she was so afraid, why she couldn't cut him down to size, for that was what one did with wolves, wasn't it? But it was no use telling herself these things when she couldn't carry them out. She only knew she had to keep her distance from this man, come what may. In a voice that trembled she heard herself say, 'If you don't leave this minute, I shall scream the place down! '
Her wary eyes saw his face whiten, and a muscle work at the side of his mouth. `So that's it, is it?' he said harshly. 'You're determined to carry on with this loss of memory story, are you? Convenient, isn't it?' His voice changed to a mocking tone. 'Well, I
don't believe a word of it. You might have fooled the doctor, but you don't fool me. It gave you a perfectly valid excuse for cutting me dead, didn't it?'
He made a move towards her, and Teresa, terrified that he would make another attempt to take her in his arms, backed further away until she came up against her desk. She knew she wouldn't make the front door, he hadn't finished with her yet.
'Don't worry,' he said bitterly. 'I'm not risking the chance of another show of outraged innocence from you.' His eyes held hers in a hold she couldn't break, and she thought how very blue they were. She held on to the thought; anything to take her mind off what he was saying.
'You weren't the only aggrieved party, remember? You walked out on me. How the devil do you think I felt?'
When she didn't answer but continued to stare at him with wide eyes, he carried on, 'I've my pride, too, and you left me for him—someone you didn't even know existed until he claimed relationship with you.' His voice grew harsher. 'Now, that took a hell of a lot of forgiving. Okay, so I was shocked when I found out who you were; you should have allowed for that.'
Teresa heard, but couldn't understand any of it. She desperately wanted him to explain everything, only her head was aching. She put a shaky hand on her forehead. "Please I don't understand you,' she whispered.
Instead of making him relent and ease the pressure he was putting on her, her words appeared to
infuriate Carl Elton even more. 'So he really got through to you, didn't he.? Okay, play it that way for now if it makes you feel any better. But before I go I want you to know just where I've been these past few weeks, and why—then when you've thought things over I'm sure you'll regain that lost memory of yours.' His eyes narrowed. 'There's just one thing I want to make quite clear—what I said about your uncle still goes.'
He looked away from her and stared out of the window to the street beyond. 'I've been up north,' he said abruptly, 'taken an option on a ranch there. It's not quite so big as Sunset Ridge, but it has great potential.' His eyes came back to hers. 'What I'm telling you is that I want you to come with me.' Teresa saw his hand curl into a hard fist. 'No one there has ever heard of the name Rafferty—or the feud.'
Wordlessly she stared at him. He was asking her to go away with him ! She knew a sense of shock, and her befuddled mind tried to make sense of what he had said about the name Rafferty. Her name was Cottam, so her uncle had told her—his name was Rafferty. She gave it up. Whatever the answer was, it didn't alter the fact that he had had the impudence to ask her to be his mistress!
Her face flushed as she acknowledged this, and her green eyes sparkled with indignation. 'I think I'd prefer to forget we had this conversation,' she said bitingly. 'And I can't think what made you presume I'd even be willing to consider your dubious proposal, but I can tell you here and now ...'
He did not allow her to finish, but cut in sharply
with, 'What the devil do you mean by "dubious proposal"?'
Teresa moved back against her desk. His eyes were blazing into hers, and she had a feeling she was treading on very thin ice and wished that Michael or his father were there.
When she did not answer, he nodded grimly at her. 'Still playing
Her wary eyes saw his face whiten, and a muscle work at the side of his mouth. `So that's it, is it?' he said harshly. 'You're determined to carry on with this loss of memory story, are you? Convenient, isn't it?' His voice changed to a mocking tone. 'Well, I
don't believe a word of it. You might have fooled the doctor, but you don't fool me. It gave you a perfectly valid excuse for cutting me dead, didn't it?'
He made a move towards her, and Teresa, terrified that he would make another attempt to take her in his arms, backed further away until she came up against her desk. She knew she wouldn't make the front door, he hadn't finished with her yet.
'Don't worry,' he said bitterly. 'I'm not risking the chance of another show of outraged innocence from you.' His eyes held hers in a hold she couldn't break, and she thought how very blue they were. She held on to the thought; anything to take her mind off what he was saying.
'You weren't the only aggrieved party, remember? You walked out on me. How the devil do you think I felt?'
When she didn't answer but continued to stare at him with wide eyes, he carried on, 'I've my pride, too, and you left me for him—someone you didn't even know existed until he claimed relationship with you.' His voice grew harsher. 'Now, that took a hell of a lot of forgiving. Okay, so I was shocked when I found out who you were; you should have allowed for that.'
Teresa heard, but couldn't understand any of it. She desperately wanted him to explain everything, only her head was aching. She put a shaky hand on her forehead. "Please I don't understand you,' she whispered.
Instead of making him relent and ease the pressure he was putting on her, her words appeared to
infuriate Carl Elton even more. 'So he really got through to you, didn't he.? Okay, play it that way for now if it makes you feel any better. But before I go I want you to know just where I've been these past few weeks, and why—then when you've thought things over I'm sure you'll regain that lost memory of yours.' His eyes narrowed. 'There's just one thing I want to make quite clear—what I said about your uncle still goes.'
He looked away from her and stared out of the window to the street beyond. 'I've been up north,' he said abruptly, 'taken an option on a ranch there. It's not quite so big as Sunset Ridge, but it has great potential.' His eyes came back to hers. 'What I'm telling you is that I want you to come with me.' Teresa saw his hand curl into a hard fist. 'No one there has ever heard of the name Rafferty—or the feud.'
Wordlessly she stared at him. He was asking her to go away with him ! She knew a sense of shock, and her befuddled mind tried to make sense of what he had said about the name Rafferty. Her name was Cottam, so her uncle had told her—his name was Rafferty. She gave it up. Whatever the answer was, it didn't alter the fact that he had had the impudence to ask her to be his mistress!
Her face flushed as she acknowledged this, and her green eyes sparkled with indignation. 'I think I'd prefer to forget we had this conversation,' she said bitingly. 'And I can't think what made you presume I'd even be willing to consider your dubious proposal, but I can tell you here and now ...'
He did not allow her to finish, but cut in sharply
with, 'What the devil do you mean by "dubious proposal"?'
Teresa moved back against her desk. His eyes were blazing into hers, and she had a feeling she was treading on very thin ice and wished that Michael or his father were there.
When she did not answer, he nodded grimly at her. 'Still playing
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