The Bachelor’s Surrender Read Free Page A

lived as it was.”
    She offered a kind smile. “It ended on quite a crescendo.”
    Darkness brewed in his gaze, and she headed off those volatile emotions before they sparked. “Six months ago, Chad lost both of his parents in a tragic car accident. He was an only child, and he has no relatives, so he’s been in foster care since their death. He’s listed with an adoption program, but most couples don’t want a child as old as he is. Chances are, he’ll be shuffled through the system until he’s eighteen, then he’ll be on his own, with no family to speak of.”
    She glanced up in time to catch a shadow of compassion cross his expression, as if he understood a little of what the boy might be going through. Optimism bolstered her. “Chad admires you. As a person, a champion bull rider, and for risking your own life to save that kid’s when that bull threw him.”
    He stiffened, his jaw tightening. Before he could issue a heated response, she hastily wrapped up her speech. “After everything Chad has been through, I wanted to grant him a special request, something that will make his future seem a little brighter. All he wants is to meet you, and spend a few days on a real ranch—”
    “No.” His tone was harsh.
    “He’s a wonderful boy—”
    “No.” Harsher, still.
    “Doesn’t a little boy’s request mean anything to you?” she argued, not above using guilt to coerce him.
    “I’m not the hero he believes I am,” he stated in a dangerously soft voice. “And this ranch isn’t equipped for kids.”
    Refusing to let him think he could intimidate her, she stood and approached him, feeling reckless enough to challenge him. She stopped so close she had to tip her head back to look up into his face. Close enough to draw in the warm male scent of him, to feel the heat of his body. Close enough to see the awareness flare to life in his pewter eyes.
    She was too close. He radiated unadulterated male magnetism, raw and untamed. Her pulse quickened, and a distinct tingle shot through her. She struggled to get herself, and the situation, back in her control.
    “ One boy, Mr. Dalton, not a whole slew of them,” she said in a calm, even voice. “Chad is so enamored of you he’d take what few crumbs of time you had to offer and be thrilled with just watching you.”
    He eased his breath out between gritted teeth, the gesture rife with frustration. “What you do is very noble, Ms. Richmond, but Chad is better off remembering the glory days, rather than spending time with some washed up bull rider.”
    She shook her head. “He doesn’t think of you as being washed up—”
    “Exactly,” he stated succinctly. “He thinks of me as the glamorous bull riding champion I was a year ago, a cocky cowboy who believed he had the world at his feet . . .” He let the words trail off for her to absorb, then continued just as ruthlessly. “Well, guess what? I am washed up. I’m not a celebrity any longer. I’m a simple cowboy who breeds and raises Quarter Horses and prefers to be left alone. There’s no glamour here, no glory, and certainly no hero.”
    So much hostility surrounded him. And the curious thing was, his animosity seemed self-directed, as if he was living some kind of private hell and didn’t want anyone to intrude. Beneath all that anger, there had to be some kindness in him, some glimpse of the friendly, warm-natured man Chad had spoken about so enthusiastically.
    She tried one more time to reach him, to convince him how important this simple request was to one little boy. “Mr. Dalton—”
    “Your fifteen minutes are up,” he said abruptly, shoving off the doorjamb to move away.
    Without thinking of the implications, she reached out and grabbed his arm before he could escape. His flesh was hard and hot beneath her hand, his strength evident in the flexing of muscle against the tips of her fingers.
    He stopped and turned back to her, his eyes catching fire as they clashed with hers—not with