Love Somebody Like You by Susan Fox Page A

could hire a new helper. Instead, she was acting like he’d added another stress to her life. Damned if he could figure out why. “Eat your pie. You can think about my suggestion overnight.”
    â€œOvernight?” She flicked a wary glance at him.
    â€œSun’s set,” he pointed out. “We got chores to do after we finish dessert. I was hoping, after that, you’d let me and Chaunce spend the night.”
    Now her eyes flared wide. “What do you mean?”
    Man, she was touchy. “That wasn’t a proposition,” he clarified. He thought about adding “much as I’d like it to be,” but figured that’d be shooting himself in the foot. “Like I said, I could use a place to park the rig. I have everything I need in the trailer, so I won’t have to trouble you for anything. Chaunce sure would like being able to roam around in your paddock rather than be cooped up in his stall in the rig.”
    Her lips pressed together so tightly that they disappeared into a single thin line. When she eased them open, tautness remained around her eyes. “A woman living alone has to be careful.”
    Suddenly, her wariness made sense. She was scared. Surely not of him? But something had made her nervous. His heart thudded. “Did someone hurt you? Threaten you?”
    She sucked in air in a soft gasp. “N-no. But like I said, I have to be careful.”
    Only halfway reassured, he said, “Having me here would be like having a watchdog.”
    â€œThat’s not . . . I mean . . .”
    Insulted, he said, “Sally, come on. You can’t think you have anything to fear from me. I’d never hurt you.”
    â€œThat’s easy to say.” The words burst out, then she clamped her lips shut again.
    â€œIt’s easy to do, damn it. I’d never hurt a woman. What kind of sick bastard does that?” Of course he knew there were men like that. He’d punched out a couple who were being rough with women in bars. The idea that Sally might have met someone like that made him want to shove his fist through that guy’s face.
    â€œBen?” she said cautiously. “You look a little, um . . .”
    â€œSorry.” He rubbed the fingers of his right hand across his tense jaw.
    â€œI didn’t mean to upset you.” Her expression was still anxious.
    He could kick himself for making her feel that way. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you . The idea of a man abusing a woman, a kid, even a weaker man, it makes me steam.”
    â€œOkay.” She didn’t sound convinced.
    â€œIt’s getting late. Why don’t you finish up your pie? There are still chores to tend to.”
    She began to eat again, in small bites, casting glances up at him from under her lashes.
    Musing, Ben sipped the last of his coffee. Something had happened to Sally to make her wary of men. Couldn’t have been Pete; the man had clearly adored her. She’d mentioned a couple of friends who helped her out, probably including that guy Dave who the woman at the diner had mentioned, so it couldn’t be them. She hadn’t been dating. Maybe one of her clients had harassed her? He wanted to find out what had happened, and make sure that asshole never scared her again. But right now, it seemed she didn’t trust him enough to tell him.
    â€œI’m surprised you don’t have a dog,” he commented. “For protection and company.”
    â€œSome horses are nervous around dogs. Some children as well.” She spoke without inflection, almost as if she was parroting someone else’s words.
    Ranches and farms almost always had dogs. Still, he wasn’t about to argue. This was her spread, and she clearly knew how she wanted to run it. “I guess.”
    She finished her pie and stood, collecting the dirty dishes.
    Normally, Ben would have offered to help, but his new understanding of Sally made him say instead, “How