At the Rancher's Request. Sara Orwig

judgment about a man I had such a close relationship with and planned to spend my life with. I’ve known him since we were about eight or nine. I misjudged him in the worst way and that’s frightening.”

      “Looks to me like you’ve learned from the experience.”

      “It shakes my faith in myself. I don’t trust myself to fall in love again.”

      “I imagine next time you’ll get to know the guy better in ways you didn’t the first time.” Mike stood. “Now I’m going to put the dishes into the dishwasher. You sit tight and don’t do anything. Then I need to get back to help the guys. When I return, Scotty,” he said, looking at his son who waited expectantly, “we’ll go build a snowman.”

      Scotty grinned and returned to his computer game.

      “My foreman said he has plenty of help, but I want to make sure. Usually, Nell, our nanny, is here and I work on the ranch with the others. They were still breaking ice and dropping bales of hay for feed when I left this morning. We need to make sure animals don’t get cut off and lost from the herd.”

      “Don’t let me interfere. I’m happy to stay with Scotty.”

      Mike loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen, working efficiently. “I’ll be back in a few hours. I have my phone and the number is written clearly there on a piece of paper. Scotty knows how to call me, too.” He gave his son a kiss on the head, then left.

      “Well, aren’t you the smart boy, Scotty,” she said, glancing at him and receiving another smile. “After you finish your breakfast in the kitchen, we can play a game if you’d like,” she told him.

      “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

      * * *

      While Scotty was happily drawing, Savannah walked to the mantel to pick up the picture and look closely at Mike with his arm around his late wife as they smiled at each other. Elise had been a beautiful woman. Mike was still deeply in love with her. Last night, their proximity, maybe hurt and loneliness, made them both vulnerable.

      She sighed. It wouldn’t matter this time because she would soon tell Mike goodbye, but she would have to be cautious in the future. She never wanted to be hurt the way she had been. If she couldn’t trust her own judgment about men, then she should stay out of a relationship. How could she have been so blind to Kirk’s shortcomings? He had never liked her nieces and nephews, never cared to hear about them or ask about them, yet she hadn’t stopped to think about his lack of interest.

      Her pregnancy had been a surprise. They had taken precautions, but she had gotten pregnant anyway. She still couldn’t bear to think about the night she told Kirk and how hurtful he had been.

      With a long sigh, she picked up her phone and took a couple of pictures of Scotty drawing to try to get Kirk out of her thoughts.

      Mike arrived home after one, stomping his feet to shake snow off his boots and finally sweeping into the room, bringing cold air with him. He swung Scotty up to hug him.

      “Sorry to be gone so long.”

      “We’ve been fine and I had a good time with your smart son.”

      “I’ll grab a bite to eat and then take him out to build a snowman. You don’t have to go.”

      “It sounds like fun,” she said, glancing outside at the snow-covered ranch.

      He headed into the kitchen. “Did you and Scotty have lunch?”

      “Yes. I made some macaroni for us both.”

      Fifteen minutes later, after a quick sandwich, Mike returned to the family room. “So, Scotty,” he said, “we can go outside now if you want.”

      “Yes,” Scotty answered, jumping to his feet.

      “Get all your snow gear on and whatever we’ll need for a snowman. I’ll get two lumps of coal for eyes and a carrot nose. How’s that? You find an old hat, okay?”

      “Yes, sir,” he said over his shoulder as he ran out of the room.

      “Are you going out with us?” Mike asked. “You don’t have to.”

      “Right now, the cold air sounds refreshing. It’ll be fun,” she said, standing. “I’m not fragile. My stomach is fragile at breakfast time—that’s all.”

      “Better get bundled up, then. It’s cold out there and the wind is blowing.”

      “Sure,” she said and they walked down the hall together and again she was aware of him so close beside her. “I’ll see you and Scotty where—back door, outside?”

      He nodded. “Scotty is about to pop to get out in the snow. It all looks wonderful to him.”

      She laughed. “Oh, to be a child again—”

      He grinned. “I kinda like some of the things that come with adulthood,” he said, a teasing note in his voice that made her think of their kiss and her cheeks grew warm. “I think you do, too, or you wouldn’t be blushing now,” he added softly, looking at her mouth.

      “I’ll see you outside,” she said, her voice breathless, betraying her feelings.

      “Sure,” he said, heading for his suite.

      Lost in thought about him, she stared at his back. She didn’t need another attraction in her life and she was risking one every hour she spent with Mike. His kiss set her on fire and made her forget everything else. He was likeable, fun, discerning, capable—caring—something that wrapped around her heart at this moment in time when she was vulnerable from being hurt. Mike held far too many appealing qualities all contained in over six feet of sexy male with thick black hair and dark brown eyes. Or was she just making another misjudgment based on assumptions and wishful thinking, projections of her hopes?