by Diana Palmer
“You hurt me,” she whispered shakily.
He was lost for words. Concerned, he stared at her, his dark eyes quiet on her wan face. She looked as if she had never experienced a man’s passion. Was that possible? Could any woman be that unawakened in this day and age?
“Haven’t you ever been kissed?” he asked softly.
“Of course I have,” she replied stiffly. “But not…not like that!”
His eyebrows went up. At last he was catching one. “My God,” he said huskily. “Abby, adults kiss that way!”
“Then I don’t want to be an adult,” she returned, coloring. “Not if I have to be mauled like that!”
He watched her turn and leave the room, and he was powerless to stop her. Her reaction had floored him completely. He’d expected her to know a little about lovemaking, at least, but she seemed totally innocent. She’d never known a deep kiss or the intimacy of a man’s body.
It should have pleased him, but he found it irritating that she thought he’d mauled her. By God, he should have let her go out with Myers. Then she’d know what it was to be mauled!
He left the room and closed the door, his expression thunderous as he heard her footsteps going down the staircase and then her muffled goodbye to Justin.
Calhoun went back to his own room. He was breathing roughly, and his heart wouldn’t beat properly. He felt hot all over. Frustrated. Furious. Damn Abby and her soft body. It was driving him out of his mind!
He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Well, it was a good thing she didn’t like his kisses, because hell would freeze over before she ever got another one.
Abby was blissfully unaware of Calhoun’s thoughts. She climbed into her car and started it with hands that were still trembling. How could Calhoun have hurt her like that if he’d cared anything about her? He’d just proved how little she meant to him. He’d only been interested in his own pleasure, not hers. Well, he could go back to his blondes for all she cared. She was sure she hated him now.
Misty was already dressed and waiting when Abby got to the colonial mansion the older girl shared with her parents. Misty took them to town in her little sports car, and for once Abby didn’t mind the wind. It might blow away her misery. Just thinking about Calhoun’s rough treatment made her miserable. She loved him and it hurt terribly that he could treat her that way. But she had to pretend that nothing was wrong, so that Misty wouldn’t start asking questions that Abby didn’t want to answer.
They parked in town and went to the first address on Misty’s list. It was an apartment above a sweet shop, on the corner across from the bank. Misty didn’t like the place, because there was only one bedroom and she wanted her privacy. Abby deliberately put the implications of that remark in the back of her mind and added that she didn’t like the view. It was too close to the center of town, and there was a good deal of traffic on Saturday night.
The second place they went was just right. The room being rented was upstairs in a private house owned by a Mrs. Simpson, who was friendly and bright and welcoming. That turned Misty off completely. She didn’t want an old busybody watching out for her. But Abby was rapidly coming to the conclusion that Misty was going to do some entertaining once they were on their own, and her association with the Ballengers made her balk at the thought of Misty’s plans.
“I’ll take it,” she told Mrs. Simpson, “if you don’t mind having just me instead of both of us, and if you aren’t in a hurry for me to move in. It will be a few weeks….”
“That will work out fine. I’m going off to my sister’s for a week or so, anyway.” Mrs. Simpson smiled broadly, her blue eyes lighting up. “My dear, I’d be delighted.” She leaned forward while Misty was still upstairs grumbling about the lack of privacy. “Your friend seems very nice, mind you, but I’m rather old-fashioned….”
“So am I,” Abby whispered, putting her finger to her lips when Misty came downstairs again.
“No, I’m sorry, it won’t do,” she sighed.
“I have the perfect solution,” Abby told her. “I’ll take this one, and you take the other one. It’ll be great. We can visit each other, and we’ll both have our privacy.”
Misty raised an eyebrow. “Well…it might be nice at that. But you said you wanted to room with me.”
Mrs. Simpson excused herself, asking Abby to phone her later about a date for moving in.
Abby moved with Misty to the door. “Let’s face it,” she told her friend, “you want to entertain men, and I’ll have Calhoun and Justin all over me if they find out about it. I’m sure you don’t want them on your case.”
Misty shuddered delicately. “Are you kidding? Calhoun, maybe, but not Justin! That man doesn’t have a humorous bone in his whole body.”
Abby remembered how amused Justin had been about Calhoun’s behavior, but she just nodded her head.
“Let’s have coffee,” Misty suggested. She drove them back into town in her little sports car and parked beside the bank. The two women had just gotten out of the car when Tyler Jacobs and his sister Shelby came around the corner looking somber and disturbed.
Abby greeted them. “Tyler. Shelby. How are you?”
“This isn’t a good time to ask,” Shelby sighed, but she smiled. She was a dish. Short dark hair framed her elfin face, and she had eyes that were an odd shade of green, almost glassy in color. Her mouth was perfect, and she was tall. She would have made a fortune as a model, but her parents wouldn’t have heard of such a profession for their only daughter.
Tyler was like his sister in coloring. He had thick dark hair, almost black, and an olive complexion and the same odd-colored green eyes. He was as big as Calhoun, but slender. Whipcord-lean and dangerous-looking. He wasn’t handsome at all, but he had character, and women usually found him irrestible.
Misty turned to see where Abby had gotten to and smiled delightedly at Tyler.
“Well, hello,” she drawled. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Hello, Misty,” he said, smiling lazily. “You look devastating, as usual. What are you two doing in town on a Sunday?”
“Looking for an apartment to share, originally.” Abby sighed. “But we wound up with one each, across town from the other. I’m renting from Mrs. Simpson, and Misty has a neat place overlooking the bank.”
“Right up there, in fact.” Misty pointed across the street. “It needs decorating, but I can take care of that.”
Abby grinned. “I’ll bet you can.”
“Come and have coffee with us,” Shelby invited. “Tyler needs cheering up. We had a bad blow yesterday, and an even worse one today.”
Abby looked up at him. He did seem reticent. And moody, which was totally unlike him. “I’m sorry. Can I help?”
“You little doll,” he murmured, and touched her hair gently. “No. But thanks for the offer. How’s Calhoun?”
Abby averted her eyes. “He’s fine, I guess. He and Justin are both at home.”
“No problems the other night after Calhoun got you home?” Tyler persisted with a teasing smile.
“Only the usual lecture,” Abby said. She managed a shaky smile as all four of them went down the street and entered a small cafeteria.
They were quickly seated, and the waitress brought four cups of coffee and a pitcher of cream.
Shelby cast a glance at Abby and laughed softly. “You devil,” she teased.
“I just wanted to see how the other half lived,” Abby sighed.
“I did my best to help you,” Misty sighed. “On the other hand, weren’t you lucky that it was Calhoun and not Justin who came after you? Calhoun is a little more easygoing.”
“Not lately, he isn’t,” Abby said tautly.
At the mention of Justin, Shelby became quiet and shy. Abby felt sorry for her. Justin had never gotten over Shelby’s defection. He probably never would, and Shelby had to know that.
“How is Justin?’ Tyler asked casually. Too casually.
“He goes to work and comes home and g
oes to work and comes home,” Abby said as they added cream and sugar to their coffee.
Misty yawned. “What an exciting life.”
“He’s lonely, I suppose,” Abby said deliberately. “He never goes anywhere.”
“I know somebody else like that,” Tyler murmured with a hard glance at Shelby, who shifted restlessly in her seat.
“How’s the horse business going?” Abby interrupted, posing the question to Tyler as she sipped her coffee.
“Going bust, I’m afraid,” he said heavily. “Dad made some bad investments before he died. So far, I’ve managed to meet the payments. This month I defaulted.” His face hardened. “I’m going to have to sell Geronimo.”
“Oh, Tyler, I’m sorry.” Abby grimaced. “He was your favorite.”
“Mine, too,” Shelby said with a sigh. “But we can’t keep him and pay off Dad’s debts. I don’t suppose you’d want him, Abby?”
“I don’t ride that well,” Misty confessed.
“If I can talk Justin into it I’d like to have him,” Abby said gently.
“Thank you, Abby, but that wouldn’t be a good idea,” Shelby replied. “Justin would go right through the roof if you asked him.”
“Like a rocket,” Tyler said, smiling at Abby. “No, we’ll do it through an agent. We won’t have any problems selling him. I’d rather know who he was going to, that’s all. Some people want a horse strictly for breeding purposes. They look at dollars and cents, not at the horse itself.”
“I’ve got a cousin in Texas,” Misty piped up. “She’s trying to hold on to the ranch all by herself. It’s a horse ranch,” she added. “Does that tell you anything?”
He smiled. “Enough. I’d appreciate it if you’d put her in touch with me.”
“I’ll give her your number, if you don’t mind.”
“Fine.”
Lights gleamed in Shelby’s black hair as she lifted the cup and finished her coffee. Abby wondered at her elfin beauty, and thought it strange that a man like Justin could attract such a lovely woman when he wasn’t handsome or even very personable. Then Abby remembered how kind he’d been to her in Houston, and the way he’d supported her with Calhoun. On the other hand, maybe it wasn’t so surprising that he could attract her. What was surprising was that he’d ever let her go. It made Abby uncomfortable, thinking about how two people could be so much in love one day and bitter enemies the next. Love didn’t last, after all.
“Tyler, we’d better go. I’ve got to call Barry Holman about those bonds and securities we’re selling,” Shelby said gently. “I’m sorry. I’d love to stay and talk. We hardly ever see each other these days, and I guess Justin would burn the house to the ground before he’d let me through the front door to visit you.”
Tyler sighed. “He holds a grudge longer than any man I’ve ever known, that’s for sure. And without reason.”
“No,” Shelby pleaded, her green eyes seeking his. “Please don’t. Abby owes him her loyalty. Don’t put her in the position of having to defend him.”
“Sorry,” he said, his green eyes glittering with controlled rage. Then he smiled at Abby. “There’s a square dance at the dance hall next Friday night. How about going with me?”
Abby hesitated. Justin would be furious, and she didn’t like to think about what Calhoun might say or do. He was so unpredictable lately. On the other hand, going out with Tyler would show Calhoun that she wasn’t going to make eyes at him any more….
“Don’t do it,” Shelby pleaded. “Can’t you see, it will only make things worse.”
“For whom?” Tyler shot back. “Could the situation possibly be any worse for you? My God, you’re living like a nun!”
Shelby put her napkin down with calm, steady fingers. “The way I live is no one’s concern except my own.” She stood up. “Abby, Justin would come down on your head like Judgment. He isn’t the man he was. I’d hate to see you caught in the cross fire.”
“I’m not afraid of him, Shelby,” Abby said gently. “Not much, anyway. I’m trying to get out from under Calhoun’s thumb. Tyler and I would kind of be helping each other.”
“You see,” Tyler told his sister. “And here you were thinking I was just doing it to irritate your ex-fiancé.”
“Well, aren’t you?” Shelby said challengingly.
He lifted his chin arrogantly. “Maybe.”
“Sometimes I wonder if Mom and Dad didn’t find you under a cabbage leaf,” Shelby muttered.
“Not a chance,” Misty mused, looking him up and down. “He’s much too big.”
“Tease,” he said, flirting lazily with Misty as he did with most women. But Tyler was deep, like Shelby, and if there was a special woman, nobody knew except himself. He was discreet about his love life.
“Justin used to laugh, you know,” Shelby told Abby as they walked out together, with Misty and Tyler talking together ahead of them. “He wasn’t always cold and hard and unyielding. Not until I gave him back his ring and made him bitter.” She clutched her purse against her breasts. “Abby, don’t hurt him,” she pleaded, her eyes soft and gentle. “Don’t let Tyler hurt him. He hides it, but he’s so vulnerable….”
“I know that,” Abby said gently. She touched the taller woman’s arm, stung by the look in Shelby’s eyes. Yes, she was vulnerable, too, and Abby sensed that Shelby was still in love with Justin, even now…. “I’m sorry that things have gone so badly for both of you. Justin doesn’t have women, you know. If you live like a nun, he lives like a monk. There isn’t anyone.”
Shelby’s lower lip trembled. She looked away, her head tilting to stop a tear from escaping. “Thank you,” she managed huskily.
Abby wanted to say more, but the others were waiting impatiently. “Ready to go?” she called brightly to Misty. “Okay. Can you keep it under ninety going home? Honest to goodness, I don’t think that car knows any legal speeds!”
“I’m a good driver,” Misty informed her haughtily. “You just come with me and I’ll prove it. So long, Tyler. Shelby.”
“I’ll pick you up at six on Friday,” Tyler told Abby. “Wear something sexy.”
She curtsied. “You’d better bring a baseball bat when you come to the door. And pray that Justin doesn’t have a long cord for his chain saw.”
“Dangerous games, my friend,” Misty told Abby as they drove away. “Justin won’t like it, and he’s pretty frightening when he loses his temper.”
“So is Tyler. But they won’t come to blows. I’ll make sure of it.”
“And what will Calhoun say?” Misty added with a quick glance at Abby.
Abby felt herself going pale. She could feel all over again the terrible crush of his mouth, the shattering intimacy of his body. She swallowed. “He won’t care,” she said coldly.
“Why do it? You’re moving out. Isn’t that enough of a show of independence for you?”
“No.” Abby leaned back against the leather seat and closed her eyes. “But going out with Tyler will be.”
Misty sighed and shook her head. “Well, I’ll remember you in my prayers. Hang on.” She pressed her foot down on the accelerator, and Abby wondered what the Guinness book of world records listed as the top land speed by a wild blonde in a little sports car. Whatever the record was, she thought as she held on for dear life, she’d bet that Misty could break it.
Chapter Six
Calhoun was gone when Abby got home, and she spent a quiet afternoon watching television. Justin was around long enough to ask about the apartment and to approve Abby’s choice of lodgings. But then he left to deal with some problem at the feedlot.
Abby dreaded the moment when Calhoun would return, because of what had happened that morning. She couldn’t reconcile the man she knew with the stranger who’d been so rough with her. Boys had kissed her before, but lightly and carefully. Calhoun hadn’t been careful, and he’d frightened her with his experience. She’d never experienced adult passion before, and she didn’t know what it was. But surely a man like Calhoun, with
his love life, couldn’t have been thrown off balance so completely by a twenty-year-old virgin.
He’d already said he didn’t want her making eyes at him, so maybe he was showing her what she’d be inviting if she let him see her interest. She shivered. What a deft and accurate way he’d picked, if that were the case.
Supper was on the table and she and Justin were about to start serving themselves when Calhoun came in. He sat down, looking worn and rumpled, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn’t speak to Abby, and she kept her head down so that he wouldn’t notice her scarlet flush. It wasn’t necessary, anyway, because he didn’t even look at her. He started talking to Justin about a prospective new feedlot customer he’d found, and he kept the conversation going until they were having a second cup of coffee. Abby felt shut out and ignored. When Calhoun finally got up to leave and looked at her, she felt worse than she had in her life.
There was barely controlled anger in his eyes, mingled with something darker, something she didn’t understand. She dropped her eyes and felt her heart race under his cold scrutiny. He acted as if she were the guilty one. Didn’t he realize how he’d hurt her? That his treatment of her had been frightening?
“Hey,” Justin said softly as the outside door opened and closed.
She looked up, her eyes faintly misty. “He didn’t even speak to me,” she whispered.
Justin leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke as he watched her. “He’s been like that all day,” he said. “While you were gone he stared out the window whenever I tried to talk to him. He didn’t even hear me. Finally he lit a cigarette and went outside and just walked.”
She stared at him. “Calhoun stopped smoking years ago.”
He shrugged. “He’s gone through a pack already. You keep telling me that there’s nothing wrong, but my brother goes from bad to worse. Now either you tell me or I’ll beat it out of him. I love him, but I’ve had enough silence.”