Диана Палмер – His Virgin Wife: The Wedding in White / Caught in the Crossfire / The Virgin's Secret Marriage (страница 15)
“I am.”
“Then where’s the problem?”
“You just felt it.”
“Mack!”
He caught her hand and tugged her toward their table. “What’s that song—one step forward and two steps back? That’s how I feel lately.”
She felt churned up, frustrated, hot with desire and furious that he was playing some sort of game with her hormones. She knew she was flushed and she couldn’t quite meet Vivian’s eyes when they went to the table.
“Don’t sit down,” Whit drawled, catching Natalie by the wrist before she could be seated. “This one’s mine.”
He drew her on the dance floor to the chagrin of brother and sister and wrapped her tight as the slow dance began.
“If you want to keep that arm, loosen it,” Natalie told Whit with barely contained rage.
He did, at once, and grinned at her. “Sorry. That’s the way big brother was holding you, though. But, then, he’s almost family, isn’t he? Vivian says the two of you went through high school together.”
“Yes, we did. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“She’s jealous of you,” he said.
“That’s a hoot,” she replied, laughing. “She’s a beauty queen and I’m plain.”
“That isn’t what I mean,” he corrected. “She envies you your kind heart and intelligence. She has neither.”
“That’s a strange way to talk about a girl you care for,” she chided.
“I like Vivian a lot,” he said. “But she’s like so many others, self-centered and spoiled, waiting for life to serve up whatever she wants. I’ll bet there hasn’t been a man in years who’s said no to her.”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever said no to her,” she replied with a smile. “She’s pretty and sweet, whatever else she is.”
He shrugged. “Pretty and rich. I guess that’s enough for most men. When do you start teaching?”
“In the fall, if I passed my exams. If I don’t graduate, it will be another year before I can get a teaching job around here.”
“You could go farther afield,” he told her. “I was surfing the Internet the other night, browsing for teachers’ jobs. There are lots of openings in north Texas, especially in Dallas. I always thought I’d like to live in Texas.”
“I don’t really want to live that far from home,” she said.
“But you don’t have a home, really, do you?” he asked. “Vivian said you were orphaned when you were very young.”
“My mother was born here,” she said. “So was her mother, and her mother’s mother. I have roots.”
“They can be a trap as much as a safety cushion,” he cautioned. “Do you really want to spend the rest of your life out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“That’s an odd question for someone who came here from Los Angeles,” she pointed out.
He averted his gaze. “Nevada, actually,” he said. “I got tired of the rat race. I wanted someplace quiet. But it’s just a little too quiet here. A year of it is more than I expected to do.”
“Do you like teaching?”
He made a face. “Not really. I wanted to do great things. I had all these dreams about building exotic houses and making barrels of money, but I couldn’t get into architecture. They said I had no talent for it.”
“That’s a shame.”
“So I teach,” he added with a cold smile. “English, of all things.”
“Viv says you’re very good at it.”
“It doesn’t pay enough to keep me in decent suits,” he said in a vicious tone. “When I think of how I used to live, how much I had, it makes me sick.”
“What did you do before you were a teacher?” she asked, fishing delicately.
“I was in real estate,” he said, but he didn’t meet her eyes. “It was a very lucrative business.”
“Couldn’t you get a license here in Montana and go back into it?”
“Nobody wants to buy land in Montana these days,” he muttered. “It’s not exactly hot real estate.”
“I suppose not.”
The music ended and he escorted her to the table, where Mack and Vivian sat fuming.
Vivian got to her feet at once. “And now it’s my turn,” she said pertly and with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Sure,” Whit said easily, and smiled as he led her onto the dance floor.
“What was all the conversation about?” Mack wanted to know.
“I was trying to draw him out about his former profession. He said he was in real estate in Nevada,” she said, with a wary glance toward Viv and Whit, who were totally involved with each other for the moment.
“And I’m the tooth fairy,” Mack said absently.
Natalie laughed helplessly.
“What?” he demanded.
“I was picturing you in a pink tutu.”
That eye narrowed. “You’ll pay for that one.”
“Okay. A white tutu.”
He shook his head. “Finish your drink. We have to leave pretty soon. I have an early appointment in town tomorrow.”
“Okay, boss,” she drawled, and ignored his stormy expression.
As it turned out, Mack took Natalie home first and walked her to her front door.
“Try to stay out of trouble,” he cautioned. “I may see you at the grocery store tomorrow.”
“Sadie shops. You don’t.”
“I can shop if I want to,” he said. He searched her bright face. “Just for the record, I wanted to take them home first.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
One shoulder lifted and fell. “It isn’t the right time. Not yet.” He bent and brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. “This is to throw them off the track,” he whispered as he stood straight again. “A little brotherly peck should do the trick.”
“Yes, it should.”
His gaze fell to her soft mouth for an instant. “Next time, I’ll make sure I take you home last. Good night, angel.”
“Good night.”
He winked and walked to the car, whistling an off-key tune on the way. Natalie waved before she went into the house. She’d wanted Mack to kiss her again, but maybe he’d had enough kissing that afternoon. She hadn’t. Not by a long shot. She didn’t want to feel this way about Mack, but she couldn’t help herself. She wondered how it would eventually work out between them, but it was too disturbing to torture herself like that. She cleaned her face, got into her gown and went to bed. And she dreamed of Mack all night long.
The phone rang on the one morning during the week when Natalie could sleep late. It was Mack, and he sounded worried.
“It’s Viv,” he said at once, not bothering with a greeting. “I had to take her to the emergency room early this morning. She’s got the flu and it’s complicated with pneumonia. She refused to let me put her in the hospital, and I’ve got to fly out to Dallas this morning on business. My plane leaves in less than an hour and a half. The boys are off on a hunting trip. I hate to ask you, but can you come over and stay with her until I get home?”
“Of course I can,” she replied. “How long are you going to be away?”
“With luck, I’ll be back by midnight. If not, first thing tomorrow.”