NotoriousWoman by Annabelle Weston Page B

Kate. I was only teasing.”
    She’d like to tell him about boundaries, remind him he was
not to take liberties. How she wanted what was best for herself and the ranch.
How she’d appreciate if he’d keep his opinions to himself.
    He yanked out the nail. Her eyes must’ve bulged from their
sockets. She choked back a bloodcurdling scream, biting the inside of her
cheek, trusting him, understanding it was the only thing he could have done.
    Her foot dropped to the floor. She stood and wavered. The
room had shrunk to a much smaller space than when she’d arrived. She squared
her shoulders and willed away the dizziness and the uneasiness growing in the
pit of her stomach. Without further ado, she put her weight on her heel.
    “Hold on, I’ll carry you.”
    She managed to keep herself upright despite the pain. “Leave
me be.”
    Jake blocked her way. She tried to move past him but he
stayed put.
    She glared at him. Her skin was cold. Her foot was
throbbing. She grew lightheaded and whimpered in the back of her throat. She
needed to go to the house and get her foot cleaned and bandaged. “Get out of my
way. I don’t need your help. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
    “Now you listen here, Kate Crowley.” His fists rested on his
hips, his jaw ticked furiously. “I’m here to help. You’re going to do what I
say.”
    She sucked in a breath.
    Brows narrowed, he stared coldly at her. He wasn’t joking.
“I’ve had about all I can take of your stubbornness. The last thing this ranch
needs, Jolie needs, is a sister who’s too bullheaded to do what’s best for
her.”
    Kate opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She was
stunned he would remind her of her responsibilities to her sister and she hated
him for it.
    Jake clutched her elbow, steadying her. Despite the pain in
her foot and her woozy brain, his touch didn’t go unnoticed. His fingers dug
firmly into her skin, holding her securely. She was tempted to lean on him but
caught herself just in time.
    “Come on, put your arm around my neck.”
    She started to protest, tell him she could manage, but he
waved away her words. With strong, steady arms he lifted her into the air, one
arm under her knees and the other around her back. He held her close, his body
warm and his heartbeat strong.
    “Thank you,” she murmured and wrapped her arm around his
neck. Despite the fuss she’d put up, she did wonder if she would be able to
make it back to the house without crawling.
    He only nodded in response.
    She laid her head against the dampness of his shirt, sure
this was a mistake, that she’d regret letting him get close again.
    He kicked the front door open and brought her inside.
Thankfully, Jolie wasn’t there. She must be out and about doing chores. Jake
set her on a kitchen chair. She withdrew her arm from around his neck a little
bashfully, as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t.
    “I’m sorry, Katie. I’m sorry that you’re hurt.”
    Nobody had called her Katie in years.
    Jake went to the stove and set a pot of water on the front
burner. When he came back, he knelt in front of her and pushed up her pant leg.
He was gentle as his work-roughened skin brushed against her. His touch sent a
torrent of desire spiraling through her.
    She swatted him away, a warning that he had gone far enough.
    “Let me take off your boot. I’ve got to get a closer look at
this wound,” he said.
    Her throat was tight. What she was about to say left her.
Again she felt lightheaded—but for other reasons altogether.
    He watched her with his penetrating gaze. She nodded and
held on tight as he tugged at the leather. He lifted her foot and eased off the
boot. Her blood-soaked sock came next.
    He stroked over the flesh of her foot then her ankle. Her
knees fell open and his gaze went straight to her core.
    She shuddered, the rusty old nail forgotten. All she wanted
was for him to kiss her again. Touch her the way he had last night in