Page 93 of The Honorable Texan
“Doesn’t that sound familiar?”she murmured wickedly.
His eyes slid up and down her body in a silence that teemed with tension.“I never said I didn’t want ties,” he corrected.“I said I didn’t want marriage.There’s a difference.”
“Don’t look at me,” she said carelessly.“I don’t have time for relationships.”
“Of course.All that cleaning must demand a lot of you,” he said deliberately.
She flushed.He had no idea what her life was like on a daily basis, and she wanted very badly to tell him.But he was so almighty arrogant and condescending that he put her back up.She wasn’t going to tell him a thing.He’d find out soon enough.
She put her hands on her hips and stared at him.“And what’s wrong with being a housekeeper?”she demanded, going on the offensive.“Where would you and your brother be right now if there weren’t women you could hire to bake and clean for you?I guess you’d have to get married then, or learn to cook, wouldn’t you?”
He glared at her.“I could cook if I wanted to.”
“You’re the sort of man who makes a woman wish she didn’t have a culinary skill to her name,” she said icily.“You are so ‘lord of the manor-ish,’ Mr.Hart!”
“It isn’t a manor,” he pointed out.“They have those in England.We call this a ranch.”
She glared at him.
He grinned.“You really do rise to the bait beautifully,” he murmured, and something flashed in his dark eyes.“The sandwiches were good,” he added.
She looked surprised.“Nothing but ham and a homemade sauce,” she faltered.
“You do that a lot with food,” he remarked gently.“I like the way you experiment with dishes.I even likethe way you garnish the plates.You make things look appetizing.”
She didn’t realize that he’d even noticed.“I learned that from a dietician,” she said without thinking.“If food is decorative, sometimes it makes up for bulk.”
He smiled quizzically.“You can’t decorate biscuits,” he teased.“But you make really good ones.”
“Thanks.”She smiled back.“I’ll tidy up the kitchen if you’re through.”
“I am.Don’t stay up too late,” he added and his eyes were suddenly bright with mischief.“You need plenty of rest so that you can make biscuits for breakfast!”
“Okay.I’ll get an early night.”She laughed and went on past him to the kitchen.
He stared after her for several long seconds with an expression that he was glad she didn’t see.He liked the taste of her.That hadn’t been wise, kissing her that way.He was going to have to make sure it didn’t happen again.He didn’t need complications.
* * *
Nothing was thesame between Meredith and Rey after that day.They were aware of each other.It wasn’t blatant, but she could feel tingling in her spine when Rey was in a room.It was instinctive.Her eyes followed him like puppies, and she flushed wildly when he caught her at it and gave her that amused, worldly glance.
Leo noticed, too, and it worried him that Rey was encouraging Meredith.He knew Rey too well to think he’d had a change of heart toward his bachelor status.
“You’re leading her on,” Leo accused his brother one evening when they were alone in the study with the door closed.“Why?”
Rey gave him a surprised glance.“You make it sound like a crime to flirt with her.”
“In your case, it is,” his brother said flatly.“You’re a rounder.She isn’t.”
Rey shrugged.“She’s not exactly off-limits,” he told his brother.“Not at her age.”
“And what do you have in mind?Seduction?”Leo persisted irritably.“She’s already been damaged enough by what happened with her father.The bruises are barely healed, and the mental scars are still there.Don’t play games with her.”
“Aren’t you self-righteous all of a sudden?”Rey shot back angrily.“You’ve been stringing Janie Brewster along for weeks, and we both know you don’t have any intention in hell of getting serious about her.All you want is first chance at that damned seed bull they’re thinking of selling!Does she know?”he added maliciously.
Leo’s eyes began to glitter.“Janie is a child,” he said furiously.“I pick at her, and not because of any damned bull.I’m certainly not hell-bent on seduction!”
“She’s not a child,” Rey countered.“You’re leading her down a blind alley, when you know full well she’s in love with you.”
