accepted.”
She bent to reposition his crutches within his reach, but he made no move toward them. He watched her instead, his dark eyes brimming with unspoken questions. Inexplicably she found herself needing to answer them, for him and for herself.
“I behaved badly this morning,” she began. “I didn’t know—I mean, I wasn’t sure until you said—”
Restlessly she stood and began to pace under his silent attentiveness, unable to meet his gaze while speaking of the embarrassing particulars.
“He said he wanted to marry me.” She laughed softly. “How many foolish females fall prey to that lie, I wonder? I believed him and now I shall pay for that foolishness.”
He spoke with practicality, not condemnation.“If you told him about the baby, wouldn’t he change his mind?”
“I doubt it. And even if he did, I wouldn’t have him.” Her chin lifted with a pride dredged up from shame. “I wouldn’t want a man I’d have to trap through my mistake—a mistake my child would have to pay for. Marriage isn’t the answer for everything.” She canted a look his way to see if he believed her careful fiction only to be surprised by the naked emotion his expression betrayed.
“What kind of man would see his own child as a mistake?” He said that more to himself than to her, but Starla answered with a bitter smile of truth.
“Not a ‘nice’ man, Lieutenant Dodge. I discovered that a bit too late. If I tell my father, he’d likely insist I marry the man for honor’s sake.”
“And if you refused?”
“If I refused, he’d most likely commit me.”
Dodge had the oddest look on his face, as if he couldn’t believe a man would turn against his own daughter. She laughed at his naïveté. “We don’t like to live with our mistakes out in the open down here. At least, the women don’t. I can hear my father now, ranting about how I’ve proved him right, that I’m as immoral as my—” She pressed her hand to her lips to stop the words in time. “Forgive me, Lieutenant. I hadn’t meant to bore you with quite so many details.”
“What will you do?”
His basic question cut to the quick. Her shoulders slumped with the weight of her sigh.
“I don’t know. I could go abroad. I could ask around in some of the more unsavory quarters. I’msure I could find someone who could … eliminate the problem altogether.” Her voice shook at even considering that heinous possibility.
“Don’t do that.”
His vehemence surprised her. Then it made her angry to think he’d condemn her. How easy for him, a man, to sit in judgment. “I haven’t that many options, sir.”
“You could marry me.”
Starla turned. She’d misunderstood him.
“What?”
“I said you could marry me.”
A smile quivered on her lips. “That would be carrying ‘nice’ a bit far, don’t you think?”
“I’m serious.”
He looked it, his dark eyes steady in their hold on hers, his features composed in somber lines. She wasn’t sure if the sight relieved or alarmed her. A bitter laugh escaped.
“You said you weren’t one for games, sir, yet you play them quite cruelly.”
“It’s no game.”
“You’d marry me?”
“Yes.”
For a moment she was too stunned to speak, then the words poured out in a quavering rush. “Why? Why would you do such a thing? Because you feel sorry for me? Well, I won’t tolerate your pity, either.”
“My reasons aren’t quite that unselfish.”
She waited to hear them, thinking herself mad for even listening, for even considering….
“I don’t know anyone here. I’m going crazywith just my own company. I didn’t know how bad things were until the wedding. Now I know what I want. I want what Reeve and Patrice have.”
“But I don’t love you. I don’t even know you.”
He shrugged off her protest. “But you could like me, couldn’t you? Or at least put up with me?”
She went rigid by slow increments. Her tone was frosty. “Just because I made a mistake with
She bent to reposition his crutches within his reach, but he made no move toward them. He watched her instead, his dark eyes brimming with unspoken questions. Inexplicably she found herself needing to answer them, for him and for herself.
“I behaved badly this morning,” she began. “I didn’t know—I mean, I wasn’t sure until you said—”
Restlessly she stood and began to pace under his silent attentiveness, unable to meet his gaze while speaking of the embarrassing particulars.
“He said he wanted to marry me.” She laughed softly. “How many foolish females fall prey to that lie, I wonder? I believed him and now I shall pay for that foolishness.”
He spoke with practicality, not condemnation.“If you told him about the baby, wouldn’t he change his mind?”
“I doubt it. And even if he did, I wouldn’t have him.” Her chin lifted with a pride dredged up from shame. “I wouldn’t want a man I’d have to trap through my mistake—a mistake my child would have to pay for. Marriage isn’t the answer for everything.” She canted a look his way to see if he believed her careful fiction only to be surprised by the naked emotion his expression betrayed.
“What kind of man would see his own child as a mistake?” He said that more to himself than to her, but Starla answered with a bitter smile of truth.
“Not a ‘nice’ man, Lieutenant Dodge. I discovered that a bit too late. If I tell my father, he’d likely insist I marry the man for honor’s sake.”
“And if you refused?”
“If I refused, he’d most likely commit me.”
Dodge had the oddest look on his face, as if he couldn’t believe a man would turn against his own daughter. She laughed at his naïveté. “We don’t like to live with our mistakes out in the open down here. At least, the women don’t. I can hear my father now, ranting about how I’ve proved him right, that I’m as immoral as my—” She pressed her hand to her lips to stop the words in time. “Forgive me, Lieutenant. I hadn’t meant to bore you with quite so many details.”
“What will you do?”
His basic question cut to the quick. Her shoulders slumped with the weight of her sigh.
“I don’t know. I could go abroad. I could ask around in some of the more unsavory quarters. I’msure I could find someone who could … eliminate the problem altogether.” Her voice shook at even considering that heinous possibility.
“Don’t do that.”
His vehemence surprised her. Then it made her angry to think he’d condemn her. How easy for him, a man, to sit in judgment. “I haven’t that many options, sir.”
“You could marry me.”
Starla turned. She’d misunderstood him.
“What?”
“I said you could marry me.”
A smile quivered on her lips. “That would be carrying ‘nice’ a bit far, don’t you think?”
“I’m serious.”
He looked it, his dark eyes steady in their hold on hers, his features composed in somber lines. She wasn’t sure if the sight relieved or alarmed her. A bitter laugh escaped.
“You said you weren’t one for games, sir, yet you play them quite cruelly.”
“It’s no game.”
“You’d marry me?”
“Yes.”
For a moment she was too stunned to speak, then the words poured out in a quavering rush. “Why? Why would you do such a thing? Because you feel sorry for me? Well, I won’t tolerate your pity, either.”
“My reasons aren’t quite that unselfish.”
She waited to hear them, thinking herself mad for even listening, for even considering….
“I don’t know anyone here. I’m going crazywith just my own company. I didn’t know how bad things were until the wedding. Now I know what I want. I want what Reeve and Patrice have.”
“But I don’t love you. I don’t even know you.”
He shrugged off her protest. “But you could like me, couldn’t you? Or at least put up with me?”
She went rigid by slow increments. Her tone was frosty. “Just because I made a mistake with
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