A Texan's Honor by Leigh Greenwood

can’t help worrying about what will happen to you when I’m gone.”
    â€œThe only reason I’d even consider going to Boston would be so you’d stop worrying. Now rest up. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know Bret.”
    As Emily climbed the stairs to her room, she realized
she
expected to enjoy it, too. Setting aside the fact that he was handsome enough to warm her blood and cause her cheeks to flush, he was an interesting man, full of contradictions and secrets. He was going to set his will against hers—the kind of intellectual contest she enjoyed. She also had the feeling he would surprise her. She wasn’t sure how, but something told her it would be a pleasant surprise. None of this made sense, of course, but that was how she felt.
    It had been a long trip and she was exhausted, her muscles still felt tight from so many hours in the saddle, but she didn’t have time for a bath before dinner. She barely had time to change her clothes and make sure Bret was settled in his room. She supposed she could have left that to Lonnie or Jem, but he was a guest and she was the hostess. Besides, anybody who took such good care of his horses was all right in her book. The fact that he was the best-looking man she’d ever seen didn’t hurt, either.
    She wondered why Joseph had warned her against him. Bret certainly hadn’t done anything to make her think he was interested in attracting her attention, much less winning her affection. It was mortifying to be attracted to a man who seemed uninterested inher. Where was the sport, the challenge, the slight element of fear that things just might get out of control?
    He was the first man she’d ever been attracted to. It was probably a good thing she could get this first infatuation—if she could call it that—out of her system on a man who had no interest in her. She would have the experience without the possibility of making the mistake of falling in love.
    She was amused and a little out of patience with the foolish thoughts going through her mind. She needed to eat dinner, make sure her father was okay, get a good night’s sleep, and get her mind back on her work. Maybe then she could forget about Bret Nolan.
    Bret thoroughly enjoyed dinner. The food was excellent, the company even better. Sam Abercrombie was a fascinating man who’d turned his back on family status and fortune, scorned his relatives’ opinion, and used their criticism to spur his ambition to prove them wrong. Part of the charm, part of the miracle, was that he didn’t think he’d done anything unusual. He’d simply wanted something different and hadn’t let anything stand in his way.
    Several leaves had been taken out of the dining room table, but it was still too large for three people. The room itself, not to mention the crystal and table settings, were unusual for a ranch some distance from Fort Worth. Joseph and Uncle Silas would never believe this table was as impressive as the one they sat down to each night.
    â€œMy daughter’s got my rebellious spirit,” Sam said. “She’s not paying any more attention to me than I paid to my parents.”
    â€œI’m not going to sit here and listen to you tell Bret what an undutiful daughter I am,” Emily said as sherose from the table. “I’m going to go get my exhausted body ready for bed.”
    â€œSee, she doesn’t give me any respect at all.”
    Bret could tell from the love-filled look on Sam’s face that the father-daughter relationship was entirely to his satisfaction.
    â€œI’ll give you one hour,” Emily said. “If you’re not done by then, I’m coming down and carrying you off to bed. You,” she said, directing a severe look at Bret, “are not to let him get worked up. If you do, you’ll be on a horse back to Fort Worth before you know what happened to you.”
    â€œI promise,” Bret