Heart's Desire Read Free Page A

again, she was spending a lot of time at the ranch.
    Jessie looked down the driveway as Bailey drove her truck closer to the house. She could just make out Nathan through the glare on the windshield. The resentment in her belly grew with each ticking second at the sight of him. Clenching her jaw and squaring her shoulders for the battle ahead, Jessie walked down the stairs to meet Justin’s former best friend and the man who’d broken her heart.
    The truck pulled to a stop in front of her, and Bailey jumped from the driver’s seat wearing a shit-eating grin. Jessie narrowed her eyes, knowing exactly what that meant—she was in for a week of hell from this pain-in-the-ass, penny-pinching bean counter.
    She didn’t understand why he’d insisted on returning to the ranch. If Justin hadn’t begged her to give Nathan a chance to help, she would have been perfectly content never to speak to his lying ass again.
    She watched him turn his broad shoulders to her as he removed his luggage from the back seat. When he faced her, Jessie was barely able to contain her gasp of surprise. After he left, she’d avoided any mention of Nathan Kerrington like the plague, going as far as changing the channel when his name was mentioned on the news. She’d been praying that the past eight years had been cruel, that he’d gained a potbelly, or that he’d developed a receding hairline. She pictured him turning into a stereotypical computer geek.
    This guy was perfection. Well, if she was into muscular men who looked like Hollywood actors and wore suits that cost several thousand dollars. Every strand of his dark brown hair was combed into place, even at six in the morning, after a flight from New York. There wasn’t a wrinkle in his stiffly starched shirt.
    His green eyes slid over her dirty jeans and T-shirt before climbing back up to focus on her face. Memories of stolen kisses and lingering caresses filled her mind before she could cast them aside. His slow perusal sent heat curling in her belly, spreading through her veins, making her feel uncomfortable. Was he just trying to be an ass? If so, it was working. She felt on edge immediately, but she wasn’t about to let him know it. She crossed her arms over her chest and kicked her hip to the side.
    â€œNathan Kerrington. You’ve got some brass ones showing up here.”
    A smile slid over his full lips, as if he’d expected this reaction from her. If she wasn’t so irritated by his mere presence, she might have thought it was sexy, but under these circumstances, it only made her palm itch to smack him more than it already did. He probably wasn’t lacking when it came to female attention, but he must have forgotten Jessie didn’t fawn over him the way most women did. She didn’t care how much money he was worth, what family he came from or how attractive he was. As far as she was concerned, he’d shown her his true colors a long time ago. She hadn’t stroked his ego before and she wouldn’t now.
    â€œHi, Jessie.” She narrowed her eyes as he covered the few steps separating them, holding out his hand. His eyes slid over her again but this time she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as his gaze lingered on her lips. Her body responded to his nearness without her brain’s permission, warming instantly as he moved closer. She felt the butterflies in her stomach wake at the thought of taking his hand.
    â€œYou look . . . amazing. It’s been a long time.”
    â€œNot nearly long enough.” Ignoring his outstretched hand, she turned her attention to Bailey. “Can you show him to the cabin? I’m sure he’d like a chance to change and freshen up.”
    She eyed his suit and wondered at his choice of apparel. He knew as well as anyone how dirty the ranch could get. Unless he was just trying to flaunt how much he’d accomplished since walking out on her. Nathan arched a tapered