[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
own. I ll be upstairs if the mechanic comes. Tell him the truck s in the barn with one of my men. He
can go right on out.
Okay.
He walked out and Kasie stared after him. The conversation with his parents hadn t been pleasant
for him. He seemed to dislike them intensely. She knew that they were never mentioned around the
girls, and John never spoke of them, either. She wondered what they d done to make their sons so
hostile. Then she remembered what Gil had said, about their being used by their parents only to make
money, and it all began to make sense. Perhaps they didn t really want children at all. What a pity, that
their sons were nothing more than sales incentives to them.
The mechanic did come while Gil was upstairs. Kasie went with him onto the long porch and
showed him where the barn was, so that he could drive on down there and park his truck. The rain had
stopped, though, so he didn t have to worry about getting wet. There was a pleasant dripping sound
off the eaves of the house, and the delicious smell of wet flowers in the darkness.
Kasie sat down in the porch swing and rocked it into motion. It was a perfect night, now that the
storm had abated. She could hear crickets, or maybe frogs, chirping all around the flowering shrubs
that surrounded the front porch. It reminded her, for some reason, of Africa. She vaguely
remembered sitting in a porch swing with her mother and Kantor when their father was away
working. There were the delicious smells of cooking from the house, and the spicy smells drifting
from the harbor nearby, as well as the familiar sound of African workers singing and humming as
they worked around the settlement. It was a long time ago, when she still had a family. Now, except
for Mama Luke, she was completely alone. It was a cold, empty feeling.
The screen door suddenly opened and Gil came out onto the porch. His blond hair was still
damp, faintly unruly at the edges and tending to curl. He was wearing a blue checked Western shirt
with clean jeans and nice boots. He looked just the way a working cowboy should when he was
cleaned up, she thought, trying to imagine him a century earlier.
Is the mechanic here? he asked abruptly when he spotted Kasie in the swing.
Yes, I sent him on down to the barn.
He went down the steps gracefully and stalked to the barn. He was gone about five minutes and
when he came out of the barn, so did the mechanic. They shook hands and the mechanic drove off.
A fuse, he murmured, shaking his head as he came up the steps and dropped into the swing at
Kasie s side. A damned fuse, and the whole panel went down. Imagine that.
Sometimes it s the little things that give the most trouble, she murmured, shy with him.
He put an arm behind her and rocked the swing into motion. I like the way you smell, Kasie, he
said lazily. You always remind me of roses.
I m allergic to perfume, she confided. The florals are the only ones I can wear without
sneezing my head off.
Where are my babies? he asked.
Mrs. Charters is baking cookies with them in the kitchen, she said, smiling. They love to
cook. So do I. We ve all learned a lot from Mrs. Charters.
He looked down at her in the darkness. One lean hand went to the braid at the back of her head,
and he tugged on it gently. You re mysterious, he murmured. I don t really know anything about
you.
There s not much to tell, she told him. I m just ordinary.
He shifted, and she felt his powerful thigh against her leg. Her body came alive with fleeting
little stabs of pleasure. She could feel her breath catching in her throat as she breathed. He was too
close.
She started to move, but it was too late. His arm curled her into his body, and the warm, hard
pressure of his mouth pushed her head back against the swing while he fed hungrily on her lips.
Part of her wanted to resist, but a stronger part was completely powerless. She reached up and
put her arms around his neck and opened her lips for him. She felt him stiffen, hesitate, catch his
breath. Then his mouth became rough and demanding, and he dragged her across his legs, folding
her close while he kissed her until her mouth was swollen and tender.
He nibbled her upper lip, fighting to breathe normally. Don t let me do this, he warned.
You re bigger than I am, she murmured breathlessly.
That s no excuse at all.
Her fingers trailed over his hard mouth and down to his chest where they rested. She stared at the
wide curve of his mouth with a kind of wonder that a man like this, good-looking and charming and
wealthy, would look twice at a chestnut mouse like Kasie. Perhaps he needed glasses.
He touched her oval face, tracing its soft lines in a warm, damp darkness that was suddenly like
an exotic, faraway place. Kasie felt as if she d come home. Impulsively, she let her head slide down
his arm until it rested in the crook of his elbow. She watched his expression harden, heard his
breathing change. His lean fingers moved down her chin and throat until they were at the top button of
her shirtwaist dress. They hesitated there.
She lay looking up at him patiently, curiously, ablaze with unfamiliar longings and delight.
Kasie, he whispered, and his long fingers began to sensually move the top button out of its
buttonhole. As it came free, he heard her soft gasp, felt the jerk of her body, and knew that this was
new territory for her.
His hand started to slide gently into the opening he d made. He watched Kasie, lying so sweetly
in his embrace, giving him free license with her innocence, and he shivered with desire.
But even as he felt the soft warmth of the skin at her collarbone, laughing young voices came
drifting out onto the porch as the front door opened.
Gil moved Kasie back into her own seat abruptly and stood up.
Daddy s home! Bess cried, and she and Jenny ran to him, to be scooped up and kissed heartily.
I ll, uh, just go and get my pad so that you can dictate that letter you mentioned, Kasie said as
she got up, too.
You will not, Gil said, his voice still a little husky. Go to bed, Kasie. It can wait. In the
morning, you can tutor Pauline on the computer, so that she can take over inputting the cattle records.
John won t be in until late tonight, and he leaves early tomorrow for the cattle show in San Antonio.
There s nothing in the office that can t wait.
She was both disappointed and relieved. It was getting harder to deny Gil anything he wanted.
She couldn t have imagined that she was such a wanton person only a few weeks ago. She didn t know
what to do.
Okay, I ll call it a night, she said, trying to disguise her nervousness. Good night, babies,
she told Bess and Jenny with a smile. Sleep tight.
Will you tell us a story, Kasie? Bess began.
I ll tell you a story tonight. Kasie needs her rest. All right? he asked the girls.
All right, Daddy, Jenny murmured, laying her sleepy head on his shoulder.
They all went upstairs together. Kasie didn t quite meet his eyes as she went down the hall to her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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own. I ll be upstairs if the mechanic comes. Tell him the truck s in the barn with one of my men. He
can go right on out.
Okay.
He walked out and Kasie stared after him. The conversation with his parents hadn t been pleasant
for him. He seemed to dislike them intensely. She knew that they were never mentioned around the
girls, and John never spoke of them, either. She wondered what they d done to make their sons so
hostile. Then she remembered what Gil had said, about their being used by their parents only to make
money, and it all began to make sense. Perhaps they didn t really want children at all. What a pity, that
their sons were nothing more than sales incentives to them.
The mechanic did come while Gil was upstairs. Kasie went with him onto the long porch and
showed him where the barn was, so that he could drive on down there and park his truck. The rain had
stopped, though, so he didn t have to worry about getting wet. There was a pleasant dripping sound
off the eaves of the house, and the delicious smell of wet flowers in the darkness.
Kasie sat down in the porch swing and rocked it into motion. It was a perfect night, now that the
storm had abated. She could hear crickets, or maybe frogs, chirping all around the flowering shrubs
that surrounded the front porch. It reminded her, for some reason, of Africa. She vaguely
remembered sitting in a porch swing with her mother and Kantor when their father was away
working. There were the delicious smells of cooking from the house, and the spicy smells drifting
from the harbor nearby, as well as the familiar sound of African workers singing and humming as
they worked around the settlement. It was a long time ago, when she still had a family. Now, except
for Mama Luke, she was completely alone. It was a cold, empty feeling.
The screen door suddenly opened and Gil came out onto the porch. His blond hair was still
damp, faintly unruly at the edges and tending to curl. He was wearing a blue checked Western shirt
with clean jeans and nice boots. He looked just the way a working cowboy should when he was
cleaned up, she thought, trying to imagine him a century earlier.
Is the mechanic here? he asked abruptly when he spotted Kasie in the swing.
Yes, I sent him on down to the barn.
He went down the steps gracefully and stalked to the barn. He was gone about five minutes and
when he came out of the barn, so did the mechanic. They shook hands and the mechanic drove off.
A fuse, he murmured, shaking his head as he came up the steps and dropped into the swing at
Kasie s side. A damned fuse, and the whole panel went down. Imagine that.
Sometimes it s the little things that give the most trouble, she murmured, shy with him.
He put an arm behind her and rocked the swing into motion. I like the way you smell, Kasie, he
said lazily. You always remind me of roses.
I m allergic to perfume, she confided. The florals are the only ones I can wear without
sneezing my head off.
Where are my babies? he asked.
Mrs. Charters is baking cookies with them in the kitchen, she said, smiling. They love to
cook. So do I. We ve all learned a lot from Mrs. Charters.
He looked down at her in the darkness. One lean hand went to the braid at the back of her head,
and he tugged on it gently. You re mysterious, he murmured. I don t really know anything about
you.
There s not much to tell, she told him. I m just ordinary.
He shifted, and she felt his powerful thigh against her leg. Her body came alive with fleeting
little stabs of pleasure. She could feel her breath catching in her throat as she breathed. He was too
close.
She started to move, but it was too late. His arm curled her into his body, and the warm, hard
pressure of his mouth pushed her head back against the swing while he fed hungrily on her lips.
Part of her wanted to resist, but a stronger part was completely powerless. She reached up and
put her arms around his neck and opened her lips for him. She felt him stiffen, hesitate, catch his
breath. Then his mouth became rough and demanding, and he dragged her across his legs, folding
her close while he kissed her until her mouth was swollen and tender.
He nibbled her upper lip, fighting to breathe normally. Don t let me do this, he warned.
You re bigger than I am, she murmured breathlessly.
That s no excuse at all.
Her fingers trailed over his hard mouth and down to his chest where they rested. She stared at the
wide curve of his mouth with a kind of wonder that a man like this, good-looking and charming and
wealthy, would look twice at a chestnut mouse like Kasie. Perhaps he needed glasses.
He touched her oval face, tracing its soft lines in a warm, damp darkness that was suddenly like
an exotic, faraway place. Kasie felt as if she d come home. Impulsively, she let her head slide down
his arm until it rested in the crook of his elbow. She watched his expression harden, heard his
breathing change. His lean fingers moved down her chin and throat until they were at the top button of
her shirtwaist dress. They hesitated there.
She lay looking up at him patiently, curiously, ablaze with unfamiliar longings and delight.
Kasie, he whispered, and his long fingers began to sensually move the top button out of its
buttonhole. As it came free, he heard her soft gasp, felt the jerk of her body, and knew that this was
new territory for her.
His hand started to slide gently into the opening he d made. He watched Kasie, lying so sweetly
in his embrace, giving him free license with her innocence, and he shivered with desire.
But even as he felt the soft warmth of the skin at her collarbone, laughing young voices came
drifting out onto the porch as the front door opened.
Gil moved Kasie back into her own seat abruptly and stood up.
Daddy s home! Bess cried, and she and Jenny ran to him, to be scooped up and kissed heartily.
I ll, uh, just go and get my pad so that you can dictate that letter you mentioned, Kasie said as
she got up, too.
You will not, Gil said, his voice still a little husky. Go to bed, Kasie. It can wait. In the
morning, you can tutor Pauline on the computer, so that she can take over inputting the cattle records.
John won t be in until late tonight, and he leaves early tomorrow for the cattle show in San Antonio.
There s nothing in the office that can t wait.
She was both disappointed and relieved. It was getting harder to deny Gil anything he wanted.
She couldn t have imagined that she was such a wanton person only a few weeks ago. She didn t know
what to do.
Okay, I ll call it a night, she said, trying to disguise her nervousness. Good night, babies,
she told Bess and Jenny with a smile. Sleep tight.
Will you tell us a story, Kasie? Bess began.
I ll tell you a story tonight. Kasie needs her rest. All right? he asked the girls.
All right, Daddy, Jenny murmured, laying her sleepy head on his shoulder.
They all went upstairs together. Kasie didn t quite meet his eyes as she went down the hall to her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]