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Authors: Susan Mallery
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promise me I could spend two hours riding my horse for every hour I went to dance
class.” She frowned. “All those uncomfortable silences when we were dancing. Twelve-
and thirteen-year-old boys aren’t exactly thrilled about the experience, either. At
least we had that in common.”
“So you were part of the upper crust of society?” he asked, his voice teasing.
“Not exactly. Our town wasn’t big enough to have a crust, although my mother is constantly
in search of one. My dad—” She stopped, remembering her father and missing him. “He
was great. I was a daddy’s girl, of course.”
Brown eyes twinkled at her. “Of course.”
The song ended and another began. Brady didn’t release her and she didn’t indicate
she wanted to be let go. If it were up to her, she would spend the night in his arms.
“My father always believed in me, no matter how much I messed things up.”
“That’s what fathers do,” he said.
“I know, and mine was one of the best. The only bad part was, he never made me try
to fix things on my own. I learned to depend on him to always get me out of trouble.
That works great when you’re ten, but it’s a less attractive trait at twenty.”
Music and laughter surrounded them. They turned and the room spun. Randi wondered
if it was safe to talk about her past like this. But it had been so long since she’d
had someone to talk to. Especially someone she liked and respected. She knew she could
trust Brady. Besides, she wasn’t telling him anything that would allow him to locate
her family.
“My mother was completely different,” she went on. “She saw me as her burden in life.
A daughter who was a tomboy and completely uninterested in doing the socially correct
thing.”
“You have a brother, right?”
“You remembered.” She smiled. “Noah. He’s wonderful. A doctor. Handsome, charming.
Everything I’m not. I suppose I should hate him, but I don’t. When Dad died, Noah
was really there for me.”
Brady’s hand tightened on her waist, drawing her closer. She went willingly. His embrace
comforted, as did his strength.
“You miss your father.”
“All the time. I want to make him proud of me.”
“He already is.”
Randi wasn’t so sure. Her father wouldn’t be proud of the way she’d handled things
with Hal. One of these days she was going to have to make some decisions about that
situation. She couldn’t hide out forever. She would have to go back and explain things.
But what about the men with those guns? Were they still after her? Why had they threatened
her in the first place? What—Brady shook her gently. “Rita, come back to me.”
“Huh? Oh.” She’d been a thousand smiles away…or at least a few hundred. “Sorry.”
“Let me guess. You were thinking about another guy, right?”
Randi stumbled a step. “Not really.”
“Liar.” His smile never faltered, but she thought she saw disappointment flicker in
his eyes. At least, she hoped it was disappointment.
“No, it’s not like that,” she told him. “Okay, I was thinking about someone, but it’s
not what you think.”
“What is it?”
They were at the far end of the room. Brady moved them away from the dancers and into
the corner. Randi would have preferred to keep dancing. Not because she didn’t want
to talk about this, but because while they were dancing he held her in his arms. As
he drew them to a stop, he released her. She twisted her hands together in front of
her waist and tried not to feel rejected.
“There was this guy back home. We went out for a while. The thing is, I can’t figure
out why. My mother pressured me to see him. Hal’s involved in politics and will probably
be mayor some day like his mother. There was even talk of the state legislature.”
She shrugged. “It’s not really my thing. Anyway, we dated, and, I don’t know, one
day we were engaged.”
Brady withdrew. He didn’t move away,
class.” She frowned. “All those uncomfortable silences when we were dancing. Twelve-
and thirteen-year-old boys aren’t exactly thrilled about the experience, either. At
least we had that in common.”
“So you were part of the upper crust of society?” he asked, his voice teasing.
“Not exactly. Our town wasn’t big enough to have a crust, although my mother is constantly
in search of one. My dad—” She stopped, remembering her father and missing him. “He
was great. I was a daddy’s girl, of course.”
Brown eyes twinkled at her. “Of course.”
The song ended and another began. Brady didn’t release her and she didn’t indicate
she wanted to be let go. If it were up to her, she would spend the night in his arms.
“My father always believed in me, no matter how much I messed things up.”
“That’s what fathers do,” he said.
“I know, and mine was one of the best. The only bad part was, he never made me try
to fix things on my own. I learned to depend on him to always get me out of trouble.
That works great when you’re ten, but it’s a less attractive trait at twenty.”
Music and laughter surrounded them. They turned and the room spun. Randi wondered
if it was safe to talk about her past like this. But it had been so long since she’d
had someone to talk to. Especially someone she liked and respected. She knew she could
trust Brady. Besides, she wasn’t telling him anything that would allow him to locate
her family.
“My mother was completely different,” she went on. “She saw me as her burden in life.
A daughter who was a tomboy and completely uninterested in doing the socially correct
thing.”
“You have a brother, right?”
“You remembered.” She smiled. “Noah. He’s wonderful. A doctor. Handsome, charming.
Everything I’m not. I suppose I should hate him, but I don’t. When Dad died, Noah
was really there for me.”
Brady’s hand tightened on her waist, drawing her closer. She went willingly. His embrace
comforted, as did his strength.
“You miss your father.”
“All the time. I want to make him proud of me.”
“He already is.”
Randi wasn’t so sure. Her father wouldn’t be proud of the way she’d handled things
with Hal. One of these days she was going to have to make some decisions about that
situation. She couldn’t hide out forever. She would have to go back and explain things.
But what about the men with those guns? Were they still after her? Why had they threatened
her in the first place? What—Brady shook her gently. “Rita, come back to me.”
“Huh? Oh.” She’d been a thousand smiles away…or at least a few hundred. “Sorry.”
“Let me guess. You were thinking about another guy, right?”
Randi stumbled a step. “Not really.”
“Liar.” His smile never faltered, but she thought she saw disappointment flicker in
his eyes. At least, she hoped it was disappointment.
“No, it’s not like that,” she told him. “Okay, I was thinking about someone, but it’s
not what you think.”
“What is it?”
They were at the far end of the room. Brady moved them away from the dancers and into
the corner. Randi would have preferred to keep dancing. Not because she didn’t want
to talk about this, but because while they were dancing he held her in his arms. As
he drew them to a stop, he released her. She twisted her hands together in front of
her waist and tried not to feel rejected.
“There was this guy back home. We went out for a while. The thing is, I can’t figure
out why. My mother pressured me to see him. Hal’s involved in politics and will probably
be mayor some day like his mother. There was even talk of the state legislature.”
She shrugged. “It’s not really my thing. Anyway, we dated, and, I don’t know, one
day we were engaged.”
Brady withdrew. He didn’t move away,
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