Nell felt that hunger in him, but she was afraid of it. His eyes had become a glittering green, and they were so intent that she flushed and dropped her gaze to his chest. He made her weak all over. If he looked at her like that very often, she’d have to go off into the desert forever. She felt as if he were taking possession of her without a physical move.
She stepped back, nervous, unsure of herself. “I’d better go inside.”
“About those new men—they’re only temporary. Just until we get through roundup.” His voice sounded oddly strained. He lit a cigarette, surprised to find that his fingers were unsteady. “They’ll be here in a few weeks.”
She managed a shy smile. “Well, I’ll try not to treat them like ax murderers,” she promised nervously. “I’m sorry about the square dance. About leaving you to deal with Margie.” She lifted her shoulders jerkily.
“I don’t mind. But don’t make a habit of it, okay?” he asked, smiling to soften the words. He reached out and tugged a lock of her long, unruly hair. “I’m feeling a little raw right now, Nell. I’ve lost my home, my job…everything that used to matter. I’m still trying to find my feet. There’s no place in my life for a woman just yet.”
“I’m sorry about what you lost, Tyler,” she said with genuine sincerity, gazing up at his hard, dark face. “But you’ll get it all back one day. You’re that kind of person. I can’t see you giving up and settling for weekly wages.”
He smiled slowly, surprised at her perception. “Can’t you? You’re no quitter yourself, little Nell.”
She blushed. “I’m not little.”
He moved a step closer with a new kind of slowness, a sensual kind of movement that made Nell’s heart stop and then skip wildly. She could barely breathe, the manly cologne he wore drifting into her nostrils, seducing her. “You’re not very big, either,” he mused. He touched the very visible pulse in her soft neck, tracing it with a long, teasing finger that made it jump. “Nervous, honey?” he breathed.
She could hardly find enough breath to answer him. “I…I have to go inside.”
His head bent so that his green eyes were looking straight into her dark ones while that maddening finger traced a hot path down her throat and up to her jaw. “Do you?” he asked in a husky whisper, and his breath touched her parted lips like a kiss.
“Tyler…” Odd, how different her voice sounded. Strained. Almost frantic.
His eyes fell to her mouth, and he wanted it suddenly and fiercely. His chest rose and fell quickly, his eyes glittered down at her. He almost bent that scant inch that would have brought her soft, full mouth under his. But she was trembling, and he couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t from fear. It was too soon. Much too soon.
He forced himself to draw back, but his hand gripped her shoulder tightly before he let her go. “See you later,” he said with a slow smile.
She cleared her throat. For one wild second, she’d thought he meant to kiss her, but that was absurd. “Sure,” she said huskily. “See you.”
She turned and went into the house on wobbly legs. She was going to have to get her imagination under control. Tyler was only teasing, just as he had in the beginning. At least he still liked her. If she could control her foolish heart, they might yet become friends. She could hardly hope for anything more, with Margie around.
A couple of weekends later, Margie and the boys were back at the ranch. Curt and Jess were up at the crack of dawn Sunday, and Nell noticed with faint humor that they followed Tyler wherever he went. That gave Margie a good excuse to tag along, too, but the woman seemed preoccupied. She’d tried to get a conversation going with Nell earlier, although Nell hadn’t been forthcoming. It was hard going, listening to Margie try to order her life for her. Margie apparently hadn’t noticed that her sister-in-law was a capable adult. She spent most of her time at the ranch trying to change Nell into the kind of person she wanted her to be. Or so it seemed to Nell.
“I do wish you’d let me fix your face and help you buy some new clothes,” Margie grumbled at the breakfast table. She glared at Nell’s usual attire. “And you might as well wear a gunnysack as that old outfit. You’d get just as much notice from the men, anyway.”
“I don’t want the men to notice me,” Nell replied tersely.
“Well, you should,” she said stubbornly. “That incident was a long time ago, Nell,” she added with a fixed stare, “and not really as traumatic as you’ve made it out to be. And don’t argue,” she added when Nell bristled. “You were just a child, at a very impressionable age, and you’d had a crush on Darren. I’m not saying that you invited it, because we both know you didn’t. But it’s time you faced what a relationship really is between a man and a woman. You can’t be a little girl forever.”
“I’m not a little girl,” Nell said through her teeth. She knew her cheeks were scarlet. “And I know what relationships are. I don’t happen to want one.”
“You should. You’re going to wind up an old maid, and it’s a pitiful waste.” Margie folded her arms over the low bodice of her white peasant dress with its graceful flounces and ruffles. “Look, honey,” she began, her voice softening, “I know it was mostly my fault. I’m sorry. But you can’t let it ruin your whole life. You’ve never talked to me or to Bella. I wish you had, because we could have helped you.”
“I don’t need help,” Nell said icily.
“Yes, you do,” Margie persisted. “You’ve got to stop hiding from life—”
“There you are,” Tyler said, interrupting Margie’s tirade. “Your offspring have cornered a bull snake out in the yard. Curt says you won’t mind if he keeps it for a pet.”
Margie looked up, horrified.
Tyler chuckled at the expression on her face. “Okay. I’ll make him turn it loose.” He glanced at Nell, noticing the way she averted her eyes and toyed nervously with her coffee cup. “Some of the guests are going to services. I thought I’d drive them. I’m partial to a good sermon.”
“Okay. Thanks,” Nell said, ignoring Margie’s obvious surprise.
“Did you think I was the walking image of sin?” Tyler asked the prettier woman. “Sorry to put a stick in your spokes, but I’m still just a country boy from Texas, despite the life-style I used to boast.”
“My, my.” Margie shook her head amusedly. “The mind boggles.” She darted a glance at Nell, sitting like a rock. “You ought to take Nell along. She and her hair shirt would probably enjoy it.”
“I don’t wear a hair shirt, and I can drive myself to church later.” Nell got up and left the room, her stiff back saying more than words.
She did go to church, to the late morning service, in a plain gray dress that did nothing for her, with no makeup on and her honey-brown hair in a neat bun. She looked as she lived—plainly. Bella had driven her to town and was going to pick her up when the service was over. It would have been the last straw to go earlier with Tyler’s group, especially after Margie’s infuriating invitation at Tyler’s expense.
So the last person she expected to find waiting for her was Tyler, in a neat gray suit, lounging against the ranch station wagon at the front of the church when services were over.
“Where’s Bella?” Nell asked bluntly.
Tyler raised a dark eyebrow. “Now, now,” he chided gently. “It’s Sunday. And I’d hate to let you walk back