Chapter 7
**Edward's POV**
That woman is going to be the death of me. I haven't even seen her today but remembering her lips, the feel of her skin... all of it was distracting.
I couldn't afford to be distracted.
After breakfast I had rode out to check on the herd. They had been grazing in the western hills when I had checked on them last evening. They had moved on and were down at the river on the western slope when I spotted them. Unfortunately I didn't have time to count the remaining head of cattle I was supposed to be meeting the new hires at the bunkhouse this morning to get them acquainted with the ranch before calving started. Some of the cows looked like they would drop calf any day and we would all need to get them closer to the barns before the time came.
We had twenty men coming in just for the calving and another five on to help deal with the missing cattle to add to the five that Mr. Swan already had hired on. Twenty five new men in the next few days would be difficult to deal with. On top of that, any plans I might want to make to see Bella again… well let's just say I really don't want to get caught romancing the boss's daughter.
For the next couple weeks there would be more than thirty pairs of eyes watching everything going on anywhere near the ranch. If it were up to me I would have Bella in my arms all day and all night long. I couldn't believe how completely infatuated I had become with her. If her maid hadn't come looking for her last night, I don't know if I would have been able to control myself.
That realization in its self made me think that I needed to avoid Bella if I wanted to keep my job and my manhood intact.
It wouldn't only be my manhood that I would have to worry about if I were caught with Bella. Her father could be a ruthless tyrant when he wanted to be. He had only shown glimpses of that side of himself in the way he had spoken to his daughter and pointed out her flaws in the presence of others. Charlie Swan wasn't a man to be double crossed in any sense of the word.
After debriefing the new hires, we headed out to the western slope to complete the roundup of the herd. I ordered half of the men to span out in a recovery effort after realizing we were over two dozen cattle short. I was not yet certain we had fallen victims again of another late night raid until I discovered a section of downed fence a half hour east of the ranch house. However, after an hour of searching, the men had come back with no signs of the missing cattle. I didn't look forward to informing Mr. Swan of the loss.
By early afternoon, we had driven most of the herd to the corral and headed back to the bunkhouse to break for lunch. I left a few of the men behind to repair the damaged fence posts and to roundup any stray cattle that we missed. I started towards the main house to meet with Mr. Swan and give him the midday rundown. When I reached the veranda and knocked on the front door, Bella's chamber maid Lauren greeted me with a wary smile.
"Mr. Swan is in the parlor with his daughter," she motioned to the left. I could hear the bickering between the two as I stepped into the foyer. I wondered what had been the cause of conflict between father and daughter this time as I waited for Lauren to announce my arrival to Charlie Swan. From what I could gather in my brief eavesdropping, Bella seemed insistent that her father allow her to go horseback riding this afternoon. Just as I had completed my observation, I heard a gruff voice call my name.
"Ah, Edward come in, perhaps you can help settle a little disagreement between me and my daughter," Charlie said. Initially, I was shocked that he valued my input in his private family matters. I answered with, "How can I be of service?"
"Isabella doesn't seem to realize all that has been happening on the ranch lately. I have been trying to explain to her that we've been having trouble lately with raids. I instructed her not go wandering around the ranch without a chaperone until the matter has been dealt with," Charlie explained.
I nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with you father Miss Swan, it's not safe for you to go off on your own."
Bella's face flushed red with anger and she glared at me. I assumed she wondered why I was siding with her father. "I can take care of myself, I am not a child!" She retorted.
"I doubt that your father considers you to be immature Miss Swan, he is only concerned for your safety," Edward replied.
The look of satisfaction on Charlie's face was very smug just then, but it immediately changed to suspicion when Bella responded. "Fine, have it your way. I will go riding this afternoon with a chaperone as per your suggestion father and since Edward is as concerned for my safety as you seem to be, I elect him as the man for the job of babysitting me."
The look of shock on both mine and Charlie's faces must have been similar because Bella seemed satisfied by the reactions she elicited. I started to object to her suggestion, but then something in the back of my mind halted my response. The opportunity to spend an afternoon with Bella, alone was very much appealing. Before I had the chance to respond again, Charlie spoke up.
"Very well, but next time try to be a little more considerate of your choice of chaperone. I don't pay my ranch foreman top dollar to follow you around all day Isabella," he remarked.
Bella nodded at her father and the turned to me and said, "I'll go change into my riding skirt, meet me at Midnight's stall in fifteen minutes."
Charlie Swan raised an eyebrow suspiciously at his daughter's excitement. To counter any of his suspicions, I turned to him and said, "I guess while I wait for Miss Swan I can fill you in on the midday head count since that was my original purpose for coming here in the first place." I tried to keep a neutral demeanor and come off as bored or even disinterested in the chaperoning situation, I tried to remain all 'business-like'.
For the next ten minutes, I recounted my morning events to Bella's father. I gave him a progress report on the training of the new hires, the status of the cows that were nearly ready to foal and the head count of the cattle lost in last night's latest raid.
Charlie didn't say much about the training and the foaling, he was infuriated that we lost thirty head of cattle in last night's raid. It was evident that he was only concerned with losing profits. He dismissed me from the parlor saying that he had business to attend to, so I took my leave and I headed for the stables.
**Bella's POV**
It was hard to concentrate while Lauren was dressing me; my mind was racing a mile a minute. I couldn't believe that father agreed to let Edward accompany me while I went horseback riding. The thought of being alone with Edward again both thrilled me and made my heart pound harder against my ribcage. It was a miracle that Lauren didn't notice.
As soon as she fastened the last button on my riding skirt, I grabbed my riding gloves off of my dresser and flew down the stairs, darted out the front door and headed straight for the barn. The form fitting white blouse and suede riding skirt was one of my most flattering outfits. I smiled to myself, secretly hoping that Edward would notice.
Once I crossed the courtyard, I increased my pace to nearly a jog. I could hardly wait to see him again. As I entered the stables, I caught a glimpse of Edward saddling Midnight. The sight before me stole my breath away. He stood at the stallions' head, gripping the bridle and adjusting the stirrups, his arm and back muscles flexing as he completed the task. A low moan of desire escaped my lips.
He must have heard me enter the barn because he turned his head a looked over his shoulder, a crooked smile spread across his face. "Almost done!" He announced eagerly. I peered at the stall next to Midnight's, and noticed that his mount was saddled and ready to go.
Edward's jeans and button down shirt hugged his body as he moved pulling tight across his muscled frame but fell slack as he stood again after checking Midnight's shoes. "We'll keep an eye on this front shoe for today's ride; he should be seen by the blacksmith for a new set of shoes before the end of the month." Edward advised me, his eyes slowly tracing their way up my body. If a simple look could make one melt it was the smoldering stare of Edward Cullen.
He stayed quiet as we looked at each other, I wanted to reach out and touch him, kiss him, feel him hold me like he had last night. But before I had worked up the courage his eyes shifted back to the horse "Do you need help mounting Miss Swan?"
A series of images that would make a harlot blush rushed through my mind, Oh! I blushed. He's talking about the horse. "If you please Mr. Cullen, it would be much appreciated." I said sauntering over to Midnight and standing beside the horse so that Edward could lift me up. I shivered at the thought of his strong hands grasping my waist.
A moment later he smiled crookedly at me and grasped my waist placing me gently onto Midnight's saddle without an ounce of effort. I curled my leg around the pommel of my side saddle that father insist I use. I would much rather ride like a man it was much more comfortable. As I straightened my skirt and positioned myself properly, Edward mounted his horse.
"Where to Miss...uhh... Bella" Edward said my name quietly but the fact he had switched from calling me Miss Swan to Bella gave me a bit of hope.
I gave him and wink and a grin. "You're going to have to wait and see. I want to show you one of my favorite places on this ranch. Trust me, you will adore it," I said looking to him for approval.
"Well, lead on ma'am," he said with a smile tilting his head slightly. I took that as a sign to go ahead, so I took up Midnight's reigns and headed out toward the west, Edward following closely. I couldn't wait to show him the view from what I liked to call Midnight's ridge.
