Love Unspoken Read Free Page A

going to do?”
    He lifted a brow. Was she concerned about the animal or herself?
    She tucked a strand of shiny dark hair behind her ear and let out
a small breath. “I’m asking 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 excitement
at seeing her again.
    He kept on moving throughout the thicket, 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, correct?
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 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 understand
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.
     

Chapter
Two
     
    Noelle stared out of her bedroom window. 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 animal. She should have just stayed hidden and continued on
with her walk instead of approaching 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 anything 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 moment, Noelle wanted nothing more than to get the
hell off the ranch and wipe the image of the cowboy from her