Cowboy to the Rescue by Stella Bagwell Page B

wasn’t his style to steal a kiss. He didn’t usually have to steal them. Normally, his female counterparts were more than willing to share in a bit of physical pleasure.
    But it was becoming plain to him that Christina Logan was totally different from the women he’d known in the past. She wasn’t amused or charmed by his mere attention. No. He was going to have to show her that there was more to him than a wink and a grin and a few nights of bliss between the sheets.
    â€œYou might think that way, Christina, but I can’t. I already consider you my friend.”
    Her attention remained on her salad, but he could see the stiff line of her shoulders visibly relax. She looked extra feminine tonight in a white peasant blouse and a tiered skirt of yellow printed calico. Her red hair was looped atop her head and clamped at the back with a tortoiseshell barrette. Silver hoops dangled from her ears, and the tiny cross she always wore dangled near the hint of cleavage exposed by the low neckline of her blouse. Just looking at her set his senses on fire.
    â€œI can handle being your friend, Lex.”
    But nothing more. She might as well have spoken the words out loud, because he could feel them hanging in the air between them. And for some reason, Lex didn’t understand; he felt totally deflated.
    â€œI, um, I’m sorry if you thought…well, that I was thinking you were a man hunter like your mother,” he said awkwardly. “I mean, not that being like your mother is a bad thing, but—”
    She looked up at him. “You don’t need to tiptoe around the truth, Lex. There’s no way of saying it kindly. Being like my mother is not a compliment.”
    â€œIs that why you’ve never married?” he asked more soberly than he’d intended. “Because your mother has been through so many marriages?”
    â€œObviously, marriage isn’t a sacred union to her,” she said, with a hint of sarcasm, then shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said that. Mother did try—she and Father remained together for fifteen years.”
    He swallowed a bite of salad before he pointed out, “You didn’t exactly answer my question about why you haven’t married.”
    â€œHow do you know I haven’t been married before?” she asked.
    Lex shrugged. “I don’t. I just assumed. Have you?”
    She glanced away from him, but not before he spotted sad shadows in her eyes, shadows that could only have been put there by a man. And for a split second, Lex wished he’d not asked her anything so personal. For some reason, he didn’t want to think that she might have loved another man so much that she’d wanted to marry him.
    â€œNo,” she answered. “I got close once. But it didn’t work out, and now that I look back on that relationship, I realize I made an escape.” Sighing, she turned her blue eyes back to him. “To answer your question, I suppose a therapist would say my mother has warped my view of marriage. But in my opinion, that’s hardly the reason that I’m still a single woman. I just haven’t met the right man. A man that wants the same things I want.”
    From what she’d said before, he knew she believed love was the essential ingredient for marriage. She was obviously a romantic, who still believed there was some man out there who’d perfectly meet all her requirements. Well, he was a romantic, too. He’d always wanted to find love. But while he understood how to do all the gentle, flowery things that impressed most women, as for love? Other than his family, he’d never met anyone who even made him consider placing that much importance on another human being. He’d tried, but it had just never happened.
    â€œMaybe your mother isn’t looking for love, Christina,” he suggested. “Could be that she’s searching for financial security. Some women value