on.”
“I won't,” she said, feeling a rising new excitement.
His lip tugged up. “Say it,” he challenged, pulling her body against his, “or I'll kiss you blind.”
He could have, too. She drew in a jerky breath. “Gabriel,” she said.
He let her go with a faint smile. “Good night.” And he walked away without another word.
Enigma
, she thought confusedly.
Enigma.
She'd never known anyone like him. And her body was sending out smoke signals, begging for him. She'd never expected complications like this. And now she didn't know what to do.
At precisely nine o'clock the next morning, when Maggie came downstairs dressed in a neat gray suit, Gabe was waiting for her at the front door. He was wearing gray, too, a vested suit that made him look debonair, sophisticated, almost handsome—and every inch a very male man. He smelled of spicy cologne and soap, and Maggie wondered why she couldn't seem to stop staring at him. She gripped her purse as Janet came out to say goodbye.
“I'd go with you,” she told Maggie, “but it's less crowded this way. Have a safe trip.”
“I'll take care of her,” Gabe said carelessly. He spared his mother a glance and walked off without even a smile.
Maggie didn't say a lot on the way to the airstrip. She was curious about him, in so many ways. She wanted to ask questions, to learn new things. And that was dangerous.
“Nervous?” Gabe asked after a minute, glancing at her wickedly as he lifted his cigarette to his lips.
“Not really. I'm not afraid of flying,” she murmured evasively.
“And that wasn't what I meant, either.” He pulled off the main ranch road onto a dirt track with deep ruts that led toward the airstrip and the big hangar where he kept his twin-engine planes. He had two, he explained: one for work, for herding cattle; the other for business trips.
“Don't you ever fly for pleasure?” she asked.
Gabe glanced at her. “I have women for pleasure, when I can't stand the ache any longer. That's about the extent of my recreational activities these days.”
She stared out the window, embarrassed despite her age and experience. “You're very blunt.”
“I don't pull my punches—about anything,” he replied. “I believe in total honesty. I've never yet found a woman who did.”
“Your mother told me that you…” She stopped when she realized what she was betraying.
His icy-blue eyes cut at her. “Did she tell you all of it, or aren't you that privileged?” he asked with bitter sarcasm.
“I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I shouldn't have said anything.”
He took a deep draw from the ever-present cigarette and drove faster. “My God, is nothing sacred these days?”
“She thought it might help me to understand things a little better,” Maggie replied quietly.
“Did it?” he asked cuttingly.
She met his brief glance. “Yes. It explained everything.”
He searched her eyes quickly and then turned back to the road, slowing as they approached the airstrip. “I hated him,” he said. “Even before that happened. I saw through him a hell of a long time before she did. And in spite of it, she wouldn't leave him.”
“Love imprisons people, so I've heard,” she said.
“Didn't you love your husband?” Gabe asked, his smile mocking.
“I thought I did,” she replied. “He was charming. Utterly charming. I was shy in those days, and overwhelmed that such a handsome man would be interested in me. I was an heiress, you know. Filthy rich.”
“Yes. I remember,” he said bitterly. He stared at the airplane in the distance, watching a mechanic go over the large red-and-white Piper Navajo. “Our place had fallen on hard times when you were a teenager.”
“I didn't know.” She stared at her lap. “Dennis had fallen on hard times, too. I was eighteen,” she said. “Green as grass and infatuated, and every time he kissed me, I was on fire. And then we got married.” She shuddered. “My God, for all my reading, I never
“I won't,” she said, feeling a rising new excitement.
His lip tugged up. “Say it,” he challenged, pulling her body against his, “or I'll kiss you blind.”
He could have, too. She drew in a jerky breath. “Gabriel,” she said.
He let her go with a faint smile. “Good night.” And he walked away without another word.
Enigma
, she thought confusedly.
Enigma.
She'd never known anyone like him. And her body was sending out smoke signals, begging for him. She'd never expected complications like this. And now she didn't know what to do.
At precisely nine o'clock the next morning, when Maggie came downstairs dressed in a neat gray suit, Gabe was waiting for her at the front door. He was wearing gray, too, a vested suit that made him look debonair, sophisticated, almost handsome—and every inch a very male man. He smelled of spicy cologne and soap, and Maggie wondered why she couldn't seem to stop staring at him. She gripped her purse as Janet came out to say goodbye.
“I'd go with you,” she told Maggie, “but it's less crowded this way. Have a safe trip.”
“I'll take care of her,” Gabe said carelessly. He spared his mother a glance and walked off without even a smile.
Maggie didn't say a lot on the way to the airstrip. She was curious about him, in so many ways. She wanted to ask questions, to learn new things. And that was dangerous.
“Nervous?” Gabe asked after a minute, glancing at her wickedly as he lifted his cigarette to his lips.
“Not really. I'm not afraid of flying,” she murmured evasively.
“And that wasn't what I meant, either.” He pulled off the main ranch road onto a dirt track with deep ruts that led toward the airstrip and the big hangar where he kept his twin-engine planes. He had two, he explained: one for work, for herding cattle; the other for business trips.
“Don't you ever fly for pleasure?” she asked.
Gabe glanced at her. “I have women for pleasure, when I can't stand the ache any longer. That's about the extent of my recreational activities these days.”
She stared out the window, embarrassed despite her age and experience. “You're very blunt.”
“I don't pull my punches—about anything,” he replied. “I believe in total honesty. I've never yet found a woman who did.”
“Your mother told me that you…” She stopped when she realized what she was betraying.
His icy-blue eyes cut at her. “Did she tell you all of it, or aren't you that privileged?” he asked with bitter sarcasm.
“I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I shouldn't have said anything.”
He took a deep draw from the ever-present cigarette and drove faster. “My God, is nothing sacred these days?”
“She thought it might help me to understand things a little better,” Maggie replied quietly.
“Did it?” he asked cuttingly.
She met his brief glance. “Yes. It explained everything.”
He searched her eyes quickly and then turned back to the road, slowing as they approached the airstrip. “I hated him,” he said. “Even before that happened. I saw through him a hell of a long time before she did. And in spite of it, she wouldn't leave him.”
“Love imprisons people, so I've heard,” she said.
“Didn't you love your husband?” Gabe asked, his smile mocking.
“I thought I did,” she replied. “He was charming. Utterly charming. I was shy in those days, and overwhelmed that such a handsome man would be interested in me. I was an heiress, you know. Filthy rich.”
“Yes. I remember,” he said bitterly. He stared at the airplane in the distance, watching a mechanic go over the large red-and-white Piper Navajo. “Our place had fallen on hard times when you were a teenager.”
“I didn't know.” She stared at her lap. “Dennis had fallen on hard times, too. I was eighteen,” she said. “Green as grass and infatuated, and every time he kissed me, I was on fire. And then we got married.” She shuddered. “My God, for all my reading, I never
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