said in the same coaxing tone he’d use to gentle a wild horse. “You get to know me. Spend time with me. If you still think I’m a scoundrel and a thief, I’ll walk away and not bother you about the land again. If I prove otherwise, you’ll sell the ranch to me and get on with that traveling you’ve always dreamed about.”
“I can’t,” she said, her voice a little breathless.
“Why not? Don’t you trust your own judgment?”
“Of course, but—”
“It’s a fair deal, Karen. You know it is.”
“I still can’t do it,” she said.
She said it flatly, but Grady thought there was a slightly wistful note in her voice for the first time.
“Suit yourself. I’ll just come up with some other way to go about this,” he said with an indifferent shrug, and started to walk away. He didn’t get far.
“This experiment of yours,” she called after him, sounding resigned. “How long would it last and what would it entail?”
He turned back to face her. “As long as it takes and whatever’s necessary.”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. It’ll only work if there are rules and we both agree to them.”
“Okay, then,” he relented. “A month and we’llonly share a few meals, a little conversation. Nothing more. What’s the harm in that? We got through dinner last night without the world coming to an end, didn’t we?”
“I suppose.”
“So, what do you say? Is it a deal?”
“Two weeks,” she countered, her defiant gaze locked with his.
“Two weeks,” he agreed, seizing it. He bit back his desire to utter a whoop of triumph. “Lunch and dinner.”
“You’ll be satisfied with that?” she asked, gaze narrowed as she studied him. “Whatever my decision at the end of two weeks, you’ll live with it? You’ll accept it if I say you haven’t convinced me of anything?”
“That’s the agreement.”
She held out her hand. Grady clasped it, felt her tremble, and knew he’d just made the smartest deal of his life.
As he walked away, he murmured under his breath, “Two weeks is a start, darlin’. That’s a real good start.”
Chapter Five
W hat had she done? Karen rested her head on her arms and groaned as she considered Grady’s trap and the way she’d neatly stepped into it with virtually no hesitation at all. She had invited the enemy into the camp and promised to break bread with him. She had to be out of her mind.
But somehow, in the quiet stillness of the night, she hadn’t been able to resist what he was offering—a chance to end this battle once and for all.
More, it was a chance to unravel a puzzle that was increasingly complex. Why she cared so much about that didn’t bear thinking about. She feared it went beyond fair play, beyond curiosity. In fact, she had a terrible sense that it had to do with a yearning that had started in the pit of her stomach and hadn’t let up since the day he’d appeared in her kitchen.
It could be as simple as a yearning for companionship, something she’d missed desperately in the weeks and months since Caleb’s death. A worrisome voice in the back of her mind told her it was something more, something specific to Grady, the allure of the forbidden.
She hadn’t been the rule-breaker all those years ago. That had been Cassie. But, oh, how Karen had longed to be just like her, to shake things up, defy convention. Spending time with Grady would certainly qualify. There would be talk. Her in-laws were likely to be outraged. Deep down, even she disapproved of the choice she had made.
But it was done now. She couldn’t go back on her word. It was only a few meals, she reminded herself. How difficult could that be? How much trouble could she get into by spending an occasional hour in Grady’s company?
She found out when lunch turned out to be a daily ritual and dinner slipped into the schedule six nights out of seven. By the end of the first week of their agreement, she’d almost grown comfortable having Grady around.
“I can’t,” she said, her voice a little breathless.
“Why not? Don’t you trust your own judgment?”
“Of course, but—”
“It’s a fair deal, Karen. You know it is.”
“I still can’t do it,” she said.
She said it flatly, but Grady thought there was a slightly wistful note in her voice for the first time.
“Suit yourself. I’ll just come up with some other way to go about this,” he said with an indifferent shrug, and started to walk away. He didn’t get far.
“This experiment of yours,” she called after him, sounding resigned. “How long would it last and what would it entail?”
He turned back to face her. “As long as it takes and whatever’s necessary.”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. It’ll only work if there are rules and we both agree to them.”
“Okay, then,” he relented. “A month and we’llonly share a few meals, a little conversation. Nothing more. What’s the harm in that? We got through dinner last night without the world coming to an end, didn’t we?”
“I suppose.”
“So, what do you say? Is it a deal?”
“Two weeks,” she countered, her defiant gaze locked with his.
“Two weeks,” he agreed, seizing it. He bit back his desire to utter a whoop of triumph. “Lunch and dinner.”
“You’ll be satisfied with that?” she asked, gaze narrowed as she studied him. “Whatever my decision at the end of two weeks, you’ll live with it? You’ll accept it if I say you haven’t convinced me of anything?”
“That’s the agreement.”
She held out her hand. Grady clasped it, felt her tremble, and knew he’d just made the smartest deal of his life.
As he walked away, he murmured under his breath, “Two weeks is a start, darlin’. That’s a real good start.”
Chapter Five
W hat had she done? Karen rested her head on her arms and groaned as she considered Grady’s trap and the way she’d neatly stepped into it with virtually no hesitation at all. She had invited the enemy into the camp and promised to break bread with him. She had to be out of her mind.
But somehow, in the quiet stillness of the night, she hadn’t been able to resist what he was offering—a chance to end this battle once and for all.
More, it was a chance to unravel a puzzle that was increasingly complex. Why she cared so much about that didn’t bear thinking about. She feared it went beyond fair play, beyond curiosity. In fact, she had a terrible sense that it had to do with a yearning that had started in the pit of her stomach and hadn’t let up since the day he’d appeared in her kitchen.
It could be as simple as a yearning for companionship, something she’d missed desperately in the weeks and months since Caleb’s death. A worrisome voice in the back of her mind told her it was something more, something specific to Grady, the allure of the forbidden.
She hadn’t been the rule-breaker all those years ago. That had been Cassie. But, oh, how Karen had longed to be just like her, to shake things up, defy convention. Spending time with Grady would certainly qualify. There would be talk. Her in-laws were likely to be outraged. Deep down, even she disapproved of the choice she had made.
But it was done now. She couldn’t go back on her word. It was only a few meals, she reminded herself. How difficult could that be? How much trouble could she get into by spending an occasional hour in Grady’s company?
She found out when lunch turned out to be a daily ritual and dinner slipped into the schedule six nights out of seven. By the end of the first week of their agreement, she’d almost grown comfortable having Grady around.
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