Safe in His Arms Read Online Free PDF Page B

embarrassed.”
    “Don’t be.”
    “I am. I don’t even know you.”
    He rubbed her back. “Sometimes that’s better.”
    “Maybe.” She sniffed and kept her face buried. “I’m supposed to stay for a whole hour, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to hang it up for today.”
    “Whatever works for you.”
    “I’ll be back.”
    “I hope so.” He
really
hoped so.
    “I didn’t know brushing a horse would turn me into a faucet.”
    “Like I said, Rocket Fuel has his own methods for getting to know folks.”
    “He’s a great horse.”
    “Yes, he is.”
    She took a shaky breath and finally lifted her head. “Don’t look at me. I’m sure my mascara’s smeared and my eyes are red.”
    “So’s your nose.” He wasn’t about to obey her command not to look at her. She was beautiful even when she wasn’t.
    “You weren’t supposed to look.” She gave him a wobbly smile.
    “I like looking at you, Valerie.”
    “Stop that. You’ll make me cry again. How come you’re so great?”
    “I’m not.”
    “Yes, you are.” Rising on tiptoe, she pressed a quick, but very warm, kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
    He stood there in stunned silence. That’s something else the soldiers never did. Should he kiss her back? No. She’d expressed gratitude, not passion. His mouth tingled and he felt a little dizzy. Then he realized that could be due to lack of oxygen, and he dragged in a breath.
    But it had been a long time, more than a year, since any woman had kissed him on the mouth, and he savored the sensation. No doubt about it, whatever emotions he’d locked away during the divorce proceedings were working loose. That would be good news if he had an outlet for those feelings, but as he did not, he was on the road to Frustration City without a detour in sight.

Four
    Originally Valerie had been scheduled to spend an hour each Saturday morning at the Triple Bar, but she wrangled an extra hour from work midweek so she could go out more often. The senior partners at the law firm seemed happy to give it to her.
    She’d told them she was in therapy to get over her PTSD, something she’d never talked about in the office before. They were delighted. Apparently everyone she knew had been hoping she’d get herself help, and she’d had no clue they were paying that much attention.
    As she drove out to the ranch for her third Saturday session, she hummed along with the radio. Three weeks ago she’d made this trip with a sour ball of anxiety in her stomach. Today she felt as if the sun was shining in her heart, even if it wasn’t shining outside.
    Rain had been falling off and on ever since she’d left her apartment. She didn’t know how that would affect her work with Rocket Fuel, but Adam hadn’t called to cancel, so apparently they were still on. That made her very happy. The hours spent at the ranch had become her favorite thing.
    She loved watching the new foal, Naughty Boy—aka Bubba—who was now big enough to romp outdoors with his mother. After she’d finished grooming Rocket Fuel, she’d walk over to the fence and the curious foal would run up to check her out. She’d stroke his silky neck for a few seconds and then he’d bound away again.
    Grooming Rocket Fuel wasn’t scary anymore, either. She’d even tried leading him around the corral a few times, and she’d learned how to put on and take off his halter. She looked forward to gazing into his liquid brown eyes and running her bare hands over his solid warmth.
    Sometimes she got a little teary when she did that, but she’d never completely lost it like she had the first time. That morning she’d clung to Adam as if he were the mast of a ship in a storm-tossed sea which she couldn’t let go of for an instant, or else she’d drown.
    They hadn’t spoken of that moment since then, but she thought about it constantly. Her tears had come without warning. She’d always prided herself on controlling her emotions, especially in front of others,