The High Country Rancher Read Online Free PDF Page A

slammed into his brain. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Mariah Ellis had a boyfriend? Explaining what had happened to her and how he’d saved her was going to complicate her life.
    “No one besides Doc Munsey and you and I have to know what happened. I’m willing to let it go unsaid if it’ll keep the peace between you and your…boyfriend.” He flipped on his blinker and turned right onto Sycamore Street.
    “Thanks for that,” she whispered. “He’ll be thrilled.”
    Mariah nibbled at her lower lip and stared out at the familiar street. It seemed like an eon since she’d last driven down it. So when in that short span of time had she left her straight-talking style twisting in the wind? She should just tell him she didn’t have a boyfriend. There was no one in her life; her job had taken care of that.
    “There. The yellow house on the left.” She pointed it out and tried to relax. Cop. She was a cop, she needed to start acting like one, even if she didn’t feel the vibe and hadn’t for a long time. She still had a major case to solve. Baylor rolled to a stop in front of the yellow house, with a white picket fence and massive pots brimming with pink flowers on either side of the front steps.
    He couldn’t shake the disappointment of knowing she had someone in her life. Hell, he was happy for her. She was a beautiful woman. He gritted his teeth and climbed out of the pickup, meeting her on the sidewalk before opening the gate and following her up the walk.
    She stopped, fished in her pocket and pulled out a house key. “Come in for a drink before you head back.”
    His first response was to pass, but he didn’t; instead, he followed her inside and watched as she shuffled into the kitchen. “Is sun tea okay?”
    “Yeah.” Baylor gazed around the living room. The place was neat and appointed with cushy furniture.Her scent tinged the air, a mix of sweet and spicy. His gaze held on a piece of landscape artwork on the wall behind her beige sofa. Moving closer, he focused on the artist’s signature in the bottom right corner. Mariah Ellis.
    “This is your work,” he said as she came into the living room with a glass of iced tea in each hand.
    “Recognize the setting?” She smiled and he realized how relaxed she looked for the first time since he’d met her.
    “The Seven Devils Mountain Range…from the Pappoose Creek side.”
    “Very good.” She handed him the cold glass. “Do you want to see more?”
    There was a note of excitement in her voice. Her eyes took on a sparkle he hadn’t noticed before. This was Mariah Ellis’s passion. This was what made her tick. Her art.
    Moving down the hall, she showed him paintings of Mirror Lake, the Salmon River Canyon and a moose standing knee-deep in a pond at dawn feeding on moss.
    “You should open a gallery. Your work is very good.”
    She warmed under his praise and his breath caught in his lungs. There was something innocent about her, something as unspoiled as her art, and he wanted to kiss her in the worst way, but he reined in the urge. He’d probably get the other side of his jaw popped. Didn’t she already think he’d stepped overthe line when he rewarmed her? How would she explain a kiss to her boyfriend? Frozen lips?
    He took a deep gulp from his glass and turned toward the living room and escape. He’d fulfilled his obligation. She was home safe.
    “Thanks for the drink.” He handed the glass to her at the door and glanced down at an open book lying on a small table.
    His heart jumped in his chest. He reached out and picked up the high-school yearbook.
    Staring up at him from the page was a picture of Mariah and Amy. Arms locked, leaning against a set of lockers. The caption read, “Friends Forever.”
    His gut squeezed. He looked at Mariah. “You knew my wife, Amy?”
    “We were best friends our sophomore year of high school.”
    A wave of caution raced through him, leaving him cold inside where he’d been warm only moments