Rugged Hearts Read Free Page B

lecture.” She held tight to the doorknob, eyeing him a second more, then flipped up her hood and yanked on the door. “Never mind, I’ll find it, thanks.”
    He swiped a hand over his mouth, sensing what he was about to do was not be a good idea. He put his hand over hers. Having sworn off dating for more time than he cared to admit, he was admittedly out of practice with how to handle a female—a tired and feisty one, at that.
    Her back stiffened and those blue eyes snapped to his, flashing thunderbolts. He dropped his hand, trying to decide whether he needed to raise his fists or not. “Okay. There’s no need to get all riled up. Simmer down. I’m just trying to give you a few tips in survival up here in these mountains. Give me a second. I think I may have an extra map. It will be easier to show you where the turnoff is.”
    “ Simmer down ? Right, cowboy.” Her mocking whisper was as good as a slap to the back of his head.
    Maybe he had it coming.
    “Nice place you have here,” she called from the entrance to the great room. The vaulted ceiling carried her voice through the rafters.
    He glanced up and saw her taking in the rustic interior. “My father…um, stepdad, built it.”
    “Impressive.” She careened her head back to look overhead. “I think my apartment alone could fit in this room maybe—five times over.”
    Wyatt retrieved an old map and walked toward her, letting his gaze travel up the tilt of her neck as she gazed up at the ceiling. Her chin dropped suddenly and her eyes met his. Zing ! Wyatt nearly stumbled over his feet at the impact. He covered his faux pas by blaming poor Sadie and clearing his throat, handed the girl the map. Nope, cowboy, you do not want to go there . However, his treacherous body, too long without a woman next to it, had entirely different ideas. Wyatt steered his mind from heading down that dangerous path. “You want to take the lane out here back to the main road.”
    She tossed him a dubious look. “Amazingly, I figured as much.” She opened the map, folded it, and moved to his side. “Now what?”
    Damn, if she hadn’t taken the words right out of his mouth. He glanced down and decided the sooner he got her on her way, the better for both of them. “You turn right at the top of the hill, then go north on eighty-nine. In about five miles you should see a sign on the right, for the scenic overlook.”
    She nodded. “Okay, yep, I remember it. I just couldn’t recall the name.”
    “It’s county road forty-five and it ought to be clear. Dusty’s bar is at that end of town. He likes to keep the secondary road open for his customers. Usually does it himself.”
    “You think he’s still open?” she asked, busily refolding the map.
    He bit his tongue, wanting to advise her about going alone into the old pub. He knew firsthand the sort of unsavory characters who sometimes came in from other towns. There were a lot of guys who frequented the place. Most looking for a good time. He should know, it was how he met Jessie, the woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. He’d given his heart to her completely, only to discover a couple of months later that not only did guys go to Dusty’s to find a little fun, so did Jessie. Suffice it to say he hadn’t been back to Dusty’s in over a year, and the whole affair had left him with a bitter taste in his mouth about dating. He swept his gaze over the woman as she prepared to leave and wondered how many hearts she’d left in her wake. “I’ve never known Dusty to close early for any reason, especially on a night like this. He believes travelers out there might need a hot meal or a place to stay.”
    “He seems like a nice man.” She didn’t say whether or not she had plans to stop there. “Okay, great, thanks again. Sorry to have bothered you.” She presented him with the map.
    “Keep it. You never know when you might need it again.” When she turned her back, he made a face at how his comment