by Diana Palmer
She laughed softly. ‘‘I hadn’t meant to be cloak-and-daggerish. It’s just that it still hurts too much to talk about,’’ she said honestly.
‘‘Colter told me the circumstances. It wasn’t your fault,’’ he replied. ‘‘Or your father’s. I gather that he drinks because he feels responsible?’’
She nodded. ‘‘We both dined out on ‘what-if’ just after it happened,’’ she confessed. ‘‘I know that it probably wouldn’t have made any difference, but you can’t help wondering.’’
‘‘It doesn’t do any good to torment yourself over things that are history,’’ Leo said gently.
‘‘I don’t do it intentionally,’’ she murmured.
‘‘The first step was getting your father into treatment,’’ he said. ‘‘Getting you out of your rut was the second. You don’t have any memories to contend with here. I’ve noticed the difference in you just in the past week.’’ He smiled. ‘‘You’re changing already.’’
‘‘I suppose so.’’ She smiled back. ‘‘I’ve never even been on a ranch before. I could love it here. It’s such a change of pace.’’
‘‘When you’re back to normal, we’ve got plenty of opportunity around here for your sort of job,’’ he pointed out.
She chuckled. ‘‘Don’t rush me. It’s far too soon to think about leaving Houston.’’ She didn’t add that she didn’t want to be that close to Rey, considering his opinion of her at the moment. ‘‘I’ve only been down here a week.’’
‘‘Okay. I’ll let it drop, for now.’’ He leaned back in his chair and winced, favoring the arm he’d had stitched. ‘‘Damned bull,’’ he muttered.
‘‘Did they give you something for the pain?’’
‘‘No, and I didn’t ask for anything. I have over-the-counter painkillers if it gets really bad. So far, it hasn’t.’’
‘‘You know, of course, that statistically farm and ranch work have the highest ratio of accidents,’’ she said.
‘‘Any job can be dangerous,’’ he said easily.
She pursed her lips and lifted her coffee cup to them. ‘‘Your brother’s a walking job hazard,’’ she said thoughtfully.
‘‘Oh? In what way, exactly?’’ he asked.
She wouldn’t have touched that line with a pole. She laughed. ‘‘He’s abrasive. I don’t think he wants me here.’’
‘‘I’ve noticed his attitude. I hope you haven’t let it get to you?’’
‘‘I haven’t. Anyway, he’ll mellow one of these days,’’ she said.
‘‘He could use some mellowing. He’s a disillusioned man.’’
She smoothed the lip of the cup. ‘‘Did he love her very much?’’
He knew she was talking about Carlie. He sighed. ‘‘He thought he did. His pride suffered more than his heart.’’ He hesitated. ‘‘I didn’t help matters. I made a play for her deliberately, to show him what she was. That was a miscalculation. A bad one. He’s never forgiven me for it. Now, if I pay any attention to a woman, he tries to compete with me…’’
She noticed the way his voice trailed off, and she averted her eyes. ‘‘I get the picture,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s not like that, not with you,’’ he began.
She forced a smile. ‘‘He’s not interested in me,’’ she said bluntly. ‘‘And just in case you’re worried that I might be falling all over him, there’s no danger of that, either. I was outside the door when he was talking to you. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but he was speaking rather loudly. I heard what he said. I’d have to be certifiable to lose my heart over a man like that.’’
He grimaced as he read the faint pain that lingered in her eyes. ‘‘I wouldn’t have had you hear what he said for the world,’’ he said deeply.
She managed a smile. ‘‘It’s just as well. It will keep me from taking him seriously. Besides, I’m not really down here looking for a soul mate.’’
‘‘Just as well, because Rey isn’t any woman’s idea of the perfect partner, not the way he is right now. I love him dearly, but I can afford to. It’s another story for any woman who loses her heart to him.’’ He studied her warily. ‘‘Just don’t let him play you for a fool.’’
‘‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’’ she said. ‘‘Even if I got the chance.’’
He nodded. He finished his pie and coffee and got to his feet. ‘‘I’d better change and get back to work. Thanks for running interference, by the way. You’re a cool head in an emergency,’’ he remarked with a smile.
‘‘I’ve had lots of practice,’’ she said modestly and grinned. ‘‘But try to stay away from horned things for a while.’’
‘‘Especially my brother, the minor devil,’’ he said, tongue-in-cheek, and grinned back when she got the reference and started laughing.
After Leo went back to work, Meredith went out to gather eggs. It seemed very straightforward. You walked into the henhouse, reached in the nest, and pulled out a dozen or so big brown eggs, some still warm from the chicken’s feathered body.
But that wasn’t what happened. She paused just inside the henhouse to let her eyes adjust to the reduced light, and when she moved toward the row of straw-laced nests, she saw something wrapped around one nest that wasn’t feathered. It had scales and a flickering long tongue. It peered at her through the darkness and tightened its coils around its prey, three big brown eggs.
Meredith, a city girl with very little experience of scaly things, did something predictable. She screamed, threw the basket in the general direction of the snake, and left skid marks getting out of the fenced lot.
Annie Lewis, who was doing the laundry, came to the back door as fast as her arthritis would allow, to see what all the commotion was about.
‘‘There’s a…big black and white snnnnnakkkkkke…in there!’’ Meredith screamed, shaking all over from the close encounter.
‘‘After the eggs, I reckon,’’ Annie said with a sigh. She wiped her hands on her apron. ‘‘Let me get a stick and I’ll deal with it.’’
‘‘You can’t go in there alone with the horrible thing and try to kill it! It must be five feet long!’’
‘‘It’s a king snake, not a rattler,’’ Annie said gently, recognizing the description. ‘‘And I’m not planning to kill it. I’m going to get it on a stick and put in the barn. It can eat its fill of rats and poisonous snakes and do some good out there.’’
‘‘You aren’t going to kill it?’’ Meredith exclaimed, horrified.
‘‘It’s a king snake, dear,’’ came the gentle reply. ‘‘We don’t like to kill them. They’re very useful. They eat rattlesnakes, you know.’’
‘‘I didn’t know.’’ Meredith shivered again. ‘‘I’ve never seen a snake except in a zoo, and it was a python.’’
‘‘You’ll see lots of them out here in the country. Just remember that if one rattles at you, it means business and it will strike. Rattlesnakes are venomous.’’
Meredith looked around as if she expected to be mobbed just at the mention of them.
‘‘You can finish the washing,’’ Annie said, trying not to grin. ‘‘I’ll take care of the snake.’’
‘‘Please be careful!’’
‘‘I will. After all, you get used to things like…’’
Rey drove up and stopped the truck just short of the two women, exiting it with his usual graceful speed.
‘‘What’s going on?’’ he asked as he pulled a box of assorted bovine medicines out of the boot of the truck.
‘‘There’s a snake in the henhouse!’’ Meredith exclaimed.
He stopped with the supplies in his arms and stared at her curiously. ‘‘So?’’ he asked.
‘‘I’m just going to move it for her, Rey,’’ Mrs. Lewis said with a grin. ‘‘It sounds like a king snake. I thought I’d put him in the barn.’’
‘‘I’ll get him for you.’’ He put the box on the hood of the truck. ‘‘Scared of snakes, are you?’’ he scoffed.
‘‘I’d never seen one until a few minu
tes ago,’’ she said huffily, and flushed. He was looking at her as if she were a child.
‘‘There’s a first time for everything,’’ he said, and his eyes made a very explicit remark as they lingered on her breasts.
She gave him a glare hot enough to fry bacon, which he ignored. He walked right into the chicken lot and, then, into the henhouse.
Barely a minute later, he came back out with the snake coiled around one arm, its neck gently held in his other hand.
‘‘Would you look at this, it’s Bandit!’’ he exclaimed, showing it to a fascinated Mrs. Lewis. ‘‘See the scar on his back where he got caught in the corn sheller that time?’’
‘‘So it is!’’ she said. ‘‘Hello, old fella!’’ She actually petted the vile thing under the chin.
‘‘How can you touch that thing?!’’ Meredith groaned. ‘‘It’s a snake!’’
Mrs. Lewis glanced at Rey. ‘‘Reckon we should tell her that he used to live in the house?’’
‘‘Probably not,’’ Rey suggested, aware of her white face. ‘‘I’ll just stick him up in the loft. Come on, Bandit, I’ll put you in a safe place.’’
Meredith was holding both chill-bump laden arms with her hands and shivering.
‘‘There, there,’’ Annie said gently. ‘‘He wouldn’t bite you unless you provoked him. He’s very gentle.’’
‘‘If you say so.’’
‘‘I do. Now you go back in there and get the eggs. Don’t let Rey see how frightened you are. Trust me, he’ll take advantage of it. You’ll find rubber snakes in the refrigerator, the blender, the washer…’’
‘‘No!’’ Meredith exclaimed, horrified.
‘‘Just grit your teeth and go back in the henhouse,’’ Annie suggested. ‘‘Quick, before he comes back out.’’
Meredith took a quick breath and gave Annie a miserable glance, but she did as she was told.
Her skin crawled when she had to pick up the basket and gather the eggs, especially the ones the snake had been curled around. Now, every time she went to the henhouse, she’d be shivering with apprehension.
You’ve looked at gunshot wounds, accident victims, every sort of horror known to human eyes, she told herself firmly. The snake wasn’t even lacerated! So get it done and move on.
She did, walking back out into the sunlight with a full basket of eggs and a forced look of composure on her soft face.
Rey was waiting for her, leaning against the bumper of the truck with his arms crossed and his hat pulled low over his eyes.
She didn’t dare look at him for long. In that indolent pose, his lean, muscular body was shown to its very best advantage. It made her tingle to think how it had felt to be held against every inch of that formidable frame, to be kissed by that long, hard mouth.
‘‘You get thrown, you get right back on the horse,’’ he said with approval. ‘‘I’m proud of you, Meredith. It would be hard for even a ranch-born girl to go back into a henhouse where a snake had been lurking.’’
She took a slow breath. ‘‘We don’t face things by running away from them, I guess,’’ she agreed.
His eyes narrowed under the wide brim of the hat. ‘‘What are you running away from, Meredith? What is your father running away from?’’
She clutched the basket to her chest. ‘‘That’s nothing that you need to concern yourself with,’’ she said with quiet dignity.
‘‘You work for me,’’ he replied.
‘‘Not for long,’’ she pointed out. ‘‘In another week or so, I’ll be a memory.’’
‘‘Will you?’’ He lurched away from the bumper and went to stand just in front of her, a tall and sensual threat. His fingers touched her soft mouth lightly. ‘‘Those bruises still look pretty fresh,’’ he pointed out. ‘‘And you did ask for a month’s leave, or so you said. Did you?’’
She grimaced. ‘‘Well, yes, but I don’t have to stay here all that time.’’
‘‘I think you do,’’ he returned. He bent and drew his mouth slowly over hers, a whisper of a contact that made her breath catch. He smiled with faint arrogance as he stood up again. ‘‘Anything could happen,’’ he drawled. ‘‘You might like ranch life.’’
‘‘I don’t like snakes already.’’
‘‘That was a fluke. They’re generally hibernating by November, but it’s been unseasonably warm. Spring is generally when you have to watch where you put your hands. But you don’t need to worry. I’ll protect you from snakes. And other perils.’’
‘‘Who’ll protect me from you?’’ she asked huskily.
He raised any eyebrow. ‘‘Why would you need protection?’’ he asked. ‘‘You’re well over the age of consent.’’
‘‘I’ve lived a very sheltered life,’’ she said flatly.
He pursed his lips as he studied her, examining the statement. ‘‘Maybe it’s time you walked out of the cocoon.’’
‘‘I’m not in the market for an affair.’’
‘‘Neither am I.’’ He smiled slowly. ‘‘But if you worked at it, you might change my mind.’’
‘‘I don’t think so,’’ she said. Her eyes were cool as they met his. ‘‘I wouldn’t want you to think I was ‘drooling’ over you,’’ she added deliberately.
His face changed. He knew immediately that she’d overheard what he’d said to Leo. He was sorry, because it wasn’t true. He’d been desperate to throw Leo off the track. He didn’t want his brother to know how attracted he was to her.
‘‘Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves, don’t they say?’’ he asked quietly.
‘‘Never,’’ she agreed. ‘‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go wash the eggs.’’
‘‘I said something else that you’ll remember with sordid ease,’’ he murmured as she started past him. He caught her by the shoulder and tugged her close, bending to drag his mouth roughly across hers. ‘‘But I didn’t mean that, either,’’ he whispered against her parted lips. ‘‘Your innocence makes my head spin. I lay awake at night thinking of all sorts of delicious ways to relieve you of it.’’
‘‘You’d be lucky!’’ she exclaimed, shocked.
He laughed softly as he let her go. ‘‘So would you,’’ he drawled. ‘‘I’ve been called ‘sensual hell’ in bed, and I can assure you it wasn’t meant to be a derogatory remark.’’
‘‘Rey Hart!’’ she burst out.
‘‘But why take anyone else’s word for it?’’ he teased. ‘‘I’ll be glad to let you see for yourself, anytime you like.’’
‘‘If you think…I have never…of all the…!’’
‘‘Yes, it does tend to make women flustered when I mention what a great lover I am,’’ he said with a wicked grin.
She couldn’t get one coherent sentence out. She stomped her foot hard, turned around, and stormed into the kitchen, almost knocking herself down with the door in the process. It didn’t help that Rey stood out there laughing like a predator.
If she expected Rey to be apologetic about what he’d said, she was doomed to disappointment. He watched her with narrow, assessing eyes as she went about her household duties. He didn’t harass her, or monopolize her. He just watched. The scrutiny made her so nervous that she fumbled constantly. Her heart ran wild at the attention from those dark, steady eyes.
‘‘Why don’t you want to do something else besides keep house?’’ Rey asked her one evening when she was putting supper on the table. Leo, as usual, was late getting in. Rey had volunteered to set the table while she fixed Mexican corn bread and chili.
‘‘Keeping house has less stress than most outside jobs,’’ she said, not looking at him.
‘‘It pays lousy wages,’’ he continued, ‘‘and you could get into a lot of trouble in some households, with men who’d see you as fair game.’’
‘‘Do you see me that way?’’ she asked, wide-eyed.
He glowered at her. ‘‘No, I don’t. The point is, some other man might. It isn’t a safe career. In a pro
fession, there are more laws to protect you.’’
‘‘Most professional people have degrees and such. Besides, I’m too old.’’
‘‘You’re never too old to go back to school,’’ he replied.
She shrugged. ‘‘Besides, I like cooking and cleaning.’’
He eyed her curiously. ‘‘You’re very good at handling injured people,’’ he said suddenly. ‘‘And you’re remarkably calm in an emergency.’’
‘‘It’s good practice for when I have kids,’’ she said.
He drew in a short breath. ‘‘You like being mysterious, don’t you?’’
‘‘While it lasts, it’s fun,’’ she agreed.
His eyes narrowed. ‘‘What dark secrets are you keeping, Meredith?’’ he asked quietly.
‘‘None that should bother you, even if you found them out,’’ she assured him. She smiled at him from the stove. ‘‘Meanwhile, you’re getting fresh biscuits every day.’’
‘‘Yes, we are,’’ he had to agree. ‘‘And you’re a good cook. But I don’t like mysteries.’’
She pursed her lips and gave him a teasing glance over her shoulder. ‘‘Too bad.’’
He put the last place setting on the table and sat down at his place, just staring at her, without speaking. ‘‘You know,’’ he said after a minute, frowning, ‘‘there’s something familiar about your last name. I can’t quite place it, but I know I’ve heard it somewhere.’’
That wasn’t good, she thought. He might remember Leo talking about her brother. She didn’t want to have to face the past, not just yet, when she was still broken and bruised and uncomfortable. When she was back on her feet and well again, there would be time to come to grips with it once and for all—as her poor father was already doing.
‘‘Think so?’’ she asked with forced nonchalance.
He shrugged. ‘‘Well, it may come back to me one day.’’
Fortunately Leo came in and stopped his train of thought. Meredith put supper on the table and sat down to eat it with the brothers.
The next morning, Rey came out to the kitchen with a bright silver metal gun case. He set it down beside the counter, out of the way, before he started eating his breakfast.