bloody murder all the way back to her apartment.” He laughed shortly. “Which got her nowhere at all. She knew how I felt about that from the beginning, I never made any secret of it.”
“Things are different in the city, Egan,” Ada said sadly. “Very different.”
His head lifted. “Geography doesn’t change what’s right and what isn’t,” he said shortly.
“I know that,” Ada agreed. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but I don’t feel I have the right to dictate to the rest of the world. Kati and I just keep to ourselves.”
He glanced at Kati then, his eyes sweeping over her pale jersey blouse and slacks possessively. “Are you an old-fashioned girl in that respect, at least?” he asked, but he didn’t sound so sarcastic as usual. “Do you drink and pop pills and smoke pot?”
“I drink cola,” she replied. “And I do take aspirin when my head hurts.” She watched him with wide eyes. “But I don’t think I’ve ever tried to smoke a pot. What kind of pot did you have in mind?”
He burst out laughing. It changed his entire face, erased some of the hard, leathery lines. He looked faintly attractive, despite that cragginess. “My, my, aren’t we sharp this morning?”
She lowered her eyes before he could read the embarrassment in them. “Eating improves my mind.”
“I know something better,” he remarked just as she lifted the coffee cup to her mouth.
“Don’t move!” Ada gasped as hot coffee went all over the table and into Kati’s lap. “I’ll get a towel!”
She disappeared, and Egan mopped at her legs with a napkin.
“That was damned poor timing on my part,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to make you hurt yourself.”
She looked up into his silver eyes, astonished. “That’s a first,” she breathed.
He looked back, his gaze intent. The napkin rested on her thigh. “Did I tell you how lovely you are?” he asked under his breath. “Or what it did to me to touch you like that?”
She felt her lips part helplessly. “Egan, about…what happened—”
“I want it again,” he breathed, bending so that his mouth threatened hers. “I want you against me so close that I can feel your heart beating.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispered weakly.
“You want me,” he returned huskily. “That’s all I need to understand.”
It was true, but it wasn’t that uncomplicated. And before she could tell him how complicated it really was, Ada was back and the moment was lost. And she was trembling again.
She walked around like a zombie, going through the motions of helping Ada in the kitchen. They invited Marshal and Jack over for dinner the nextday, since neither of them was going to try to go home for Christmas. And getting everything ready was a job.
Egan watched television and paced. Finally he got his jacket and hat and went out, and Kati almost collapsed with relief. She ached every time she looked at him, until it was torment to be within seeing distance.
He came in just as the annual Christmas Eve specials were beginning on the public broadcasting station, and he tossed his hat onto the hall table and shed his jacket.
“Culture,” he murmured, watching the opera company perform.
“Go ahead, Mr. Winthrop, make some snide remark,” Kati dared, feeling young and full of life because her heart leaped up just at the sight of him.
He smiled at her, with no malice at all on his dark face. “I like opera.”
“You?”
“Well, there was a report awhile back on music and milk production,” he told her, dropping easily into his armchair, “and it seems that cows produce more milk when they’re listening to classical music.”
Kati smiled. “It must cost a lot.”
“What?”
“Having the orchestra come all the way out to the ranch.”
“You little torment,” he accused and reached out to tug a lock of her long hair playfully.
Ada, watching all this, just stared at them.
“Something wrong?” Egan asked her.
Ada shrugged.
“Things are different in the city, Egan,” Ada said sadly. “Very different.”
His head lifted. “Geography doesn’t change what’s right and what isn’t,” he said shortly.
“I know that,” Ada agreed. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but I don’t feel I have the right to dictate to the rest of the world. Kati and I just keep to ourselves.”
He glanced at Kati then, his eyes sweeping over her pale jersey blouse and slacks possessively. “Are you an old-fashioned girl in that respect, at least?” he asked, but he didn’t sound so sarcastic as usual. “Do you drink and pop pills and smoke pot?”
“I drink cola,” she replied. “And I do take aspirin when my head hurts.” She watched him with wide eyes. “But I don’t think I’ve ever tried to smoke a pot. What kind of pot did you have in mind?”
He burst out laughing. It changed his entire face, erased some of the hard, leathery lines. He looked faintly attractive, despite that cragginess. “My, my, aren’t we sharp this morning?”
She lowered her eyes before he could read the embarrassment in them. “Eating improves my mind.”
“I know something better,” he remarked just as she lifted the coffee cup to her mouth.
“Don’t move!” Ada gasped as hot coffee went all over the table and into Kati’s lap. “I’ll get a towel!”
She disappeared, and Egan mopped at her legs with a napkin.
“That was damned poor timing on my part,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to make you hurt yourself.”
She looked up into his silver eyes, astonished. “That’s a first,” she breathed.
He looked back, his gaze intent. The napkin rested on her thigh. “Did I tell you how lovely you are?” he asked under his breath. “Or what it did to me to touch you like that?”
She felt her lips part helplessly. “Egan, about…what happened—”
“I want it again,” he breathed, bending so that his mouth threatened hers. “I want you against me so close that I can feel your heart beating.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispered weakly.
“You want me,” he returned huskily. “That’s all I need to understand.”
It was true, but it wasn’t that uncomplicated. And before she could tell him how complicated it really was, Ada was back and the moment was lost. And she was trembling again.
She walked around like a zombie, going through the motions of helping Ada in the kitchen. They invited Marshal and Jack over for dinner the nextday, since neither of them was going to try to go home for Christmas. And getting everything ready was a job.
Egan watched television and paced. Finally he got his jacket and hat and went out, and Kati almost collapsed with relief. She ached every time she looked at him, until it was torment to be within seeing distance.
He came in just as the annual Christmas Eve specials were beginning on the public broadcasting station, and he tossed his hat onto the hall table and shed his jacket.
“Culture,” he murmured, watching the opera company perform.
“Go ahead, Mr. Winthrop, make some snide remark,” Kati dared, feeling young and full of life because her heart leaped up just at the sight of him.
He smiled at her, with no malice at all on his dark face. “I like opera.”
“You?”
“Well, there was a report awhile back on music and milk production,” he told her, dropping easily into his armchair, “and it seems that cows produce more milk when they’re listening to classical music.”
Kati smiled. “It must cost a lot.”
“What?”
“Having the orchestra come all the way out to the ranch.”
“You little torment,” he accused and reached out to tug a lock of her long hair playfully.
Ada, watching all this, just stared at them.
“Something wrong?” Egan asked her.
Ada shrugged.
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