She knew the man was full of himself, but to just kiss her out of the blue like that showed a deeper lack of consideration than she’d expected from him, given the fact that she’d expressed her concern. His audacity was mind-boggling. And to think she was going to have to live beside him for weeks. Maybe months!
You kissed him back.
Ashby felt sick. She had. She really, really had kissed him back.
Truth was, for an instant before his lips touched hers, she’d wanted to kiss him. She had and, well, there was just no getting around it. Maybe it was her mother’s phone call that morning. Maybe it was all these rebellious feelings cavorting around inside her, like balls in a bingo cage.
You kissed him back. And that was what really bothered her.
She scrubbed harder even as she tried to tell herself to relax, that it was only a kiss. A light touching of the lips—it really had been nothing. But that was hard to do when she could still feel the impression of his lips as if he’d branded her.
Goodness.
This was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been kissed before. So what was the big deal?
Face it, despite everything, you are attracted to Dan!
She flung her cleaning rag into the sink and stared out the kitchen window. She shouldn’t be attracted to him.
Why?
He was a playboy, and the ungentlemanly kiss proved it.
Maybe not.
Men like him couldn’t be trusted. He wasn’t the man for her.
She needed to put him out of her head, get back on track and forget any of this had happened. Forget that she’d enjoyed spending time with him today. Forget that there were things about him she liked. Forget that when he looked at her, she felt like a girl again.
Ashby hung her head and took a deep, shuddering breath. For her it was all a fool’s trail.
A shower would make her feel better, she decided, looking down at her clothes. It had been a long day. Feeling hopeful that she could wash the confusion out of her head, she walked down the hall to her bedroom.
A few minutes later, grit-free after a wonderful hot shower, she felt a bit more optimistic. Clad in her favorite mint-toned silk pajamas and matching wrap, she was heading back into the bedroom when she decided tonight would be a good night for a calming seaweed mask as she relaxed with her Bible study.
Turning back to the bathroom, she opened her cabinet and looked at the toiletry items lined up in perfect rows. Snatching a tube, she applied the contents in a thick layer. The lovely scent of mint enveloped her. “Nice, normal routine,” she told her reflection, noting how the seaweed mask on her face matched her silk wrap. Feeling more relaxed, she padded barefoot into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of grape juice. By the time she settled into bed, propped against her fluffed pillows with her Bible opened on her lap, she was feeling like herself again.
Ashby found the place in Philippians where she’d left off the night before, and started reading. With the discontent she’d been feeling, she’d had to be diligent in her Bible study of late. She wanted to trust the Lord even when she wasn’t happy with her life, and it wasn’t always easy to do. During times like this, she needed the Lord to speak to her through scriptures more than ever. She needed to be reminded that she wasn’t alone in her struggles. Even Bible heroes and heroines had had times when they weren’t completely satisfied….
Realizing that her mind had wandered from the verses in front of her, Ashby took a sip of grape juice and turned the page. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” The verses jumped off the page at her.
Leaning back on the pillow, she closed her eyes, and immediately Dan’s words came to mind. For we brought nothing into this world and we’ll take nothing out of it. The rest of the verse was that if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that…. It really bothered her that he could spout off a verse like that and mean it. She felt petty and ungrateful. The man had just lost everything and he might be an oaf, but he seemed like a contented one. Who flirted and kissed like he was God’s gift to women.
It just wasn’t right.
Keeping her eyes closed, Ashby prayed that the Lord would help her focus and be content with her own life. That she would have the fortitude to wait for the man He had for her. If she were to have babies—and oh, how she hoped she would—then she would keep her wits about her.
The coolness of the mask seeped into her as the soothing scent wrapped around her, and she prayed God would help her with the resentments that were plaguing her. She knew that without His help she was going to have trouble with all of her requests…. She took a slow breath, relaxed into the soft mattress, and somewhere along the way, fell asleep….
A knock on her front door woke Ashby. She sat straight up and blinked. The knock came again, insistently, as if it had been going for a while. Disoriented for a moment, she glanced at the clock and was shocked to find it was morning. Of course, the sunlight streaming through her window might have been a clue, if she hadn’t been so distracted by the banging on her door.
She’d slept like a log, obviously; the Bible had barely moved from her lap. Closing it and pushing it into the covers, she stumbled out of bed. Who was banging on her door at seven in the morning? Clutching her robe, she yanked the door open without looking through the peephole. All grogginess disappeared when she found Dan staring back at her.
For an instant he looked startled, which was odd, given that he’d just knocked on her door. The expression disappeared quickly as a smile spread across his face. Like a floodgate opening, all the frustrations from the day before swamped Ashby…but then hope bubbled up. Maybe he’d come to apologize for his unacceptable behavior.
It was about time.
Trying to appear as if she didn’t care one way or the other, she lifted her chin and met his twinkling eyes, just as she realized her skin felt tight. Seaweed and mint mask! Her eyes widened in dismay as she fingered the crusty remains—she could only imagine what he was seeing.
“Hello, beautiful,” he crooned.
Wishing she could become the incredible shrinking woman and disappear, Ashby took one step back and, without uttering a word, slammed the door in his face. Berating herself all the way to the bathroom, she snatched up a hand towel, wetted it and started scrubbing. She could hear Dan’s laughter through the door and down the hall.
She scrubbed harder as he tapped lightly on the outer door.
“Ash, open up. It’s okay. I didn’t mean that in a rude way.”
“Go away,” she shouted. Templetons didn’t shout. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been mad enough to shout.
“Come on, Ash, open up. You look pretty in green.”
“‘You look pretty in green,’” she mimicked, then louder, for his ears, she demanded that he march back across the hallway and stay there!
He didn’t. When she finally had all the green off her now bright pink face, she glared at her reflection in the mirror and knew that the only thing she could do was go answer the door. After all, four other tenants lived in the apartment house and were probably hearing everything that was going on.
Marching to the front door, she yanked it open. “What do you want?”
Smiling like Esther Mae’s swashbuckling pirate, he held the plate of cheesecake toward her. “I come in peace. Stacy and the other ladies from the candy store dropped this off last night as a housewarming gift. I thought I’d share it with you.”
Ashby wanted to tell him to march right back across the hallway, because she couldn’t be bought. But she loved cheesecake.
And this was his peace offering.
Her stomach growled. She bit her lip as the creamy concoction called out to her.
He, in perfect pirate form, waved the plate flagrantly beneath her nose. There were three pieces, each drizzled in strawberries. The cowboy did not f
ight fair. Crumbling, she reached for the plate.
“Nope.” He snatched it out of her reach. “You have to offer me coffee. Peace offering, remember?”
Ashby’s grip on the door tightened as she gritted the top layer of enamel off her molars. The man was so sure of himself. Why couldn’t he just say, “I’m sorry for acting like a jerk. Have some cheesecake. See ya later.” The last thing she wanted was to spend time with him.
But he was offering an olive branch.
She stepped back to let him enter. “Have a seat,” she said, indicating the bar stool in the small breakfast nook. She stepped into the kitchen and went to work preparing her coffeemaker. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was surveying her living room. The idea of him seeing her things rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn’t exactly certain why, but she felt he would judge her by what he saw. If he’d thought she needed to loosen up before, there was no telling what he’d think once he took a close look at her meticulous home.
Not ready to hear his comments, she mumbled that she would be back, then hurried to her room. Let him look and judge; what did it matter what he thought of her?
Her prickliness didn’t subside as she brushed her teeth, so she took extra care brushing her hair and selecting a buttercup-yellow dress for church. Finally, after she’d completed her toilette, and had no other excuse, she padded back to the kitchen.
He was lounging against the counter, studying a picture of her and her parents. He looked up when she walked into the room, and his smile took her breath away. The man could bottle that and make a mint.
The kiss immediately came to mind, and her hand shook just a little as she took two mugs off the cup stand before reaching for the pot. She’d kissed him—embarrassment surged over her. Feeling his gaze, she focused on filling the cups. “How do you take yours?” she asked, and was glad that her voice sounded normal.
“Two sugars and two creams. This you and your parents?”
“Yes,” she replied, adding his sugar, then reaching into the fridge and grabbing the cream. “They still can’t believe I moved out here. I’m not certain they’ll ever forgive me. Of course, if I don’t give them grandchildren soon, they won’t care if I never come home again.”
“That bad, huh?”
She set his cup in front of him and grabbed extra plates and forks. The cheesecake lifted easily. “It’s not that bad, I guess. But that’s how I feel.” Why was she telling him this? The last thing she needed to do was talk to him about her parents.
She focused on the cheesecake. Not the greatest breakfast in the world, but she didn’t really care. She loved a good cheesecake. “This looks wonderful.” She dipped her fork into her piece, then remembered herself. “We should bless this, although I’m a firm believer that God already blessed cheesecake. That’s why it’s so wonderful.” She was proud of herself for sounding so relaxed. So at ease. Especially when her insides were churning.
Dan grinned. “I knew there was something about you that I really identified with. I could eat my weight in this stuff.”
“Then bless it and let’s eat.” She closed her eyes for the prayer.
“Dear Lord, bless this food and the good company. Amen.”
She didn’t look at him as she took a bite. It was as good as she’d thought it would be. She could almost forgive him for this, she thought, as she savored the flavor and waited for him to apologize for his behavior. Of course, he’d said this was a peace offering, but that wasn’t exactly an apology, at least not where she came from.
“You ran off too soon last night. You’re going to have to step across the hall and see what we came up with on the decorating. Lacy enlisted the help of all the ladies from the shelter. It looks good. I think you’ll like it.”
Some friend Lacy was. She hadn’t even come by to check on Ashby…. Then again, she would probably have been just as tickled as Esther Mae and the others.
Dan was watching her. Nothing in his expression bespoke remorse. She didn’t say anything, just took a sip of coffee.
“C’mon, Ash. I know you’re upset that I kissed you,” he said, finally.
She set her cup down and snatched up her fork. “You’re not even acting the least bit remorseful.”
“That’s because I’m not. I’m sorry you’re upset, but it was a great kiss. Of course, if we keep practicing I could give you a few tips—”
Ashby’s fork clattered to the plate. “Are you serious?”
He howled with laughter. “Ashby, come on, girl. Have a little fun. It was a kiss. And a good one at that. I was just joking about the tips—”
“You know what?” Ashby pushed her cheesecake back onto the serving plate, snatched his plate up and did the same, then handed it back to him. “Take this, go home and stay.”
He looked startled, and Ashby felt a bit of satisfaction that she’d caused it. When he grinned in disbelief, she almost threw caution to the wind and tossed her coffee at him. Instead she yanked open her front door and pointed. “You are rude, obnoxious and full of yourself. Go.”
He blinked, but did as she asked. Once he was in the hall, he turned back and started to say something. She slammed the door before he got a word out.
It was a very unladylike thing to do. Then again, she hadn’t been feeling much like a lady as of late.
Dan was a fool. Straight up, no doubt about it. First he’d kissed Ashby yesterday and made her mad, so he’d decided after she’d stormed off that maybe the best thing was to let her calm down and give himself time to regain some semblance of control over his own emotions. Lacy and the happy matchmakers had assured him that she was probably just embarrassed by their rude behavior, not him.
He doubted that very much. She was furious with him. But she had kissed him back, and he couldn’t help but feel some hope in that. He’d spent the remainder of the evening smiling on the inside. She wasn’t as immune to him as she acted.
And then he’d messed up again today. He’d been so excited about that revelation that he’d let his big mouth get in his way. Talk about putting his foot in his mouth every way possible.
Staring at the door she’d slammed in his face, he berated himself for teasing her. This was one woman who didn’t appreciate his sense of humor, and he couldn’t seem to curb it when he was around her.
But she’d kissed him! He smiled as he went to his apartment to put the cheesecake in the refrigerator for later…because he was determined there would be a later. And when it came, he wasn’t going to mess up again.
Chapter Twelve
Ashby had just parked her car in the church lot and immediately spotted Dan standing at the back of his truck talking with Emmett James, a nice cowboy, if shy. She was still seething about their earlier encounter and the fact that she’d considered throwing something. As she glanced at Dan, the feeling surged up again.
Esther Mae and Hank pulled in beside them. In her usual hurry, Esther Mae hopped out of the car, slammed the door and started toward the church at a gallop. But unknown to her, she’d caught the tail of her dress in the door, and the skirt basically yanked her feet right out from under her. Ashby was in a position to see what was happening, but it occurred so fast she didn’t have time to call out a warning. Which made what happened next all the more amazing. Within the split second that it took for Esther to slam the door and start toward the ground, Dan reacted. Almost before the door snagged her dress! One minute Esther was falling, hands and knees in serious danger of getting banged up on the white-rock parking lot, and the next instant Dan had caught her in his arms. Esther Mae barely had time to register that she was in trouble!
Riveted to the spot, Ashby watched him turn on the charm. Why, poor Esther Mae was so flustered to find herself looking up at that smile, she forgot to be shaken up about almost falling flat on her face. Ashby had to admit that Dan’s aggravatingly dazzling smile had its good points.
But as she left the scene and headed toward the nursery, which she was grateful to be in charge of this mo
rning, she wasn’t exactly sure what to think of him. He made her do things she wouldn’t normally even consider. Like kissing him with abandon and throwing things—that wasn’t her.
That made her crazy.
Crazy wasn’t good. Crazy didn’t make a good foundation for any relationship. Did it?
Ashby touched her temple, where tension was building as she found herself reliving the moment. That kiss had reached inside her, and she couldn’t get it off her mind. “Peter Pan syndrome,” she muttered as she tugged open the doors into the church annex. She couldn’t let the kiss and Dan’s heroics obscure her perceptions of him. Steven had once stopped the car during a thunderstorm and rescued a puppy. That hadn’t made him any less of a jerk in the end.
Dan had almost had a heart attack when he realized the door had caught the back of Esther Mae’s dress. He’d always had great reflexes and they came in handy as he shot out to save her from hurting herself. Now he was doing all he could to keep her from being embarrassed.
He hadn’t missed the fact that Ashby was standing to the side, watching. And he’d glanced up to find her looking at them with the most disgusted expression on her face. With no time to think about that, he righted Esther Mae and smiled, making a fuss over her.
“Thank you, Dan,” she gasped, just as Hank rounded the end of the car to take her from his arms. Dan reached and grasped the door handle, and the door opened, releasing her red skirt. It had a grease spot on it now, but that was irrelevant. She could have had bleeding hands and knees, or even broken wrists if she’d reached out to break her fall.
“Honey,” Hank crooned, “are you all right? That was a close one.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Thanks to Dan. How in the world did you know I was in trouble? I felt myself start to fall when my dress yanked me back like a calf in a ropin’ contest, and the next thing I know I’m in your arms!”
Dan grinned and tipped his hat to her. “I was in the right place at the right time. Any of the other cowboys would have done the same. Especially to save a lovely lady like you.”
Her Baby Dreams Page 9