attempt to rise.
But she felt averse to displaying her manners.
“What do you want?”
He blinked at her bluntness but refused to look put off.
“I came to make sure you were all right.”
“How kind. I’m fine. Was there anything else?”
He gave a lopsided grin and an admiring “Damned if you’re not the most aggravating female. Come sit with me for a minute. I don’t likelooking up at the people I’m talking to.”
She didn’t move. “I don’t want to sit with you, Lieutenant Dodge. I don’t want to talk to you. I want to know what you plan to do about this morning.
“It’s not me that has to do anything, ma’am. Guess I was kinda curious about your plans.”
His calm hedging undercut her patience. “You don’t figure into them, sir. What’s it going to cost me to see it stays that way?”
Dodge stared up with a comical blankness for a long minute. She could almost believe he had no idea what she was talking about. She hated that mock innocence almost as much as she hated the fact that she was at his mercy.
“Don’t just sit there like a dolt. Tell me what you want to keep your mouth shut.”
If she’d thought him amiable and harmless before, the sudden flash of his eyes gave her warning. The volume of his voice didn’t alter, but its tone took on a fierce intensity.
“Sit down.”
She glared. “I don’t think—”
“Sit down now.”
That order vibrated with the power of command. She wouldn’t have thought him capable of packing such an authoritative punch with simple intonation. She felt intimidated enough to drop down on the bench beside his booted feet but retained the mulish dignity to sit stiff and straight in rebellion.
He drew a slow breath. It fired the spark in his eyes like the pull of the bellows fueled a flame.Still, he didn’t raise his voice, continuing to speak with that level chill.
“I don’t know what I might have done to make you think I’d come here to blackmail you, but you’re wrong, lady. Dead wrong. You don’t know me, so I guess I’ll have to forgive you.”
“How generous.”
“You’re damn right it is. You don’t know me, so I’ll tell you this once. I don’t lie, I’m not dishonest, and I don’t play games. Now, I’m sorry if that makes me—what did you call me? A dolt? That makes me a dolt in your opinion, but I can live with that a lot better than I can you thinking I’m the kind of man who’d bank on your misfortune. I don’t want anything from you, Miss Fairfax. I was trying to be nice because you’re a friend of the only friends I have down here. Maybe you just don’t understand ‘nice.’ Forgive me all to hell for having bothered.”
He made a grab for his crutches, but they slid away from his grasp to bounce on the stone of the veranda floor. When he twisted to retrieve them, his feet slipped off the bench. The abrupt drop bent his back at a sudden angle, wringing a sharp hiss from him. He continued to flail for the crutches, breathing hard and furiously at the effort until Starla pressed a hand to his shoulder. He glanced up, clearly angry now, only to lose all momentum at her quiet claim of, “I’m sorry.”
He jerked back, wincing from the pain of that prideful move. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me.”
“I’m not—I don’t. I’m sorry I mistook your motives. You’re right, I don’t understand nice. Itmakes me uncomfortable when someone does something and expects nothing. That’s why I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” He settled back, slightly chagrined by his temper.
Rattled by her admission, she demanded, “Well, are you going to accept my apology or not?”
He studied her until she shifted nervously. It shouldn’t matter if he did or did not. But he had been kind to her and she repaid him with slanderous suggestion and hurt him in the bargain. She almost wished he had some hidden agenda. At least she’d know how to respond to that.
“Well?”
He smiled at the testiness in her voice. “Apology
But she felt averse to displaying her manners.
“What do you want?”
He blinked at her bluntness but refused to look put off.
“I came to make sure you were all right.”
“How kind. I’m fine. Was there anything else?”
He gave a lopsided grin and an admiring “Damned if you’re not the most aggravating female. Come sit with me for a minute. I don’t likelooking up at the people I’m talking to.”
She didn’t move. “I don’t want to sit with you, Lieutenant Dodge. I don’t want to talk to you. I want to know what you plan to do about this morning.
“It’s not me that has to do anything, ma’am. Guess I was kinda curious about your plans.”
His calm hedging undercut her patience. “You don’t figure into them, sir. What’s it going to cost me to see it stays that way?”
Dodge stared up with a comical blankness for a long minute. She could almost believe he had no idea what she was talking about. She hated that mock innocence almost as much as she hated the fact that she was at his mercy.
“Don’t just sit there like a dolt. Tell me what you want to keep your mouth shut.”
If she’d thought him amiable and harmless before, the sudden flash of his eyes gave her warning. The volume of his voice didn’t alter, but its tone took on a fierce intensity.
“Sit down.”
She glared. “I don’t think—”
“Sit down now.”
That order vibrated with the power of command. She wouldn’t have thought him capable of packing such an authoritative punch with simple intonation. She felt intimidated enough to drop down on the bench beside his booted feet but retained the mulish dignity to sit stiff and straight in rebellion.
He drew a slow breath. It fired the spark in his eyes like the pull of the bellows fueled a flame.Still, he didn’t raise his voice, continuing to speak with that level chill.
“I don’t know what I might have done to make you think I’d come here to blackmail you, but you’re wrong, lady. Dead wrong. You don’t know me, so I guess I’ll have to forgive you.”
“How generous.”
“You’re damn right it is. You don’t know me, so I’ll tell you this once. I don’t lie, I’m not dishonest, and I don’t play games. Now, I’m sorry if that makes me—what did you call me? A dolt? That makes me a dolt in your opinion, but I can live with that a lot better than I can you thinking I’m the kind of man who’d bank on your misfortune. I don’t want anything from you, Miss Fairfax. I was trying to be nice because you’re a friend of the only friends I have down here. Maybe you just don’t understand ‘nice.’ Forgive me all to hell for having bothered.”
He made a grab for his crutches, but they slid away from his grasp to bounce on the stone of the veranda floor. When he twisted to retrieve them, his feet slipped off the bench. The abrupt drop bent his back at a sudden angle, wringing a sharp hiss from him. He continued to flail for the crutches, breathing hard and furiously at the effort until Starla pressed a hand to his shoulder. He glanced up, clearly angry now, only to lose all momentum at her quiet claim of, “I’m sorry.”
He jerked back, wincing from the pain of that prideful move. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me.”
“I’m not—I don’t. I’m sorry I mistook your motives. You’re right, I don’t understand nice. Itmakes me uncomfortable when someone does something and expects nothing. That’s why I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” He settled back, slightly chagrined by his temper.
Rattled by her admission, she demanded, “Well, are you going to accept my apology or not?”
He studied her until she shifted nervously. It shouldn’t matter if he did or did not. But he had been kind to her and she repaid him with slanderous suggestion and hurt him in the bargain. She almost wished he had some hidden agenda. At least she’d know how to respond to that.
“Well?”
He smiled at the testiness in her voice. “Apology
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