BROKEN Read Free

to rip your damn head off.”  
    He thought of Jessie as she’d looked standing out on the balcony, and the absolute grace with which she rode a horse.   Over the past several days he’d watched with pure admiration as she struggled with bales of hay that nearly outweighed her, watched her repair fences and herd cattle with a fierce determination that somehow made him feel proud.  
    “She’s everything you said she was, Adam, so I know you’ll understand why I have to go to her.   I just hope you can forgive me.”  
    He strode back to the camp and started packing his things, confident he was doing the right thing for all of them.   Despite the momentary twinge of guilt he felt when he fired up the truck, Mitch maneuvered around the trees and headed down the hill towards the ranch.
                                                                                        ***
    Jessie lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.   What had gotten into her?   She’d been worried sick for several weeks now, fearing the worst had happened to Kincaid .   Then inexplicably, she’d gotten this crazy idea in her head that he was here.   She had even gone so far as to convince herself he was down by trees watching her, waiting for her, and she’d almost raced downstairs to go to him.   When she realized how absurd she was being and that Kincaid certainly wouldn’t be hiding behind trees when he could be inside with her, she’d burst into tears.
    It wasn’t like her to lose control of her emotions that way, but then her encounter with Del had thrown her off balance a little so maybe that was it.   She supposed she would have to deal with her foreman and his inappropriate behavior sooner or later because he was getting increasingly persistent about the notion she needed a man.  
    Jessie scowled.   Need a man!   She’d practically run the ranch on her own the last few years before her father died , and now she had full rein.   She was doing just fine, and even if she did decide she’d waited long enough for Kincaid , it wouldn’t be because she was entertaining romantic ideas about Del.   Not that there was anything wrong with him.   He was hard-working and would make a good husband for someone else, just not her.
    Unfortunately, Del wasn’t the only one questioning her reasons for remaining faithful to Kincaid .   She was close with all of her ranch hands, and one by one they’d all eventually asked her why she didn’t find someone who would stick around for more than a few weeks at a time.   It was none of their business, and she had no problem telling them so , even though she knew they only asked because they cared for her.   But Del was a different story altogether because he’d made it quite plain he was more than willing to fill the role.
    As for why she allowed Kincaid to float in and out of her life, the answer was simple.   It was the only way she could have him.   He had never lied to her; right from the very beginning he told her he worked in Special Ops , and that if she wanted any kind of relationship with him , she had to accept that he would be gone more than he was there.  
    Jessie had jumped on it because she knew in her heart it was the best he could offer, just as she knew that was about as close to an admission of love as Adam Kincaid was ever going to get.   He’d made no promises beyond the one to be with her when he could and to remain faithful as long as they were together.   He hadn’t offered more and she’d made no demands.   Yes, she missed him terribly when he was gone, but Adam did more than make up for it when he returned.
    Jessie closed her eyes, letting the images of the passion they’d shared fill her senses.   For the first few days after Kincaid returned, they rarely left the bedroom, but once the initial hunger for each other had been satiated, he worked the ranch right alongside her.   With her