Heavenly Angel

HEAVENLY ANGEL

Divine Creek Ranch 3

HEATHER RAINIER

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

July…a few weeks before Grace’s wedding

Teresa Palacios bit her lip ruthlessly as she turned into the entrance of the Divine Creek Ranch. Her heart pounded a little at the boldness of what she was doing. She honestly didn’t know where she’d gotten the guts to come out here. Grace kept telling her to seize the day, and that’s what kept her foot on the gas as she slowly ventured down the long, curving driveway. As she drove past the house, she didn’t see Grace’s or any of the men’s vehicles parked beside the large ranch house, so she continued on back. Seeing her dear friend might have bolstered her courage a bit, but she knew what Grace would say if she was here.

“What are you waiting for?” Teresa murmured to herself out loud.

Slowly she pulled through to the first barn and prayed hard she would see Angel amidst all the other cowboys and hands working on the ranch. Jack Warner, Ethan Grant, and Adam Davis had their own businesses to deal with and left much of the ranch operations to Angel Martinez, their long-time friend and ranch foreman. The man she had come to care a great deal for in the past several weeks.

He’d been shot in the abdomen earlier that summer by the woman who had been his girlfriend. Bravely, Teresa had visited him in the hospital, and he’d explained that situation to her and asked if she could overlook his error in trusting such a person. Of all people, she knew what it meant to be judged for the actions of others. She’d reassured him he could not hold himself responsible.

Since Angel’s recovery, Teresa couldn’t help but notice he frequently showed up at the store, always searching her out to say hello wherever she might be. A couple of times he’d brought her a sweet tea. He always took the time to visit with her and then made his excuses and returned to work. He’d been by three times this week alone.

His masculine presence no longer made her as nervous as it had the first couple of times he’d encountered her. When Grace had introduced her to him, she’d been unable to speak until after he was long gone. It was almost painful to maintain eye contact with him though she longed to. Every time she thought of it afterward, she wanted to kick herself for being so shy. His handsome facial features hinted that, though he was Hispanic, he probably had Native American blood flowing in his veins. She thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

The second time she’d encountered him had been the day Jack had come in to shop for Grace. Angel had flirted then, too, but she’d felt more self-confident behind the jewelry counter, in her element so to speak. She’d been able to carry on an actual conversation with him while she’d waited for Jack to return with his wallet. It had still been painfully nerve-wracking for her, especially when he’d made a point of asking if there was a man in her life. He’d seemed to not come on quite as strong, and when she’d looked into his topaz-colored eyes, she’d felt reassured rather than starstruck.

Squinting her eyes, she looked out through her windshield hoping for a glimpse of his characteristic long-legged gait or his distinctive Native American-looking profile. If nothing else, the long, silky black braid would identify him. She groaned when a ranch hand yelled something and pointed at her car. She prayed the hand was calling for Angel to come see to the visitor.

Please, oh, please
,
don’t make me have to go looking for him!
How many acres were in this ranch? He might not even be in the vicinity! Thrusting the thought away, she rolled to a stop near the barn. She could almost hear Grace now.

Seize the day, Teresa!

She looked up and heaved a great sigh of relief even as her heart pounded. Angel strode toward her car, dressed in very faded jeans that made love to his muscular frame, dusty cowboy boots, a thin, worn plaid shirt, and a straw cowboy hat. He loosened the ties on his leather work gloves, and she watched as he peeled them from his large hands. Watching him working those weathered gloves from his sensual fingers made her mouth water and intimate parts of her quiver and grow warm. She’d noticed lately that he had that effect on her, and it always disconcerted her and left her wishing she were a braver woman.

When he got close enough to the car, he recognized her and hesitated for a fraction of a second, breaking his stride. Then a wide, knowing grin split his tanned face. She smiled back, albeit a little timidly. He continued in his approach, and she noticed in the distance several of the ranch hands stopped what they were doing and stood watching. He put his hand on her door and squatted down beside her car, facing away from the men, and looked at her. He was tall, so even squatting like this, he was at eye level with her.

“Well, hello, Teresa.”

She shivered pleasantly when he said her name. He always used the traditional pronunciation. They were both Texans through and through, but when he reverted to his traditional Hispanic upbringing and said her name the way she heard it when she was little, it did something to her insides.

“Hello, Angel.” She returned the favor, using the traditional pronunciation of his name, which dropped the soft
G
in favor of an
H
sound. He smiled softly at her.

“To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” His fingers curved over the door as if he wanted to reach out his long fingers and stroke her arm. She could touch his hand with nobody else seeing if she wanted to. Her trembling fingers remained curled together in her lap.

“I-I’ve brought you something. I made you a pie. I hope you like pecan pie.”

“I’m a good Texas boy, ma’am. I love pecan pie. Matter of fact, I’ll bet your pecan pie is about to become my favorite.”

She felt warmth spread over her cheeks as she reached for the cardboard box the pie sat in on the passenger seat.

He leaned closer. “Wait. If you hand it to me here, I’ll have to share with all these men.”

“What should I do? Maybe I should come back later?” She suddenly felt very skittish. More heat rushed over her cheeks, and the butterflies in her stomach took their aerial maneuvers to a new level. Maybe this was a dumb idea and she should’ve called him first. Yeah, like she could ever have gotten the nerve to call him on the phone.

In a conciliatory tone, he said, “No, no. Would you mind driving on to the foreman’s house, down there at the end of this long drive? That’s my place. It’s all right, sweetheart. Just turn off here and drive down there. Pull in beside my truck, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

Her eyebrows knitted together in worry, but she nodded, and he backed away to allow her to pull off on the side road. She was grateful for his direction because it effectively shielded her from driving right by the barns where all the ranch hands now gawked.

* * * *

Angel ambled back toward the barn, beating his hat on his jeans. He groaned at the knowing smiles on the ranch hands’ faces as he returned to the cavernous structure. No wonder she was so nervous. She’d seen them all watching her.

“What? You’ve never seen a beautiful woman around here before? Where are your manners, for crying out loud?” he hollered good naturedly to them as they all turned to go back to work. He spouted orders for a few seconds then jumped on a four-wheeler and headed down to the house where she’d just pulled in.

He reached the car in time to open her door for her and held out a hand to help her from the vehicle, noticing her bright blush as she took it. Her slim fingers felt soft in his big, callused palm.

Teresa was dressed for work in a shin-length black skirt, dainty high heels, and a pretty, body-hugging top. When she stepped from the vehicle, the wind caught her skirt and pressed it to her body. He was able to make out her gorgeous curves in the sunlight before the wind died down again.

She was looking around and didn’t notice him ogling her, which was probably a good thing. He wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed. He did his best to ignore the semi-erect state of his cock and prayed she wouldn’t notice, either.

“I made the pie for you last night, so it’s cooled off. You might want to put it in the refrigerator. It will probably keep better that way.” She sounded a little nervous as she moved around to the other door and unknowingly gave him a glimpse of her cleavage as she bent to retrieve it. His cock decided it was no longer content being ignored. He needed to get himself under control before she caught on to how she affected him and bolted like a scared rabbit.

Instead of taking the pie from her, he waited for her at the steps that led up to the covered deck in front of his ranch-style house and held out his hand to take her elbow. Hesitantly, she allowed him to help her up the steps. He knew she probably hadn’t intended for the visit to lead inside his home, but he didn’t want her to leave yet.

“Your porch is deep. I’ll bet it’s nicely shaded in the afternoon,” she murmured.

“Yes, it is. I like to sit out here in the evenings.” He’d done a lot of that lately by himself.

He opened the front door and hoped his modest home met with her approval. She stepped in and turned to him after looking around with appreciation in her eyes.

“Your home is so neat and tidy.” She sounded impressed as she stepped into the kitchen and opened his refrigerator. She began to slide the pie on the top shelf then stopped and turned to him.

“Would you like some now?” She looked in his eyes then blushed and looked down, something she did frequently. He wished so much he could set her at ease. Removing the pie from her hands, he placed it on the kitchen counter and turned to her. Teresa glanced up at him again, looking uncertain, and took half a step back.

“In a moment, yes. I need something else right now.” He prayed that he wasn’t about to royally screw up as he reached out a careful hand to her cheek. Lightly tracing the delicate structure of her cheekbone, he tucked a stray strand of hair back and noticed the way she swallowed nervously at his touch.

She looked up at him timidly, and he could see her pulse pounding at the base of her throat. Slowly, his fingers slid to cup the back of her head beneath the thick hair that reached past the middle of her back. Teresa had the look of a scared doe and closed her eyes as if afraid when he pressed his mouth gently against her soft lips. He inhaled her floral fragrance as he kissed her for the first time. He kept his kiss chaste so as not to frighten her. She made a sound that was a cross between a whimper and a sigh, and he groaned when she parted her lips for him and allowed him inside. He didn’t push her boundaries too far as his tongue caressed hers and barely sought entrance. He continued the kiss and felt triumphant as she relaxed a bit. Her hands slowly slipped around his waist, tentatively seeking his closeness.

* * * *

Teresa was dazed by the feel of his lips against hers. He released her and smiled down at her with tenderness. She had a stray thought that, although he was an unrepentant flirt, he understood that this kiss was not a casual thing for her. She looked up into his eyes, drugged by his kiss, and felt a tiny shudder go through her body as he held her close. His kiss touched every part of her, even her soul. Looking up at him uncertainly, she saw the desire that radiated from his eyes and the smile of appreciation on his wonderfully full lips.

Teresa smiled back at him and rested her head against his chest as his arms enveloped her and pressed her close to him. She smiled to herself when he released a contented-sounding sigh.

“Teresa?”

“Yes, Angel?” She listened to the sound of his racing heartbeat. “Would you have dinner with me sometime? Or would you like to bring Michael out and the three of us could have dinner together here?”

“I could get a babysitter for Michael. I think for now that might be best, if you don’t mind.”

Ever practical, Teresa didn’t want Michael around until she was sure of Angel’s intentions. Angel had given her no reason to assume he had anything but honorable intentions toward her and Michael, but she did not want Michael to become attached to Angel until she was sure of where this was going. As a single mom, she had to be careful and had plenty of long, lonely nights to think out what she would do. Until she met Angel, she’d never had any interest in any of the men of Divine. None had attracted her attention the way this lethally handsome man did. Angel nodded and seemed to understand her plight.

“That sounds fine. Could I pick you up on Friday at seven thirty?” At her silent nod, he continued, “Good. I’ll look forward to it.” He kissed the top of her head, and she heard him inhale as he held her close again. He didn’t hold her tightly, but she thought she could feel the hardness of an erection against her abdomen.

Heat stole over her cheeks when her body responded with a rush of dampness to her core, and her nipples hardened into little pebbles. His kiss had affected her just as strongly. She was thankful for the brightly printed top that would camouflage her reaction to him. Taking a bold chance, she tilted her lips up to him, and he hungrily met hers in another bone-melting kiss, teasing her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. It was only the second kiss she’d ever received from a man in her whole life.