Page 21 of Texas Honor

He smiled to himself. It took him a minute to leave her, his mind grappling furiously with the conflict between his desire and his calculating mind that insisted she was only interested in what he had—his ranch, his oil, his money.

Women had never wanted him for himself; why should Mari be different? But why had she reacted with such sweet ardor unless she’d wanted him as desperately as he’d wanted her? That kind of fever was hard to fake. No, he thought. No, she’d wanted him. But was she really that unmaterialistic? The only women he’d let himself get close to were his mother and Caroline, both of whom had been self-centered opportunists. How could he trust this one? She bothered him terribly. He no longer felt any confidence in his own judgment. He left the room scowling.

CHAPTER SIX

MARIWASSOshaken by what had happened with Ward that she had eventually needed to escape from the den. She was afraid everything they’d done would show on her face, and Lillian had sharp eyes. She also wondered if Ward would tease her. That would be the last straw, to have a worldly man like that make fun of her for a physical reaction she couldn’t help.

She needn’t have worried. Ward was nowhere in sight, and Lillian was muttering furiously as she hobbled around the kitchen with a crutch under one arm.

“I wish you’d let me do that,” Mari scolded. She picked up the plate of ham that Lillian was trying to take to the table and carried it in for her. “You shouldn’t be trying to lift things, Aunt Lillian. You know what the doctor said.”

“Yes, but it’s pretty hard asking people for help,” the older woman said irritably. She glanced at Mari. “He’s gone.”

Mari tried to look innocent. “He?”

“The boss. He decided to fly down to South America. Just like that.” She snapped her fingers while Mari tried not to let her eyes reflect the shock she felt.

“He left tonight?” Mari asked blankly. It didn’t seem possible. She’d been talking with him—among other things—less than two hours ago.

“Yep. He sure did. Bag and baggage. Imagine, getting a flight out of here that quickly. He’ll go on a commercial flight from San Antonio, you see.” She added, “Flew himself over to the airport, he did.”

Mari cleared her throat. “You said a few days ago that he’d have to go to South America.”

“Yes. But I didn’t expect him to leave in the middle of my first night back home,” Lillian said hotly.

“He knows I’m here,” she returned and impulsively hugged the older woman. “I’ll take care of you.”

Lillian sighed miserably. “Nothing is working the way it was meant to,” she grumbled. “Nothing!”

Now was her chance to perfect her acting ability. “Whatever do you mean, Aunt Lillian?” she asked with a smile.

Lillian actually flushed. “Nothing. Not a thing. Here, set the table and help me get the food in here. There’ll be a lot for just the two of us, seeing the boss and his appetite are missing, but we can freeze the rest, I suppose.”

“Did you take your pill?” Mari asked.

Lillian glowered at her. Then she grinned. “Yep.”

“Good for you,” Mari returned. “Now I’ll get to keep you for a lot longer.”

Lillian started to speak, and then she just laughed. But her eyes were troubled when she hobbled back out to the kitchen.

MARIWANDEREDAROUNDby herself during the next few days, when she wasn’t helping Lillian, enjoying the spaciousness of the ranch and the feeling of being self-sufficient. It must have been very much like this a hundred years before, she thought as she gazed out at the level horizon, when bad men and cattlemen and refugees from the Confederacy had come through on the long trails that led north and south and west.

It was so quiet. Nothing like the noisy bustle of Atlanta. Mari felt at peace here, she felt safe. But she missed Ward in ways that she never would have expected. She’d only really known him for a matter of days, but even that made no difference to her confused emotions. She could close her eyes and feel his hard mouth, his hands holding her, touching her. It had been the most exquisite thing that she’d ever experienced, being in his arms that day. She wanted it again, so much.

But even wanting it, she realized how dangerous it was to let him that close a second time. He only wanted her, he’d admitted that. He didn’t believe in marriage. Apparently, he’d had a rough time with a woman at some point in his life, and he’d been soured. Aunt Lillian had mentioned that his mother ran away with another man, leaving Ward and Belinda to be raised by their grandmother. So she couldn’t really blame him for his attitude. But that didn’t make her own emotions any easier to handle.

She found herself watching the driveway and looking out the window, waiting. When the phone rang, and it did constantly, she ran to answer it, sure that it would be him. But it never was. Five days passed, and despite the fact that she enjoyed Aunt Lillian’s company, she was restless. It was almost the end of her vacation. She’d have to leave. What if she never saw him again before she had to go?

“Missing the boss?” Lillian asked one evening, eyeing her niece calculatingly over the chicken and stuffing the younger woman wasn’t touching.

Mari actually jumped. “No. Of course not.”

“Not even a little?”

Mari sighed as she toyed with a fresh roll. “Maybe a little.”

Lillian smiled. “That’s nice. Because he’s just coming up the driveway.”

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