closer to finding out if he was dead, as they’d been told, or still alive.
Maybe she didn’t love Liam as well as she should have, but she
did
love him. This had to be as hard on her as it was on Cal. And his cruel intolerance was only making it worse.
“Where exactly did you meet Liam?” he asked softly, both wanting to know and wanting her to know that there could, indeed, be a truce between them. And not just for Liam’s sake.
Fresh tears flooded her eyes, and he had to turn and pretend he didn’t notice her wiping them away.
“In Boston,” she told him. “He was writing an article on date rape and he came into the crisis center where I work. He wanted to do a ‘day in the life of a crisis center worker’ kind of sidebar for the piece, and he followed me around for twenty-four hours straight, writing down everything I said and did.” She smiled softly at the memory, her eyes distant. “The article was wonderful. It sparked interest in the center that got us additional funding.” She looked up at Cal. “He told me he always sent you copies of everything he wrote. Do you remember reading it? It was about eight months before he left for San Salustiano.”
Cal nodded. He remembered. “I’ll have to look at it again. I don’t remember your name being in there.”
“It wasn’t.” She leaned her head back against the seat as she looked at him. “The names were all changed to protect the innocent.”
“So that’s when you…became involved with him?”
Kayla shook her head no. “That’s when we became friends. He was seeing someone and I…I had my own agenda to work through. We didn’t start dating until right before he—”
Died. She was going to say died.
“—right before he left for the Caribbean.” She lifted the rodeo ring she was wearing on a chain around her neck, watching the light sparkle on the shiny red stone. “He asked me to marry him on our first official date. I still think his proposal was just an attempt to get me into bed.”
What on earth had possessed her to say
that
? Kayla had to look away from the cowboy, afraid to see his reaction to her words reflected in his pale blue eyes. From now on she had to avoid all references to sex, no matter how vague. Because there was something there between them, something almost tangible, something powerful. Something much too dangerous to fool with.
“Hell of a ploy,” Cal drawled, “considering he was willing to trade the rest of his life for the pleasure.”
“Liam wasn’t…very good at long-term planning,” she said, choosing her words cautiously. “He didn’t think much beyond the here and now. In fact, I’m not sure he gave much thought to the concept of marriage involving the rest of his life.”
To her surprise, Cal chuckled. “I guess you
did
know him pretty well, didn’t you?”
“Not as well as he wanted me to know him.”
His eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief, and Kayla had to look away again, suddenly embarrassed at the intimate secrets her words had revealed.
She hadn’t slept with Liam. She hadn’t been ready to, not even after having known him for eight months. Yet she’d come impossibly close to making love to his brother, closer than she had come in years to making love to anyone, after only an hour-and-a-half-long acquaintance.
Kayla didn’t want to think about what that might mean. She
wouldn’t
think about it. She hadn’t come this far to be distracted by a man who was such a curious and fascinating mix of soft and hard, hot and cold, gentle understanding and cruel intolerance.
“I spoke to as many people as I could about how to approach the San Salustiano government regarding Liam,” she told the rancher. He was watching her closely, as if he were trying to probe her mind. It was disconcerting and intimidating, and she gazed back at him, trying not to let him see her squirm.
His faded cowboy hat was resting on one knee, and he’d run his fingers through his jet-black hair,
Maybe she didn’t love Liam as well as she should have, but she
did
love him. This had to be as hard on her as it was on Cal. And his cruel intolerance was only making it worse.
“Where exactly did you meet Liam?” he asked softly, both wanting to know and wanting her to know that there could, indeed, be a truce between them. And not just for Liam’s sake.
Fresh tears flooded her eyes, and he had to turn and pretend he didn’t notice her wiping them away.
“In Boston,” she told him. “He was writing an article on date rape and he came into the crisis center where I work. He wanted to do a ‘day in the life of a crisis center worker’ kind of sidebar for the piece, and he followed me around for twenty-four hours straight, writing down everything I said and did.” She smiled softly at the memory, her eyes distant. “The article was wonderful. It sparked interest in the center that got us additional funding.” She looked up at Cal. “He told me he always sent you copies of everything he wrote. Do you remember reading it? It was about eight months before he left for San Salustiano.”
Cal nodded. He remembered. “I’ll have to look at it again. I don’t remember your name being in there.”
“It wasn’t.” She leaned her head back against the seat as she looked at him. “The names were all changed to protect the innocent.”
“So that’s when you…became involved with him?”
Kayla shook her head no. “That’s when we became friends. He was seeing someone and I…I had my own agenda to work through. We didn’t start dating until right before he—”
Died. She was going to say died.
“—right before he left for the Caribbean.” She lifted the rodeo ring she was wearing on a chain around her neck, watching the light sparkle on the shiny red stone. “He asked me to marry him on our first official date. I still think his proposal was just an attempt to get me into bed.”
What on earth had possessed her to say
that
? Kayla had to look away from the cowboy, afraid to see his reaction to her words reflected in his pale blue eyes. From now on she had to avoid all references to sex, no matter how vague. Because there was something there between them, something almost tangible, something powerful. Something much too dangerous to fool with.
“Hell of a ploy,” Cal drawled, “considering he was willing to trade the rest of his life for the pleasure.”
“Liam wasn’t…very good at long-term planning,” she said, choosing her words cautiously. “He didn’t think much beyond the here and now. In fact, I’m not sure he gave much thought to the concept of marriage involving the rest of his life.”
To her surprise, Cal chuckled. “I guess you
did
know him pretty well, didn’t you?”
“Not as well as he wanted me to know him.”
His eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief, and Kayla had to look away again, suddenly embarrassed at the intimate secrets her words had revealed.
She hadn’t slept with Liam. She hadn’t been ready to, not even after having known him for eight months. Yet she’d come impossibly close to making love to his brother, closer than she had come in years to making love to anyone, after only an hour-and-a-half-long acquaintance.
Kayla didn’t want to think about what that might mean. She
wouldn’t
think about it. She hadn’t come this far to be distracted by a man who was such a curious and fascinating mix of soft and hard, hot and cold, gentle understanding and cruel intolerance.
“I spoke to as many people as I could about how to approach the San Salustiano government regarding Liam,” she told the rancher. He was watching her closely, as if he were trying to probe her mind. It was disconcerting and intimidating, and she gazed back at him, trying not to let him see her squirm.
His faded cowboy hat was resting on one knee, and he’d run his fingers through his jet-black hair,
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