The Rebel of Copper Creek by R.C. Ryan Page A

to be upset. A woman alone, with two little boys depending on her, had to take extra care to insure her safety. Still, her reaction seemed over the top. Judging from the fire in her words, there was more going on here than mere resentment from his kiss.
    It had seemed to him that she hadn’t so much resented it as feared it. But why? What would make a grown woman afraid of a mere kiss?
    Maybe she’d had to fend off unwanted advances in the past. Or maybe she was feeling guilty for kissing him back. But why?
    Not his business, he reminded himself. If he hadn’t made a rash promise to fly back and allow Casey to sit in the plane, he wouldn’t ever have to see Juliet Grayson again.
    He’d given his word to a lonely little boy. A boy who had touched his heart. Maybe, he thought, because he’d once been that boy.
    Then he thought about Ethan. Looking back at his childhood, he’d been much more like the angry, silent older brother than happy, outgoing little Casey.
    He’d grown up resenting all the classmates who’d had their fathers at their games to cheer them on and celebrate their wins. And he’d resented his mother for not understanding when he’d resorted to his fists, believing that a father would have known exactly what to say to an angry, confused boy.
    Ethan and Casey had a lifetime of moving forward without the solid comfort of a man to lean on.
    There was no doubt about it. Those two fatherless little boys had found his weakness and had shot an arrow straight through his heart.
    So, too, had their mother.
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    Juliet tossed and turned in her bed, frustrated at the way her mind refused to shut down for the night. Though she was exhausted beyond belief after a day of never-ending chores, she couldn’t find escape in sleep.
    Not that she’d expected to. Not after that little scene with Griff Warren.
    It was only a kiss. Hadn’t she told herself that a hundred times or more? What was the harm of a simple kiss between a man and a woman?
    She slid out of bed and drew on a robe before padding down the stairs to the kitchen. Turning on the light, she went through the motions of grinding coffee beans and filling the coffeemaker with water. A short time later she poured a steaming cup and sat at the old table.
    She crossed her arms over her chest, thinking about lunch. It had been such a long time since peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with her boys had been anything other than routine. But Casey had become absolutely animated in Griff’s presence. And though Ethan had remained silent and distant, she’d seen him watching Griff when he thought no one was looking.
    She supposed, for two little boys starved for the company of a man, this had been a feast. In truth, it had been pleasant for her, too. She couldn’t recall the last time a man had offered to make coffee or help with the cleanup. Such little things, but they made her feel…special.
    Why did he have to spoil it by kissing her?
    Now she had all these emotions churning inside.
    She pushed away from the table and walked to the window. The midnight sky was black velvet. The stars were so big, so bright here in Montana, they looked more like theatre props. Everything here was so big, so vast, so…overwhelming.
    That was how she was feeling now. Overwhelmed. This huge ranch, needing more than she could possibly give. This strange new life, alone with two little boys, needing more from her than she felt capable of giving. And her promise to Buddy, to do something for his pals who’d survived.
    How was she supposed to do all this when she felt absolutely drained? Running on empty.
    She was giving serious thought to going back to Chicago with her boys. At least there she wouldn’t be a fish out of water. She could get a job. Enroll the boys in day care. But the thought of raising Buddy’s boys anywhere but here, on the land four generations of Graysons had called home, seemed a betrayal