DONNA ALWARD – The Cowboy's Homecoming (страница 7)
“Considering what? That I think you’re a jerk?”
And just like that she was beneath the water again. The girl could swim like an otter.
She emerged at the other side of the swimming hole. “Maybe it is time for me to go,” she said, and struck out for the edge.
“Kailey, I get that you’re mad, and you have every right to be. I’m sorry. I have no excuses for my behavior.”
Her feet touched bottom and she started walking her way in. “It says something when a guy can’t even hang around for breakfast.” She was stomping now, making an unholy racket as she splashed her way toward shore. “Or when you stiff the motel on part of your bill.”
“Wait, what?” He put his feet on the bottom and stared at her. What was she talking about?
“You underpaid. I had to drop off the room key, which would have been humiliating enough. But there was still twenty bucks owing.”
He’d been sure he’d counted out enough twenties before leaving the money on the desk in an envelope he’d found in a drawer in the room.
But it had also been five in the morning. And dark.
She was standing on the edge now, in her white bra and panties. Which theoretically covered as much as any two-piece bathing suit, maybe more. But then there was the issue that it was white. And soaking wet.
And see-through.
“Kailey,” he said, his voice rough. “For the love of God, I hope you have a towel.”
She stared at him for a few seconds before what he’d said registered. But it was long enough for him to get a good long look at what was beneath the transparent fabric. And long enough for him to remember what it had been like with her back in February in the dim light of the motel room.
Amazing. Incredible. Scary as hell.
It was that last part that kept him grounded, tempered the need pounding through him to have her again. Cold water or not, he knew it was best for both of them if he stayed submerged right now.
She spun away and trotted off to where she’d left her clothes, then bent over to retrieve a towel she’d brought. He groaned a little, wondering if she’d bent over like that on purpose just to torture him.
When she turned around again, she had the towel wrapped around her. Well, around her middle, anyway. It was short and only went to the tops of her thighs. He could still see the lovely, long expanse of leg beneath it.
Kailey Brandt was trouble. And he was starting to believe she didn’t realize that about herself.
She was also angry. And beneath that he suspected she might be a little bit hurt. That’s what bothered him most of all. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. Hadn’t known he actually could.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Kailey, me leaving that morning was all on me. It had nothing to do with you.”
“Really?” Skepticism was ripe in her tone.
“Really,” he insisted. What could he say that would be close to the truth but not
“You’re a liar, Rylan Duggan. What was it, anyway? Was I too clingy? Too sweet? Did you think I’d expect a proposal in the morning? Was I unsatisfactory as a lover? I mean, I haven’t had that complaint before, but sometimes people don’t gel for whatever reason and—”
“No!” He cut her off, ran a hand over his wet hair. “Shut up, Kailey. Just shut up.”
He started walking out of the water and as he got closer he could see her eyes swimming with tears. “Aw, Kailey...”
She held up her hand. “Just don’t. I cry when I’m angry. And right now I’m really wound up.”
He reached her and tried not to shiver as the cool evening air touched his wet skin. “You want to know the truth? I liked it. A lot. Too much. And I was afraid that if I didn’t get up and leave that morning that I’d end up staying for breakfast. Or longer.”
“And would that have been so bad?”
“At the time? Yes.”
“Why?”
God, he hated these kinds of conversations. He’d learned long ago that there was no right answer to her kind of question, so he was as honest as he dared to be. “Because I didn’t have anything to offer you. I still don’t. I’m not the kind of guy who hangs around, Kailey.”
“You’re here now. At the ranch, I mean.”
“But only temporarily. Remember?” He didn’t stick around any one place for long. He liked it much better being free to go where he pleased, when he pleased. He called the shots and made his own choices. It had been a long time since anyone had made them for him. His choices, his consequences. It was easier that way.
He scooted past her and grabbed his shirt from the ground, gave it a shake and pulled it on. His shorts still dripped and there was no way he could put his jeans on over top. If she hadn’t been here, he would have simply stripped to the skin and gone for a dip. Now his only option was to stand here and be cold or to take them off and pull on his jeans commando.
“Turn around,” he ordered.
“What?”
“Turn around.”
He could tell the moment she understood his meaning because her cheeks flushed bright pink. Despite it, she lifted her chin a little. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
He could mention that he’d pretty much seen everything of hers, too, through that wet underwear, but he didn’t. If she was determined to prove a point, he’d oblige. With a shrug he pushed down his shorts and stepped out of them, then reached for his jeans and tugged them on awkwardly. His skin was still wet and the fabric clung to his legs. He finally got them buttoned and carefully zipped.
When he looked up her face was bright red, but she hadn’t looked away.
It was better now that he was dressed, and he reached down and grabbed her T-shirt, handing it over. “Here. Get warm.”
She dropped her towel and he caught a glimpse of her abdomen, lean and pale compared to the worker’s tan on her arms and face. Immediately the green shirt got dark, damp spots on her chest.
What he really wanted to do was spread out his shirt or that towel and lay her down on it. That part hadn’t changed. He still found her beautiful, intriguing and sexy as hell. Probably because of her confidence. Or bullheadedness. Two sides of the same coin, he figured.
And then she stripped off her panties and pulled on her jeans and he had to look away. Whatever point she was trying to prove, she’d done it.
“Kailey, I don’t want things to be strained. I can’t apologize forever. I meant it when I said I was completely at fault. I don’t know how else to make amends. What do you want me to do? I’ll do it. The last thing I want is to disrupt anything here.”
She wadded up her underwear and rolled them into the damp towel. “There’s nothing you can do. I don’t actually want to keep punishing you for it. I can’t seem to help myself.”
“I’m not trying to push your buttons.”
“I know that. You’ve gone out of your way to be nice. I just...don’t want you to be nice. I don’t know what I want, Rylan. I have too much pride for my own good.”
He chuckled then. “No wonder we seem to butt heads. All that pride getting in the way.”
“What can I say? I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I’ve had to.”
He didn’t doubt it. He knew for a fact that Kailey was heavily involved in raising Brandt stock, and that took strength and a good amount of backbone. There were still some good old boys who didn’t appreciate a woman running ranch operations and didn’t like taking orders. It was a load of garbage, in his opinion.
But he guessed that what had happened on Valentine’s Day probably also had gotten around town. He sat down on the grass and patted the spot beside him. “Sit for a minute, instead of looking like you’re ready to throttle me.”
She hesitated but then sat, pulling her knees close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The pose made her look almost childlike, especially with her tawny hair falling over her shoulders in wet ribbons.
“Did what happened with us make things difficult for you?” he asked quietly.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, stiffing the guy for the room was unintentional, but Gibson is small. If what happened got around...” He let the thought hang for a few seconds before continuing. “I know you’re a woman operating in a male-dominated world. The last thing you need is rumors about your personal life undermining that.”
“I’m not sure if I’m touched by your concern or infuriated that it’s even an issue. I’m sure your reputation wouldn’t suffer for such a thing. You’d be given
“It’s a stupid double standard, and I hope I didn’t play a part in it.”
She met his gaze. “Rylan, I’m no angel. I’m in my late twenties and definitely not some delicate, virginal flower. But I certainly don’t make a habit of catting around, and I keep my personal life discreet.” She sighed. “Or at least I try to.”
Rylan hadn’t considered this side of things before, and a pang of regret made his heart heavy. When was the last time he’d truly liked someone enough to care what happened the morning after? He honestly couldn’t remember. He moved around. Got used to the buckle bunnies who followed the circuit and were looking to put another notch on
Not since February though. Not since he’d awakened in the dark to find Kailey sleeping beside him. Something had happened. Something that had made him feel wonderful and extremely uncomfortable at the same time.