guilty. He was spending too much time going
out of his way to watch her movements. For all
he knew, she was wondering the same and wish-
ing to do nothing but slap him across the face.

56/322

Chapter Four

Legs outstretched and her back against

the trunk of a tree, Noelle raised her hand in a
sweeping motion depicted in the book lying
across her lap. In mid action, she dropped her
hand to the blanket on the grass and snapped the
book closed.

“No point at all,” she chastised herself.

No point except humiliating herself. Or perhaps,
Cole wouldn’t even take her attempt to commu-
nicate with him seriously.

Noelle slid the book inside her handbag

and folded her arms behind her head. This was
her spot, although it encroached on Mr. Somer-
set’s property. In the seven years she’d been
coming here, she had yet to encounter another
soul and was grateful for that small favor.

It was here that the quiet rush of the

river, the sunshine hitting through the branches of
the Juniper and Cottonwood trees on those warm
summer afternoons, after her family had first

moved to Copper Mesa, helped to keep her sane.
Not so much to prevent her from falling back into
old habits, rather to get away from the constant
lectures transfused with bouts of silence. It
hadn’t changed much over the years, but she had
gotten used to it.

After all, her parents had given her all the

opportunities other children could only pray for,
they didn’t deserve to have a druggie as a daugh-
ter, regardless if she hadn’t made it as far into the
addiction as some of the people she hung around
with.

Noelle grappled with the painful memor-

ies. She was not a drug user. She had gone
through too much trying to shed that appalling la-
bel. Was still going through it, although no would
look at her and suspect it. Definitely not Cole,
her burly cowboy.

God, she didn’t even want to ponder that

train of thought. Thinking of Cole in such a per-
sonal way. And she didn’t have to. The sound of

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rustling bushes on the path leading from the
ranch, grabbed her attention. Noelle straightened.

Stretching on her tiptoes, she looked over

the hedge. Cole. Her heartbeat quickened. She
didn’t want to see him. Didn’t want him invading
her private sanctuary.

He strode toward the bank of the river,

fingers pressed firm against his palm. She could
see droplets of blood leaking from between the
fingers.

What the hell happened to him? Her

wretched feet took a step forward and then anoth-
er. Noelle stopped and watched as he bent in
front of the river, placing both hands beneath the
clear shallow water. Her feet scuffled on the dirt.
Noelle jumped then froze when a twig snapped
beneath her sandals.

Snapping his head to the side, Cole

caught wind of her presence. The breath hitched
in her throat and blood pounded in her ears when
his head lifted and their gaze collided.

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She shifted her head and looked to the

side. Noelle willed her feet to move and take her
away from him. It was either that or going to him
and asking if he was all right. Only catch was, he
probably wouldn’t appreciate her concern or
help, since that would mean he might be indebted
to her or God forbid, require him to acknowledge
her existence. So that led to the question, why
was she headed mindlessly in his direction?

She continued toward him. The soft

chirping of a meadowlark perched high on a
scraggly branch, coupled with the brisk scent of
pine needles and the steady lull of the rolling wa-
ter did nothing to soothe her nerves. Cole kept his
gaze focused on the water, his large hands mov-
ing back and forth setting off tiny ripples.

He’s pretending I’m not here.
She stopped behind him. “Cole?”
He withdrew his hands from the water

and with an eerie slowness, turned to look at her,
brows lifted and a definitive what-the-fuck-do-

60/322

you-want look in his black eyes. Shaken, Noelle
retreated a step backwards.

Did he give that look to every female?

The man couldn’t talk but there was absolutely
no reason to, not when he could get his point
across with those eyes. Imagine how he could
make her feel with a heated gaze to show he
viewed her as a woman, the way the other cow-
boys did.

“What are you doing here?” she asked,

instantly regretting the censor in her tone.

The anger on his face was all too apparent

as he tied a bandanna around his palm. Wiping
his uninjured hand on the side of his jeans, he
rose to his feet.

Noelle felt like kicking herself. She’d

blown it again. Did she want him to dislike her?
Because never in her life had she tried so hard to
be cruel to someone before…well except herself.

She bit the inside of her cheek. She

should have straight out asked what happened to

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his hand. At least then she wouldn’t have to
watch him walk away in anger.

He made it halfway past the blanket she’d

spread out on the grass before coming to a sud-
den standstill. Her gaze followed his downward,
landing on the quilt. Oh God. The book. It had
fallen out of her bag and was laying face up so he
could read every single humiliating incriminating
word of the title. American Sign Language: For
Beginners.

How would she explain it? One way was

to not cower in front of him and act as if she had
committed a heinous crime. It was a free country
and he didn’t control her reading material, even if
he was the sole cause of her buying the book.

As if in slow motion, Noelle watched

with bated breath as he picked up the book,
grasping it between his fingers. He held it out to
her. She wasn’t dumb enough to try and take it.
Cole wanted to know why she had such a book in
her possession.

Too bad.

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She wasn’t going to stick around and an-

swer him. Noelle hurried past him and snatched
up her handbag. He could keep the damn book if
he wanted. It wasn’t like there’d be much use for
the few signs she had learned anyway.

“I don’t owe you any explanations.”
His jaw clenched. “Why?” He pushed the

book toward her, eyes maddened with fury.
“What are you up to?” he signed rapidly.

Noelle looked down at his hands. “If I

were you, I’d have better things to worry about
than what I’m doing.”

He threw the book on the blanket, a sharp

thud echoing around them. Noelle blinked in sur-
prise. Fear raced up her spine. Her breath felt
trapped somewhere in her throat at his unnerving
stare. Damn. She shouldn’t have pushed him.
Cole didn’t like her and if he wanted to hurt her
out here in the bushes, there wasn’t a thing she
could do to defend herself against him. He was
too big and powerful; she’d be no match for him
at all.

63/322

“Why are you messing with me?”
Noelle gulped, disturbed by what she saw

beneath his stormy eyes. She reached down to
pick up the book, then pushed it into her bag.

“It was a mistake, Cole. Forget it.”
He shook his head and moved his hands

rapidly, way faster than she could understand.

She should walk away, but how could

she? Because of her Cole was offended. In a
quieter tone she answered, “I don’t understand
you—the signs I mean.”

His hands fell to his sides. Forehead

creased, his hand delved into his pocket for the
notepad. He scribbled quickly then pushed the
paper into her hand without touching her. Noelle,
why are you doing this?

As if he didn’t know. It was the same

reason she saw him at least once per day riding
near the border between her parents’ home and
the ranch. The reason, he’d spied her watching
him from her bedroom window.

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Noelle lifted her shoulder, hoping she

looked as haughty as she didn’t feel. “I was curi-
ous, that’s all.”

Curious about what? How it feels to be

lacking?

Noelle blinked at the words on the paper.

Cole thought he was lacking? She looked away
and crossed to the edge of the water where he’d
knelt previously. “I never said that. You always
seem to take pleasure in imagining the worst of
my intentions. I don’t see why this should be any
different.”

His footsteps mashed on the ground and

Noelle felt her heart quiver and heat flooding
between her thighs as he came to stand beside
her.

Do you care what I think?
She ran her fingers over the note she’d

just read. “I shouldn’t.” I really shouldn’t.

He took a deep breath and nodded as if

her words explained everything. Long, callused
fingers worked quickly on the paper again,

65/322

leaving her worried as to where the conversation
was headed.

But you do and you don’t like it? Am I

right, Noelle?

Noelle nodded. There was no use lying to

him. “We’re very different people. You know
that right?”

She expected the question to upset him

because of course he had to know what she was
talking about and the difference in their skin col-
or was the least of her concern.

He looked over at the ranch then down at

the ground before nodding and lifting his hand in
a motion she remembered from the book. “I
know.”

The silence grew dense between them un-

til Noelle focused her attention on his hand.
“What happened?” she asked, unsure if he would
confide in her.

He gave her a wry grin. Noelle waited for

him to grab the pen and start scribbling again. He
didn’t.

66/322

Biting back the hurt, she lifted her gaze to

the auburn sky. “Well the good thing is, I know
nothing’s changed.” She brushed off her skirt.
“As far as I’m concerned you can go on back to
the ranch and keep on thinking of me as the bitch
you want to avoid, because I probably am,
cowboy.”

Brows furrowed, he gave her a quick look

before writing something on the paper. I was stu-
pid. Let myself get distracted while tearing down
a piece of barbed wire.

She had seen some of the other cowboys

removing sections of the wiring that must have
been put in place over a century ago and was a
deadly to animals if they became entangled in the
fencing.

“Do you think Mr. Somerset will allow

you to keep working if he gets a look at that
injury?”

He chuckled. She assumed it was a

chuckle because his eyes became lighter and his
lips curved into a sensuous grin. He stared at her

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for another second before lowering his head and
jotting something down.

He will. Needs all the men he can get.
He was probably right. There weren’t a

lot of men out there ready to give up their social
life to rough it on a ranch in a backwoods town.
Much less a skilled cowboy like Cole who actu-
ally knew what he was doing. Mr. Somerset
wasn’t an idiot and would not risk losing him to
another ranch.

“All right. But just because your boss

isn’t going to fire you, is not a good reason to not
take care of that hand.” She pointed to the blue
bandanna around his palm, stained with red.
“You don’t think you need to tie that knot a little
tighter? Or do cowboys have some kind of mys-
tical healing power different than everyone else?”

He arched an eyebrow at her then held out

his hand, with the knot facing her. Her cunt
moistened at the way he held out his palm ex-
pectantly, even though she’d made no mention of

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helping him. It was a silent command and,
Heaven help her, she adored it.

Steadying her breathing, Noelle fingered

the knot, untied it and drew it closer around his
palm. “Is it too tight?” Was that her voice all soft
and throaty?

He shook his head and lowered his gaze

to her hand beside his. She retied it and allowed
her hand to fall. Reaching out, Cole brushed his
fingertips to hers. Noelle pulled away her hand. It
was wrong to allow him to believe this thing
would go any further than what took place right
here.

Cole looked at her hands, clenched to her

sides and gave his head a jerk as if he didn’t care
one way or the other.

Irritated with herself and him, Noelle

blurted, “You’re not going to tell your friends
about this are you?” The last thing she needed
was her father finding out that she was making
nice with a worker from one of his buyers. A
ranch hand.

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Cole pounded past her and dropped a

piece of paper on the blanket. In big letters she
read: There’s not a damn thing to tell, is there,
Ms. Williams?

Her chest tightened. Noelle turned to say

something to softened the sting of her words. She
was met with his retreating frame. Noelle stared
after him longingly. Thankfully, this time her feet
heeded the command of her brain and remained
still, winning against the urge to run after him
and apologize. It was just as well. If Cole knew
the real her, he would be disappointed anyway.
No point in fanning the flames of their attraction.

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Chapter Five

Cole studied the scar in the middle of his

hand. It was almost healed. Despite how he’d
made it seem to Noelle a week ago, he was
thankful the injury was a minor cut. Men like him
couldn’t afford to lose the ability to work with
their hands. He couldn’t afford it, not with every-
one depending on him to get the work done here
and then to take over at the ranch back home.

Still, it was a stupid mistake that resulted

in the injury. One of the regular line riders,
whose duty was to make sure all the wired fences
were in tact each day, was holed up in his room
with the flu, so he’d stepped up and volunteered
to show one of the newly hired hands, a tender-
foot, how to patch up the four wire barbed fen-
cing used to keep the herd of cattle from straying.
The guy made a stupid move, causing the
sharpened blade to slide across his palm. Lesson
learned, he’d never volunteer to teach fence
mending to anyone.

Cole ran a finger over the scar. Although

he didn’t like how things ended with Noelle dur-
ing their last encounter, he had to admit she was
wreaking havoc on his nerves. He could still feel
her hands on his. She’d felt so soft, he hadn’t
been able to stop himself from touching her…
until she’d withdrawn from him. Right now, she
seemed hell bent on avoiding any connection to
him and he knew he should be doing the same
with her.

Tonight he had the chance of doing just

that, sampling another woman and clearing
Noelle from his mind once and for all. It was one
of those nights. Every month or so, some of the
women from the neighboring towns would pass
through on the ranch with thoughts of nothing
more than hooking up with a cowboy.

A few of the women had been married,

some of them not caring enough to take off their
wedding rings. He had never slept with any of the
married ones, but not all the men were as dis-
criminatory, because of the long bouts of

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celibacy. He wouldn’t be a hypocrite and pretend
he minded the women who came, but that didn’t
mean he wanted to indulge either. The last and
only woman on the ranch, he’d slept with had
been three months ago. The experience left a ran-
cid taste in his mouth although he hadn’t been
stupid enough to place his lips on hers or any oth-
er part of her body. It would have been too intim-
ate. At the time, the pressure in his cock had been
relieved, but that was just it, nothing more, noth-
ing less. The way he’d heard the other men de-
scribe it, it should have been way better than just
releasing into the condom. And that went for
both times he’d had sex.

It probably would be if I hadn’t been half

disgusted. He’d known that as soon as he and the
woman finished she would jump into bed with
another ranch hand and continue like that for the
rest of night. That little tidbit alone had lessened
his arousal. Yeah, he really wasn’t that desperate
for a fuck tonight.

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He wanted…Noelle. Lovely, perfection

that he wanted to claim. There had to be some
part of her that wanted him too. Why else would
she attempt to understand him, show concern for
his injury? She was not as tough as she tried to
portray herself and he wanted to be the one to
wear her down, the one to lie on top of her each
night, have her bear his weight with every thrust
into her pussy. His cock pulsed with excitement
and Cole lowered his hand, stroking it over his
erection. Reluctantly, he lifted his hand and
shook his head in defeat. He wasn’t going to
spend another night bringing himself to come,
spilling his seed for Noelle, a woman who he’d
probably never get a chance in this lifetime to
touch. He looked down at his cock and re-
membered how hard he came last night thinking
of her and how badly he wanted to know what
her cunt felt like. So much cum and such a fuck-
ing waste.

He knew he wasn’t the only one who was

attracted to Noelle. He knew for a fact a couple

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of the other hands had tried to come on to her to
which she shot them down. He’d seen it happen
once and actually stayed close by to make sure
the man left her alone. Of course she hadn’t seen
him and he hadn’t alerted her to his presence
once he realized the worker wasn’t going to push
the issue with her.

Cole glanced at the small, rarely used

alarm clock by his bed. What would be an even
bigger waste was to spend the entire evening
alone. He exited the room. The moment his feet
hit the dirt, he could smell the stench of cheap li-
quor wafting off a cowboy with his hand up the
skirt of a scantily clad woman sitting on his lap.

“Isn’t this great, Cole? I was starting to

get worried for a couple of weeks there. Didn’t
think we’d come across any females willing to
spread em’ for us.”

Cole shook his head and ignored the boy.

This was his first month on the job and Cole sus-
pected the nineteen year old had never been with

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a woman but was trying to show off his
machismo.

There wasn’t anything unique about the

position of the tenderfoot Mike and the brunette
sprawled across his lap. Some of the cowboys
preferred privacy and some just plain didn’t care,
like the one pumping into a blonde against the
tree.

Cole looked away, shifting his gaze to see

Beau strolling in his direction. Like him, the fore-
man also took a quick glance at the couple by the
tree and shook his head.

“I thought you were gonna miss all the

fun and chill inside your room.”

“That was the plan.”
“Not tonight. Sandy was asking for you.”

Beau turned, looking around as if he was trying
to spot the curvy woman.

Cole shrugged. “I don’t give a shit.”
Frowning, Beau looked at him strangely.

“You left with her last time. What’s different
now?”

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“It doesn’t mean I want a repeat experi-

ence. You can have her.”

The foreman eyed him with suspicion.

“No thanks. I do have to ask, this wouldn’t have
anything to do with Williams’ daughter would
it?”

They both knew the man had two daugh-

ters but it was obvious which one anyone would
be interested. That and the fact that the younger
one was married. Regardless, it was a strange
question…unless he’d accidentally let something
slip to his friend. Cole had no memory of ever
speaking to Beau about Noelle or any woman for
that matter. There hadn’t been much information
to relay.

“Why would it? I don’t know his daugh-

ter.” It was the truth. He wanted to get to know
her, but right now he was in a dismal darkness
when it came to Noelle Williams.

Beau lifted a shoulder. “No reason. Just

asking, you know. Then of course there’s the
little fact that I saw the two of you by

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SnakeTrailRiver. You’re a decent guy, so I was
apt to believe you weren’t harassing the girl. I
didn’t think you’d harass her. If you weren’t do-
ing that and she didn’t have a phone to her ears
calling for help, what was going on?”

The question stung. “Are you asking as a

friend or my foreman?”

“Both. I’d hate to see you waste your time

on her.’”

Was Beau saying that because he disliked

Noelle, or he didn’t think he had a fighting
chance with her? “I don’t see how that has any-
thing to do with you or my work here.”

“Not your work.” Beau stared at him then

snorted, “C’mon Cole. You wouldn’t exactly be
her type, now would you?”

It was all too clear. “She turned you down

so, why would she talk to me, right?”

The foreman’s face turned crimson.

“That’s not what I meant and you fucking well
know it.”

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What he knew was that deep inside it was

always the same bullshit. When he’d first applied
for the job he had to work harder, demonstrate
that he knew how to rope and drag a steer and
everything else his duties entailed, while the oth-
er men were being hired without having to prove
anything except their identity. Even now he still
felt like everyday he had to prove himself, des-
pite the legwork and hours he put in. In the end,
it didn’t matter how well he did the work. He
couldn’t speak and that left some dumbasses
thinking he was lacking in the intelligence area or
that he had nothing to say. Now it turned out,
someone he admired, his friend and boss, thought
he didn’t stand a chance with Noelle or any wo-
man deemed desirable by other men. He should
be relegated to the Sandy’s of this world, women
who spread their legs for anyone with a prick.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow, boss.”
Beau shook his head. “Easy there, Cole. I

didn’t mean to start shit with you.” The foreman
looked around for a moment and said in a

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contrite tone. “Don’t take anything I said to you
personal. You know how it is around here. It’s
easy to get desperate for a woman when it’s a
commodity. I just think you’re out of your league
on this. You think Williams is gonna approve of
his daughter getting involved with a saddle
tramp? Take my advice and let it go, cowboy. Go
have a beer and bang the shit out of Sandy. If you
don’t some other man will.”

Cole glanced over at the woman walking

across the field, wearing a short dress that was far
too tight for her round frame. He looked away,
completely turned off. There was no way he’d be
able to get it hard for her or any of the other cow-
boy chasing women. He wanted Noelle. Plain
and simple. She didn’t want him, but that little bit
of knowledge wasn’t doing anything to temper
his desire for her.

Gazing up, he saw a light coming from

one of the rooms in the neighboring house. Was
Noelle staring out the window again, trying to get
a glimpse of him? His lips curled. Bitch.

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No other female had made it as clear as

her that he wasn’t worth shit. Angered, his vision
sought out the redhead sidling up next to him.
“Your friend over there wanted to take me in the
tack room,” Sandy told him, failing at any hint of
coyness.

Cole stiffened. She smiled at him and

rubbed her breasts against his arm and giggled. “I
figured you’d want first dibs since it was so good
last time. Maybe this time I can see if we can get
a sound out of you.” Her lipstick smeared lips
widened into a smile as if she had said something
clever and cute.

Cole peeled her arm from his. If there had

been a slim chance in hell he could have gotten it
up for her, her mention of the silence he tried so
hard to maintain during intercourse killed all pos-
sibility. “Oh my God, you sounded like an animal
dying.” Five years after losing his virginity and
he could still hear the disgust in the girl’s voice.

Get the fuck out of my way, Cole thought.

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As if he needed another reminder tonight

of everything that was wrong with him. Glancing
up at the window again, he saw that the light was
still on. Cole dragged his gaze from the house.
His foreman was correct. He hated to admit that
it was over with Noelle before he ever had a
chance. Hated to admit it hurt. He looked back at
Sandy. Maybe if he drank a few cans of beer,
he’d be able to fuck her. Prove to himself his
manhood wasn’t destroyed because of a tease
who had no interest in him. Would she even care
if she saw him with another woman? He hoped
so and a part of him hoped it would cause her
pain.

Like hell. Noelle had buckets of ice water

tapped straight from the Rockies coursing
through her veins. There were just some things a
gorgeous face couldn’t make up for and he had a
sickening feeling that dwelling on her was a lost
cause.

Bullshit, his mind screamed. He’d seen

the glint in her eyes when she admitted her

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feelings. The way she’d carefully wrapped the
bandanna around his hand. He still couldn’t be-
lieve she had done it. So, was that the reason his
feet were taking him toward the river this late in
the evening, hoping she would be there with
thoughts of him?

“Hey Cole, you ain’t sticking around for

the pussy?” Mike yelled, taking a break from the
woman’s breasts.

Cole waved a hand, brushing off the ques-

tion before striding in the direction of the thick
stretch of overgrown trees. A swim would help
and then he’d turn in for the night.

****

She knew what was going on at the

ranch, had driven by and seen the cars parked
along the roadside. Noelle wasn’t surprised that
there were women chasing down the cowboys. In
a way she envied them. Those women might only
be in it for the sex, but at least they were brave
enough to go after what they wanted. They were
stronger than her and didn’t have to worry about

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what anyone would think of them. Like if Cole or
anyone in Copper Mesa knew the reason her fam-
ily moved to the town was to save her father’s
business and the Williams’ family reputation be-
fore her behavior and heroin use cost them
everything they held dear.

Is Cole with one of them right now?
Anger tore through her as she made her

way to the river. Were those powerful muscles on
his back bunching and rippling as he pounded in-
to some strange woman? Were his hands holding
on to soft feminine flesh not belonging to her?
Maybe he would even place his lips on this mys-
tery woman’s.

Stop it, Noelle. What that cowboy does is

none of your business.

And yet it was. Sighing, Noelle glanced

up at the night’s sky. Overhead a silver moon
hung low, illuminating the dark, its sole compan-
ion a single star. She laughed to herself. Even the
moon wasn’t alone…and neither was she, it
seemed.

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Someone was in the river. The person was

neck deep in the water. She could see the wet
hair that fell to the sides of his face. His hands
moved in a fluid motion. In the dim of night she
could see the way his muscles flexed from the
simple motion of pushing the strands from his
face. He was amazing. Her pussy tightened.
Noelle drew her legs together to relieve the ache.
Cole was here and not lying between the thighs
of a cowboy chaser. Her heart leapt and rejoiced.
Thank God.

He hadn’t noticed her, however. With

bated breath she stood by the riverbank, anticip-
ating the moment he would turn and regard her
presence.

A shift of the head and her wish came

true. Whatever tranquility Cole was experien-
cing left him the moment he saw her. The same
hands that had pushed away the strands of damp
locks with such grace became rough and impa-
tient as he swam toward the shore, stopping with
the water above his waist.

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Oh God. She looked over at a log and saw

his clothes laying there, a pair of dark blue box-
ers beside his jeans.

Modesty entreated her to turn and head in

the opposite direction. Modesty was not her best
friend. Noelle strutted over to the log and stood
beside his discarded clothes. Heaven only knew
why she insisted on pushing the man time and
again.

Midnight shaded eyes connected with

hers. Crooking his fingers, Cole beckoned her to
him. Everything felt like a dream. A delirious
vision of Cole stepping out the river, his naked
body dripping with water played before her eyes.

“Look away, look away,” she chanted

quietly.

Impossible. She wanted so badly to see

him and her pussy was moist and aching so much
from his proximity. Her clit felt swollen.

She glided in front of him, her gaze trav-

eling from his feet to sculpted thighs. Noelle

86/322

paused and swiped her tongue across her lips.
Nerves and excitement tightened its reins on her.

Look higher.
She couldn’t, could she? She did. His

cock jutted out, long and thick, semi hard. She
lifted her gaze and saw him watching her, a dark
fire blazing in his eyes. Unable to resist, Noelle
looked down again, biting her lips to stifle a cry.
His cock was completely hard now and swollen,
sticking out from a patch of brown hair. The
bulbous tip broader than imaginable, was tinged
with the most beautiful shade of red she’d ever
seen. Beneath the trunk-like shaft, she could see
his balls, heavy and drawn up with his arousal.

“Cole…”
His eyes closed for a second then opened

as he widened his legs. He was looking at her
with anticipation… dear God, even a look of
desperation.

“This isn’t right,” she whispered. Noelle

moved a step closer to him, stopping short before
touching him. His cock was so big, almost too

87/322

big. She loved it. Loved the way the tip glistened
with his fluids. Absolutely divine. Moist heat
pooled in her panties as blood rushed into her
clitoris.

What she wouldn’t give to feel his penis

moving inside her, to lay beneath him and let him
know that deep down she didn’t care about their
differences. How sweet would it be, to let Cole
take from her what she had denied herself for too
many years— what shame and self- preservation
kept her from experiencing once more.

His wide chest rose. Noelle watched the

anger flicker across his features before his hand
went to his meaty cock. He did want her to look
at him. He looked up at her, eyes questioning and
thick brows drawn together.

Cole wanted to know if he pleased her.

Fireflies danced in her stomach, heating her
lower belly. He cared… Flattening her palm
against his barrel chest, she told him, “You
please me, Cole. More than I ever thought
possible.”

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Under the moonlight, she could see his

nostrils flared. Holding her hand, he guided it
lower to the dark line of hair leading to his groin.
Noelle shook her head but made no effort to ex-
tricate her hands. His fingers left hers to slide
along her thighs. A large hand closed over her
sex, cupping it and stroking through the soft
jeans. Eyes wide she writhed against the pleasure
and thought about pushing him away.

Cole lowered his lids dangerously and

shook his head. “Don’t”

At once his fingers found her zipper,

peeled it down then placed his hand over her
pussy, rubbing his thumb along her slit through
the sheer lace fabric of her panties.

Noelle moaned, unsure if his name fell

from her lips like a prayer.

Ever so slowly, he pushed a callused fin-

ger inside her sex. Noelle squirmed against the
invasion, and rolled her hips for more. His fore-
head knotted in concentration as he withdrew and

89/322

stared down at himself, his large cock held within
his large fist.

Noelle panicked. Was he going to try and

fuck her? Her cunt tightened and her mind spun.
However, he made no move to climb between her
legs.

Thumbing her chin, he held her gaze, his

dark eyes searing into hers. Noelle followed his
lead as he looked downward at his fingers then
back at her and finally his vision landed on his
engorged cock. Her lids lowered in understand-
ing. He was comparing the two.

She caressed his hand. “I know you’re

big.” Placing her other hand to his chest, she ad-
ded softly, “It’s so beautiful, Cole. I like it.”

His featured softened and the harsh lines

in his face smoothed. Cole covered a hand over
hers, cradling her to his chest. He stared at her
again and the same knot appeared in his fore-
head. Whatever it was he had to say, she didn’t
want him to move his hands from her body to
sign. By the looks of it, neither did he.

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He drew her closer and circled an arm

around her back. His thumb brushed along her
pussy, petting her slickened folds with the pos-
sessive touch of a lover. Noelle parted her lips on
a breathy sigh and leaned into him. Eyes closed,
she allowed him liberties she was probably going
to regret in an hour’s time.

All too soon, she opened her eyes, biting

her lips to keep the whimper at bay as Cole
slowly withdrew his fingers from between her
legs. He was giving her that worried look again,
except this time he pointed at her pussy then his
shaft.

Ohhh.
Noelle blinked. He was worried about be-

ing too big for her. She stared at him in silence.
Warmth spread through her. His concern stroked
something deep and sacred within her.

“You…you wouldn’t hurt me.” She

paused realizing her answer might lead him to
believe she was acquiescing to sex tonight, or
any other time with him. Say something Noelle,

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anything to make him go away. She couldn’t af-
ford to fall for Cole. Her heart would not be able
to handle disappointing another person she cared
about.

She opened her mouth, preparing for the

fallout from whatever she would say to him. She
couldn’t. Cole was gazing at her with those pen-
etrating black eyes, searing into her soul. She
wanted Cole, but was too weak to go after him.
Too afraid of what her family would say and ter-
rified of how he would look at her if he knew of
her past.

Noelle placed her hand on his flat stom-

ach, tracing circles over the rippling muscles. She
trailed her fingers lower and caressed the back of
her fingers along his remarkable length. She
didn’t have to look up to know he watching her.
Every nerve, cell in her body tingled.

She moved her hand over the base, ex-

ploring this wonderful man. Velvet over steel.
Everything about him was magnificent. Her eyes
held the tip, wet with his arousal, the faint scent

92/322

of his arousal heightening her desire. Noelle
fought desperately against the need to fall to her
knees and know once and for all what that strap-
ping, bear of a man tasted like.

“I wonder what it would be like…having

sex with you,” she mused, unable to stop the
words that fell from her lips.

He remained still, giving no hint to the ef-

fect her words had on him except for the single
twitch she felt from his cock beneath her fingers.

She pressed her face to his, lost in the

fantasy. “I love it that you’re so huge, every part
of you.” Noelle cupped the back of his head and
swept her lips across his jaw. “It’s almost like I
can feel you inside me.” Her pussy throbbed with
want. Through lowered lids, she gazed up at him.
“Would you like to touch me again?” Her desire
blossomed.

Cole shook his head and stroked her

cheek. Noelle looked at him in confusion before
shifting her gaze to his cock. Heaven help her, it

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was even more enticing in her need. So, why did
he shake his head?

His solid chest rose and fell. Noelle

watched as he grasped his penis and held it out
toward her center, barely touching her. Slowly,
she looked up at him. His smoldering eyes met
hers and with a jerk of his head, she knew what
he wanted to say. Ask me for it.

“Please, Cole. Can you touch me again?”
Noelle lay on the ground and raised her

hips as Cole knelt between her legs. He pulled
the jeans below her ankles. Rising on her elbows,
she pleaded, “Just touch me. I need you to make
me feel good. Let me pretend I can feel you so
deep inside me.”

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Chapter Six

Cole thought about leaving her right then

and there. He knew her pussy was aching… and
so was his cock. Hard and straining, with so
much pre-cum spilling from the swollen tip, he
would give anything to sink into her until there
was no distance between them, but she didn’t
want that. She didn’t care.

The only thing that kept him from

abandoning her was his need to be close to her, to
soothe the pain in Noelle’s voice. She was hurt-
ing and right now he was the only one who could
alleviate her ache. Cole pushed away his own
hurt that she wasn’t about to welcome him inside
her beautiful cunt.

He pushed both hands in the opposite dir-

ection motioning for her to widen her legs. She
did, without the slightest bit of hesitation. His
cock swelled and hardened at the sight that
greeted him. She was almost bare down there ex-
cept for the faintest trace of ebony curls that he

was already imagining wet with his sperm. Al-
though it was dark, he was happy for the light of
the moon shining directly over Noelle’s clit. The
bundle of nerves looked full and juicy, so damn
ripe. Her folds were puffy and swollen, damp
with wetness for him.

She nibbled at her full lips and looked up

at him. Cole felt his chest tighten. No matter
what Noelle might say, he knew without a doubt
she was his woman. He took a deep breath and
focused on the sheen between her labia. There
was not a fucking drop of ice in her blood, just
tantalizing warmth he was about to get a taste of.

He held his penis and pressed it against

her pussy, holding it there and watching as her
eyelids closed. Her back arched and her legs,
brown and long, spread even wider to accom-
modate his large frame.

“More,” she whispered.
God help him, Noelle had no idea what

she was asking of him. To touch her so intimately
and not expect him to thrust inside her exquisite

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cunt and fuck until they were both breathless and
spent? She was killing him. But Cole knew he
would do whatever she wanted. Anything to
please her and show her how much he wanted
her, deserved a chance with her more than any-
one else. He held her hand and brought it to his
face. Her lips parted on a luxuriant sigh and
ended on a sensuous smile as she touched her
hand to his face in a gentle caress.

He stroked the cockhead along her en-

trance and over her clitoris, plump with wanton
need. A tiny moan escaped her before he moved
his hand and pushed her backward in the soft
grass. Holding his gaze, she began removing the
buttons to her shirt, pushing it open to expose her
round, pert little tits in the lacy bra.

He placed a hand over a dusky nipple and

covered the entire breast. Perfection. Cole
squeezed and fondled the mound, delighted in the
shape and size. He was happy her breasts weren’t
overly large like both women he had slept with

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before, but big enough to bounce under the firm
thrusts he wanted so badly to give her pussy.

The idea of Noelle beneath him, tits boun-

cing and yielding to his desire sent him reeling.
Cole guided his cock faster along her glistening
slit. He could feel the drops of pre-cum flowing
liberally from his cock, wetting her pussy with
every stroke. Underneath him, her body quivered
and he didn’t miss the way she sank her teeth into
her lips.

“I didn’t know it would feel like this.”

She tilted her hips, seeking more from him. He
pulled back and surged forward, until the broad
head went fully inside her.

Her eyes widened as she tried to sit up.

Cole shook his head and pushed her backward on
the grass.

“D-d- don’t,” she begged, as she splayed

her thighs wider and a small moan escaped her
lips.

He closed his eyes and pumped slowly.

God, he wished he could talk. Then he’d be able

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to tell her she had nothing to worry about from
him. That he wouldn’t fuck her if she didn’t want
him to. And if she did want to let him fuck, he
would rather cut off his arm than cause her unne-
cessary pain because of his size.

She doesn’t want you to fuck her, a voice

inside his head mocked.

Gritting his teeth, he forced the truth

away and stroked the curve of her hips with his
knuckles. He felt the tension in her wan at the
same time her cunt tightened over his cockhead,
gripping him like a vise.

He pushed aside the bra and rolled a

nipple between his fingers. Noelle shivered and
raised her hips. “Feels so good.”

So, she liked what he was doing. Cole

strengthened his grip on the swollen base to pre-
vent from sinking to the hilt within her. Let me
in, beauty. Let me give you more.

She gripped his shoulder and whimpered.

“I’ve thought about you so much, Cole. All the
time, I kept thinking how it would be between us.

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How it would it would feel to have you…” She
paused, parted her lips on a sigh and scratched
her fingernails against his shoulder. “You’re so
big.” She ran her fingers along the muscles on his
back. “I don’t know if we’ll fit, but I think I’d
want nothing more than to lie beneath you and
feel you on top of me, your cock moving inside
me so damn hard.”

He held himself still, deep within her en-

trance. He hadn’t expected such an explicit con-
fession from her tonight. Not only did her words
cause his chest to swell with pride, but it made
the pressure in his balls tenfold, demanding re-
lease. Cole laced his arm around her waist, held
her tight and flexed his hips, fucking her with the
tip in firm, shallow strokes.

Her chest rose and fell with each thrust

and once again her hand touched his face, gently
stroking. “Cole,” she whispered on a breathy
moan. “If I let you, how would you fuck me?”
Her eyelids lowered then closed as she continued.
“Would you fuck me deep, give all of it to me?”

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Would he? Cole ran his hand over her

belly. He’d fuck her so deep and give her his en-
tire length she’d have no choice but to feel it all
the way up to her little belly.

She cried out after realizing his meaning.

“Would you...” He pumped again and her words
died on a sigh. “Would you come inside me too?”

He nodded and pushed his hand into her

hair. Cole bent his head to nuzzle the side of her
face. Noelle. I’d come so hard inside your cunt;
you wouldn’t have any doubt who you belonged
to.

He smiled to himself as her pussy

clenched around him. His hand went up to her
lips tracing his fingers across them. Her mouth
opened to capture his forefinger. She curled her
tongue around it.

God in Heaven. To see those lips closing

over his cock. He shut his eyes and pounded at
her entrance. If only she would let him in deeper.
But he wouldn’t take consent away from her.
Never. Noelle knew what he wanted. He just

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needed her to give it to him, let him fill her until
there was no space between them. She suckled
hard on the finger and Cole felt her body become
taut. He pushed another finger between her lips,
his gut tightening at the sweet tugging sensation.
She was about to climax. He’d seen that look in a
woman’s eyes before.

He was going to make her come and he

was the one responsible for the tiny tremors
wracking her gorgeous frame. His cock twitched
and his balls felt like it weighed a ton of lead.
Didn’t say I could come inside her. Quickly, he
pulled out and pressed his aching cock against
her flat belly. Cole tilted back his head, making
sure to keep that horrible sound at bay as his cum
spewed out onto her stomach in milky ropes.

He lifted his head and saw the stunned ex-

pression on her face. She stared at him then cast
her gaze to the satiny skin above her bellybutton,
wet and shiny with semen.

Cole rose from between her legs, unable

to look away from her stomach. I should have

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released in her, he thought, fully aware of the an-
ger and hurt working its way in his heart, cloud-
ing his reasoning. He should have kept his cock
between her labia, at least then she’d still have a
part of him inside her and the look of regret
sweeping across her features would be warranted.

He waited for her to say something to let

him it was all right between them. That
something had changed for the better. He was
met with nothing but a blank stare before her
gaze darted toward the now starry sky. He shook
his head. Noelle was Noelle. A lost cause as he’d
suspected.

He shoved into his clothes. Out of the

corner of his eyes he saw her carefully pull her
jeans over those lace panties and above her lush
hips. She had her back to him as if he didn’t
know every inch of her body.

Cole turned, openly watching her. She

smoothed back the hair falling across her face.
Her shoulders lifted a notch before she spun to
face him full on. So he waited again. The silence

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stretched between them. Unable to bear it for a
second longer, Cole knew he had to leave.

She held out her hand and tapped his arm

as he brushed past her. “You won’t repeat what
we…” A deep breath. “You won’t repeat what
happened here to anyone, will you?”

That’s all she has to say to me? He stared

at her and kept his expression schooled. It
seemed he would have been better off accepting
the previous offer from tonight. At least then he
wouldn’t have to live with the memory of how
good it felt to be so close to her.

He kept on walking. Let the bitch worry if

he’d spread it all over the Somerset Ranch, how
desperate she was for someone to touch her, how
much she appreciated the attention of a big cock
at her convenience.

****
You won’t repeat what happened here to

anyone, will you?

Noelle replayed the words in her mind.

How callous she must have sounded. She had

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wanted to say something else to him, but once
again she’d turn coward as soon as Cole turned
his back to her. He hadn’t seemed too thrilled
about what they’d done, or so she thought, until
he left in anger.

Being with Cole, having his body pressed

against hers had felt like her own slice of heaven.
She had wanted nothing more than to feel him all
the way inside her, but she wasn’t going to risk it.
Not so much the fear of pregnancy. If she wel-
comed him all the way inside her, it would open
the floodgates to her heart and she couldn’t af-
ford to do that.

Her parents still held her under a watchful

eye, despite being an adult and most days she felt
as if she was on a probation period to see when
she’d be worthy of being called their daughter or
having their love. If they knew she was fooling
around with their neighbor’s employee, it would
be like her teen years all over again. Noelle
sleeping with men her parents deemed an embar-
rassment to their name. All the feelings she had

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suppressed during the years, her childhood, of
not being the type of person they hoped she
would be, able to please like her sister Aleah,
would come knocking at her front door.

She didn’t want to deal with it again.

Didn’t ever want to stick another heroin-filled
needle in her arm. That wasn’t an option. It was a
harrowing experience she’d rather die than
repeat.

And really what did it matter? Even if

Cole returned her feelings, he was such a nice
guy that he deserved someone better than her,
someone stronger who wouldn’t be afraid to let
the world know her feelings for him. Maybe a
farm girl who knew as much about ranching as
he and didn’t leave a stench of disappointment to
everyone around. Heck, even someone like her
sister, who, at the moment, was bending over a
bed of flowers.

“So are you up for it?”
Noelle gave her a blank stare.
“You weren’t listening were you?”

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“What did you ask?”
Aleah snorted and shook her head.

“Jason, my husband, wanted to know if you’d be
interested in going out for coffee with one of his
co-workers.”

Noelle bit her tongue. She hated the way

her sister always made a point of emphasizing
that she was married. “Why would I want to do
that?”

Aleah rose from the flowerbed and stared

at her as if she had grown two heads. “You really
need to ask that?’

Yes, she did. Noelle stiffened. “I don’t

need your help with my life and I didn’t ask any
favors from you or your husband. So no, I don’t
want to go out with any of his friends.” Maybe if
she thought her sister was sincere in her endeavor
instead of another way to lord it over her about
their differences she would have actually con-
sidered. But, of course there was Cole, the only
man she wanted to spend time with.

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Aleah shrugged. “My mistake. I forgot

who I was talking to. Would you change your
mind if he got you a date with the officer
janitor?”

Blood rushed through her veins, fueling

her anger. She hadn’t expected her sister to make
a jab at the ‘poorer’ type of guys she dated as a
teen. “I would if I didn’t know you’d all pounce
on me within a minute and remind me how low
I’ve set my sights.”

“Well it’s the truth isn’t it? But you’ve

never cared how hard mom and dad worked to
gain respect in the business. No, Noelle just has
to be different, instead of appreciating everything
you had, you had to go whining with your selfish
friends and getting into shit you had no business
trying out. You learned the hard way didn’t you?
Those dumbass friends of yours could shoot up in
front of the cops and walk scotch free, but you…
Well I’m not gonna go there because you already
know how it is. You got caught and all of us had
to suffer the consequences. And for the record

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yes, I’m still bitter about it after all these years.
You’re not the only one who had a life in
Denver.”

Vicious tears burned at the back of her

lids. If she had known the day would turn out like
this, a reminder of her mistakes, she would have
hung up the damn phone on Aleah this morning.

Still, she wasn’t going to take the bait and

get into an argument. What was the point? Her
sister was right any way, the only difference was,
no one wanted to acknowledge the woman she
was today. The fact that day in and day out, she
busted her ass for the company and had no life
outside of whatever her parents needed to get
done.

“Don’t you have a husband and child in-

side waiting for you?”

Aleah removed the gardening gloves. “As

a matter of fact I do, Noelle. That’s the reason I
was trying to help you. You’re my sister and re-
gardless of what you think, I’ve never disliked
you. Do I think you can be a selfish bitch? Yes,

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but I do love you. I know I haven’t said that to
you in a long time, okay really long time. You’ve
never said it to me either. I don’t have your
looks, but I’m doing well for myself by treating
people the way they should be treated. I know
I’m younger than you, but I do want you to be
happy. I want you to find your peace, someone to
love and someone you can love in return. It’s not
impossible if you find a decent man, set your
sights a lot higher than the fools you ran around
with back in the days.”

“Are you finished?” Noelle asked softly.

She hadn’t expected to hear that from her sister,
not when the woman had stopped talking to her
after they made the move from Denver to Copper
Mesa. It was just recently they started talking on
the phone or seeing each other every couple of
months although Aleah came by the house often.

“I don’t hate you and I’ve already apolo-

gized a dozen times over for how my actions af-
fected you and everyone else. I get it, we were
one of the few black families in our circle and I

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screwed it up by having everyone look down on
us. I love you too and I’m sorry I haven’t shown
it. It’s just hard to show emotions sometimes
when I feel like I’m walking on eggshells all the
time with mom and dad just waiting for me to
screw up again.” Noelle lifted a shoulder. “Plus, I
know they’re a step away from disinheriting me.”
She didn’t care about money but it was the
simple act of having solid proof she was no
longer valued in their eyes that hurt.

Aleah nodded and looked away uncom-

fortably. It didn’t surprise Noelle; Aleah was
privy to everything her parents did. “You’re
exaggerating.”

Noelle decided to shut up. She wasn’t try-

ing to seem like a whiner as her sister had de-
scribed and it was evident Aleah didn’t want to
discuss the issue further. Not that she could
blame her for wanting to stay on the winning
side.

As she said her goodbye, Noelle couldn’t

help but think the same of Cole. She had been

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horrible to him and there was no way she’d be
able to blame him either if he wanted to knock
her down a peg and spread every detail about her
on the ranch. He didn’t seem like the type to will-
fully hurt someone but she feared this time she
had pushed him too far and her plea for his ‘si-
lence’ might have incited him to humiliate her.

There was nothing embarrassing about

being with Cole, if she was his woman she’d
want to shout it from the rooftops. He was like a
dream and it made her feel all the more despic-
able. She had used him for her pleasure and given
nothing in return, all because of the fear of unrav-
eling the tattered thread holding her to her fam-
ily. On the other hand, if she chose to see where
this thing with Cole was headed, the loss might
be worth it. She would gain someone who accep-
ted her fully. Noelle bit her lips. That wasn’t
right either. Cole would be accepting only what
he knew about her, since she hadn’t told him
everything about herself. And that was terrifying
if he chose not to accept her because of it.

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Chapter Seven

“Find someone else to do it,” Cole

signed.

“Can’t. Apart from me, you’re the only

one Somerset trusts. I’m on delivery duty in town
today, it’s out of the question for me.”

Cole reached for the ashen-shaded brand-

ing iron and applied the Somerset brand above
the bull’s hindquarters. He smote out the wood
fire as Beau pulled apart the ropes restraining the
bull.

“Why can’t Williams drop it off?” He

knew sooner or later he was going to have to face
Noelle. He’d just hope it was later or never.

“He’s busy. Called and said to come

over.” Beau gave him a pointed look. “He said
his daughter will take care of it.”

Something burned inside him like the hot

brand at his feet. Why did it seem as if Noelle
was always the one taking care of things

whenever her old man was too busy? Weren’t
there other workers to do those things?

“Yeah, all right,” he signed, annoyed at

the way his cock sprang to attention at the
thought of seeing her again.

Minutes later, Cole parked his pickup on

the side of the graveled road and made his way
up the cobblestone driveway. He rang the door-
bell. The house had to be at least three times the
size of the main house on the Tumbling Y.

Another minute passed and he rang the

bell again. Didn’t they have a helper to open the
door for them? Then again, perhaps rich black
people weren’t into the whole hired help thing.
He really had no idea and hoped he’d never come
off as ignorant to Noelle. Despite everything and
his anger toward her, he still cared what she
thought.

When the door opened, Cole was stunned

to see Noelle’s father standing at the doorway,
his thick jet-black mustache twitching to reflect
his annoyance. Surprisingly, the man reached for

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his hand. “Sorry about that. I told my daughter to
open the door but I guess she got lost somewhere
around here.” The man chuckled to himself and
gestured inside. All right, so far, Mr. Williams
seemed reasonable. However, he didn’t like the
way the man alluded to Noelle doing everything
for him.

“I’ve already told your boss, Randy, that I

had some things to do, so whatever you need
Noelle will help you with it.”

Cole nodded and the man stared at him

for a second, his brows creasing then relaxing
like when someone resolved a puzzle.

“Ahh, so you’re that cowboy who doesn’t

speak. I heard about Randy hiring a new hand a
while back, didn’t realize it was you. Must be
hard huh?”

What was hard about it? And if a while

back meant almost two years and numerous other
hires in between, then yes, but hard, simply be-
cause he couldn’t talk? Cole brushed it off. He

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wasn’t going to bother and write out something
to the man.

Mr. Williams nodded as if he didn’t ex-

pect more from him. No surprise there. “Well,
you sure look like you could handle the entire
place by yourself.”

Cole kept his face a mask of coldness.

Mr. Williams coughed and clapped his hands to-
gether. “Have a seat and I’ll get Noelle on top of
this.” He looked at Cole and asked. “She’s been
the one handling all of my dealings over at the
ranch. There haven’t been any issues with her has
there?”

Cole clenched his jaw. What the fuck was

the man getting at? He lifted his hand to tell the
man exactly what he thought of his question then
dropped it. Pointless. This was one of those times
he felt helpless and had to wonder why he was
born without a simple thing such as speech.

Mr. Williams waved his hand in an off-

hand manner. “Never mind. I’m sure everything
is fine. Wait here and I’ll see where that girl is.”

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Cole stood watching as the man pivoted

around a corner. From his position he assumed
Noelle had appeared because of the raised tones.
Mr. Williams wasn’t trying to disguise his irrita-
tion with her or censor her in private.

“What did you have to do that was so im-

portant you couldn’t open the door for the
gentleman?”

Noelle gave him a furtive glance then

averted her gaze. “I apologize to have kept you
waiting.”

He felt embarrassed that she was forced

to apologize to him in front of her father.

Hoping the man would take a hint and

leave them alone to handle business, Cole
glanced at his watch.

Mr. Williams gave him a wry grin as if he

was embarrassed by Noelle. “I think Noelle
sometimes forget that she’s just like any other
employee, except she’s living under my roof.”

Cole stiffened upon hearing the man’s

statement. His heart ached for the way Noelle’s

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eyes widened before she straightened her
shoulders as if she hadn’t heard the slight. She
did that a lot and he was starting to understand
why.

The older man placed his arm around her

shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be in my of-
fice. Make sure you give him everything Randy
ordered.”

“Yes, sir.” Her eyes looked straight

ahead.

Once Mr. Williams was out of the room,

Cole stared at Noelle. She lifted her gaze to his,
quickly looked away as if she had been stripped
bare, more intimate than he’d seen her laid out
naked on the grass beneath him.

“The supplies are this way.” She crossed

a passageway and Cole followed determined to
confront her. He wasn’t going to let her maintain
the pretense that nothing happened between
them, or her father hadn’t injured her heart and
ego.

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They entered a room, barren save for the

bags of the feed on the floor and a scale mounted
against the wall.

She kept her focus on the bags while

speaking to him. “I’ll help you take these outside.
We’ve added a new ingredient. I’m not sure if
my father mentioned it to you or your boss, but it
should help keep them healthier during the winter
when they lose the most weight.

She wouldn’t look at him. Fed up, Cole

jotted down a quick message to her. He didn’t
dare assume she’d continued with the sign lan-
guage lessons from her book and if by some mir-
acle she cared enough to, he wouldn’t get her at-
tention as long she spoke at him, not to him.

You know why. Noelle was scared and

embarrassed. He heard it in the tremor of her
voice. She was admitting defeat and he was par-
tially to blame.

She reached for a bag, bending low to

heft it onto the scale when Cole leaned forward
and placed his hand above hers, stilling her

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movement. One, he didn’t want her lifting the
heavy weight and two— they really needed to
clear the air. She glanced up at him and Cole
handed her the note.

Noelle. I didn’t tell anyone. You don’t

have to worry.

Cole watched as her eyes scanned the

words. She lifted her face, gazing at him in sur-
prise. Her stunning ethnic features softened
slowly. Noelle tilted her head, staring as if she’d
never seen him before.

“I don’t understand. I’ve been horrible to

you. This was your chance to punish me.”

She thought he wanted to punish her?

And in the worst way possible, by revealing in-
timate details about her.

Cole knelt beside her and brushed the

back of his hand along her soft cheek. His heart
melted when she leaned her face into his hand,
nuzzling against him like a kitten starved for
affection.

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Tipping her chin, he moved his hand in

front of her. “Can you understand me?” He sent
a quick prayer to anyone listening that Noelle had
kept up with the lessons.

“I understand you.”
His chest felt lighter. Cole buried his face

in the curve of her neck, holding it there and in-
haling her delectable scent. He did mean
something to her.

“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
He shook his head and pressed his mouth

to hers, seizing her lips between his. They felt so
damn smooth and tempting. His heart sped a mile
a minute as Noelle parted her lips to deepen the
kiss. Heaven in all its splendid glory. He wanted
to spend the rest of his life tasting those lips.

Suddenly, she broke the spell. “Not here.”

She glanced at the door while caressing his jaw.
“I don’t want to kiss you in here where I feel like
my every move is being watched.”

Cole helped her to rise. He highly

doubted her father was concerned about the two

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of them being alone. The man viewed him as
simple and it was apparent he thought Noelle’s
heart and body was safe from the likes of him.

“Why do you think that?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s the

truth. I tried too hard to ignore it.”

Cole narrowed his brows. He always as-

sumed Noelle was a prized jewel in her family.
This was unexpected and it didn’t make any
sense. She was perfection, how could her own
father not see that? Maybe in time she would ex-
plain it to him after he got it through to her that
he wanted no secrets between them.

“You will tell me the reason?” he asked,

issuing her a pointed stare.

She appeared to mull it over. Ever so

slowly, she lifted those long black lashes and
nodded. “I’ll tell you one day. Let’s just get these
bags out of here. I don’t want my father to hold
anything against you.”

He rolled his eyes. Williams held no

power over him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass what

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the man thought of him. But if it made Noelle
feel better to leave the room, then so be it.

“Come outside with me.” He drew her up

alongside him.

Noelle followed and Cole was pleasantly

surprised by her adorable yet weak efforts to help
him load the truck. He was glad no one was
around to witness the fiasco of a man his stature
being aided by a stubborn little female in high
heels, who refused to listen to his pleas for no
help. The entire episode pleased him beyond
measure. She was now his stubborn female.

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Chapter Eight

After Cole left two days ago and Noelle

realized how forgiving he was, it made the de-
cision to follow her heart even easier. The way
her father spoke down to her in front of Cole had
been a humiliating experience that unexpectedly
became one of the best moments of her life.

Cole had all the reasons to let her simmer

and drown in her own anguish, but instead he
chose to give comfort, reassurance. Noelle
sighed. Would she ever stop feeling this elated?
She hoped not. If anything it would only get bet-
ter today. She was halfway to the bungalows
where Cole and the other cowboys resided on the
ranch.

Miles above the landscape, the sun

stretched over the horizon in a dusky copper and
violet splendor. Beyond the meadow, she could
see the three small houses, constructed side by
side, which Mr. Somerset divided into apartments
for the workers. Noelle slipped by two of the

trees and hastened in the direction of the first
house, shared by Cole and three other cowboys.

Noelle looked over her shoulder. A sliver

of guilt slashed into her like a poisonous blade.
Despite telling herself it didn’t matter if her par-
ents found out about Cole, the fear remained non-
etheless of their reaction to her choice of lover.
They were going to view her relationship with
Cole as a step backward. Dating the same type of
men ‘without any future’.

Her fists tightened. She wanted to

strangle anyone who thought of Cole in such a
demeaning way. He was the only person to show
her what kindness meant and it sickened her to
think of anyone judging him based on his out-
ward appearance and job.

The sharp squeak of a well pump cap-

tured her attention. Noelle turned and her heart-
beat sped. She loved the way there would never
be any mistaking her man in a crowd. The thick
muscles of his back bunched and corded with
each downward stroke of the bronze handle. She

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couldn’t take her eyes off him, not even when he
turned toward the tree she was leaned against and
caught her gaze.

Blood rushed between her thighs into her

pulsating clitoris. Cole was doing a number on
her and the desire coursed rampant into her cunt.

In a similar fashion as he’d done at the

river, he crooked his fingers to her. Noelle felt
her feet move before realizing she had crossed
more than half the distance to him. In that mo-
ment nothing else in the world mattered, existed,
except her and the strapping cowboy headed to-
ward her. Cole circled his thick arms around her
waist and lifted her off the ground, her feet
dangling over the emerald grass.

He dropped a kiss to her neck before pla-

cing her on the ground. “You’re early. I was go-
ing to meet you out by the road. Did anyone see
you? Bother you?”

Noelle shook her head, deeply touched by

his concern and the possessive glint flaring in his
dark eyes.

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“No one saw me.” She looked at her

watch and realized Cole was right. She was about
fifteen minutes early from the time he’d told her
he would be finished tonight. At seven-thirty, it
was at least three hours earlier than the usual
hours he worked until each day. “I didn’t real-
ize,” she began. “Do you want me to wait some-
where else if you have work to complete?”

He laughed and quickly shook his head.

God, she loved that sound. It was just tiny whis-
pers of breath, but unmistakable as laughter from
the look of happiness on his face.

“No. I have you here. Don’t leave.”
“Afraid I might not come back?” she

joked.

The smile on his face vanished. “I didn’t

think you’d come.”

She hadn’t either to be honest. It had

taken her a good ten minutes to come to terms
with the fact that she was yearning inside her
body and heart to see where this would lead. She

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needed to see him as much as she needed the
clean mountain air.

“I wasn’t sure if I would,” she admitted

carefully, “but I had to. I wanted to see you.”

Cole looked her right in the eyes. “See

where I live?”

She nodded and stroked the hard line of

his jaw. “I don’t care how the place looks. If I
did, I wouldn’t be here.”

Noelle lightened her tone. “Are we going

inside or not?”

His lips curved upward. Her face heated.

How demanding she must sound. To her relief,
his lips widened into a full on smile.

“It’s okay, beauty.” Her insides melted,

exhilaration fluttered through her as he signed the
word for her special nickname.

He reached for her hand and hesitantly

Noelle closed her fingers over his. Once she
stepped inside his room there would be no going
back. Nothing her father or anyone said would
entice her to turn her back on him.

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Cole held the door opened, his large hand

bracing the wood frame. Noelle felt him watch-
ing her as she scanned the spartan room. A bed
with a simple square headboard took center stage
in the middle of the room. It was neatly spread
with maroon-colored linen. A single dresser
stood in the front, lacking a mirror except for a
small hand held that rested near the edge it.

She knew the ranch hands didn’t live in

luxury, but it still came as a surprise. This unap-
pealing room was where he lived, came home to
after working those endless hours.

“Are you comfortable here?” She didn’t

want to lie and say it looked nice.

His gaze flickered about the room. Nod-

ding, he answered, “It’s not very different than
my home.”

Noelle pursed her lips. His family never

crossed her mind. She hadn’t thought of what his
life was like elsewhere. If things developed as
she hoped it would, would his family accept her?
What sort of people were they?

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“Do you miss your family?” Or maybe he

didn’t have a family. Just a home somewhere
with no relatives awaiting his return. Her fate,
most likely, after her relationship with Cole came
to light.

He rubbed a crease in his forehead, deep

in thought. “Yes and no.”

Noelle tilted her head to the side and

rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but that’s no answer,
Cole.” She really wanted to know.

He grinned at the expression on her face.

“I’ll tell you another time. Come beside me.”

Noelle sat next to him, feeling her nerves

for the first time as realization dawned on her.
She was sitting on his bed, here in the bedroom
of the cowboy she had been thinking about for
longer than she’d ever admit.

She should bolt. Apologize to him and

say she never meant to lead him on. She didn’t
want him to find out about her past addiction. It
was humiliating and no one wanted their girl-
friend to be a former drug user, definitely not a

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proud man like Cole. He would never
understand.

A few of strands of hair fell out of her

ponytail holder. Noelle blinked in surprise when
he grasped the locks and tenderly pushed the
strands under the thick rubber band. It was such a
simple gesture yet it went straight to her heart.

Noelle faced him. “That day at the river.

Why were you there? Was it to take a swim, or
because…” She allowed her voice to trail off hes-
itant to voice the actual question.

“Because what?” He lifted a brow then

tapped a finger to his head. “I don’t want to be a
mind reader with you.” To soften his words, she
felt his hand upon her cheek, gently stroking.
“Always talk to me. Don’t ever shut me out.”

Easing away from her, Cole gave a curt

nod as if he was giving her permission to tell him
everything now. If those moments of dominance
weren’t making her pussy positively drip for him,
then surely the sun would never rise. The fact
that he held so much power without having to say

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a word caused her knees to shudder. It was scary
and satisfying the impact he had on her and her
body absolutely craved it after all the years alone.

“Did you go there hoping you would see

me?” I went there to see you, she wanted to tell
him.

Cole searched her eyes. His massive chest

rose heavily. “I did. So much of what I do is be-
cause of you.” He took her hand, watching her re-
action as he lowered it over his erection. “Be-
cause of this, too. I wanted you to know what you
do to me.”

Noelle nibbled her bottom lip. Her gaze

flickered to the front of his pants. He was so
hard. Her panties moistened recalling how big he
was and how amazing it felt just having him par-
tially inside her. Noelle traced her fingers over
the bulge straining inside his jeans.

To think, Cole had wanted her even after

they’d parted so horribly that day when he’d
found the snake-bitten yearling. So much, that he
had gone looking for her. Her heart clenched at

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the memory. He’d sought her out, but she hadn’t
given him what he needed, wanted. Instead she
had allowed her needs to become paramount.

Noelle closed her eyes and ran her fingers

over his cock. There would be no climaxing on
her stomach this time, not unless Cole wanted to.

“You wanted to come inside me, didn’t

you?” she murmured, pressing a hand to his
stomach.

Cole circled his hand around her wrist. “I

wanted to be inside you.” He continued to sign
something to her, but Noelle didn’t understand.
He looked away in frustration. Her heart twisted
for him.

She brushed her lips to his shoulder, lov-

ing the feel of his solid hardness. There was not
an ounce of fat anywhere on Cole, just sinewy
cords of lean muscles from the ungodly hours he
worked each day. Her legs shook, imagining his
powerful body above her pumping hard deep in-
side her cunt. All the way up to my belly. Her legs

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went jelly. A sensual heat pulsed between her
thighs.

“Tell me,” she beseeched. “I want to

know everything you’re thinking. Write it down
and show me, Cole. You have to know how I
much I loved having you inside me. I want to
know how you feel. I want to feel what you feel.”

Noelle went to the floor, kneeling before

him. Brushing her lips to his stomach, she kissed
along the rippling muscles, uncaring if someone
were to come through the door and witness her
display of affection for him.

Noelle paused in her kisses. She glanced

up from between his thighs as Cole reached into
his back pocket. He returned her look with a deep
penetration gaze. She was certain he was gifted
with those eyes to make up for his lack of speech.

Flipping the paper over she noted that he

started with her name. She smiled. He did that all
the time. She supposed it was his way of getting
over not being able to repeat it to her.

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Noelle. I love being with you, but I never

expected something that intimate from you. I nev-
er want you to give more or allow more than
you’re comfortable with.

She wet her lips. He wrote one thing, but

his eyes told a different story. She peeked at him
and bit back a lusty whimper. Cole looked as if
he was getting ready to eat her alive.

“Don’t say that,” she told him quietly. “I

was selfish with you. You should have expected
more. You should always expect more.”

Embolden by his concern and tenderness,

Noelle rose from her position on the hardwood
floor and crushed her lips to his. This could nev-
er, would never be wrong, she reminded herself.
His lips covered hers as Cole moved backward to
the bed, drawing her down onto his lap, his arms
entwined around her waist.

His roughened hand traveled beneath her

shirt, closing over both breasts. Noelle arched in-
to his thrilling touch. Rough fingers pinched her
sensitive nipples.

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His hands fell to her hips, stroking the

curves. Noelle gasped when suddenly he lifted
her from his lap, practically throwing her on the
bed. His eyes held hers and she knew he was
pleading for understanding and everything else
she had to give.

Cole dipped his head to her stomach.

Noelle in turn raised her face, closing her eyes in
blissful surrender. His lips traveled below her
bellybutton, planting warm kisses that promised
wicked delight.

Noelle felt his hands on her jeans, tugging

them below her feet. Once the jeans came off, he
gazed into her eyes while tracing his fingers over
her panties. Heat burrowed into her belly and her
cheeks blazed when he arched an eyebrow, a
smile on his lips as he touched the wet spot in the
center of her underwear.

He lowered his head to the blatant evid-

ence of her arousal, affectionately rubbing his
face against the wetness. But Cole wanted more.
Slipping his hand into the cotton waistband, he

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removed her panties. He held her legs open at the
knees and delved his tongue between her
slickened folds. Noelle moaned. She wanted him
to lick her so much.

Not tonight, Noelle, she told herself. You

can’t be selfish to him.

Curling her fingers around a lock of

chestnut hair, she tugged slightly. It was going to
be hard denying herself the feel of Cole’s tongue
caressing her tingling flesh.

“No,” she managed to cry out.
He lifted his head and stared at her in

confusion. “You don’t want my mouth on you?”

Yes. God yes. She wanted him to lick her

pussy and tell her how sweet she tasted…but she
wanted to please him also.

“I want that so much, but I want to,” she

lowered her gaze to his cock, protruding from his
jeans. Saliva pooled in her mouth. “I want to
suck your penis. I want to make you feel how
you made me feel that day by the river.”

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She inhaled a deep breath, watching his

hand stroke his erection. Cole swung his gaze to
the ceiling, eyes closed, his massive chest rising
heavily. After a spell, he opened his eyes and
signed to her. “You want this?” He peeled down
the zipper and withdrew the heavy shaft, fisting it
in front of her.

Noelle nodded and stretched out her hand

to touch him. Her eyes rolled backward. She was
no virgin, but not once had she felt the desire to
actually take a man between her lips. Her lack of
experience in that area, however, hadn’t stopped
her from fantasizing over the years. God help her,
she desperately wanted to know what it felt like
to bring Cole to pleasure with nothing but her
tongue and mouth.

“I want it.”
Callused fingers stroked her cheek as

Cole brought the bulbous tip to her lips, tapping
lightly. Noelle drew him between her lips, encirc-
ling the thick rim. She curled her fingers partway,
as far as it could go, around the massive cock.

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Lids lowered, Noelle chanced a peek at him. She
was rewarded by the expression of sheer pleasure
and agony on his face with each pull of her
mouth on the dripping cockhead, lapping up the
salty fluids.

Cole was ever so silent except for the few

breaths of air that escaped his lips as she suckled
hard, drawing out copious amount of pre-cum
from the dilated opening. When his fingers sud-
denly twisted in her hair, lifting her from his enti-
cing shaft, Noelle cried out.

“Why?”
A lazy smile spread across his rugged fea-

tures. Noelle blushed, realizing how petulant she
might have sounded, like her favorite treat was
being denied. In answer, he pushed her backward
on the mattress. His fingers went to her pussy,
lazily caressing her soaked vulva. Cole pressed
his lips on her swollen and pulsating clitoris.

“Do you know what I want?”
She hoped so and thankfully he didn’t

keep her guessing. Noelle turned on her side as

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Cole held her legs open, staring at her exposed
cunt like a thing of beauty. He laid beside her, his
powerful legs facing downward, hips ever so
close to her face, and buried his head between her
thighs.

Noelle groaned in anticipation and gazed

lovingly at the cock thrusting toward her face.
Wrapping her hands around his waist, she felt the
first divine flicker of his tongue on her sex.
Noelle darted out her tongue and licked along the
base of his shaft. Clear fluids trickled from the
tip, coursing down the astounding length.

So damn beautiful. It sent her spiraling.

His cock was swollen, the broad head a deep
shade of red and thick veins visible on the base.

Using the edge of her tongue, Noelle

licked away the salty drops as they fell from the
engorged head. At the same time, his mouth
closed over her clitoris. Noelle buried her face in-
to his groin unable to help herself. The juicy
cockhead tasted so good, a thousand times better
than her fantasies. How she loved it. Dark brown

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hair tickled her nose and the heady scent of his
arousal wracked her body with wanton desire.
The tugging sensation on her clit made her belly
coil with heat and her womb tighten. Noelle
closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation.

Heaven help her, Cole was suckling her

clit and she never wanted it to end.

“Cole!” To her absolute joy, he tightened

his hold around her waist and continued sucking
to his heart’s content.

Her cunt watered. Greedily, Noelle closed

her mouth over his penis, sucking hard. Oh God.
He tasted more delicious than a minute ago. She
would never get enough of him. Noelle rocked
her hips into his face, rubbing her pussy on his
mouth, lips stretched taut around his huge cock.

The small room was silent save for the

creaking of the bed as their bodies moved togeth-
er in a slow rhythm. Swirling her tongue around
the cock hitting the back of her throat, Noelle
gazed out of the corner of her eyes. All she could
see was a mass of brown hair between her thighs.

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Cole had his face pressed so close to her pussy,
indulging in the taste of her.

When his tongue dipped into her moist

center, Noelle moaned and pushed her pussy
even more into his face. Sweet mercy, if she
could hold his head there and have him lick her
for hours…Her mouth fell open on the thought.
Her jaws slackened around his penis. “Don’t
stop,” she pleaded.”

He flexed his hips and pushed his cock

deeper into her mouth. Noelle mewled and
gripped his shaft, tonguing the underside then the
entire length down to his large testicles. Flicking
her tongue against the delicate skin she squeezed
gently. “Do you like it when I do this?”

She felt his subtle nod against her cunt

and Noelle lowered her head until his sac was
above her mouth. She drew the first testicle
between her lips. His cock bobbed above her
head, tiny drops of pre-cum splashed onto her
face with each pull of her mouth on his balls.
Cole’s mouth remained on her until Noelle felt

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her legs tremble. His grip on her leg tightened
and she was thankful for it, grateful he continued
the delightful strokes.

Pleasure wracked her entire frame as

Noelle opened her mouth over his prick, sucking
hard. Inside her head, Noelle cried out her pas-
sion. She fastened her hold on his length, strok-
ing what was impossible to fit entirely in her
mouth. The engorged tip was pressed exquisitely
against the palate of her throat. Her heart filled
with bliss. It could get no better than
this—Cole’s delicious cock so deep inside her
mouth, his tongue lashing across her folds.

And then she felt it. What she had been

waiting for, craving from him for so long. His
prick jerked inside her mouth. Anticipation and
hunger sent her blood boiling. Yet, so cruelly,
Noelle felt him pulling away, although his tongue
remained on her cunt, laving in her juices.

Mewling in protest, Noelle slid her lips

along his cock swaying heavily in front of her

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face. A splotch of cum fell onto her lips. His
body tense and his mouth stilled on her pussy.

“It’s all right,” she whispered, stroking

his lower back and stunned that she still held the
ability to talk. Her heart ached, knowing he was
worried she wouldn’t accept his seed inside her
mouth.

His fingers dug into the flesh on her bot-

tom, holding her to his mouth as Noelle closed
her lips over him once again, taking as much of
him as she could. His cock pulsed above her
tongue and Noelle felt her toes curls as her or-
gasm ripped through her. Hot, thick ejaculate
poured into her mouth and down her throat. She
wanted to weep from the pleasure of it. Below
her, a harsh sound more like a wounded animal
split through the air. Noelle froze for an instant
before her heart thundered and her eyes
moistened. That horrid yet guileless sound came
from Cole groaning his orgasm. She wanted to
hear it a million times over and God help her, she
would.

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Chapter Nine

Cole raised his head from between

Noelle’s thighs. He had made that embarrassing
sound. The one thing he’d tried so hard to keep
from not happening with her. It felt like a fucking
curse. Of all the tones he could produce, it was
only at the height of ecstasy that his fucked up
voice box was able to function. And now Noelle
was probably terrified and disgusted with him.

He looked down at her. Damp, strands of

jet-black hair spilled across her face. Her pretty
lips were still locked snug around his prick.
Noelle was so damn sweet. He knew she had
tried to take his entire cock inside her mouth, but
couldn’t. Fuck, if she didn’t make him proud.
Her pussy was like the sweetest chocolate and he
was glad he had never tasted another woman be-
fore her.

Noelle, he called to her silently. Cole

touched her cheek, coaxing her to look at him.

Her head lifted and those delectable lips parted as
he pulled his softened prick from her mouth.

Those lovely brown eyes gazing back at

him, made Cole swallow hard. She had heard
him, that awful sound he’d tried so hard to avoid
making in front of her.

Taking a hold of her arm, he hauled her

beside him. “I’m sorry,” he signed. “I didn’t
want you to hear that. It was ugly. I know.”

The best moment of his life, having

Noelle in here, pleasuring and receiving pleasure
from him, was about to go up in smoke before his
eyes.

Her brows narrowed. “But, Cole, you

made a sound.” She tilted her lips into a half
smile. “It wasn’t pretty, but still. Can you make
more? Have you tried it?”

Only a million times. Why else did he

have that stupid mirror on his dresser, because
even after so many years and numerous failed at-
tempts, he’d still held out hope that whatever was

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wrong with him, would one day fix itself without
rhyme or reason.

He pointed to the mirror and watched as

the excitement on her beautiful face wilted with
disappointment.

“Oh, so you’ve tried.”
He turned to her. “You expected more.”
She drew back and stared at him. “If you

believe that then you must think I’m a selfish
person.”

If anyone was selfish it was he. He was

withholding information from her. Hadn’t men-
tioned to her that he would be leaving at the end
of summer. For Noelle, this room might be ex-
cusable because it was just a place on the ranch
for the hands, but if she got a glimpse of his actu-
al home, the main house and the small guest
house he used as his own, she’d probably do
what any other woman accustomed to luxury
would do. Turn her nose up and scurry for the
fastest way off the property and out of ElkBasin.

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He wouldn’t be able to blame her. What

right did he —a lowdown, speech impaired,
white cowboy have to dream of a woman like
Noelle taking up residence with him in some
country-ass town, worse than Copper Mesa,
where she’d probably feel and look out of place.

“Is that what you think of me, Cole, that

I’m disappointed you’re unable to speak?” She
brought her legs together and he noticed the
subtle way she placed both hands over her tits,
shielding herself from his view. He wanted to
pull her hands away and roll her onto her back
with her legs splayed wide for his viewing, but he
couldn’t. The only way he could get her to under-
stand was to reach onto the damn night table for
the pen and paper he’d learn to carry with him at
all times.

He did so and began scribbling. He dis-

liked doing this, each time he had to pull out the
paper and separate himself from everyone else.

A woman like Noelle needed someone

strong. Sure he had the physical attributes more

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than covered, but she also needed a voice.
Someone who would stand up for her, and let
people like her father know it was unacceptable
to treat her the way she was being treated.

It pissed him off to no end, the way her

father had spoken to her and how she accepted it
as if she had it coming to her. He hadn’t expected
that from her and to be honest, he sure as hell
didn’t want to see her putting up with taking shit
from anyone. She was a thousand times better
than that and deserved the best, not just from her
father, but from him too.

The knowledge that there was only so

much he could do for her was painful to admit.

Cole ripped off the piece of paper and

handed it to her. Her eyes scanned the words.

Noelle. This is a big thing between us. No,

I don’t think you’re selfish, beauty. Just look, in-
stead of holding you in my arms and talking to
you, I had to separate myself. If you stay the
night and the lights are off, there won’t be any
quiet talking or laughing with me. Never.

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He had drawn a line below the word ‘nev-

er’ to emphasis his point. I can’t stand up for you
sometimes like I would prefer. I’d never allow
anyone to harm you, but I can’t give you a voice,
beauty.

She lifted her gaze to his and smiled

softly. “I don’t need you to stand up for me. You
or anyone.” Noelle tried to widen her smile but
he could see the pain behind her eyes. “Even if
your friends who don’t like me tried to hogtie
and haul me off the property if they found out
about us.”

Cole knew she was grossly exaggerating

yet he couldn’t help but shoot her a deadpan
look. If anyone dared so much as lay a hand on
her, he knew he would go insane and cause bod-
ily harm to the fool.

She moved away and lay on her back.

“Do you have a problem with me being black?”

Cole frowned. If he did, would she be in

his bed with him thinking of nothing but ways to
make her happy and stay with him?

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She smiled at his reaction. “I can’t change

that and I wouldn’t want to. You can’t change
who…how you are either, it’s you. Cole. That’s
all there is to it.”

She made it sound so simple. Could it

really be that simple? The way she put it. Not for
once did he see the color of her skin as a slight
against her. He only saw her as Noelle, the wo-
man he cared for. Could it be that easy for her to
deal with his shortcomings?

Cole felt her hand on his stomach. He

twined his fingers with her before signing, “What
is this?”

“What is what?”
He pointed between them. “Us. Is there

an us?”

Noelle looked away for a second, then

said. “You’re the first person in seven years to
see me naked. The only person that I’ve allowed
to get this close to me.” She swept her hand
across his fingers. “You’re mine and you have to
know by now that I want to be yours.”

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The sweetest words in the world. Nothing

else, none of the worries could compare to the
way her words made him feel.

He kissed her forehead and his chest

tightened even more when she said. “Cowboy,
you know what? I think Mr. Somerset might have
splurged a bit on this mattress.”

Cole grinned and lifted an eyebrow.

Noelle leaned into him. “It’s starting to feel
really comfortable. Making me sleepy.”

His heartbeat sped. She wanted to stay

with him. He’d never spent the night in bed with
anyone before. Noelle being his first made it all
the more worthwhile and special.

He tugged on her hand and brought her up

beside him onto the pillows. “You look good in
my bed.”

“It feels good.” She scooted closer, cud-

dling into his arms.

By the time Cole glanced down at her

again, she was fast asleep. Lying in bed, he was
content to simply watch her. She’d said no one

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had seen her naked except for him in years and
innocent as her words were, he had to bite back
his hatred for whoever the man or men were.

He hated to think of Noelle curled up in

someone else’s arms. Someone who her parents
probably approved of and could provide her with
the life he’d never be able to, even if he managed
to bring the Tumbling Y up to snuff.

Just have to work twice as hard then.

Cole placed a kiss on her forehead and flicked off
the light. Noelle was his reason for everything.
Sooner or later, he was going to do right by her.

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Chapter Ten

“I thought you said this wasn’t a race,”

Noelle shouted. She tugged on the reins of the
mare. Riding atop Firebrand, Cole looked back at
her and winked before urging his mount into a
gallop over a hill scattered with wildflowers just
below the pasture.

That’s what I get for bragging about my

skills, she thought, smiling to herself. Being out
here with him was another sobering lesson on all
the things she had taken for granted that her par-
ents had provided.

Horseback riding. Lessons she rebelled

against because yet again it was seen as them try-
ing to mold her into someone she wasn’t,
someone they wanted to brag about like they did
with her younger sister. It all seemed so ridicu-
lous now that she had removed the blinders of
youth.

They had been doing what any normal

parents would do, trying to give their children the

best of life. A tinge of sadness gripped her. At
least back then, they wanted the best for her, un-
like now, when they assumed she still required
saving from herself.

But… all that was in the past. It couldn’t

be changed. From now on she had Cole, although
the damn cowboy seemed hell bent on showing
her she was no match for him on horseback.

Noelle dug her heels into the horse, riding

close on Firebrand’s thick shiny tail. Not in a
million years would she have imagined herself
awake at four in the morning with the wind zip-
ping by her face and galloping on a mare named
Agnes to check on her neighbor’s cattle. Oh, and
doing so with Cole McKinney, the silent ranch
hand.

She threw hear head back and laughed.

The very act she would have scoffed at was actu-
ally bringing her joy. She was out here in the re-
freshing summer’s morning with nary a soul
around but her and Cole. It felt amazing. As won-
derful as it felt to wake up in his arms, knowing

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that he’d welcomed her into his bed without put-
ting on the pressure to have sex.

By the time they came to a stop on the

flatland, the sunrise was still low on the horizon.

“You do this every morning, so early?”
He shook his head and looked toward the

herd of Hereford bulls. After a minute he turned
to her. “Earlier. I don’t mind it.”

Her eyes opened. Was he serious? When

she’d awoken, she assumed he was going to stay
in her arms and cuddle some more. She was
shocked when he climbed out of bed and
shrugged into a flannel shirt, insisting she go
back to sleep. No way. She’d made it clear that
she wanted to spend every free moment she had
with him. Noelle recognized the moment he ac-
cepted it as the truth, slowly nodding when she
asked him to tag along. She was pleased he
agreed to her company.

“Do you like it out here?” Cole asked,

minutes later after he had deemed everything in

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order with the cattle. No signs of theft or injuries
to the animals.

Noelle hesitated. She liked being with

him. What she didn’t like was the feeling they
were sneaking around. Meeting in the shroud of
twilight and now the only way to spend a morn-
ing together in the opening, was hours before the
crack of dawn to which she’d have to hurry back
to the house before her parents assumed she had
been out gallivanting and losing control again.
They didn’t trust her and it was wearing thin.

Noelle looked over at Cole, noting the

way he studied her in seriousness. She felt guilty.
He must have thought she’d snubbed his question
out of a genuine dislike for this lifestyle.

Lifting his hand, he stopped in mid action

of signing to her. Cole reached into the pocket of
his jacket and pulled out his wallet, handing a
photograph to her.

Noelle took the picture, registering the

faces that already seemed familiar. A woman
with the same dark eyes, an older man, looked to

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be in his late fifties and a younger boy close in
resemblance to Cole but without the height and
build, stood in front of a house.

“These are your parents and brother?”
He nodded. Noelle studied the picture.

“Do you guys have a farm or something?”

Cole smiled ruefully and Noelle opened

her mouth in surprise. There was so much she
didn’t know about him. If Cole’s family owned a
ranch, why would he work those backbreaking
hours on someone else’s ranch?

“Why aren’t you there? I thought most

ranches were run by families.”

“Our ranch isn’t big. Not even half the

size of this place.”

Okay, but that confused her even more.

She didn’t understand why he would choose not
to help his family on their ranch.

“I work here so we can keep the ranch.

It’s nothing compared to this.”

This time he kept his eyes trained on her,

the same unreadable expression on his face as if

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he was expecting her to hightail it the other way
from him.

“Your family is very lucky to have you on

their side.” She was lucky to have him. This man
who was so much more than what met the eyes.
He made her yearn for so much more, including
the courage to stand up for herself.

He nodded and pointed over the horizon

as the sun climbed higher. The sun was coming
up, which meant the other ranch hands would be
making their way to the pasture to work another
group of cattle.

“Are you going to join them?” She des-

pised the thought of leaving him so early.

His gaze went in the direction of her par-

ent’s home, the red shingle rooftop visible across
the distance.

Noelle swallowed and raised her chin.

“Ask me, Cole.” She knew what he was thinking
after mentioning his family and ranch. She also
needed to clear the air between them.

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“Do you want to go home or stay with

me?”

“You mean after letting me know you’re

poorer than I assumed?”

He lifted a shoulder and stared at her as if

he was actually waiting for her to make a de-
cision. Dear God. He actually thought it made a
tremendous difference to her. Noelle lowered her
lashes, grabbed the reins on the horse and
whispered quietly. “Let’s go back.”

His nostrils flared, anticipation simmered

in his eyes. Noelle felt her stomach flutter before
giving a curt nod and guided the mare into a turn.
She’d seen that look in his eyes before. Her pussy
clenched. Noelle licked her lips. They were going
to have sex. She stole a glance at Cole who was
inches behind her. Their gazes locked. She was
going to feel him inside her. All the way, as he’d
promised.

Her heart leapt when he blinked and gave

her a curt nod as if he knew what she was think-
ing. Both urging the horses into a gallop, Noelle

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knew that right now that little bedroom was the
only place she wanted to be.

****
Cole couldn’t believe Noelle returned

with him. He leaned against the door, drinking
her in. She was sitting on his bed and all he could
do was stand there and stare like a lovesick fool.
Not good. He wished he had more experience
with women, decent women so he would know
the right way to pleasure her. He wanted to hear
her scream his name in reckless abandon. He
didn’t want their first joining to end with horrible
memories for her.

“Cole?”
His cock hardened painfully inside his

jeans. If Noelle said his name like that one more
time, he’d probably come before he had a chance
to slide to the hilt inside her wanton cunt.

He stepped in front of her and touched the

side of her face. Her skin felt like silk beneath his
craggy fingertips. Much too delicate for the likes
of a rough ranch hand. Cole brushed the pad of

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his thumb over her plump lips. His cock
twitched, swelling in response to the only part of
her luscious body, he’d been able to release in.

His breath hitched with the tantalizing

memory. Noelle had swallowed his cum, a
fantasy he’d entertained but would never have
expected her to perform in reality. But she had
done it, and found pleasure in it as much as he’d
enjoyed sampling her tasty pussy.

His prick hardened even more. Cole

blushed. He hoped she’d take him between her
lips again. Sometime soon. And God help him for
selfishness, but he wanted to watch her inviting
mouth fill with his semen. Noelle brought her
lips to his thumb giving it a soft kiss.

His lips curved upward. She was so fuck-

ing adorable. He suppressed a grin, fully aware
that Noelle would probably be annoyed being
thought of as adorable.

“I want to feel you inside me.” She lifted

her face to his.

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He leaned forward and pressed his lips to

hers. For her to say that to him… She couldn’t
have any idea how much he actually wanted her,
was dying to push her back and sink every unfor-
giving inch into her cunt.

Cole took her shirt between his hands,

freeing each button. His knuckles brushed over
the tips of her breasts. Her nipples were so full,
pert delicate buds peeking out through the shirt
and beckoning to him. He glanced up at her
lovely face. Her lips were slightly parted and he
felt her legs brush against his as she widened
them.

“Oh, Cole, look at what you do to me.”

She placed his hand between her thighs. “It feels
so hot down there.”

Sweet Jesus. Cole ran his finger over her

pussy. So wet for me.

“I want to see you. I love how you look

naked. The way your cock stands out so proudly
and I know it’s because of me. Because of how

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much you want to fuck me. That is what you
want, isn’t it?” Her eyes pleaded with him.

Cole stood, his breathing harsh. She

wasn’t afraid of him. Here she was begging him
to use her completely. He shook his head. Per-
haps she needed a reminder of what she was ask-
ing for. He stroked his hand across the entire
length of his cock, from the spot right above his
testicles to the head, swollen and dripping with
so much pre-cum it would make any other man
ashamed to have a woman see how desperate he
was for her. How much power she had over him.

He lifted a brow and slid his hand over

her naked little pussy. Soon to be his pussy, if he
gave her what she was asking for her. Because
after he got started with Noelle tonight and every
other night if she was willing to spread her legs
for him again, her pussy was going to mold
around his prick and he doubted she’d ever be
able to enjoy another man smaller than him. Not
that he had any intention of allowing her to stray.

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Right or wrong, deserving or not, Noelle was his
and it would remain that way.

Her eyes fixed on the hand sliding over

his cock; Noelle gazed up at him with brown
eyes full of worship and nibbled her pouty bot-
tom lip. “I love it, Cole, and I’ve been thinking
about what you said.” She paused, looking him
straight in the eyes as she splayed her thighs
wider and arched her back. Cole stifled a groan,
but allowed his gaze to center on her wet, glisten-
ing display.

His chest tightened with love. Noelle was

shameless in her passion and desire for him to
see her needy cunt. Damn, he loved her and was
selfishly happy she hadn’t been with another man
for such a long time to make her this vulnerable
and willing to take him on.

She let out a small breath and lifted her

hand to his stomach, continuing her speech.
“That day when I asked you how deep inside me
you would come, you touched my stomach. I
know what you meant and I want it so much. I

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don’t want you to hold back with me.” She re-
leased a breathy moan. “Cole. I’ve thought about
nothing else since then. Just the need to be taken,
have someone else in control for once so I don’t
have to think beyond what you’re doing to me. I
don’t care if it hurts. I want to feel you so deep
inside my pussy until you’re almost touching my
heart.”

Cole pushed his pants and briefs past his

hips. He heard another sensual moan escape from
her lips and it went straight to him, as he stood
before her, his cock and sac completely visible to
her. He liked her sultry eyes on him and loved
the way she admired his prick. It felt so much
different than the other women he had been with
it. Their interest had extended to his appendage
and nothing else. While he could tell Noelle was
already half in love with his cock; he knew she
also cared about him.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he told her.

There was only so much restraint and control he

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could maintain once he got inside her with more
than just the enflamed tip.

She lowered her head and licked away a

bead of pre-cum that spilled from the narrow
opening. “I want you, cowboy. Every single part
of you,” she murmured. “You won’t break me.
Trust me, you won’t.”

Cole swallowed down a lump in his

throat. She might not be the one to break, but
once they made love, he knew it would be im-
possible to ever let go of her, even if she asked
him to.

“Stand up.”
A slight frown marred her beautiful face.

Noelle gaped at him in confusion. “I thought…”

Cole took her hand, forcing her to stand

before him. Bringing her down on his lap, he
circled his arms around her slender, curvy frame.

He wanted her to take as much as she could

handle for now. He wouldn’t chance being on top
of her and losing control their first time together.

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She looked between them and Cole was

glad when her face softened with understanding.
“You want me to ride you?” she asked softly.

He stroked the curve above her provocat-

ive ass and nodded. Leaning back on the bed with
his knees bent, Cole held her to him, hands on
her silky thighs.

Noelle flattened her palms to his chest.

Ever so slowly, she lowered her pussy on his
hard cock. Her lips parted on a luxurious sigh.
His eyes closed in unbelievable pleasure. Noelle
was sitting astride him, her tight cunt sinking
deeper on his shaft. It felt like a fucking dream.

His hands tightened on her thighs as she

worked herself on him, rolling her hips and rid-
ing his cock hard. Her mouth opened and a look
of utter bliss crossed her features. Cole groaned
inside his head when she leaned forward, mesh-
ing her lips to his for a penetrating kiss.

Tearing her mouth from his, Noelle

ground herself in a slow rhythm back and forth
on him. Cole tried so hard to keep silent, but the

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moment he felt her hips flex and raised he knew
what she had in mind. A harsh groan bubbled in
his throat. Cole reached up and drew a perfect
thick distended nipple between his lips. Whim-
pering, Noelle arched her back and impaled her-
self on him over and over again.

“Cole,” she panted, burying her face in

the crook of his neck. “Help me.” Her cunt con-
tracted around him, trying desperately to stretch
and receive his full length and girth. Cole
grabbed her hips and lifted her from him, slowly
bringing her back down until she picked up a
sensual pace. Her cute little tits bounced, slap-
ping gently against her chest.

“I’m taking all of you,” she murmured

against his lips, her features glowing with excite-
ment. “Oh Cole, it feels so good. Please tell me
you love it as much as I do. Tell me I’m making
you feel good.”

She couldn’t be serious. If he didn’t

know any better he would have thought in those
few minutes he had died and gone to Heaven in

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the form of a pretty brown skinned girl riding
hard on his prick.

I love it, Noelle. Wish I could keep you

like this and you’d never have to go home, he
thought.

She lifted her hips and came completely

off his cock, only to lean her head back, biting
her adorable bottom lip as she sank all the way
down to his balls. Cole groaned in silence and
widened his eyes. God in heaven, his girl could
take all of him.

Eyes closes in wild abandon, Noelle

bounced on top of him, her wet cunt squeezing
him like a vise.

Noelle looked so natural. He could see the

two of them together well into old age, each and
every day fucking her until they were both sated
and unable to walk. He gazed at her. She looked
more stunning than ever. Her forehead was mat-
ted with sheen of sweat and tiny strands of dark
hair clung to the side her lovely face. Her breasts
bobbing up and down spelled his undoing. Cole

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held her firm and flipped her onto her back, her
pussy still on his length.

He was going to fuck Noelle the way he’d

wanted for months. Like he should have done
that day by the river, when all he wanted was to
know how it felt to be inside her and have her tell
him it was okay to release his cum inside her al-
luring body. She hadn’t and God help him, he
was going to make up for it, right now.

He eased out of her and drew her legs up

to the sides. Cole stared between her thighs. Her
labia was puffy and swollen. Her cunt… Cole
groaned inside his head, his cock growing im-
possibly hard at the sight. It was damp and gap-
ing open from taking all of him. She was exquis-
ite. He felt so proud of her, just like when she’d
tried to suckle his entire shaft. He looked down
at his beautiful girl.

“It feels empty.” Noelle gazed at him

through lowered eyelids and stroked between her
folds. Sliding a finger inside, she keened, “See
how much I want you?”

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She moved to add another finger but Cole

grabbed her hand and shoved it away from her
pussy.

She felt empty. He could definitely rem-

edy that situation.

He grasped the base of his shaft, surprised

that he had lasted for so long after being inside
such a tight little pussy that could barely take
him. But take him she did, sweeter than in his
wildest dreams

“Fuck me, Cole.”
He didn’t need a second invitation. Cole

thrust his cock into her, pausing when her warm
heat enveloped the enflamed head. He stared at
her meaningful, hoping she would remember the
last time they did this. He flexed his hips. Her
eyes widened. Not missing a beat, Cole plunged
his entire length within her.

He was fucking Noelle. Beautiful, sexy,

Noelle Williams was in his ugly bedroom, with
his cock all the way inside her enticing cunt. And

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she was loving it. Crying out his name with every
thrust. His name never sounded so good.

Clasping her arms to the sides, trapping

her movement. Cole went wild inside her, fuck-
ing her with every ounce of his strength, his cock
slamming against her cervix.

Her body trembled, but Cole showed no

mercy. Come on, beauty take some more. Show
me, Noelle. Show me how much you care for me.

Her body went bowstring taut. A tiny cry

left her throat as she thrashed her head to the
side, deep in throes. “Don’t stop. I need you to
come inside me, Cole, make me feel like I’m
needed.”

He groaned. She couldn’t believe that was

all he needed her for. He wanted to be close to
her, breathe her in. Let Noelle know without
words how much he wanted and cared about her.
But her sensuous cries were driving him into a
frenzy, making it hard to see beyond fucking her.
He grabbed her legs and in one brutal thrust, he

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spilled inside her. Cole felt the cum roll up his
shaft and rip through him. Hot and thick.

He wedged his face between her shoulder

and neck, a bead of sweat touching his lips and
her earthy fragrance filling his nostrils. There
wasn’t even a fucking word for what he felt for
Noelle. One thing was for sure. He had to do a lot
better so Noelle would be pleased to have him by
her side.

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Chapter Eleven

Noelle closed the door behind her, the

smile she had carried on her face for hours, dying
on her lips. The happiest she’d felt in years and
she was unable to share it with anyone apart from
the man she was falling head over heels in love
with.

Instead of the admirable man she saw

each and every time she looked at him, her fam-
ily was bound to take notice of his rugged build,
his lack of speech and lack of wealth. She re-
leased a sigh. Perhaps it didn’t matter in the long
run. She’d already made up her mind to tell them
about her relationship with Cole. If they wanted
to miss out and judge him right off the bat then it
was their loss and if they wished to go ahead and
formally dismiss her from the family, then heart-
breaking as it was, she would accept it.

There wasn’t anything to be done about

her feelings for him. They were there. Delicate,

yet indestructible threads woven into her heart
and no one was going to take that away from her.

She entered the living room on the other

side of the foyer. Her mother, seated on the sofa,
looked up from a stack paperwork, a pair of read-
ing glasses low on her nose. Noelle prepared her-
self for the sorrow that dwelled inside her moth-
er’s eyes every time she looked at her. Teresa
Williams had aged so much in the past couple of
years. Noelle felt the familiar pang of guilt. She
was the cause of it.

“I thought you said you didn’t feel well,”

she asked, nodding toward the papers.
“I’m fine,” her mother answered, closing the
folder. “This is nothing I can’t handle, al-
though I understand why you’d assume so.”

Noelle frowned. Was the woman going to

misinterpret her words? “I take it you don’t want
my help?” She lifted her brows, a part of her hop-
ing her service would be needed and the other
praying for a refusal of help so she could hurry
up and begin her apartment hunt online.

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“That’s not what I meant, Noni.” Her

faint southern accent from a childhood in Ten-
nessee could be heard.

Noelle froze, realizing what her mother

said. It was ages since her mother called her by
the nickname she hated with a passion and
missed hearing so much.

She felt like a little girl who wanted to sit

beside her mother. Keeping her feet in place,
Noelle remained beside the side table. She had to
stay detached. A moment passed before she
opened her mouth to ask about the paperwork
again, but all that came out was, “I didn’t think
you remembered that name.”

Stupid. Should have kept my mouth shut.

Now her mother was going to know she’d had it
on her mind.

Her mother pinched the bridge of her

nose and smiled as if the memory pleased her as
well. “I remember a lot of things. More than you
realize.”

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Noelle instantly regretted engaging the

woman in conversation. She knew where it was
headed. When was the last time she had a re-
minder from one of them about her misgivings?
Oh wait, that was two months ago.

She felt a finger in her hair brushing it

back. “You used to hate it when you had to sit
down and get your hair plaited. I remember that.”
She laughed and continued to stroke her hair.

Noelle smiled at the memory, recalling

how annoyed she would get at the bigger plaits. It
was such a silly memory yet the fact that her
mom pointed it out meant so much. Teresa Willi-
ams still thought of her as a daughter. Maybe
when all was revealed she would still have a
parent.

Her mother smiled and pinched her chin

in a loving gesture. “If anyone here needs to feel
ashamed about anything, it’s me. Not you, baby.”
Noelle looked away, she hadn’t expected an emo-
tional talk.

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“Your father and I haven’t made it easy

for you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed or appreci-
ated all the hard work you’ve been doing. I’m
sorry I haven’t said anything to you, but I’m
proud of the way you’ve changed and I can only
hope it stays like that for you.”

Noelle shrugged. “It’s just my job.” In the

beginning her father had called it busy work to
keep her on her toes and her mind on the right
track. Except, no matter how hard she worked, it
didn’t make a difference, only served to have
everyone on the outside think she was a cher-
ished daughter. What Cole thought until the day
he’d heard her father speak to her.

“You’re not an employee living here,” her

mother assured. “You’re our daughter. That’s a
big difference.”

Noelle wasn’t buying it, at least not from

her father’s angle. She stood and straightened her
shirt. The little talk was affecting her. It could
only signal danger to allow her hopes to rise after
so many years that she would stop being the

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proverbial black sheep. Worst part was, even if
the change was about to come, her future declara-
tion of love for Cole was going to make
everything return the way it was.

“I’m going upstairs. Let me know if you

need anything.” It was just easier to remind her-
self of her place.

Her mother chuckled and reopened the

folder in her lap. “Go to sleep. I’m not going to
call you down for anything.” Noelle made her
way up the stairs when her mother lifted her head
from the stack of papers. “Oh, I almost forgot,
your father was worried. Said he tried to call you
a couple of times and got no answer.” She rolled
her eyes and smiled. “You know how he gets. He
should be in his office.”

Yeah, the same way every father who’s

checking up on his twenty-five year old daughter
gets.

She hadn’t forgiven or gotten over the hu-

miliating way he had spoken to her in front of
Cole. In light of how Cole described his own

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family it made the hurt deepen. Noelle stepped
into her room. Whatever her father had to say
would have to wait until she was good and ready.

Starting tonight, she was on her way to

finding a place of her own and a new job, one
that didn’t require the sacrifice of her dignity.
Thankfully, despite being a lower level employee
and with a salary to match it, she was grateful she
hadn’t been required to pay rent over the years,
allowing her to save up a good portion of money.
However, even the amount she had in the bank
was nowhere close to being able to afford the
type of luxurious living everyone in Copper
Mesa expected of her. She only hoped it didn’t
make her seem less desirable in Cole’s eyes now
that there wasn’t anything special to make her
stand out. Just a normal, average black female
with a past that did nothing to further the image
so many people in their elite Denver society had
of minorities. That was probably the only good
thing to come out of her troubles, not having to
be around the fakeness of it all.

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Clicking the screen of her laptop, Noelle

bookmarked yet another site for apartments. The
door creaked open. She spun around in her seat,
lips drawn together. In all the years since they
had moved into the house, one of the few things
her father had allowed was her privacy. So why
would he all of a sudden decide it was okay to
enter her room without knocking?

“Did I forget to pay your cell phone bill?”

he asked from the doorway.

Noelle clicked out of the website and

closed the laptop. “No. I believe I’m in charge of
making sure everything is paid. Everything was
paid this month, by the way.”

“Don’t get smart with me, Noelle.” He

strode into the room and glared at her laptop.
“You don’t have to hide from me. Apartment
searching now, are we?”

She pursed her lips. He didn’t seem sur-

prised. “It’s time for me to move out. It was
bound to happen sooner or later. I don’t look for-
ward to hitting thirty and still living at home.”

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“Are you moving into your own place or

were you planning on taking up residence over at
the ranch?”

Noelle ground her teeth. “Is Mr. Somerset

renting rooms now? I thought the ranch was do-
ing quite well.”

Her father shoved his hands into his pock-

ets and shot her a dark look. “I’m not going to let
you embarrass your mother and I again, Noelle. I
won’t. We moved out here to get away from your
mess, allow you to have a fresh start without a
stigma attached to your name and now you’re
ready to start that foolishness all over again.”

“Start what foolishness? Please tell me

what exactly is it that you think I’m doing except
for everything I’ve been told for the last seven
years.”

Her strode into the room. “That boy. The

one who can’t talk. What’s his name, Clay? I’m
not stupid and Randy Somerset sees more than
you know on his ranch and talks more than he
should.”

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Her heart slammed inside her chest. It

never occurred to her that anyone noticed her en-
tering Cole’s room in the late hours in the even-
ing. Most nights he wasn’t finished with duties
until after nine, sometimes ten. She’d wait for
him inside his room, lying in bed, anticipating the
moment he would come through the doorway. It
wasn’t every night that they made love. Some
nights Cole would admit he was too exhausted
after an eighteen-hour day and they’d just lay
there in silence holding each other or she would
give him a massage before they fell asleep to-
gether. At first she tried not to stay too long to
rouse her parents suspicions, but after a while she
had stopped caring, leaving only when Cole
woke up hours before the crack of dawn to begin
the day all over again. The house was so large
she never thought anyone would notice her late
hours.

Now her father was going to stand there

as if he knew anything and everything about

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them. What was it, had even called him Clay.
Noelle bristled.

“His name isn’t Clay, it’s Cole,” she bit

out. And I don’t appreciate you calling him a
boy. Cole could probably bench press him with
one hand.

“His name is unimportant. There are too

many similarities for me not to be concerned. I
thought you were out of this stage, attempting to
punish your mother and I for only trying to do
right by you and your sister. You’re a grown wo-
man, Noelle, and you’re intent on ruining your
life. Take your sister for example. We’ve never
had to worry about her. Aleah is no dummy. Her
husband is a respectable attorney, why can’t
you—?”

Noelle shook her head and held up a

hand. She knew where this was headed and damn
sure was about to nip it in the bud.
“Respectable?” She placed a hand on her hip. “Is
that code word for black, daddy?”

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“Now wait a minute. I have nothing

against this man because he’s white. Don’t start
putting words in my mouth.”

“What else am I supposed to think? Why

isn’t Cole respectable? He works hard, harder
than anyone else I know.” Including you.

Her father nodded. “I don’t disbelieve

that, but like I stated I don’t have a grudge
against this young man. It’s my family I’m con-
cerned about. The family that had to live through
everyone in Denver knowing our teenage daugh-
ter was hospitalized for almost overdosing on
heroin and running around with anyone you
thought would upset your mother and I.”

Noelle flinched. The way he described

her made her seem unfit for human company, un-
deserving of someone as sweet and gentle as
Cole, although he made it seem as if she was the
one who needed protection from the love of her
life.

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“I’m not that person anymore. I thought

you might have picked up on that sometime dur-
ing the years.”

“I know you’ve become a dedicated

worker. I’m proud of you for turning things
around Noelle, but when I see that you’re about
to backtrack instead of moving forward, there’s
no way I can keep my mouth shut. Especially not
when it affects all of us.”

Noelle narrowed her brows. “So you

think Cole is going lead me down the wrong path
or am I going to be the one doing the leading?”

“It means I don’t want you to issue him

an invitation into the house and it also means I
want to see you do some serious thinking on your
future. You can’t keep running around with these
young men who can barely help themselves.”

Noelle pushed back her chair. “Do you

dole out this advice to all of your employees?
You’ve made it clear I’m just an employee living
here. I don’t think you have a say in anything I
do.”

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Her father sighed and went to the door.

“You’re still the same self indulgent young wo-
man you’ve always been. You’ve never wanted
to realize how lucky you are, never appreciated
how much your mom and I sacrificed to give you
a better life than the one we had growing up.” He
pinned her with a stare. “Well, this is it. No one
is going to pick up after your mess this time and
you won’t be able to claim the title of employee
in this company or family. You hear me?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Noelle

watched the door close behind him. Sighing, she
thought, one step forward, two steps back. Her
father was more than likely on his way down-
stairs to repeat everything to her mother, marking
the end of the timid reconciliation between the
two women.

Noelle sank onto the mattress. Her father

thought this was the same as her previous rela-
tionships, but it wasn’t. Nothing about this was
the same except for the fact Cole was hired help
and poor. She hadn’t imagined the gentle way he

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treated her or the tender affection he displayed
for her alone. Unlike the men in her past, Cole
wanted the best for her and for the first time in
years she was going to be selfish and forsake
everyone who disagreed with her relationship
with Cole.

191/322

Chapter Twelve

“Hey Cole, is it true?”
Cole gritted his teeth and turned in the

direction of the tenderfoots he was leading to
round up the herd of cattle for inspection. He dis-
liked it when they tried to engage him in conver-
sation and had purposely separated himself from
them each day, apart from using the various sig-
nals to help them learn the ropes when the fore-
man left him in charge.

Hat low on his face and bandanna cover-

ing his mouth from the dry Colorado dust, Cole
glared at the man giving him a better-not-fuck-
with-me look. He’d cultivated the look years ago
to make up for what he couldn’t verbally express.

The twenty-year old, Leewood looked

over at the others, his eyes glinting nervously and
chuckled. “Aw, come on man, lighten up. The
trail is shit boring, just tryna’ have some fun. I
heard the foreman nearly had a heart attack when

he saw that hot black chick coming out of your
room.”

He swung his gaze ahead, not wishing for

those idiots to see any reaction from him. He had
no idea anyone knew of Noelle’s visits to his
room. He’d spoken to Beau at least twice since
the day started and not once had the man hinted
at the knowledge. Now it seemed to be common
knowledge that he and Noelle were sleeping to-
gether. Cole frowned. Was that the reason Beau
had been assigning him the less desirable tasks
all week, including having to oversee the laziest
set of cowpokes he’d ever come across? In any
case, that was the least of it. He hoped to God
word hadn’t reached Noelle’s father yet. Not that
he feared the man, but he doubted Noelle had any
idea they were the subject of gossip for anyone
looking to add some excitement to the staid ranch
life.

“For real, Cole. You’re like my idol,

dude. You’re the biggest guy on the ranch, I’ve
been pumping iron and I doubt I’ll get halfway

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close to your size and to top it off, you’re laying
Noelle Williams.” The others laughed in agree-
ment, spurring the idiot on. “We know you can’t
give details, but damn, is she any good?”

Another one near the back yelled out.

Cole recognized the voice to be Mike, the wan-
nabe ladies man. “I just wanna know, what’s it
like fucking a black chick? Think that’s my next
territory to explore.”

Next territory. Like he was some fucking

Casanova. Cole clenched his jaw and glanced
backward to let them know he didn’t find a damn
thing amusing about the conversation as another
shouted out. “Hey Cole, when you’re finished
with the little filly, just send her on over this way.
Might be able to show her a few tricks with the
ropes.”

Loud raucous laughter erupted and the

buffoon leaned over his mare high fiving his
friend. White-hot fire flashed before his eyes and
steam coursed through his veins. Reining in his
temper, Cole swallowed the urge to jump down

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and yank the fuckers off their horses and pound
them into the red dusty earth. Instead he took a
deep breath. No surprise, not a single one of them
wore their chaps. Probably thought it was cooler
to go without. Cole looked ahead at the path to-
ward the range then switched his gaze to the
shadowed grove on the left, a path no longer used
because of the many varieties of wild bushes and
thorn. A nightmare for any cowboy without a
pair of chaps to rely on against the abrasive
plants, able to cut through the jeans.

Too fucking bad for them.
Without further acknowledging the men,

he waved his arm toward the right and kicked his
spurs into the horse. A few minutes into the
prickly trail and his sex life with Noelle would be
the last thing on their minds.

****
Hours later when he returned to the ranch,

Cole hung up his saddle and gave the horse a pat
on the rump before closing the stall and heading
out to dining hall. He didn’t have much of an

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appetite tonight. The thought of his relationship
with Noelle being aired out in the open for every-
one to dissect made his stomach turn.

Cole waited outside the hall. He needed to

have a talk with the foreman. As Beau exited the
building, Cole took note of the hesitancy in the
older

man’s

stride

toward

him.

Guilty

conscience.

“How did the drive go?” Beau asked,

coming to a stand beside him.

It didn’t go beyond his notice that Beau

refrained from signing along with speaking the
sentence as he’d always done before.

“Fine, but you already know that. I sup-

pose you know just about everything that goes on
around here.”

Beau pulled off his hat and hit it against

his leg. “What’s the hostility about?”

“You don’t have enough to do around

here without watching what I’m doing?”

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The foreman shook his head, jaw set.

“Oh. This is about you managing to get the Willi-
ams girl in the sack with you?”

Managing. He made it sound like he

roped the girl and dragged Noelle into his bed. If
only the man knew how sweetly and willing she
came to him each and every night, so much that it
made his chest swell with pride.

“Why do you care so much?” He didn’t

even know why he bothered to ask. It was evid-
ent Beau was jealous and could not understand
why Noelle would choose him over everyone
else. He didn’t doubt for a minute that sentiment
was echoed throughout the ranch.

“It’s no sweat off my back. I just wonder

how long you think it’s gonna last, if you think
Williams is gonna accept you being with his
daughter.”

Cole frowned. Whatever respect he had

for Noelle’s father, disappeared the day he heard
the man berating her. Although, if Noelle cared
about the man, then deep down a part of him did

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want Mr. Williams’ acceptance if only for the
sake of her.

“You think if it was you it would make a

difference?” Again he already knew the answer.
Because of his lack of speech, on some level
most people automatically, regardless if they
wanted to admit it or not, felt inherently higher
than him.

Beau shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not

in love with the girl, like I said, I was just sur-
prised by the two of you and let it slip. My bad.
No harm meant, no harm done. Get over it,
cowboy.”

Cole shook his head. No harm. He didn’t

expect that from his foreman. Ever since he came
on the ranch the man had shown him nothing but
respect and praising his skills, but all that meant
shit when it came to a woman. He wasn’t sup-
posed to be the one who got the pretty girl.

Afterward, Cole returned to the living

areas and swung open the door to his room, stop-
ping short when he saw a figure curled up in his

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bed. Noelle. He could see a few strands of her
shiny dark hair sticking out from under the sheet.
He closed the door lightly not wishing to rouse
her from sleep. Damn. What he wouldn’t give to
come home to her every evening in a place of
their own.

The figure shifted and Cole moved closer

to her as she sat up in the bed. Bright red, tear-
streaked eyes shone back at him.

His heart hammered. “What’s wrong?”

He hoped her father hadn’t hurt her.

She shook her head and slipped her arms

around his neck. “Nothing,” she choked out.
“Everything… everything is wrong except this.”

Cole pulled back and stared at her,

searching her watery eyes. He hadn’t wanted to
rush her into confiding in him, but he was still
worried about why she chose to remain living
with her parents when they, at least her father had
no respect for her. It made no sense. Not for an
intelligent, confident woman like her.

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He kissed her forehead, then signed. “Tell

me, beauty. Nothing can be that bad to have you
curled up in my bed, crying.”

She shook her head. “I want to Cole. I

swear to God I want to tell you, but I can’t. Not
right now.” Her voice broke as she continued. “I
know it doesn’t seem fair and you’ve been so
good to me. More than I could ever deserve. You
have to understand that I don’t want to…” She
stopped, choosing instead to burrow her face in
his neck, tear spiked lashes wetting his skin as
she dropped kisses on his shoulder.

Cole tilted her chin and brought his lips to

her soft warm mouth. He couldn’t help it. Noelle
was like a drug to him. The moment he came in
and saw her on the bed, his cock sprang to life
with thoughts of tearing away the sheet and push-
ing her legs apart while she slept flickering
through his mind. He wanted to see her reaction
as she came, awakened crying out her orgasm
and feeling his cum heating her womb.

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“You need me, don’t you?” Cole slid his

hand beneath the covers and cupped her sex, slip-
ping his fingers between her soft folds, moisture
greeting his touch.

She bit her lips and raised her hips. “I al-

ways need you. Will always crave the way you
make me feel with your shaft.”

Her words caressed his heart. How the

fuck did he get so lucky to have her? If Noelle
didn’t want to talk and sought comfort from hav-
ing his cock sliding into her needy cunt, then so
be it.

Her fingers went to his shirt and Cole

smiled to himself. He loved how Noelle was al-
ways so enthusiastic for his touch, ready to ac-
cept him inside her body. Once his clothes were
removed, Cole pushed back the sheet and saw
that she was naked beneath the covers. His cock
throbbed. Simply heaven, coming home to a na-
ked Noelle ready and waiting for him after a hard
day. The thought of how he would shove into her
and fuck until all the damn stress was gone and

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he didn’t have to think about anything save for
how good Noelle looked with his cock inside her
was almost enough to make him come inside his
pants.

Placing his legs on either side of Noelle,

Cole straddled her, careful not to place his full
weight on her delicate frame. With one hand fist-
ing a lock of hair, the other closed over her left
breast, kneading the supple flesh. She let out a
soft sigh as he stroked a fingertip over a thick
dark nipple. Her tits were so damn pretty and
full. He released her hair, closed his hands over
the side of her breasts and squeezed them togeth-
er. God in heaven, the valley between them
looked so tight, he could see it gripping his prick
almost as sweet as her cunt.

His cock hardened and the need for her

intensified. Damn, he could already feel the
sperm churning in his balls for her. He leaned
over and kissed each breast. What he wouldn’t do
for a chance to fuck her like this. He prayed

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Noelle could see the need in his eyes and let him
take her this way.

“Cole,” she moaned, watching as he

reached below and lifted his shaft toward her
breasts. Using the tip, he brushed it against her
nipples, tenderly caressing while stroking the
back of his hand against the curve of her right
breast.

“You want to fuck me there, don’t you?”
His eyes closed in relief at her question.

He didn’t think there was anyone on earth able to
read him like his Noelle. She pushed her breasts
together and stared at him, anticipation and want
reflecting in those vibrant chocolate orbs.

That’s my girl, he thought. Unabashed

and beautiful in her need for his cock.

Gonna fuck you so good, beauty. Then af-

terward he was going to flip her over and fuck
her all over again deep inside her welcoming
cunt.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Cole lif-

ted his penis and thrust between her breasts. He

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held himself there and glanced at Noelle. Eyelids
lowered, her thick dark lashes fanned against her
cheek.

Man, he hoped she loved the way they

looked together as much as he did. Her dark skin
was so beautiful around his cock. He gave anoth-
er thrust, deep inside the inviting valley, so
turned on at the differences between them. And
not just the skin color.

She was his. The most attractive woman

he’d ever laid eyes on, soft and pliant beneath
him, gazing with adoration at his penis cradled
between her breasts. She was all his and the
knowledge shook him to his very soul.

He looked down at her as she lifted her

gaze to meet his. Her lips were slightly parted.
Cole didn’t need to touch her pussy to know she
was hot and dripping. He pumped slowly, his
cock sliding in and out of the tight passage she
created for him with her tits.

Noelle lifted her head, and placed a hand

on his stomach, stroking right above the dark trail

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of hair. “I love having you on top of me,” she
whispered thickly, her eyes darting between his
shaft fucking her tits and his face strained with
the effort not to drive her down into the mattress
with each thrust.

Her breath came in shallow pants. How

she loved every bit of it. Rearing back, he dug his
fingers in her hair and pumped again. Her soft
sighs tore through him and Cole growled, as
Noelle dipped her chin seeking out his prick.
With each thrust, she darted out her tongue to
lick the engorged head.

Dear God. She was hungry again for his

cock in her mouth. If he let her keep that up he
was gonna come all over her pretty face the next
time she licked him. He pushed her head back in
order to keep his sanity.

“No,” she whimpered, trying to reach up

and suckle the tip into her mouth. “Please, Cole
let me taste it.”

His breathing harshened but he kept

pumping between her breasts. It was so fucking

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hard to deny her. Noelle was spoiled to the core
for his cock. And he loved it. Loved the way her
lips pouted ever so slightly as he’d pushed away
her face. Flexing his hips, Cole surged forward
and back, fucking her ripe breasts.

Jesus, it felt good. He closed his eyes on

the verge of giving a final thrust when his gaze
lowered to see Noelle slide her tongue across her
lips, her fingers clutching the edge of the sheet.
She was so fucking sweet, the best thing to ever
happen to him and he wanted to give her the
world.

Sliding from between her breasts, he kept

his focus on her brown lips, luscious and inviting,
calling to him. Knees spread to get a better ac-
cess; Cole grasped his cock, brushing the swollen
head against her lips. If he wasn’t so horny and
aching to get inside her mouth, he would have
blushed at the sight of his cock so close to her
lips.

Her tongue darted out and flickered over

the fluid glistening on his shaft.

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Cole blinked. He pushed his cock closer

to her, watching as she licked beneath the rim
and slid her warm tongue over the head.

“You like it when I suck your cock, don’t

you?” she asked, dropping a kiss on the tip.

Like. Love. He wanted it every hour of

the day.

In answer, he thrust his cock into her

mouth before he shamed himself and came all
over her face. Cole groaned inwardly. What a
sight that would make—his cum on her gorgeous
face. He thrust harder into her mouth. The
thought didn’t even bear thinking about if he
wanted to last.

Her hands went to the sides of his thighs,

gripping him as Cole sank his fingers into her
hair and pulled back, thrusting with force. He
didn’t want to be rough with Noelle, but her
mouth and tongue felt like heaven on earth.
Warm and snug, there was no helping it.

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Cole pumped his hips once, then twice,

picking up a feral rhythm. Noelle scraped her fin-
gernails across his thighs, keening softly.

So, she liked having him on top of her.

His large cock stuffed inside her mouth. His
movements quickened and intensified. He
couldn’t stop himself, with Noelle’s hands going
around his waist, urging him on and pulling him
closer. Cole wrapped his hand around her hair
and began fucking and fucking, thrusting his
penis as far as it could go along the passage of
her throat. Her body trembled beneath him on the
squeaking bed.

Cole glanced at Noelle, her eyes were

teary but gleaming with the look of lust, uncaring
as his balls slapped against her chin with each
thrust. From the sound of her sweet little moans,
she was enjoying this as much as he was. His
beautiful perfect girl liked having her mouth
fucked and stretched full by his thick flesh. His
cock. Only his.

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His balls drew up and Cole growled, no

longer ashamed of the sound he emitted. Noelle’s
eyes widened then her lids lowered sensuously. If
he didn’t know any better he’d think the horrible
sound aroused her. That glossy gaze softened on
him and her lips cinched lasciviously around his
penis, suckling hard.

Gentling his pace, Cole gave a long

thrust, paused, allowing her greedy mouth to
suckle from the tip. Panting hard, he pulled back
and plunged hard hitting the delicate palate of her
throat. He threw his head back, seizing her to him
as the first drop of cum squeezed from the tip and
slid down her throat. He drew back just a bit and
allowed his cock to slide along her moist tongue,
savoring the feeling of just being inside her
mouth. It was a privilege he would never take for
granted, not even if they did this a thousand times
over. Above her tongue, his cock swelled and
jerked. Coming. Cole groaned inside his head,
pumping gently in her face as ejaculate spurted
from his heavy shaft into her waiting mouth.

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Deep in throes, he curled his fist around

her hair and kneaded a supple breast, slowly dy-
ing at the feel of Noelle milking his seed. When
the last of his orgasm ripped through him, reluct-
antly he withdrew his cock, half hard and soften-
ing from the pleasure she had wrung from him.
Glancing down at himself, he tilted his head and
moaned inwardly. Warm spurts of clear semen
spilled from the slit. God in heaven, hadn’t he
just given her a thick load? And he was still com-
ing. He lowered his gaze at Noelle and blushed,
feeling like a boy unable to control himself.

Then he felt her smooth fingers on him.

He chanced meeting her eyes. Through lowered
eyelids, she returned his gaze, her eyes slanted
with passion and the knowledge of a woman who
knew she could bring a man to his knees. With
the back of her hand she stroked his length. Her
eyes remained fastened, riveted to his prick as if
she were silently pleading with him to climax for
her again. Just like that, his cock twitched, not
wishing to displease her. When the final shot of

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cum trickled out, Noelle leaned her head forward,
lush dark strand falling across her face as she
lapped at the clear fluid like a starving kitty.

She was killing him. With every lick of

her warm tongue over his cockhead and along the
length, Cole thought he was going to die of
pleasure.

No more. He needed to regain control.

Taking a deep breath, Cole pushed away her
hand and shook his head. He was going to have
to fuck her proper now that she had gotten him
hard again. He climbed off her chest and flipped
her over onto her stomach.

“What are you doing?” She lifted her

head, trying to look back at him.

Cole pushed her legs apart and leaned

over her back. Holding his cock, he locked eyes
with her and thrust home, seating himself to the
hilt.

“Ohhh,” Noelle screamed, the sound

echoing across the thin walls.

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Bracing one hand on the bed and the other

in her hair, Cole fucked her hard, ramming the
entire length of his cock into her sopping cunt.
She was gripping him so damn tight. Her pussy
clenching around his shaft, spurred him to fuck
her with all his strength. She needed this as much
as he needed to give it to her, he told himself as
the mattress protested and her body shuddered
beneath his large frame.

“Oh God, Cole. More. Fuck me harder.

Your cock feels so good.”

He wanted to answer her so badly. Love

your pussy, Noelle. Love you so damn much it
hurts.

Cole grabbed her hair and lifted her head

to press his lips to her nape. She rubbed her ass
against him and her cunt felt like heaven, pulsat-
ing around his cock. Her pussy was still so small
yet she fit him like a glove, molding perfectly
around his cock from the amount of times he’d
fucked her in the past weeks.

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Cole pressed his lips to her slender neck

and closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to last. He
pumped harder just the way she liked it, rough
with a big cock slapping inside her.

Come on, beauty, come with me.
He heard a muffled cry and felt her legs

quiver. She was pressing her face into the pillow
to stifle her screams. Cole lifted his head and in
one forceful thrust, he slammed home hitting the
walls of her cervix. Burying his face in the hol-
low of her neck, his muscles lagged as hot semen
rolled up his prick and ejaculated into her. He
thanked God with every fiber of his being that he
hadn’t orgasmed before her. Noelle’s pleasure
meant more to him than his own, than anything
else in this world.

Afterward, when the pounding in his

chest settled to a faint lull, he climbed beside her
and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her
to his side.

“Did I hurt you?” Cole signed, after re-

luctantly moving his hand from her hips.

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She cuddled into him, throwing her arms

around his shoulders. “You could never hurt me.
I love everything we do together. I…” She broke
off and gave him a small smile then kissed his
lips instead of finishing what she was about to
say. What he hoped she was on the verge of re-
vealing. He wouldn’t rush her about this or any-
thing else. Not when he hadn’t offered up any
words of love or commitment. How could he,
when he feared the possibility of running her off
because he had nothing else to offer? Worse, he
still hadn’t informed her that he would be leaving
in a few weeks. He would have to do so soon, but
he hated that in telling her, it would make the im-
pending separation all the more real.

His chest tightened with guilt as she

leaned her head on his shoulders. He really
needed to do better. He was bone tired but he no
longer felt it. Being with Noelle just made him
want to work even harder. He wanted to fix up
the ranch and make it a place she’d be proud to
visit or, dare he hope, live with him one day.

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215/322

Chapter Thirteen

Another day of house hunting. Sighing,

Noelle climbed into her car and turned the en-
gine. She had hoped to find maybe a small house
to rent, since there were virtually no decent apart-
ment buildings until the next town almost forty-
five minutes away. That was out of the question.
The distance was too far from Copper Mesa. She
would be too far from Cole. Unacceptable. For so
many years she only had herself to think about,
throughout all the wrongs and then it was about
her seeking forgiveness and allowing herself to
become lost in the process of trying to please her
parents. But now, she had someone else to think
about. Cole. Not just him, their relationship…and
what it would mean when she told him the real
reason her father had a lack of respect for her.

Cole was bound to be disappointed and

shocked. The only thing that gave her hope was
his incredible treatment of her. Always caring

and tender as if she was the most precious thing
on earth. Cole would understand and Noelle
knew he would be able to get over it and not
make her feel dirty and disgusting.

Noelle tilted her wrist and glanced at her

watch. Time was catching up on her today. She
still had to finish up on work, first a stop over at
the Wayland Ranch, a couple miles from her
home and then on to Mr. Somerset’s place.

Minutes later, Noelle arrived across town

on the second largest cattle ranch in southern Co-
lorado. Mr. Wayland, the widower and owner of
the ranch, always took these visits as an invita-
tion to sit down to tea and coffee, when all she
wished to do was retake the man’s order for
cattle feed.

Normally, she’d indulge the old man for

the sake of her job and keeping up appearances
but today she wasn’t about to put up with it. In
and out then over to the Somerset ranch. Maybe
if she was brave enough and in the mood she
would finally tell Cole the truth of why she was

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getting the cold shoulder. After all, the worst was
over. She’d weathered the storm so to speak. Her
father, mother, everyone on the ranch knew about
her relationship with Cole and she was thrilled
about it, proud that they all knew she belonged to
him and he to her.

So what if her father hadn’t spoken to her

beyond reminding her of her duties to the com-
pany and the family? Fine by her. If he wanted to
continue seeing her as his druggie daughter who
doesn’t know how to run her own life, there
wasn’t anything she could do about it, except try
to find happiness away from him with someone
who wouldn’t judge or make her feel like a piece
of shit for falling off the tracks.

After making her way up the grassy path

of the Wayland Ranch, Noelle knocked on the
front door of the two-story brick house. The door
opened right away, revealing the smiling, albeit
weathered face, of Mr. Wayland. The old man
ushered her into the house, his wrinkled hands
gesturing toward the living room. He was saying

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something to her in that shaky voice of his but all
Noelle could see was drinks and cake centered on
the coffee table. She groaned inwardly. Hell no.

“Mr. Wayland,” she began. Surely he had

to understand that her visits weren’t social. It was
her fucking job, one that she was enjoying less
and less each day. Noelle closed her mouth in
mid-sentence and placed her briefcase in front of
the doorway and sighed. In a way, Mr. Wayland
was just like her. For more times than she could
count over the years she had wanted someone to
sit down and talk with yet no one bothered. Even
her own sister had avoided her.

She plastered on a smile. “What’s going

on, Mr. Wayland?” The door closed behind her
with a resonating thud. Noelle gave another quick
checked of her watch. It was going to be a long
half an hour.

****
Cole wiped the smatterings of dust from

his hands on his jeans. He had just returned from
retrieving some goods in town when he caught

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sight of one of the tenderfoots, the same idiot
Leewood, who had tried to pry into his business
during the cattle drive last week. The kid was try-
ing to drag one of the calves out of the pen. Of
course he was doing a shit job of it. The only
thing being accomplished was Leewood getting
his ass handed to him by a three hundred pound
Black Angus calf.

Amused at the scene playing out in front

of the corral, Cole kept his silence and watched
the show. He had to give the boy some credit this
time; the idiot had worn his chaps to protect
against the kicking. Seemed the only way to
teach some of the tenderfoots a lesson was to
have them return to the ranch, barely walking
from the sting of the cuts and bruises.

Pushing down his annoyance at the kid,

Cole ambled over, intending only to help the save
the animal from incompetence. A few skilled
holds and the calf was ready to be examined.
Cole pinned Leewood with a stare. Hopefully
next time the tenderfoot would know what to do.

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Knowledge was one thing he didn’t begrudge any
of them no matter how annoying they could be.
Good help was a rare commodity around these
parts. Many of the younger cowboys were head-
ing to the feedlots for work instead of the open
range, which was probably one of the reason his
family’s ranch was failing miserably, a lack of
money and good hired help.

Damn. He hated to think about leaving

Noelle behind. His mood darkened, souring at the
thought.

When the time came to return to

ElkBasin, he wasn’t going to have much time for
himself or to see Noelle. Speaking over the tele-
phone was impossible, although it warmed his
heart each and every time she left a message on
his cell phone for him to read or listen to. Luck-
ily, he could rely on text messages to let her
know he was thinking of her each waking
moment.

Flipping the hat on his head, Cole kept

the brim low over his face, offsetting the glare of

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the afternoon sunlight. The sun was riding low
over the prairie and he still had a dozen or so
Herefords to brand before sunset.

Might as well get started.
A quick trip into the tack room to retrieve

his chaps and he was caught up in work, so much
that when a pair of footsteps resonated behind
him, Cole didn’t look up. Was probably just Beau
making sure everything was running smoothly.

The person spoke, a deep baritone garner-

ing his attention. Cole carefully placed the brand-
ing iron on the dirt. He didn’t need to turn around
to know who it was. Of course Mr. Williams
would seek him out sooner or later. That had to
explain why he was the one here dealing with
Somerset instead of Noelle.

“You remember me, son?”
Here we fucking go again. Did the man

think he was that simple to have forgotten who
he was? Cole didn’t even bother to look at the
man; instead he dug into his pocket, pulled out a
piece of paper and scribbled. I’m not brain dead.

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If you came here to talk to me man to man, try
again.

Mr. Williams stared at the paper for a

minute longer, touched his moustache then fol-
ded the paper and nodded. “That’s a fair demand.
I apologize for the offense.”

Cole blinked, surprised that Noelle’s fath-

er had conceded and acknowledged his fault.

Mr. Williams took a sweeping look

around the ranch before his gaze landed on the
cool branding iron.

“Nothing wrong with a bit of hard work is

there?” He smiled at Cole. “I know you don’t
think highly of me. Probably think I look my
nose down at you because I have money.”

Cole shrugged. Yeah he did, but what

Williams thought of him wasn’t going to make or
break him or his relationship with Noelle.

Mr. Williams leaned his head to the side,

one hand shoved inside the pocket of his slacks.
“You care about Noelle don’t you?”

None of your business.

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“All right. You don’t have to answer that

I suppose,” Mr. Williams let out a small chuckle
before sobering. “My daughter is a special case
isn’t she? Beautiful girl who just can’t seem to
get her life together. Listen here. Regardless of
what you might think of me, I care about my
daughter. I’ve always cared about both of my
children. Why else do you think we move out
here subjecting ourselves to being the only black
family for miles around?”

Yes, why? It was something he’d

wondered about for awhile. Williams could run
his business from anywhere, live outside of Den-
ver and have employees make the visits for him.
They didn’t need to live neck deep in isolation.
And what the hell did he mean in reference to
Noelle not having her life together. Noelle was
perfect. He didn’t know of any other woman who
was as organized and hard working as Noelle
save for his own mother.

“Why are you telling me this?” Cole

signed furiously. The man gave him a blank

224/322

stare. Of course. Cole shook his head. Sometimes
it was too easy to forget not everyone would un-
derstand him.

“I don’t know what Noelle has been

telling you about our family. My guess is
whatever she’s told you hasn’t been the truth.”

Cole saw red. Unbelievable. Now the man

was going to try and spew his bullshit about
Noelle. He wasn’t going to listen to it. Cole
turned, determined to finish branding the rest of
the cattle.

“Hear me out. This is for your own good

if you decide to continue this relationship with
my daughter.” Mr. Williams moved in front of
him.

Cole glared at the man. Why the hell

wasn’t he able to take a hint and shut the fuck up
so he could get back to work and not have to hear
another disparaging word about Noelle?

“I have another daughter. However, I’m

not sure if Noelle’s ever mentioned her. Maybe
not. Those two never meshed well.” Mr.

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Williams jammed his hands even deeper into his
pockets. “You know how it is, Noelle got the
looks, Aleah the brains. Noelle’s always had it in
for us, I suppose. Never appreciated anything we
did for her. She even claimed to despise the
money we had, until it started serving her
purposes.”

Cole lifted his eyebrows. He shouldn’t be

indulging the man. Nevertheless, there was that
part of him who wanted to know everything
about Noelle. Maybe he’d be able to help her get
past the moments of sadness he saw in her eyes
that she always tried to hide.

Mr. Williams’ eyes filled with sadness.

“You know, Cole, one day you’ll understand.
Some things are just a parent’s worst nightmare.
More so when you think you’re doing all the
right things and come to find out everything has
been occurring right under your nose. Own roof,
in fact. I found out a lot of things when it was too
late. Noelle had quit going to school for a couple
of months before her mother and I got wind of it.

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By the time we found out what was going on
with her, just about the entire town did too. Our
teenage daughter was strung out on heroin most
days, shooting up with her friends and latest boy-
friend. I wanted to die when I found out. I hold
nothing against you, Cole. I can see you’re a de-
cent guy, but Noelle needs a change in her life.
She needs to socialize more with someone…”
Mr. Williams paused as if it caused him distress
to speak. “My daughter needs to think about her
future and stop behaving like a teenager. You’re
not the first guy Noelle’s attached herself to so
she could rebel against her mother and I. You
won’t be the last.”

The muscles in his body went taut. His

mind reeled against the disgusting accusation.
Williams had to be lying. Had to be. Noelle was
smart…decent. He couldn’t imagine her pushing
a needle into her vein like some careless addict.

“Now I’m not saying Noelle is doing

those things anymore. I’ll give her credit. She—”

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Cole lifted his hand. He didn’t want to

hear anything else about Noelle, the men she had
been with or her drug use. It sickened him to
imagine her jamming a needle into her body, de-
filing herself. Had any of them been dirty, tain-
ted? For a second his mind ran to all the times
they’d made love without protection. His body
shuddered with guilt and shame at the turn of his
thoughts.

It all made sense why she hadn’t said any-

thing to him. She had to have anticipated his re-
action. The normal reaction of any man finding
out his girlfriend was a drug addict. His lips
curled. He hated even thinking the term. It was
embarrassing and shameful.

Cole rose to his feet intent on letting the

man know he’d said enough. Mr. Williams
opened his mouth and Cole kept his hands
clenched to his sides.

“I love her, son. If I didn’t, her mother

and I wouldn’t have worked so hard to get Noelle
the help she needed. I just want the best for my

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daughter, never mind the fact she still hasn’t
earned back all the trust that was lost because of
her lying and stealing.”

Cole shook his head. The sad part was,

he’d bet an entire month’s pay Williams wasn’t
trying to be an asshole. If anything the man
would know Noelle better than he did. Or
thought he did. Never in a million years would he
have assumed what Mr. Williams just told him
about Noelle. Cole clamped his eyelids against an
image of Noelle pushing a needle into those
beautiful slender arms.

After Williams said his piece and left,

Cole struggled to get through with branding the
rest of the cattle. He wanted to see Noelle, but he
knew if he saw her now it would be too soon.

Wrong as it had been for him to build her

up in his head, he couldn’t shake the disappoint-
ment. Disappointment and anger slithered
through him, tainting his opinion of her. Drug
addict. And all because she wanted to rebel and

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spite her family. He couldn’t imagine the sort of
person who would do that. Certainly not Noelle.

Had she worn the same look of despair,

sunken cheeks and track marks that he assumed
they all wore? What a mistake he’d made. He
never should have thought of Noelle as perfect,
for one. Two, he never should have believed any-
one who was perfect would belong to him. Fin-
ally, his biggest mistake had been trusting her to
be honest with him. If Mr. Williams hadn’t felt
the need to enlighten him, how long would he
have remained in the dark? Up until she started
using it again, because there was always that risk
with addicts, right?

He shoved a hand through his hair. He

wished he knew more about the subject, knew
more about what the fuck she had been thinking
and why he’d gotten involved with her in the first
place when there was no clear future in it for
them.

Worse, her father’s word kept ringing in

his ears. Noelle only dated men she felt were

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beneath her. Cole snorted. He deserved it for ac-
tually believing she had chosen to be with him
out of all the men she could have. Turns out she
was with him exactly because he was so differ-
ent. He wondered if she had ever planned on say-
ing anything to him. Chances were she did and
thought because of his disability he’d accept any-
thing from her. He had acted like such a damn
fool fawning all over her like a lovesick boy, of
course she would think so. That had to explain
why she had chosen him over someone like
Beau, the foreman who had more potential and
who her father would have had an easier time ac-
cepting. Her family. That was another issue. Sure
the drug use left a repugnant taste in his mouth,
but that wasn’t the deal breaker. If her family for
all their wealth tried so hard to please her and
failed, where the heck would he stand? How soon
would it be before Noelle got tired and turned to
something else, or someone else to give her what
he couldn’t?

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The worry rolled over and settled in his

mind as he strode down the path to the houses.
Cole reached his room and for the first time since
he’d given a key to Noelle, he hoped to God she
wouldn’t be waiting for him in his bed.

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Chapter Fourteen

Something was wrong. Noelle could feel

it in her bones. Not once since the day started did
she hear the gentle chiming of her phone that sent
her heart leaping with joy. Not a single text from
Cole.

Noelle pressed the button, closing the

screen of her cell phone. Throughout the day she
had sent Cole a number of texts to which he nor-
mally replied within minutes no matter how busy
he was. After the fourth message, she’d given up
and decided to stop by the ranch in the evening.

Truth be told, she was terrified. Her fath-

er’s demeanor remained static but there was just
something about the way he avoided her eyes last
night when she’d returned from Wayland Ranch
after he had called to let her know he’d already
visited the Somerset Ranch.

Noelle swallowed a painful lump in her

throat. Cole knew the truth about her. That had to
be the reason for his lack of communication. She

wasn’t stupid enough to think her father had left
without stirring the pot. Of course he’d seize the
opportunity to tell Cole. Noelle bit her lips. Cole
had to be feeling disappointed and betrayed by
her because of the way she had portrayed herself.

Shame lanced into her. Unable to do any-

thing less, Noelle glanced down at her arms. The
memory of what she used to do made her knees
go weak with nausea. She slid a hand into her
handbag and pulled out the key, before shoving it
back inside the bag. She knew better than to think
Cole would welcome her letting herself into his
place. The knowledge pained her, but there it
was. She had to accept it and wait.

Noelle pressed the back of her head

against the wall. The deep breaths she was taking
were not doing the trick. She checked her watch.
Jesus, what was taking him so long?

A fleeting thought of the cars she had

seen parked along the roadside spun a web inside
her head. Was Cole having sex this time with one
of those women as she waited for him? Pain

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lanced through her heart. Noelle squeezed her
eyes against the tears pooling at the back of her
eyelids. No. She wouldn’t allow her thoughts to
stray in that disgusting direction. Cole was hers.
She was the one who loved him. Above anyone
else. Noelle sighed. How she regretted not telling
him days, weeks ago.

Another five minutes passed. Her worry

increased tenfold. She wanted to storm across the
prairie, find him and rip the hair out of any wo-
man within an inch of him. She hung her head,
distraught at her loss of control. She had no idea
if Cole wanted anything to do with her much less
to run around the ranch hunting him down like a
neglected wife. Her heart turned. Would that ever
be in the cards for them—a future that included
marriage? She’d never entertained the idea before
of a lifelong commitment to anyone, now it
seemed like the natural direction of their relation-
ship. Her heart, mind, body and soul were
already in it for the long run with Cole. Hope-
fully he felt the same.

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She needed to see him. Noelle opened and

closed her eyes. Thank God she didn’t have to
add another heart-wrenching second to her wait.
The faint jingling of spurs had her emotions on
high alert. It felt like an eternity instead of one
day that had gone by since she’d last seen him.

Ever so slowly, she lifted her head. Her

stomach quivered in fear of what she might read
in his eyes. Those peaceful eyes that told her
everything he lacked the ability to vocalize. The
instant their gazes connected she felt it right
down to her toes.

Not good.
Noelle flinched at the lackluster cloud in

his dark eyes. God help her, it was that bad. As
she watched him walk down the path toward the
small doorstep, each long stride seemed to take
forever and a day. Noelle couldn’t wait a moment
longer. She bounded over the concrete step, stop-
ping in front of him.

His gaze lingered on her face then

lowered toward her arms, before looking away.

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Embarrassment and shame welled inside her. She
felt eighteen all over again, experiencing the utter
despair after the high had worn off. Had he been
wondering if she carried any track marks he
hadn’t noticed? She tugged on her sleeve. Why
hadn’t she worn a long sleeve shirt? At least she
wouldn’t feel so naked and aware of her arms,
what she used to do with them.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she

whispered, annoyed at herself for letting his reac-
tion get to her so much.

Cole looked her in the eyes and arched an

eyebrow as if he hadn’t expected her to cut to the
chase.

“My father spoke with you, didn’t he?”
He nodded. “Your father said a lot of

things.”

“Things that bother you? That you hadn’t

expected to hear?”

His lips curved with a sardonic tilt.

“Yes.”

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He shook his head at her, as if she was

guilty of committing a heinous crime. His eyes
went to her arms again and in a furious motion,
he pointed at them and made a jabbing motion
then curled his lips in obvious disgust. Noelle
blanched when he began signing quickly, words
she didn’t understand, could only tell they at-
tested to his anger.

She wanted to cry. A grown woman and

she wanted to fall to the concrete and sob be-
cause the one person she loved with all her heart
was about to turn his back on her. Her worst fear.

She held it together, tightening her fist for

added strength. “Cole. I’m not proud of what I
did. I wish I hadn’t made those mistakes, becom-
ing involved with some of the people I did
and…” She took a deep breath. She hated voicing
it out loud that she had been stupid enough to get
involved with illegal drugs. “I was spoiled,
selfish and didn’t give a shit about what
happened to myself one way or the other. The
person who didn’t care about herself and anyone

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around doesn’t exist anymore. It’s my past. You
can’t be angry about that.” Noelle held out her
hands. “You didn’t know me back then, Cole.
You have no right to be upset with me for that.”

The harsh lines on his face deepened.

Cole made no effort to communicate with her.
Frustrated and hurt Noelle lashed out. She knew
exactly what his problem was. He placed her on a
goddamn pedestal that was now kicked out from
under her and he couldn’t deal with it. Couldn’t
handle her being less than the perfect woman
he’d conjured to soothe his male ego.

She cocked her head to the side. “Let’s

have the truth, Cole. You’re embarrassed, aren’t
you? Are you scared about what everyone will
think if they find out your girlfriend knows what
the inside of a rehab looked like? That I can give
a personal account of withdrawal symptoms? Not
the typical things you cowboys discuss, is it?”
She laughed without mirth. “You think I haven’t
heard it all? Ooh, Noelle, such a fucking disgrace
to her parents, making the rest of us look bad.”

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She waved a hand in the air, feeling the old hurt
rising. “I’ve dealt with it and I’m not about to
take another trip down that road of guilt. I’m
tired of it. Tired of feeling ashamed of myself for
something I’ve worked so hard to overcome and
most of all, I’m tired of not living up to unrealist-
ic expectations from everyone around me.”

If she thought her words would have any

effect on him, she relinquished that idea. Noelle
gazed into his eyes hoping for some clue to see if
anything had changed at all. Nothing. He had
closed himself off from her.

Hurt and anger forged into mindless fury.

“Nice isn’t it, Cole, to use your disability as an
excuse to block me out. You’re being such a
fucking hypocrite. I never pretended my feelings
for you. Yes, I kept some things about myself
from you, but now it’s in the open, get over it and
let’s move on. I’ve always known the truth about
you, accepted you as you are. While you might
want to think of me in terms of my past, I hope
you take a damn good look in the mirror. You’re

240/322

no catch yourself, Cole. You think I can’t do bet-
ter than a ranch hand without a penny to his name
and who can’t even talk?” The moment the words
fell from her lips she wanted to take them back.
She was getting carried away, allowing her anger
to cloud her thoughts and further the carnage.
Taking a deep breath she stared at him, expect-
ing, hoping to see a righteous anger on his part.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Both hands

were clenched at his sides. Good. At least she
had something to work with. Noelle willed her
nerves calm. She reached for his hand, pulling
back when he took a step backward. Her heart
sank. She was his woman. Did he no longer care?

She folded her arms to keep from reach-

ing out to him again. “I’m just me. Noelle. The
woman standing in front of you. The truth is, I’m
not rich and my life has been anything but glam-
orous, despite how hard I tried to make it appear
that way. My parents are rich, not me. I don’t
care about money and I don’t care that you can’t
speak. All I care about is you. Us.”

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The tension in his muscles held firm. Cole

looked as if he hadn’t heard a word she had said.
Or didn’t care.

Features harsh, he stuck out his hand and

pointed in the other direction. “Go.”

Noelle blinked. Her heart dropped to the

pit of her stomach. She straightened her shoulder
and lifted her head. How easy it was for him to
let her go as if she was one of those women who
threw themselves at the cowboys with no expect-
ation in return.

“If it’s that easy for you to give up on us,

then I’m wasting my time here. You want perfec-
tion, Cole. You want some dream woman, go
find it in one of your little farm girls back home.
I can’t give you that.”

Noelle turned and held her breath. Please

let him follow me. She needed to hear his heavy
footsteps behind her. Needed to feel him take a
hold of her hand, wrap her in his big arms then
apologize for making her believe for even a

242/322

second that he no longer cared about their
relationship.

No such luck. Cole slung on his hat and

strode toward the door as if she didn’t exist.

Noelle fought back the tears and gripped

her chest. It hurt so much to breathe and she was
trying so hard not to break down. The sad thing
was, as much as Cole’s inability to accept her
past hurt, not for a split second did she regret
their time together. How could she? He had been
so good to her and despite the fact that he con-
sidered her undeserving of his attention and emo-
tion, Cole did show her for a time how it felt to
be with someone who valued her, cared for her.
Just because he no longer wanted her, it didn’t
mean someone else wouldn’t be able to look bey-
ond and care about her.

Her heart clenched at the very notion. Her

stomach roiled at the thought of touching another
man, being touched or caressed by anyone other
than Cole. Noelle heaved a sigh. She didn’t want
anyone else and somehow, someway she was

243/322

going to make him understand that they belonged
together.

244/322

Chapter Fifteen

Cole washed the remaining dirt off his

boots. He pushed the empty bucket aside and
glanced toward the barn. At least the horses
would have nothing to complain about for the
next couple of days.

Lucky bastards.
He reached for his hat, pushing it low

over his face, in spite of the cloudy September
skies. The wind bristled and wailed heralding the
first signal of the brutal winter that loomed
ahead. A winter he still had a shitload of work to
prepare for if they wanted to hold on to the ranch
for another spring. If he was to have any chance
of winning her back.

Noelle. Cole braced his hand against a

tree, a piece of bark falling to his foot. Would
there ever come a time when his mind didn’t turn
to her, his heart didn’t beat a little faster at the
thought of seeing her again, holding her close

and smelling the fragrance from whatever the
hell it was she used in her hair.

Damn, he could almost feel those lovely

strands on his fingertips, his hand fisted in her
hair guiding her mouth on his cock. He pressed
his hand firm against the tree trunk, feeling his
shaft swelling at the memory of Noelle on her
knees before him, her luscious lips stretched
around his penis, the night before he’d learned
about her past.

Cole grimaced. He knew Noelle thought

his dismissal of her had to do strictly with her
past and while it did affect him, it also gave him
the reason he’d been looking for to end it before
she said the words he knew were bound to come
one day—that he wasn’t good enough for her.

A bit of provoking and she’d said exactly

what he knew was coming and now realized was
the plain truth. Noelle deserved someone who
wouldn’t have blinked an eye at her indiscretion,
someone who would have exalted her and remind
her of the strength it must have taken to beat an

246/322

addiction. He’d done none of those things, in-
stead he had turned his nose up at her, in the
same fashion others had done to him his entire
life and focused on his selfish need for perfection
in someone else because he’d never be able to
come close to it. What an impossible and heart-
breaking task he had assigned her.

He had let down the one person who

meant the most to him. His loving, beautiful
Noelle, who had done nothing more than treat
him like the man he always wanted to be treated
as. She didn’t see him as a big dumb mute. She
had looked past his imperfections and wanted
him with a passion he never thought to experi-
ence in this lifetime. And fuckhead that he was,
he hadn’t been willing to extend that courtesy to
her. Hadn’t even sought her out and given Noelle
the courtesy of a goodbye after he realized he’d
have to return to ElkBasin much earlier than his
plan for the end of summer.

He was going to make it up to her. It

wasn’t going to happen overnight, but he was

247/322

going to do everything humanly possible to make
the ranch successful. If she saw how hard he
worked to make the ranch a success, then maybe
it would be easier to win her back. Noelle de-
served nothing less than the best and he was go-
ing to be the man to give it to her. He had to.

There was simply no way he could show

up in Copper Mesa at her parent’s house and ex-
pect that an apology would set things right. He
couldn’t believe that Noelle would give a shit if
he told her he could barely sleep at night because
of the way he had hurt her when she needed his
reassurance the most. No. He’d have to go after
his beauty with something much stronger. She
needed to know he’d always be there for her and
that he’d be able to take care of her the way any
man should for his woman.

Christ, he despised himself. Cole shook

his head and slammed his fist against the tree. He
hated remembering the look of dismay on her
face when he’d told her to go. He couldn’t be-
lieve he’d treated her like that. Noelle, who had

248/322

lain in his arms, held him to her as he released in-
side her. His cock swelled. How he missed re-
turning to that little bedroom after a long day on
the range and seeing Noelle sprawled out in the
bed, the linen hugging her satiny brown skin as
she waited for him to join her and slide his cock
inside her warm cunt.

Cole lifted his head, catching sight of

milky twilight above. Another reminder of her
and the night by the river, the first time he got a
sample of what was in store for him between her
thighs. And of course the stars scattered across
sky also meant he’d lost track of the time again.
It made no difference. What was another hour or
two working if sleep was intent on evading him?

Cole guessed it was well after ten o’clock.

He looked toward the main house, knowing his
parents were in there, hopefully sound asleep and
their mind eased somewhat that he’d taken over
the duties. They had probably assumed he’d quit
working hours ago. He couldn’t. There was too

249/322

much at stake, too many people depending on
him.

Ready to turn in for the night, Cole

stopped as a figure, huddled under a thick sweat-
er, made his way from the house. His father. He
thought the man would be in bed resting.

“Cole, why don’t you go on in? Your

mother’s awake and inside worried and I’m terri-
fied you’re going to end up like me, a broken
down cowboy way before your time.”

Too late for that.
“I’m fine. You’re the one who shouldn’t

be out here.”

“Neither should you. It’s not good for a

young man to spend every waking minute
working.”

Cole lifted an eyebrow. He’d been work-

ing since before the crack of dawn ever since
he’d left school. It was the only thing he knew. If
he didn’t put in the hours who else would?

“I have to.”

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His father coughed, the hacking force

shaking his fragile body. “You don’t have to,
Cole. Your mother, brother and I appreciate
everything you’ve been doing to keep us afloat.”
His father looked up at the moon. “I guess what
I’m trying to say, son, is that maybe it’s better if
we sell the place. Your mom and I can move into
a smaller place, you’d be free to do something for
yourself and not be tied down to the land taking
care of us.”

Cole stiffened. His father couldn’t be seri-

ous. All the years of work he…they’d put into
this place and now he wanted to get rid of it. If
that happened, he wouldn’t be able to lay claim
to a single thing in this world. He’d already lost
Noelle, he couldn’t bear to lose the ranch, not
when it was so important in getting her back. To
show her that he would be able to take care of
her.

He shook his head. “That’s not an option.

This is important to me.”

251/322

His father sighed, brows furrowed. “So-

metimes I regret buying this place. I had such
high hopes about our life here. Wanted to give
your mother a good life, you and your brother
too. Sometime things just don’t turn out the way
we planned it, huh?”

“Derek will be fine. He won’t have to

worry about this place.”

A hand went around his shoulders as his

father spoke. “I’m sorry about that Cole. I mean
your mother and I. It wasn’t fair that you never
had the same opportunities.”

Cole shrugged. It didn’t matter anymore.

“Can’t change the past, dad. I just really need
this to work out.”

His father sighed. “What if we never get

the ranch up and running again, Cole? I’m wor-
ried about you. You’ve been doing this for weeks
now, it’s gonna take a toll on you after a while,
believe me. I’m pissed at myself for not being
able to help you as much as I should. How long

252/322

are you going to keep this up —working yourself
into the ground?”

Cole ran a hand through his hair. For as

long as it takes before Noelle forgets me. “I can’t
stop. It’s not just about me.” Cole paused and
thought for a moment if he should even mention
Noelle to his father. He did. He needed to talk
about her. “I have someone else to think about.”

His father’s eyes widened. Understanding

reflected slowly in his murky eyes. “Well. hell. I
didn’t know you were seeing anyone. Is she from
around here?”

A smile spread across his lips. “Are you

insane?” he asked, thankful for the shift to hu-
mor. The last time he’d seen a woman within five
miles of the ranch under the age of fifty had been
five years ago. And he didn’t like remembering
that episode.

His father laughed. “Heck, you never

know.” He looked at him in seriousness. “Almost
had me worried there. So who is this young lady?
Someone who works at Somerset’s ranch?”

253/322

He shook his head. “No. She lives next

door.” A look of excitement crossed his father’s
face. He knew the man was expecting to hear
how well everything was between him and her.
Cole quickly jumped on it. “There’s not much to
tell anymore. I messed things up with her. Hurt
her.”

His father waved a hand and let out a

whoosh of air. “You’re not the first man to make
a mistake with the woman he cares about. Al-
ways remember that. Are we going to meet her
sometime?”

Good question. He would like nothing

more than to introduce Noelle to them, have her
as a member of his family in spite of what little
they had to offer.

“I hope so.” Cole reached into his pocket

and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped through
several pictures until he came across one of
Noelle that he had taken with her astride
Firebrand.

254/322

Reddish blond eyebrows shot upward.

Cole ignored it. There wasn’t a racist bone in his
father’s body, but he understood the man’s sur-
prise that Noelle was black.

His father whistled low and straightened.

“She’s a beautiful girl. Does her family know
about you?”

Hands at his sides, Cole nodded. He

didn’t want to rehash the details of her father’s
disapproval.

A thin arm rested on his shoulder for a

second. “Just focus on yourself and your young
lady. I’m sure whatever happened between the
two of you can be worked out. This is life, Cole.
Gotta grab it by its horns. Don’t allow what you
want to slip away. You’ll end up alone, tired and
bitter.”

Cole lowered his head. His father made it

seem too easy. Nothing was ever that simple, not
when came to convincing a woman who had
nothing to gain by being with him. “I can’t go
back to her unless I have a future to offer.

255/322

Something better than what she’s seen so far. I
just can’t. I love her too much.”

The man gazed at him with skepticism yet

Cole was thankful he remained quiet. He didn’t
need a lecture, definitely not tonight when he was
starting to realize time was not on his side. He
looked up at the moon and the stars overhead.
Have to keep working. He hadn’t seen Noelle in a
month and each and every day was spent worry-
ing if she had found someone else to move on
with. If she hadn’t, it would only be a matter of
time. The temptation to go to her was over-
whelming, but he had to stay steadfast and stick
to his plans for the ranch. With the ache in his
muscles forgotten, Cole rubbed his hands togeth-
er against the chill in the night air as he headed
toward the barn.

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Chapter Sixteen

Noelle pushed her apartment keys into her

handbag. Three weeks of living in the new place
and it felt as much a home as the tack room she’d
gone into a couple of times on Mr. Somerset’s
ranch.

It hurt to think of that place, so much that

for a week after her argument with Cole she’d re-
turned to Snake River each day waiting, hoping
to see him appear from behind one of the big
maple trees. In her fantasy, he would kiss and
hold her so damn tight to let her know he wasn’t
disgusted. That he wasn’t ashamed of her.

Hurt and angered, she’d decided to give it

one final attempt before giving up on him. It was
Mr. Somerset who had seen her on the way to
ranch housing and stopped her. Puzzled, he’d
asked if she had forgotten that Cole moved back
to his home earlier than planned.

It was three months later and she still felt

the jolt of electricity that ran through her heart
when Mr. Somerset related those words. At no
time, had Cole mentioned to her that he wouldn’t
be staying on at the Somerset Ranch. Apparently,
she hadn’t been the only one keeping secrets and
Cole hadn’t felt their relationship was important
enough to let her know they’d soon be separated.

Noelle hated to count the days, but today

marked yet another day that drifted by without a
message from him. And now, guilt ridden, she
couldn’t believe she was returning home from a
date. For an hour she’d sat across from another
man, talking and feigning bouts of feminine
laughter to pretend her heart hadn’t been ripped
asunder.

But she had to do it. She needed to prove

to herself and to her mother and sister, who en-
couraged her to keep her heart open. Noelle
sighed as she turned the key into the doorknob.

One good thing came to fruition out of

this debacle of her love life; she was closer to her

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mother than she had been in years. The two of
them had even decorated her apartment together.
To Noelle’s bittersweet delight, once Aleah
found out about her broken heart she had reached
out and for the first time in years, Noelle had
someone beside Cole to confide in. Grateful as
she was, it did nothing to dull the ache of missing
him. She would have been satisfied if he had
been her only confidant for the rest of eternity.

Her date was the coworker her sister had

months earlier suggested Noelle to go out with.
The attorney was a quiet man in his thirties,
African American, which left her wondering if
deep down her family was rooting for their date
to go well because of that minor detail. While the
conversation was pleasant and she found herself
grudgingly admiring how well put together the
man was, she knew that date was as far as it
would ever get. There was nothing, not even a
fraction of the emotions she felt the first moment
she laid eyes on Cole, the confusion and longing
the cowboy elicited in her.

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Noelle entered her apartment and was

greeted by the shrill ringing of her telephone. It
was her mother checking up on her. Noelle knew
the woman was trying to overcompensate for her
father’s refusal to speak with her after Noelle told
him she didn’t appreciate his interference in her
private life.

“How was the dinner?”
Noelle clutched the phone to her ear and

pulled off her stilettos. “It was all right, Momma.
Nothing special. He talked a bit much, I
suppose.”

Her mother went silent for a minute then

spoke, “You mean as opposed to not saying
anything?”

Noelle sank back into the couch and let

out a small breath. “It was never like that. Cole
had a lot to say. We understood each other des-
pite the blocks in front of us. I just thought that
after everything we meant to each other, Cole
would have taken the time to listen and under-
stand my side of things.”

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“Noelle, I know you don’t want to hear

this, however, it needs to be said. Perhaps your
father did you a favor. I’m very sorry, baby. You
know I want the best for you and your sister
—you especially because of everything you’ve
been through, but if you try to look at it from an-
other perspective you have to realize that you and
Cole are just so different. I’ve spoken to Randy
Somerset and from what he’s told me, Cole has
his hands filled with responsibilities at his
home.”

Her heart stopped. Her mother had spoke

to Cole’s former boss? “When did you speak to
him and why would you do that? Why would you
snoop into my affairs, going around trying to find
out information about Cole like we’re a pair of
naughty teenagers?”

“I’ve never met him, Noni. I only wanted

to know what type of person he was for you to
feel this strongly about him.”

Noelle gulped. “But what did Mr. Somer-

set say? I need to know if Cole is all right.”

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“He’s fine.”
Her mother refused say more. Noelle bit

her lips to keep from yelling and demanding to
know more details about her beloved. She sighed.
He was fine, her mother had said. There had to be
some comfort in that statement, although it would
do nothing to help her sleep better at nights
without him.

****

For the first time in months, things were

looking up. Cole felt a smile tug at the corners of
his lips. How he relished being able to acknow-
ledge those words. The October sale of the two
largest bulls had brought in enough money to
take them out of the red. Once they made it
through with the rest of the sales the Tumbling Y
would be in the clear until the next fall.

Most important, he had promised himself

as soon as the ranch gained momentum, he would
return to Copper Mesa and claim Noelle… after
he cradled her to his chest, begged and pleaded
for understanding and let her know in no

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uncertain terms how much he loved and adored
her.

Cole sighed and pressed his head against

the pillow. Tonight was a first for him in months,
hitting the sack before midnight. He relished the
sleep to come, but in the meantime, his mind kept
messing with him about Noelle.

What if he had waited too long and

Noelle no longer had space in her heart for him?
The last time he had seen her was in August, she
was so fucking beautiful and sweet. Noelle was
bound to have found some else. Some bastard
who could communicate with her, without her
having to study each night to learn new words in
sign language.

Damn. Cole felt his chest tighten with

worry. Had Noelle been with anyone since him?
His stomach churned and violence surged inside
him. He wouldn’t be able to bear knowing she
had allowed another man to lie on top of her and
plunge into her wanton cunt. He could still hear

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her needy cries, whimpering to him that her
pussy belonged to him alone.

His cock swelled painfully inside his

briefs. Cole couldn’t help but touch his shaft.
God help him, he was a goner for her. Truth was,
even if Noelle had lain with someone else in the
time they were separated he’d still want her. He
would fuck her so good, and hard, wiping away
the memory of anyone but him. He would be-
come her entire world, the way she was his.

Regret slashed inside him with a vicious

stroke. He never should have kept her in the dark
about his feelings. Never should have turned
away from her. It ate at him, because Noelle was
the only person in this world who made him feel
whole. Around her he didn’t feel as if he was
lacking. She accomplished what not even his par-
ents had been able to do his entire life as hard as
they tried. Noelle, all she had to do was look at
him, touch him and everything felt right. As if
they were made for each other.

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They were. She was made for him. That

had to be the only explanation for how well they
fit together. Noelle Williams had been created
just for him. Every inch of her lovely frame was
molded to please him, right down to the achingly
sweet spot between her thighs. When he thought
he wouldn’t bear it a second longer, the pressure
in his groin, the fullness of his balls seething with
cum, Cole slid his fingers over the tip of his cock.

Eyes closed, he sank deeper into the pil-

low, his breathing shallow. All that was missing
was his Noelle lowering her head and gliding her
tongue over his flesh. She knew how much he en-
joyed the warmth at the back of her throat

His throat felt dry. He missed her so

much. He brushed the back of his hand against
his sac, stroking them exactly as he remembered
Noelle would do it. Her soft hands cupping him
and murmuring how good he felt. Then, she’d
dart out her tongue, lift her long lashes and tease
him until he squirmed beneath her mouth. His
little vixen would grin and slide her tongue

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across him, gently hold his cock between her
hands and lick it like he had offered her the tasti-
est treat.

He jerked his hips and gripped his cock,

pumping hard. After a hard day’s work what he
wouldn’t give to unleash some of that tension on
Noelle. To feel her hands smoothing the muscles
on his back, soothing him as he emptied inside
her.

His cock went impossibly hard. Slickened

wetness spilled onto his fingers. He stroked
harder. Could almost see himself sliding into her
hot pussy. Was Noelle petting her juicy clit at
this very moment, on fire for a taste of him? He
hoped so. He was burning for her too. Needed to
feel her fingertips caressing the sweat-dampened
skin on his back. Was desperate to her hear beg-
ging him to ease up because he was fucking her
too hard and in the next breath pleading for more.

God help him and her. The next time he

saw Noelle, he’d waste no time in pushing her
thighs apart and sinking balls deep inside her.

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Fucking and fucking her hot little cunt until every
fiber of his being was embedded in Noelle and
outside her womb. He would ride her until her
knees gave out with pleasure and she realized
they were meant solely for each other. Cole shut
his eyes at the feel of his cock twitching, sending
a thick spurt of cum flooding onto his stomach.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d mas-
turbated and came so hard. It had to be because
he was so close to finding Noelle again, Cole
thought as his breathing leveled and sleep over-
took him.

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Chapter Seventeen

Noelle was pissed…and worried. After

months of not receiving a single message or
email from Cole, out of the blue a week ago a
SMS from him popped up. Stunned to the core,
Noelle had assumed he’d deleted her number and
moved on before summer ended.

Noelle. I’d like to speak with you. See

you.

She’d texted him back of course, and al-

though the cold keypads beneath her fingertips
made it real, it felt like something out of the hun-
dred or so dreams she had of him. To finally
know that he remembered she existed…just when
she was trying so hard to erase him from her
mind.

Because she hated herself for getting her

hopes up, Noelle replied the only way she knew
how. When? A single word. She didn’t trust her-
self to write more and reveal how much she still

cared about him or to let him know how much he
hurt her and still had the power to do so.

Her ploy failed. Once again, Cole

trampled on her hopes. The swift reply she had
expected never came. It was killing her.

And now, left without a choice, but to see

and put to rest their relationship, she was on her
way, miles away from Copper Mesa armed with
nothing but an address Mr. Somerset had given
her.

Noelle glanced at the GPS, her brows

knotting when it led her onto a dirt road, indicat-
ing she had arrived at her destination. It was a
ranch. That much she could decipher. A dozen
head of cattle grazed in an open field strewn with
fresh sprinkling of snow on the golden orange
grass. A black metallic sign that read ‘Tumbling
Y Ranch’, hung gracefully from three wooden
poles. Behind the welcoming sign, a small one
story house, resembling a log cabin stood out
with it’s zinc roofing. Noelle’s heart skipped a
beat. This was the house she had seen in Cole’s

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photograph. She looked around the narrow drive-
way. No sign of Cole’s red pickup. Disappoint-
ment tinged with heart pounding anticipation
caused Noelle to slow her car. She took another
look at the house and contemplated turning
around, going home. She was risking so much by
putting her heart on the line to be assured Cole
was all right.

Killing the engine, Noelle went to the en-

trance door. Finger on the doorbell, she paused as
an older, slightly plump woman turned the
corner, a basket of eggs in her right hand. Her
round face appeared worn, tired, as if she hadn’t
slept in days.

Noelle blinked. Oh sweet Jesus. The wo-

man had the same piercing black eyes she had
grown so used to staring into. Noelle shifted her
feet. Had Cole mentioned her to the woman? If
so, what had he revealed?

Cole’s mother pushed a limp strand of

gray hair from her pink cheeks. “Can I help
you?”

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Noelle stepped back from the doorway.

“I’m here to see Cole McKinney. Is he here?”

Dark eyes stabbed into hers before the

woman placed her basket of eggs on the ground.
“You’re Noelle, aren’t you?”

His mother’s tone conveyed no attitude or

censor toward. Noelle felt relief rush into her
face. Cole must not have mentioned everything
about her.

“I’m Noelle.”
Two plump arms swung out and wrapped

around her shoulders. Taken off guard, Noelle
stiffened for a few seconds then relaxed some-
what into the hug. The woman pulled back and
smiled, revealing the wrinkles around her puffy
eyes. “Forgive me. I didn’t think we’d ever get
the chance to meet.”

Noelle’s eyes widened. Did she know all

about their relationship? “Cole told you about
me?” she finally asked.

Mrs. McKinney blushed. “Not outright,

but I’ve heard enough about you from what he’s

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told his father. I’m so happy to meet you,
Noelle.”

She was? Noelle swallowed hard. “It’s

nice to meet you too, Ma’am.”

“Now that we know each other, I have to

tell you, my son isn’t here right not. No worries,
however. He should be back anytime now.” Her
face closed up. “My husband, Cole’s father is in
the hospital. Fell ill with a bout of pneumonia last
week. Cole went to visit him, does so every
chance he gets.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Will he be all

right?”

Mrs. McKinney’s lips tilted upward. She

lifted a round shoulder. “We certainly hope so.
He’s a tough one. So is Cole. I don’t know what I
would do without either of them, especially with
my other son away at ColoradoState.” The wo-
man shook her head and smiled. “Mercy but look
at us out here. Come inside and wait, Noelle. I
just know Cole will be delighted to see you.”

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Noelle was beginning to doubt that. If

Cole was fine, he had to have a reason for not
contacting her after that first message. She should
leave, return to Copper Mesa and wipe him from
her heart and mind.

Noelle followed Mrs. McKinney inside

the house and into the cozy living room. She
wasn’t ready to leave yet. Good or bad, she
needed to see him. Every cell inside her body
yearned to look upon his rugged face and gaze
into those obsidian eyes.

Seated on the sofa, Noelle felt uncomfort-

able despite Mrs. McKinney warmth and easy-
going nature. Underneath the chatter, Noelle
sensed a worry and anxiety in her tone that tran-
scended her husband’s illness. It was the same
tension she had felt too many times, emanating
from Cole. They both seemed to be carrying the
weight of the world.

In the middle of their conversation, both

women paused at the sound of an engine pulling
up in the driveway. Cole. The older woman

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glanced at the window. Noelle didn’t fail to see
the way she wrung her hands together, avoiding
her gaze. “Noelle, would you mind waiting here
for a minute? I want to hear from Cole how
things went at the hospital.”

Noelle nodded. She wasn’t born yester-

day. In her heart of hearts, Cole’s mother was un-
sure how her son would react at her presence and
wanted to spare all of them the embarrassment.

Without another word the woman sprang

out of her seat. Noelle shook her head and
pressed a hand to her face, watching as the front
door opened and closed. Mrs. McKinney greeted
her son.

Her eyes darted to the cloth curtains sur-

rounding the windows. Eavesdropping was
wrong. She didn’t care. She had to see him, had
to know if he felt any degree of pleasure by her
visit.

Noelle sneaked behind the curtains. Mrs.

McKinney signed while she spoke to Cole whose
forehead creased with each word the woman

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uttered. A scowl settled on his face, a face which
much harsher and angular than she remembered.
His entire frame looked thicker, more muscular if
that was even possible. Noelle shivered with
longing. Everything about him seemed harder,
unyielding… and she wanted him more than
ever.

She continued to watch, her heartbeat

quickening with each frantic and harried move-
ment of his hands. He wasn’t happy. But not just
that, Cole looked downright worried.

Mrs. McKinney’s frantic voice ripped

through her reverie. “But she came here to see
you. That has to mean something.”

Noelle struggled to keep up with his furi-

ous hand movements, from her spot behind the
folds of curtains. She watched as Cole made an
exaggerated gesture toward the ranch. “I don’t
want her here.”

“You don’t mean that. I’ve spoken with

her. She seems like such a sweet young lady.”

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His jaw clenched. “I don’t care. There’s

nothing between us. It has to stay that way.”

Noelle didn’t want to witness anymore or

hear Mrs. McKinney defend her against the man
who once cherished and cared about her. She
opened the door and stared at him, the flames of
betrayal burning all the way down to her soul.

“Noelle, he doesn’t mean—”

She snorted and turned on the well-mean-

ing woman. “With all due respect. I really don’t
give a fuck what your son intended. Cole can
speak for himself. He doesn’t need anyone to
twist or try to soften his meaning.”

Wiping away the hot tears threatening to

complete her shame, Noelle shoved past both of
them.

Fucking tears.
Her body trembled under the weight of

her heartbreak. It felt like an invisible force had
sucked the air out of her lungs. Her knees
wobbled, threatening to give out and her stomach
lurched. She wanted to fall to the ground and

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vomit, purge him from her system. Noelle
pressed her hand against a tree for support.
Lashes spiked with tears, she could barely see,
couldn’t think beyond the pain.

In that moment, she hated him. Noelle

hung her head and scrubbed at the offending
tears, wetting her cheeks. She lifted her head to
see Cole pounding toward her. Noelle quickened
her steps and took off racing, no direction in
mind except to get away from him. She glanced
over her shoulder. Cole stood, no longer follow-
ing, just shaking his head as if he too was in a
state of upheaval and confusion.

She was done with him. Noelle spun on

her heel and screamed. “I hate you!” She didn’t
care that he could see the disgusting tears cours-
ing down her face. Stupid tears that ignored her
pleas not to fall. Her heart was shattered, would
never be whole and he was responsible for it.

She clutched her stomach to not keel over

in anguish. Cole knew she’d come to see him and
for him to not want to see her. As if she had

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meant nothing, even if it was just as a girl who
gave him sex. That had to count for something,
maybe five minutes of his time. At least she de-
served an explanation why he was so hell bent on
hurting her.

His face lost color and Noelle jumped on

it, yelling more words of hatred to him. She
wanted to curse, rail at him forever but her voice
cracked from exertion.

He held up a large hand in warning.

Noelle shook her head and took off running. She
had to get back to her car. Had to get off the
ranch and leave Cole McKinney behind and in
the past.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her. Her

heartbeat sped. A tremor of fear stirred to life in
her. She didn’t know this person anymore, didn’t
understand why he wanted her gone, yet
wouldn’t leave her alone.

Noelle quickened her pace and grabbed a

hold of the barn door. Closing it, she raced

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toward a stack of hay, laying low on the ground
between the dried grass.

The door flung open. A heavy gust of

wind swept through the enclosed space. Cole
stood in the doorway, his large frame taking up
the entire space, wisps of brown hair falling
across his face.

Noelle crawled backward, biting her lips

to keep a cry of alarm from escaping her. His
wide chest rose and fell as he stared her down at
her. Furious, his eyes flashed with emotions she
couldn’t discern, he reminded her of an angry
warrior on the warpath. And God help her, as
much as she hated him, she wanted him with
every breath in her body.

The thought of it made her weep in si-

lence. That strong, raw depiction of masculinity
standing in front of her, no longer belonged to
her. Entranced, Noelle jumped as the door
slammed shut with Cole’s long powerful legs eat-
ing away the distance between them in two
strides. She straightened, preparing to run again.

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His strong arms gripped her shoulders firm. He
held her as she struggled against him.

“Don’t touch me.”
Cole did just that, grazing his coarse

knuckles over her face so tenderly she wanted to
cry all over again. Eyes closed, he lowered his
head. Her breath stopped when his lips brushed
against hers.

Noelle broke away and tore her mouth

from his. It was too much. “Never again,” she
managed. “Don’t ever try to kiss me or touch me
again.”

He wasn’t listening. His lips sought her

face, kissing her cheeks, eyes, and everywhere
else he could touch. Noelle heard the soft intake
of his breath as he inhaled the scent of her hair.
His face lowered, the prickly hairs along his
jawline rubbed against the thin fabric of her shirt,
heightening the sensation of his face caressing
her breast. His large hand closed over the neg-
lected breast, kneading gently. Her nipple beaded
with want.

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Unable to help herself, Noelle parted her

lips on a sigh. It had been so long since they were
together. She could feel his erection prodding
against her sex. Her heart thundered and her
womb clenched. How would she go on without
ever holding him close, feel his large cock mov-
ing within her, the warmth of his seed spilling in-
to her. How she would miss the sight of his
mouth curled around her nipples sucking hard,
his head between her legs licking her folds. She
would go insane without hearing that harsh cry
she’d wrung from him each and every time he
ejaculated in her mouth. She adored the sound
and it had become a symphony to her ears.

His hands went to her shoulders, pushing

her to the ground, sprinklings of sawdust rising in
the air. She didn’t fight him. With the crisp hay
scratching at her back, she turned her gaze from
the prying eyes of the two horses secured in their
stalls. Noelle felt the tears she wanted so badly to
keep hidden, race down her face. Cole brushed
the back of his hand across her cheeks.

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“Don’t cry. Please, beauty. Don’t cry.”
She shook her head and tried to push him

away but he held her firm. “I’ll make it better.
I’ll make you feel good,” he signed, his lips trail-
ing along her nape.

Jerking her legs wide, Cole knelt between

them. He reached for the buckle on his belt,
quickly pulling it part before shoving his jeans
past his hips.

“I don’t want you,” she whispered. It

sounded weak to her ears. “Don’t make me want
you, Cole. Please don’t.”

Her plea went unanswered. Calloused fin-

gers delved under her wool skirt and plucked
down her underwear in one sweep. The cold air
kissed between her thighs, licking the moist heat
centered in her sex. Moaning, Noelle pressed her
back against a barrel of hay as Cole shoved in-
side her pussy in one long stroke. He held her
knees apart, a blanket of sheer determination
written on his handsome features.

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Noelle scraped her hands to the hay-

strewn floor. It dug into her opened palms but she
didn’t care. Her body jerked, bouncing with each
thrust of his massive build slamming into her.

Noelle cried out, passion and heartache

overtaking her emotions. Cole was fucking her so
hard as if he was trying to exorcise her from his
mind.

Unacceptable.
“Y-You can’t forget me, can you?” she

asked, teeth chattering. Noelle closed her hand
over his massive shoulder. “Were you thinking of
this, Cole, how good we are together? Did you
want someone to fuck? Tell me, damn you, is
that why you contacted me?”

His eyes flashed. Palpable pain skidded

across his features. Staring up at the wooden
beams high on the ceiling, Cole withdrew then
drove into her with savage force. Noelle
whimpered in pleasure pain. Lifting her hips, she
matched him thrust for every primitive thrust he
gave her.

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“You will never forget me, cowboy. No

matter how hard you try, you’ll always remember
me because I won’t forget you.”

He leaned forward and circled his arms

around her shuddering frame, bringing her closer,
his cock pummeling at her walls.

Noelle bit her trembling lips. She loved

him so much it hurt. With her arms around his
muscular back, she rested her head on his
shoulder.

“What am I going to do without this?” she

murmured, feeling her pussy clench around his
thick shaft.

What will I do without you?
She dreaded the thought of living the rest

of her life without him. To run the chance of nev-
er seeing him again. It was unimaginable. Un-
thinkable. But after she left today she would have
no reason, no excuse to return. She didn’t want to
grow old without having lived a life with him.
Noelle wanted to scream in anguish.

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Against her control, a sob tore from her

throat. Cole stroked the back of her hair with
aching tenderness as the head of his cock poun-
ded at the entrance of her cervix.

She wasn’t going to last much longer.

Like a coil, Noelle felt herself wounding tighter
and tighter the faster Cole plowed inside her. She
knew him and knew her man was going to climax
soon. He was going to come deep inside her. The
thought alone was enough to spiral her over the
edge.

She was on the pill so there’d be no

chance of getting pregnant. God knew she
wouldn’t have minded. She wasn’t overly fond of
children, but with him, she would have wanted
one. She would have wanted everyone to know
she’d taken a part of Cole inside her body and
something beautiful had sprung from it. Because
their love was beautiful despite what anyone
thought. Yes, she would have done so proudly.

When her orgasm hit, Noelle felt her legs

shake and her entire body quiver. His warm lips

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were everywhere on her, his hands touching all
over. When his fingers landed on her belly,
caressing the area below her navel, Noelle cried
out in joy. “Come for me, Cole.”

He pressed his forehead to hers. Taking

hold of a handful of her hair, he surged deep,
holding himself still. Wetness flooded into her,
hot and thick. Noelle stroked his back, savoring
the feel of his semen coating the tiny bruises in-
side her cunt.

“Promise me you won’t hold anyone else

like this.” Promise you won’t have sex with any-
one else.

He lowered his face and brushed his lips

across hers. For once Noelle wished he could
speak, to demand an answer from him. It was all
too easy for him to ignore her questions, regard-
less of the absurdity of her request to someone
who claimed not to want any part of a relation-
ship with her.

Cole slid his cock from her drenched sex

and Noelle felt her sanity return. Realizing where

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they were, it hit her hard what she allowed to
happen. Minutes earlier at his house, Cole admit-
ted he didn’t want her on the property and like a
fool she was laying on her back in a barn mid af-
ternoon, her pussy wet and dripping with his
cum, so much that it trickled to her inner thighs,
which were splayed wide for his viewing.

His hands worked fast to right his jeans

and buckle the large black belt he had been so
quick to open. Shakily, Noelle drew her legs to-
gether and reached for her underwear, raising it
over her ankles. She sneaked a peek at him. No
surprise, he avoided her gaze.

Pain squeezed around her heart. “We just

had sex, Cole. I think it’s a bit late to try and act
modest, pretend like it didn’t happen.”

His shoulders squared. “You wouldn’t

understand.”

“How can I understand? You shut me out.

You won’t tell me anything.”

Cole jabbed a finger, gesturing outside

one of the opened windows. “Look around. You

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have eyes. This place is falling apart. It’s hard
not to notice isn’t it?”

Noelle gasped. “Cole, I didn’t—”
He held up a hand then signed, “I’m up to

my neck in work. There’s too much. You. My fam-
ily. The ranch. It won’t work.”

Her heart fell for him and herself. Cole

had too much on his shoulders and now he
viewed her as a burden he had to lose.

“I didn’t realize it was hard for you to be

with me. If I’d known, I would have ended things
myself before I got caught up in our
relationship.”

“No. Never like that. I care about you,

but I knew it wouldn’t work out. I can’t take care
of you like you deserve.”

“I’ve never set out to give you the impres-

sion I needed to be taken care of. I don’t care
about what you have or don’t have.” Noelle took
a deep breath. She was going to chance it one last
time. “I want to be here, with you,” she told him
softly.

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He bent low and grasped the handle of a

broom. When he lifted his head to look at her,
Noelle flinched at the harsh bleakness in his eyes.
“Go home, Noelle. There’s nothing here for
you.”

The breath left her body. Her last card

had failed. “Well, can’t say I didn’t try.” She bit
her lips, hoping to see a reaction from him. “It
was nice while it lasted and I definitely can’t say
I regretted the sex. At least that you can give me,
right?” Bitterness laced each word, but it didn’t
matter. If he could be so callous then so would
she. How else could she mask some of the hurt to
not look like a complete fool?

“Goodbye, Cole.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. The hand on

the handle of the broom tightened. She wondered
for a second if it would snap under his grip. Un-
relenting, Cole maintained his distance. Noelle
gave a nod. Never again would she shed a tear
for him if he thought she gave a fuck about his
lack of finances.

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She had chosen him over her family. His

family hadn’t tormented and harangued him to
make a choice. He chose to go out of his way and
sacrifice her. No one forced him to. Noelle
crossed her arms around her middle. One person
didn’t make a relationship. Cole made his de-
cision. She had to accept the fact that whether he
spoke the truth or not, the interest was gone. Had
to stop thinking about ‘Cole and Noelle’. It was
her alone from here on out. And she was not go-
ing to return to the Tumbling Y to upset him or
his family. Not when she was an expert at that
with her own.

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Chapter Eighteen

Things weren’t getting any better. Sure

his father was out of the hospital, the bout of
pneumonia treated and cleared. Cole was thank-
ful for his father’s recovery, but it didn’t make
things any easier for him. He was worse off than
he could have ever imagined.

The deep bristling cold of winter was out

in full force, making him contemplate things he
never imagined. Defeat was a hard pill to swal-
low. The success he had in fall with the sale of a
quarter the herd of Angus bulls hadn’t been
enough to make up for the costs associated with
his father’s rising medical care and equipment
needing to be replaced or fix. It was just as he
told Noelle months ago. It was too much. No one
could deny he’d done his best to save the place
and keep his family secured. At the expense of
Noelle.

Not a day went by he didn’t think of her.

The pathetic thing was, after sending her away,
he’d still held on to hope of making the ranch a
success…for her. He wasn’t doing it for his fam-
ily, as much as he loved them. The one driving
force that kept him out there until well after mid-
night seven days a week, taking on the duties of
the workers he couldn’t afford to keep. He knew
it was selfish of him, fixating her on when she
could do a hundred times better than him. Only
snag in that line of thinking was his love for her.
He loved her and wanted her back. The intensity
of his need for her shook him to the core. Noelle
was the only woman for him and he was the only
man for her. He was the only man who could
love her as she deserved. He hoped to God, she
had meant what she said about not caring about
his lack of money and status. Yep. He was a
selfish bastard, trying to condemn the woman he
loved to a life with him, without the luxuries an-
other man could provide her.

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“Are you sure about this?” his father

asked.

What other choice did he have? At the

moment it was a one-man show that was failing
miserably. “I’m sure.”

Snow flurries fell from the sky landing on

the snowcapped earth. Cole sighed. Another
night spent without his woman in his arms. Yet
another day went by without Noelle knowing
how fucking hard he tried to make this work for
them.

Through the corner of his eyes, Cole

glanced at his parents. His father, despite his fail-
ing health, had his arm around his mother’s
shoulder offering comfort in light of their
situation.

Jealousy gnawed at him. Even in the

worst times, his parents had each other. That in
itself had to lessen the blow of losing the ranch;
having someone there to talk to, get comfort and
reassurances from, however false they might be.
Slinging his hat lower over his head, Cole issued

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a curt nod, allowing them privacy. The same pri-
vacy he would have wanted with Noelle.

He wondered how she had dealt with his

rejection a second time. Had she received com-
fort from her family? Was Mr. Williams treating
her better now that he was out of the picture?

He damn well better be.
Or maybe Noelle hadn’t needed a

shoulder to cry on. Perhaps, whatever tenderness
she carried for him melded into a deep-seated an-
ger and hatred.

Either way, he would find out tomorrow.
****
The Williams house appeared smaller,

less imposing than he remembered. Nothing felt
the same this instance as he pressed his finger to
silver doorbell. The door opened and Cole
stepped backward, half expecting to see the face
of an annoyed Mr. Williams, thick mustache and
all. Instead, a dark skinned black woman around
the same height as Noelle answered the door.

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Cole had seen her before, but he doubted the wo-
man knew who he was.

Mrs. Williams craned her neck, looking

him up and down. Her apparent shock at his size
worn off, she smiled at him from behind the
door. Her high cheekbones reminded him so
much of Noelle. “Good afternoon.”

Cole stared at her knowing he had to do

something. Removing his hat, he reached into his
pocket, pulled out the notepad and scribbled. The
poor woman, he didn’t want her to think she had
a psycho at her doorway.

Good afternoon Ma’am. My name is Cole

McKinney. I used to work over on Mr. Somerset’s
ranch. I’m here to see your daughter Noelle. Is
she here?

The older woman’s eyebrows shot up.

Her mouth opened and closed. Before she could
give him an answer, another voice sounded at the
doorway. Disappointment settled in him. The
voice lacked the hint of huskiness to Noelle’s
tone.

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“Who is it, Momma?” He assumed the

woman was Noelle’s sister, based on the high
cheekbones identical to Noelle and Mrs. Willi-
ams. She stopped beside her mother and stared at
Cole. Recognition flickered in her eyes.

“You’re that guy who broke my sister’s

heart, aren’t you?”

Cole clenched his jaw. Damn, he hadn’t

expected an outright attack. But the girl was cor-
rect. He ignored her and looked toward Mrs.
Williams.

After telling her daughter to hush,

Noelle’s mother turned to him. “I’m afraid both
my girls were born with an attitude I have no
control over.” Her smooth face revealed their tiny
wrinkles as she smiled. “You mentioned Noelle. I
take it you have no idea where she is.”

Cole nodded at woman staring at him ex-

pectantly. He had a feeling these women knew
too much about his guilt in dealing with Noelle.

Notepad in hand, he wrote to her. I’m

sure you know everything that happened. I’d like

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to apologize to your daughter and ask her for-
giveness. Please tell me if she’s here or not.

Would they be cruel and keep him from

her? Mrs. Williams seemed reasonable enough.
The other one…he didn’t know. She had her
arms folded and looked as if she wanted to stab
him. He liked her already and would thank her if
he could for being on Noelle’s side.

“Noelle moved out a long time ago,” the

sister blurted, a look of triumph on her face. “I
doubt she even remembers your name.”

Ouch. The spitfire was out for blood. He

hoped she was a liar, too.

“Aleah’s right, Cole. Noelle no longer

lives here. I’m sorry you came here expecting to
see her.”

Sorry? Like hell he was going to walk

away without finding out where his woman lived.

Nothing to be sorry about Ma’am. It’s

been a pleasure talking to you, but I came here to
see Noelle and I’d appreciate your help to at
least let her hear me out and decide for herself.

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Aleah stood on her tiptoes glancing over

Mrs. Williams’ shoulder as the woman read his
note. He could see the outrage forming on the
girl’s face.

“No way. You come here expecting us to

help you break my sister’s heart again. You must
be out of your mind. Noelle would be better off
dating a—”

Mrs. Williams spun on her daughter so

fast Cole almost missed it. “Will you be quiet?
You’re doing a bit too much talking for Noelle.”
She looked at Cole and gave him a tiny smile.
“Talking too much is another problem I have
with my girls. Aleah is right though, I’m not sure
it’s the best thing to give you an opening back in-
to Noelle’s life. She was extremely hurt after her
visit with you. I’m sorry, Cole.”

Fuck. Leaving Copper Mesa without see-

ing Noelle wasn’t an option. They had been sep-
arated far too long because of his stupidity.

Cole gazed at Mrs. Williams, placed his

hand over his heart and tapped it. Dammit, the

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woman had to understand that he loved her
daughter. I love Noelle. I just want to try and
make her happy. He handed the piece of paper to
the woman standing in front of him, ignoring the
open stare of Noelle’s sister.

“I want to do right by my daughter, Cole.

You have to understand the position I’m in. Right
now, I don’t think it’s best to give you her ad-
dress. I’m sorry. It was nice to finally meet you,
however. I can see how my daughter would fall
for you.” She drew the door to a close.

Cole stood there in shock. Why hadn’t he

suspected she would have moved out? He turned
toward the driveway when the door slowly
pushed open. Mrs. Williams’ head popped out of
the doorway. Cole clenched his fist. She was
probably about to warn him from trying to find
Noelle.

“Foxhead Trail might seem like the best

place for someone in your position to sit and con-
template if a life with my daughter is what you
truly want.”

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Foxhead Trail? Cole nodded then waved

at the woman before taking off in his truck. Mrs.
Williams looked to be in her early fifties. He
didn’t expect her to start going crazy so soon.
There was only one trail around these parts and it
wasn’t called Foxhead. She had to be hinting at
something else and if it led him to Noelle, he was
damn sure going to find out what the woman
meant.

300/322

Chapter Nineteen

Noelle stepped out of her car and turned

the corner of the icy entryway to her apartment.
The spikes of ice jutting from the rooftop and
pavement marked this season as one of the
harshest winters she had experienced since mov-
ing to southern Colorado in her teens. She’d
spoken with Mr. Somerset a few days ago during
a visit with her parents. The rancher had declared
the frigid cold hell on his cattle. When he’d said
those words, her mind drifted to Cole and his
family. She wondered how the winter was treat-
ing their herd of cattle. All thoughts of Cole she
had, she kept it to herself, not wanting anyone to
know the burly cowboy was still on her mind.

She hadn’t made it to the staircase leading

to the entrance before she saw him. Like
something out a dream, he stood there against the
railing, hat in hand, thumbing the curved brim.
He was wearing a thick fleece jacket. His brown

hair seemed darker than ever, without the glint of
the sunrays hitting it. His strong jawline was
covered with a thin layer of dark hair. Noelle
smiled to herself. He looked good. The facial hair
fitted him, especially in wintertime. She almost
let loose a full-blown smile that would have giv-
en away her emotions. Now he really looked the
cuddly bear she’d secretly thought of him, but
never would have voiced in a hundred years.
Noelle sighed. Those thoughts reflected when
they were on good terms, when she and Cole had
a relationship and were not just two people drift-
ing about the world in separate directions.

Noelle straightened her shoulders and

stepped forward. This should be interesting to see
what he has to say.

“Should I be flattered or terrified that you

found me?” She stopped below the staircase, gaz-
ing up at him before climbing the distance to
meet him.

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He gave a crooked smile. Noelle pursed

her lips and arched a brow. She needed answers,
not smiles meant to placate her.

“What are you doing here?”
His eyes coursed over her entire frame,

concealed in the wool coat. “Nothing’s changed,
Cole. I still look the same and act the same. Same
shitty past. Nothing’s changed. So I ask again,
why are you standing in front of my apartment?”

“I’m sorry, beauty. I’m so sorry.” He

stretched out a cold hand, touching her face.
Noelle flinched and pulled away from him. His
hand fell to his sides, then he lifted them and
signed, “Do you hate me?”

“Yes and no. I hate how easily it was for

you to get rid of me. I hate that you were
bothered by my past when you should have been
able to look past it within a split second if you
cared about me. I hate that I don’t know what
you feel for me. But do I hate you as a person?
No. I don’t hate anyone,” she added, to make her
words appear neutral.

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He nodded slowly, a slight look of embar-

rassment cutting across his face. “Can I write to
you?” He reached into his jacket pocket and
pulled out the notepad and a pen. “I have more to
say. Things I need to have you understand.”

Her anger waned somewhat. She had for-

gotten how vulnerable he could be sometimes un-
derneath all that masculinity. “Of course you can
write to me.”

Like a lightning bolt, the pen flashed

across the notepad as he jotted down each word.
Finally he handed the paper to her. Noelle read
each word, a hand on her throat, smoothing the
clog from her heart that was bounding upward.

Noelle. He wrote her name again. Noelle.

I wish I could say your name. I’d say it every
chance I got to remind you how sorry I am for
ruining what we had. I’d say it everyday when I
get up to work, reminding myself of my reason
for living. I know it’s not an excuse, but I was
trying to save you from me. I love you so fucking
much Noelle, my beauty. So much that I didn’t

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want you to be stuck with a no good cowboy,
barely holding on to his livelihood and a family
to support. You deserve better. I told you to go
because I thought I was sparing you from all the
struggles we’d have to go through.

It was never about your past…not in the

long run. I was an idiot for my reaction and it
makes me feel ashamed knowing how badly I hurt
you.

If you read this far, without throwing the

paper in the snow, I want you to know I still don’t
have much to offer in terms of money, but I will
work my ass off to keep you warm and comfort-
able. I’m not asking for you to say you love me in
return; I only want you to know that whether or
not you decide to open your heart to me again,
I’ll always love you. I can’t stop. I wouldn’t know
how to stop, beauty.

Noelle wiped away a tear before the next

one fell, completely wetting the spot where he
signed his name. She should hate him. Slap him
across the face for rejecting her love, but how

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could she? Not once had she ever told him ‘I love
you’. She had lain with him, scorned him, railed
at him and shouted her hatred, but the three most
important words she should have said went un-
spoken. Noelle glanced at him. She saw the un-
certainty and fear in his eyes. Her heart blos-
somed with love. He was no longer closed off
from her. She could read into those gorgeous
dark eyes and see into her man’s soul.

“You love me?” She wanted to see it in

his eye when he answered.

He unzipped his jacket, held her gloved

hands between his big palms and brought it to his
chest, over his heart.

I. Love. You, he mouthed.
A tear rolled down her cheek at his silent

declaration. She knew he must have practiced
how to form each word in his mirror.

Wiping away the wetness, Noelle pressed

her head to his solid chest and held it there, his
large hands smoothing along her back. She loved

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him so much and by some miracle she had him
again.

Noelle raised her head, stood on her tip-

toes and brought her lips to his. How she missed
his taste on her tongue. She wanted more of him,
but in this moment, out in open, a kiss was the ul-
timate gift. When the kiss ended, Noelle took his
hands and placed it above her heart, in the same
fashion he had done.

“I love you.” She held up her right hand

and signed the words as well.

His chest rose and his eyes closed then

open, blazing with intensity. Suddenly the winter
didn’t seem so frigid.

“I never thought I’d hear those words

from you. Thank you, beauty.”

Noelle held his hands and brushed her

lips across his knuckles. “Don’t ever thank me
for loving you. My heart belongs to you and now
I know you belong to me. I can’t do anything but
love you, Cole. I had about as much choice in it,
as needing air to breathe. When I thought I’d

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never see you again, I made up my mind to live
as best as I could without you.” Noelle swal-
lowed, so thankful she no longer had to be
without him. “I didn’t like it, and I thought about
you every single day. I always hoped you hadn’t
forgotten me. That you hadn’t fallen for the
sweet little farm girl I taunted you about. It feels
like a dream with you here. That’s what we
should be thankful for. Our second chance. I
won’t ever turn my back on you, Cole, not for my
family, not for anyone or anything in this world.
Can you promise me the same?”

“I promise you that and more. I’ll always

be on your side. You will be the only woman in
my heart.” He lifted his hands to sign something
else. Thought better of it and whipped out the
notepad once more. His fingers lingered on the
paper before handing it to her.

Noelle, I want to be with you for as long

as you’ll have me.

Noelle grinned, folded the paper, and put

it in her pocket. Amazing how she felt so much

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lighter as if she would flutter away with joy be-
cause of him. She never wanted her happiness to
be dependent on anyone else, but it was and she
knew it was the same for him. They were each
half of a whole, needing the other with the same
intensity and splendid passion.

Reaching for her keys, Noelle smiled

while looking up at him. “No less than sixty
years, cowboy. Anything below that and I’ll con-
sider it a breaking of your promise.”

His arms came around her waist as soon

as they entered the apartment, his large boot
kicking the front door closed. Sighing in bliss,
Noelle leaned into him cherishing the feel of his
warm lips on her neck, the woodsy scent of him
she had missed so much. This she could defin-
itely get used to for the rest of their lives.

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Epilogue

Noelle still hated to count the days, but

today was different. It was exactly seven months
to the day that they were married in the small
church ceremony, nine months and five days
since she had moved onto the Tumbling Y Ranch
inside the guesthouse that was currently being re-
modeled and extended. While she was elated by
the many blessings that came her way over the
past two years, Noelle was overjoyed for Cole
even more. Today marked the day the Tumbling
Y, belonged solely and without a cent of debt to
Cole.

After their reunion in January, they’d

spent the next two days locked inside her apart-
ment making love until her legs became numb
and she lost count of the numerous orgasms. Cole
hadn’t minded in the least of her dilemma, insist-
ing the bed was the best place for her anyway.
When they’d finally decide to rejoin the rest of
humanity, Cole returned to his family’s ranch out

of necessity and Noelle made a visit to her par-
ents’ home informing them of her relationship
with Cole and that this time it was forever, re-
gardless of what they thought. It came as no sur-
prise that her mother supported the union. The
biggest shock had been her father’s quiet accept-
ance, simply stating that he wished her happiness
and perhaps she just might find it with the ‘ranch
hand’. She knew he hadn’t meant it in a derogat-
ory way, but nevertheless it irked her to no end.

In the months leading up to their wed-

ding, her father’s attitude toward their relation-
ship shifted. Perhaps he saw and felt the love
Cole had for her. She didn’t know, didn’t really
care. It was nice to have him treat Cole with the
respect he deserved.

A few weeks before the wedding, her

mother showed up at the ranch unexpectedly, a
stack of papers in hand. For a second Noelle
wondered if things were falling into reverse and
her mother wanted to use her as an assistant once
more. Naturally Noelle had been stunned when

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her mom broke down and explained what the pa-
per work was, the same ones she’d seen her
working on that night a year ago. Money they
had set aside for each daughter to be available
after reaching the age of twenty-one. Her mother
confessed that Aleah had received hers years ago,
while they had been on the fence about handing
over such a large sum of money to their eldest.

Noelle looked at the manila envelope in

her hand. Her first instinct had been to refuse the
money but she thought of all the good that would
come out of it, swallowing her resentment for the
sake of Cole and their future. At the time he’d
been making preparations along with his parents
to sell the ranch because of the loss of profit. The
money was a substantial amount, but not enough
to cancel all the McKinney debt. The money
gave them the boost and desire needed to give it
one more shot and with Cole’s unwavering hard
work, the Tumbling Y would be home to all fu-
ture generation of McKinney’s.

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Well, she hoped so at least. Noelle looked

down at her stomach. There wasn’t a child grow-
ing within her. With each passing day and her
love for Cole ever mounting, she wanted to feel
his child inside her. Noelle glanced out the win-
dow. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her
heart stirred. Above all else, she wanted Cole, her
silent cowboy and the only man she would de-
vote her love and life to.

His head dipped, lowering to meet her

eyes from the kitchen window. Noelle blushed.
Damn. He always knew when she was watching
him, no matter the distance. His gaze lingered on
her breasts then lifted. Her cunt watered with an-
ticipation She knew that look in his eyes.

When the door opened, Noelle bit back a

squeal. Her husband was magnificent. If she
didn’t know how sweet and gentle he could be,
she’d be running for cover at the thought of that
letting such a giant of a man anywhere near her
body, much less between her thighs.

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“The Release of Lien came.” She held up

the envelope, ignoring the slow heat spreading
across her lower belly.

Cole nodded without the slightest interest

in the paper. His gaze centered on her face.

“Put it down.”
She laid it on the countertop. “What do

you want?” she asked softly.

His big hand lifted to capture a lock of

hair she had recently braided. His other hand
went to her breasts, fondling the tingling flesh
beneath her t-shirt.

Noelle bit her lips. His erection was

straining against his jeans. She looked over at the
clock. His mother wouldn’t arrive for another
thirty minutes to have their weekly lunch.

She caressed the front of his pants. “You

left before I woke up this morning.”

He tilted his head back and pushed his

cock into her hands. “I did.”

She opened the zipper and slid her fingers

into the flap of his briefs, stroking her fingertip

314/322

along the length. Her hand delved deeper, teasing
his testicles. She traced her lips across his chest.
“Show me what you want, sweetheart. I’ll do
anything for you.”

Cole closed a hand over her shoulder and

urged her down between his legs. Kneeling be-
fore him, Noelle watched, her eyes moist and
pussy throbbing as Cole reached into his under-
wear, not bothering to remove his clothes. His
cock bobbed free, the broad bulbous tip shiny
with pre-cum. His cock rose proudly in front of
her face. Noelle let out a small moan when he ad-
justed the opening and lifted his sac, releasing
them from their confine.

Noelle arched her back and straightened

her neck to gain added height as Cole fisted his
shaft and slid the slickened head across her lips.

Smiling down at her, he pulled back an

inch and lightly slapped it across her cheek.
Noelle felt her cunt tighten as he took hold of a
handful of her braids and brought her head for-
ward, pushing his prick between her lips. Noelle

315/322

remained still, allowing him to control the move-
ment. She didn’t mind. Her husband loved being
inside her mouth and she knew how much he en-
joyed simply fucking her mouth. He had been
shy to admit the preference, fearing she’d take it
to mean he no longer wished to feel her lips
drawing and suckling on his penis.

Noelle gripped his rock hard thighs and

moaned low in her throat as the tip hit the back of
her throat before he withdrew, thrusting in and
out, using her mouth.

She glanced up at him, noted the way his

nostrils flared and is chest heaved with his each
powerful jerk of his hips toward her face. He
looked down at her, eyes flashing and wound the
hair tighter about his fist, allowing her no move-
ment except to take what he gave.

She was positively dripping. Noelle could

feel the juices sliding down her inner thighs. Oh
God, she was coming. Noelle mewled in the back
of throat. Cole, triggered by the sound, tugged on
her hair and pumped faster into her mouth,

316/322

shoving his prick into the turn of her throat. And
then she felt it. He held her face to his groin, the
pubic hairs grazing the skin on her face, but she
loved it. Loved the power he had over her during
this act. He kept fucking, slowing his thrusts to
match each spurt of cum that spewed from the
head into her parched throat. When the last burst
of semen trickled from the tip, he withdrew and
held the shaft in his hands, staring at his twitch-
ing member.

“There’s more?”
He nodded and wrapped his hand below

the rim, giving her access to the luscious cock-
head, red and glistening with milky splotches of
semen trickling from the slit. Noelle stuck out her
tongue and licked it off before it slid onto his
hand. She pulled the cockhead into her mouth
and sucked hard, her fingers stroking his
testicles, suckling the last drops of cum.

Cole helped her off the ground. Noelle

eyes his cock with a tinge of regret. With only
minutes to spare she had to clean up and meet his

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mother. There was no time for him to climb on
top of her and fuck. She wouldn’t have the pleas-
ure of spending the day wet with his seed, won-
dering if it would take root.

“What’s wrong?”
Noelle shook her head, feeling silly and

childish. “I wanted us to make love,” she
admitted.

A shadow fell across his face. “I

shouldn’t have—”

She instantly cut him off. “No. I wanted

that. I mean, I love doing that with you. I just
wanted…” They had discussed it and agreed to
her stopping the pill, but he didn’t know how
badly the thought of carrying his child was bur-
rowing its way into her heart.

“Talk to me, beauty. What do you want?”
“I want us to have a child together.

Soon.”

His eyes widened and Noelle regretted

opening her mouth. It was obvious he hadn’t

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taken it seriously when they discussed it a month
ago.

“You really want to have my child? Are

you sure about this? What if the kid is like me,
unable to speak?”

Noelle flattened her palm to his chest. “I

won’t care. I’ll love any child we have together.”

“You don’t think they’ll be embarrassed

about their father? I’m terrified of that, beauty.”

“They won’t care. Not when they’ll be

too busy admiring you.” She swallowed hard and
kissed his neck. “The way I admire everything
about you, husband.”

His arms tightened about her and before

Noelle knew what was happening, she felt herself
being lifted. Cole scooped her up in his arms and
strode into the living room. His lips touched her
throat as he brought her down on his rampant
cock. I love you, he mouthed, ever silent.

Noelle locked her arms around his neck

and repeated the words. His eyes seared into hers.
Her back arched and Noelle cried out her need,

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cleaving to her husband as the minutes ticked
away. Everything beyond her husband could
wait. He was her life, her everything… and she
would deny him nothing.

The End

www.delilahhunt.wordpress.com

Other Books by Delilah Hunt:

Tempting Mr. Parker

Indecent Encounters

Riding the Storm

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Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

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