High Lonesome by Stacey Coverstone Page A

in a good marriage were more likely to seek out marriage a second time. So why was Scott waiting when he had a woman ready to take the plunge, according to his friend Sherry? Joanna Coleman was a good catch from all accounts. She was beautiful, sophisticated, and a doctor.
    She sunk lower into the seat. Why was she even speculating about the man and his love life? It was none of her business. Rescuing her and offering a place to stay while she sorted things out didn’t give her the right to question his motives or intentions with another woman.
    Once more, she vowed right then to push all romantic and irrational thoughts of the rancher out of her mind. Since Sheriff Griggs had set the wheels in motion, she had high hopes that it might not take long for someone to come forward and claim her. Then she’d never see Scott again anyway.
    Maybe she was happily married, or engaged, herself. Without warning, panic quivered in every cell of her body. Deep inside, a brooding suspicion nagged at her.

 
    Chapter Four
     
    The two of them grabbed lunch at a small diner after shopping at Shady’s Boot Emporium. The restaurant patrons all gawked at her, proof that Buddy’s  media blitz was already working. It bugged Scott that she was being scrutinized like a sideshow act, but she didn’t seem to mind or take offense.
    Beth admired aloud her new cowgirl purchases all the way home. “I never knew a girl could fall in love so fast,” she sighed. When Scott shot her a surprised look, she chuckled and pointed to the Ariat leather boots on her feet. “This is the first cowboy hat I’ve ever owned, too. I’d probably remember that sort of thing.” The cocoa brown felt hat complimented her dark cascade of hair. She tipped the brim back with her finger, the way cowboys did in the movies. “I feel like I belong on the ranch now.”
    It was an innocent statement, but one which caused Scott to imagine a myriad of possibilities. The sensation of a quickening in his chest was profound. He glanced at her and breathed in her sweet scent. She couldn’t realize what effect her simple comment had on him.
    He wished that big mouth, Sherry, hadn’t spilled the beans about him and Joanna. Beth had caught him staring at her more than once, and with more than a passing glance. He could just imagine what she’d think of him now. A real cad, or some kind of cowboy Casanova. His flirting, though subtle, was tacky and disrespectful since he technically had a girlfriend. But damn. He didn’t expect to be feeling what he was feeling. Yearning shot through all his nerve endings, and his heart thundered every time he looked at Beth. It was irrational, because he didn’t know the woman. But the heart wants what the heart wants, Carmen says. He stared at Beth’s profile, wanting to say something, but not sure what.
    When they returned to the ranch that afternoon, he carried her shopping bags into the house and headed straight to the guest bedroom while she began showing off her new duds to Carmen. He laid the bags on the bed and stood at the footboard. Her soapy-fresh scent lingered in the air, and he noticed a slight indentation in the pillow where her head had lain. The thought of her in that bed caused his chest to grow tight. Goose flesh pricked his arms. Rushing out of the room, he nearly collided with Amber in the hall.
    “Hey, Scott. Going to a fire?” She greeted him with a tease. The twitch at the corner of her mouth and the blush in her cheeks were sure signs that she was still embarrassed about being caught in the cabin with Rowdy. She clutched a bucket of cleaning supplies in one hand and pushed away some flyaway hair with the other.
    “Sorry, Amber. Our new guest and I just got back from town. I bought her some clothes and was just putting the bags in here for her. Did Carmen explain her situation to you?”
    Amber nodded. “That’s real nice of you to buy her some things, Scott.”
    He rubbed his chin the way he tended to do when he