Page 10 of Rainwater
He walked away then and left her with the lingering taste of him on her lips and his hunger burning in her blood.
Chapter
Three
All the way over to Jennifer Horn’s ranch, Corey cursed himself for the fool he was. Hadn’t he just told himself this morning in no uncertain terms that he couldn’t get involved with her? Then all it had taken was that two-bit bully to threaten her and he turned into a knight in shining armor. He, more like a knight in tarnished armor. This afternoon he’d only meant to brush her lips, but her response was so hot. So sweet, he hadn’t been able to pull away. A knight who couldn’t control his own desire. Some hero he made.
But Jennifer hadn’t seemed to notice. She had looked up at him with such wonder in her eyes. He’d been stupid giving her ideas when he had nothing to give and was losing himself daily.
He still felt the shock of his family’s death. He remembered when the doctor had told him that his father had passed out in a drunken stupor with a lighted cigarette in his hand and had torched the whole house. He had to hear that his mother and sister hadn’t made it out alive.
Something had died inside him that day, something that had been dying since he was old enough to understand that other families weren’t like his.
Other fathers didn’t beat their sons. Other fathers took their sons fishing, canoeing, hiking and riding. Other mothers didn’t have to use makeup to cover bruises. Other mothers didn’t have to come up with excuses like, “Oh, he fell down while he was playing. You know how kids are.”
God, he hated his father. Michael Rainwater was full-blooded Apache. He’d left the reservation to pursue his amazing talent as an artist. Then when Corey was three, his father had been beaten up by some Anglos who decided to do some Indian bashing. During the beating, they had stepped on his father’s hands and crushed them, crippled them, usable only to bruise and batter his family. Michael Rainwater had started to drink. He blamed everything on the Anglos after that. The money had stopped coming in, and his father sunk deeper and deeper into depression.
Corey drew a deep, long breath. He pulled off the highway at the entrance to the Triple X. The name of the ranch appeared on a beautiful wrought-iron sign with fine metal curlicues. Three X’s in bold red letters were outlined in gold.
He hit the brakes on his bike, then dropped his feet to the road’s surface to support himself and sat idling at the entrance. The ranch screamed money and his insides knotted.
He should turn around and get the hell out of here before he cared too much about this woman and her daughter. A thirteen-year-old. His sister’s age. Hell, Jennifer must have had her when she was a child herself. He wondered where Jennifer’s husband was. No man who had married such a beautiful, smart woman would ever be fool enough to leave her. He must be dead. That was the only way he’d want to leave a woman like Jennifer. Not that he was going to get involved with her, because he wasn’t. He’d only come to let her repay him.
He had almost made up his mind to turn his bike around and leave. After all, it would be best for both of them. His protectiveinstinct could go to hell. He couldn’t be a hero. Didn’t heroes succeed? Didn’t heroes always save the day?
He’d eat dinner, he would make polite conversation and damn it, then he would go.
Why did this woman have to be so alluring? He could feel the tug even from this distance. He wanted to gun the engine and go hurtling up that road and let her feed him and get his mind off his problems for one night. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a home-cooked meal, with apple pie, no less.
He looked over his shoulder with a feeling of unexplainable uneasiness, as if something was following him. What had he expected to see? The ghosts of his mother and sister pleading with him to help? Well, he had tried to help. He had tried to get his mother to leave. Time and time again. He had proven he was no hero.
Hell. He decided to go forward because he wanted to see Jennifer again. Just remembering that kiss was enough to make his body hum. He wanted to kiss her again and never stop.
He was going crazy. Well, he might as well go crazy and get it over with.
“So,Mom. Is this guy your boyfriend?”
“No, Ellie. He’s just someone I met in town who chased off Jay Butler after he was bad-mouthing me.” Jennifer turned the heat down on the chicken and dumplings.
Eleanor Jean Horn wrinkled her nose. “You mean Tucker’s dad, who keeps pinching my cheek like I was a piece of ripe fruit?”
“Yes, honey. That’s the guy.” She chuckled. “You have such a way with words.”
“Why was he bad-mouthing you, Mom?” Ellie’s words got fainter as she exited the kitchen to set the dining-room table. A moment later, she came back into the kitchen to pick up the silverware.
“Let’s just say that I wasn’t very nice to him a few nights ago.” Jennifer turned from the stove and leaned back against the counter.
“Mom, you’re always telling me I shouldn’t lose my temper. Did you lose yours?”
“I’m afraid so, sweetheart. I tried to apologize, but the damage had been done by then.” Jennifer smiled faintly at the chiding in her daughter’s voice.
“So he likes you and you like him?”
“Who? Jay?”
“No. This guy who’s coming to dinner. This guy you dressed up for and made an apple pie. I hope he’s worth all his effort,” Ellie said matter-of-factly.
“Ellie, I want you to be polite.” She smoothed down the emerald green silk blouse and matching silk pants. “Do you think it’s too much?”
