Mulloney's face as he sipped at the coffee, but Janice had seen the desperation behind men's eyes often enough to recognize it. She didn't know what had caused it in this man. She knew nothing of the feminine wiles necessary to wheedle the knowledge out of him. She only knew what loneliness and hunger could do to a person. Reluctantly and with great caution, she plied that knowledge now.
"You eat as if you haven't seen food in a week," she murmured, pouring him a second cup of coffee.
"Longer than that, truth be told." He neatly scraped his plate clean with his fork and didn't protest when she brought him more toast and jam. "Beef jerky and train fare can't be called eating."
"Train fare? Have you traveled far to get here?"
He sat back and sipped at his coffee now that his stomach was full. He still didn't smile, but Janice could feel his appraising look. She had left her spectacles off this morning. She only needed them for reading, but they added years to her age and made an excellent preventative against unwarranted attention. For the first time in her life, she was attempting to attract a man's interest. She shuddered inwardly at the thought, but kept Betsy's pale face and sweet smile uppermost in her mind.
"I've just come in from New Mexico," he answered. "And rode up here from the station at Fort Worth.'
Janice nodded and rose to clear the table. Her stomach was so tense she feared she would have to throw up what little food she had eaten. She wasn't any good at this sort of thing. She despised this man. How was she going to catch and hold his interest without making a fool of herself?
"I understand you wanted to see Jason. Did you have a chance to talk with him before he left for Houston?"
"Only long enough to know I'd better get this school built before he gets back." Peter got up and helped her clear the table, although what he really wanted to do was sit here for the rest of the morning, sipping coffee and watching the odd shadows flit across the teacher's face She had a soft voice that he suspected could carry a note of authority when she wanted. He'd heard a hint or two of that last night. He wondered what had changed her mind about him since then that she actually condescended to speak to him.
"Everybody around here pretty much lets Jason have his way. He and his brother own the biggest ranch in these parts as well as the town bank. They're fair men but it doesn't pay to get on their wrong side."
Peter picked up the towel and started to dry the dishes that she was washing. This time, she didn't stop him. "I kind of got that figured. I'm needing to talk to them about some business, so I'll try to stay on their good side."
She nodded and handed him a cup. "I didn't think you were the one to set that fire. You worked too hard to stop it. I tried to tell them that, but I'm only a woman."
Peter heard echoes of his past in that last statement. How many times had Georgie, his ex-fiancée, told him he wouldn't listen to her because she was "only a woman"? How many times had he actually ignored women because he though them frivolous? For the most part, they were, he supposed.
But over these last years, he'd met one or two who had taught him how to survive. He didn't think this fragile-looking schoolmarm could teach him anything about surviving, but he didn't intend to ignore her either. He had decided he needed a woman, and she was very definitely all woman.
"Women have been the cause of wars. It's not smart to ignore them," he surprised himself by saying. Georgie would choke and swallow an apple whole to hear him say that. He ought to gag on the statement himself, but he continued to dry her dishes.
She sent him a telling glance that said she wasn't fooled. "You'd better go get Jed and the others to start hauling off that debris, Mr. Mulloney. I'm perfectly capable of finishing up here."
Well, he should have figured a schoolteacher wasn't stupid. He had just hoped an old maid might be easily persuaded. Now
"You eat as if you haven't seen food in a week," she murmured, pouring him a second cup of coffee.
"Longer than that, truth be told." He neatly scraped his plate clean with his fork and didn't protest when she brought him more toast and jam. "Beef jerky and train fare can't be called eating."
"Train fare? Have you traveled far to get here?"
He sat back and sipped at his coffee now that his stomach was full. He still didn't smile, but Janice could feel his appraising look. She had left her spectacles off this morning. She only needed them for reading, but they added years to her age and made an excellent preventative against unwarranted attention. For the first time in her life, she was attempting to attract a man's interest. She shuddered inwardly at the thought, but kept Betsy's pale face and sweet smile uppermost in her mind.
"I've just come in from New Mexico," he answered. "And rode up here from the station at Fort Worth.'
Janice nodded and rose to clear the table. Her stomach was so tense she feared she would have to throw up what little food she had eaten. She wasn't any good at this sort of thing. She despised this man. How was she going to catch and hold his interest without making a fool of herself?
"I understand you wanted to see Jason. Did you have a chance to talk with him before he left for Houston?"
"Only long enough to know I'd better get this school built before he gets back." Peter got up and helped her clear the table, although what he really wanted to do was sit here for the rest of the morning, sipping coffee and watching the odd shadows flit across the teacher's face She had a soft voice that he suspected could carry a note of authority when she wanted. He'd heard a hint or two of that last night. He wondered what had changed her mind about him since then that she actually condescended to speak to him.
"Everybody around here pretty much lets Jason have his way. He and his brother own the biggest ranch in these parts as well as the town bank. They're fair men but it doesn't pay to get on their wrong side."
Peter picked up the towel and started to dry the dishes that she was washing. This time, she didn't stop him. "I kind of got that figured. I'm needing to talk to them about some business, so I'll try to stay on their good side."
She nodded and handed him a cup. "I didn't think you were the one to set that fire. You worked too hard to stop it. I tried to tell them that, but I'm only a woman."
Peter heard echoes of his past in that last statement. How many times had Georgie, his ex-fiancée, told him he wouldn't listen to her because she was "only a woman"? How many times had he actually ignored women because he though them frivolous? For the most part, they were, he supposed.
But over these last years, he'd met one or two who had taught him how to survive. He didn't think this fragile-looking schoolmarm could teach him anything about surviving, but he didn't intend to ignore her either. He had decided he needed a woman, and she was very definitely all woman.
"Women have been the cause of wars. It's not smart to ignore them," he surprised himself by saying. Georgie would choke and swallow an apple whole to hear him say that. He ought to gag on the statement himself, but he continued to dry her dishes.
She sent him a telling glance that said she wasn't fooled. "You'd better go get Jed and the others to start hauling off that debris, Mr. Mulloney. I'm perfectly capable of finishing up here."
Well, he should have figured a schoolteacher wasn't stupid. He had just hoped an old maid might be easily persuaded. Now
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