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but she’d been helpless to do it that day.
    When she’d felt the warmth and strength of his arm around her shoulders, she’d allowed herself to let go. And he’d come through like a champ. The memory of his solid warmth and his soothing words remained clear three weeks later.
    Another sensation remained clear, too—the velvet touch of his lips against hers. Later that day she’d blushed to think that she’d been so bold, but her embarrassment had faded since then. In fact, she’d been tempted to try it again. Or maybe not.
    She’d debated the wisdom of that during the days when she wasn’t at the ranch, days when she missed Adam a lot. Judging from his casual comments, he hadn’t dated anyone since his divorce. But she’d caught him watching her a few times with a gleam in his eye.
    If he’d been alert, he might have caught her doing the same with him. His gentle, yet firm, approach to his horses was sexy. She liked his loose-hipped, confident stride, and she’d learned to read his mood by the way he wore his hat. Nudging it back with his thumb meant he was curious about something and about to ask a question. Pulling it low over his eyes indicated intense focus, or even anger.
    She wondered if he knew that he’d jerked down the brim of his hat when she’d told him about Justin leaving her at the concert. His anger, coupled with his emphasis on keeping her safe, had been one of the reasons she’d started blubbering. Add in Rocket Fuel’s patience with her lame attempt to groom him, and she’d been an emotional wreck.
    Three weeks later, she felt stronger. Sirens still made her feel slightly nauseous, and she took the stairs at work instead of riding in the elevator with a bunch of folks. She’d promised herself to take the elevator on Monday, though.
    Last night she’d met her friends for drinks at the Golden Spurs and Stetsons, and she’d suggested sitting within view of the door, but not right next to it, like before. She also gave herself points for overcoming her humiliation enough to go back in there. Baby steps—but important ones, in her estimation.
    Melanie and Astrid had asked her how she was getting along with Adam. That was a complicated question, so she’d dodged it. Knowing her friends, they hadn’t been fooled. They’d figured out she was interested. But they hadn’t pushed for more information, for which she was grateful.
    She hadn’t worked out her own feelings for the guy. But when she drove up and saw him standing just inside the barn door out of the rain, her heart did a little somersault of joy. He obviously was waiting for her.
    When she stopped the car and climbed out, he smiled and motioned to her. “Get on in here. And watch out for the mud.”
    “What, you’re not going to spread your cloak over that puddle?” She left her hat on the passenger seat. She wouldn’t need to shade her eyes from the sun today.
    “This is a working ranch, lady, not the streets of Elizabethan England.” He grinned at her as she made a dash for the barn. “Was that a test to see if I’d heard of Sir Walter Raleigh?”
    “I wouldn’t presume to test you on trivia.” She fluffed her hair with her fingers. “I’ll bet you had a grander education than I did.”
    He thumbed back his hat. “You didn’t Google that information?” Apparently the guy wore his hat, rain or shine.
    “Actually, I did Google it, so I know how fancy your education was, but now I’m kind of embarrassed about snooping.”
    “Don’t be.” His silver gaze was warm. “I would have done the same thing in your place.”
    “I’ll bet not many ranchers around here have degrees from Harvard.”
    He grimaced. “Family tradition. My grandfather went there, and my father went there, so of course I had to go there.” Then he blew out a breath. “Listen to me, whining because I was forced to attend an Ivy League school. What a brat.”
    She was touched that he’d confided in her. He usually kept his personal remarks