Ain't No Angel by Peggy L Henderson

head. “Obviously I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
    Before he could stop himself, his hand reached up and touched tentative fingers to her cheek. She shuddered and drew in a deep breath. Her eyes shimmered when she raised her chin.
    “Go back to your bed, Laney. It’s been a long day. For all of us.” He tore his gaze away from her, and reached for his rifle on the floor.  Without another word, he headed toward his room, leaving her standing in the dark hall.
    Tyler cursed himself a thousand times over. He closed the door to his room and sank onto his mattress. A sleepless night lay ahead. He’d put a scare in her with his rough handling; he could see it in her eyes. Even if she was a soiled woman, she hadn’t deserved that kind of treatment. Somehow he’d make amends for his behavior. Just as soon as he figured out what it was about the woman he had married that tormented his mind and body.

 
    Chapter 8
     
     
     
    Laney ran her hands down the front of the dress she’d chosen to wear. The buttons at the front went all the way up to her neck. She stood stiffly in front of the mirror.
    “I can’t do this,” she whispered. The scratchy material was going to drive her insane. She undid several of the buttons, and scratched at the itchy skin around her neck. What harm would it do to leave a few buttons open? She turned first to one side, then the other in front of the mirror to inspect her appearance. The forest green gingham wasn’t a color she would choose ordinarily, but it was either that or some other drab garb. Other than the purple dress she’d worn yesterday when she arrived, the rest of the gowns in her trunks were rather plain looking. None of them fit her right. They were too loose at the waist and around the chest. If she wore a bunch of petticoats, and several layers of those white nightgown-looking things, the dress would probably fit just right.
    By her best estimate, the temperature had been well into the eighties the day before, and judging by the sun shining through her window, today would be no different. She was destined to melt in these clothes if she wore all those layers. A chemise, some bloomers, and one petticoat would have to be enough. She absolutely refused to wear a corset. She’d burn the four she found in her trunks if anyone insisted she wear one. Geez. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. At least she’d found a pair of boots at the bottom of one of the trunks that fit her better than those tight black ones she’d worn yesterday.
    Tyler’s anger last night had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. She’d crossed the line big time when she showed up at the front door dressed in only his shirt. She’d only meant to do him a favor and make him the envy of his friends. Guys usually liked that sort of stuff, and the looks on the men’s faces were priceless. Except, Tyler wasn’t pleased.
    She thought for sure she would score some points with her act. His anger had been completely unexpected. Her shock at his brutal, almost violent kiss left her standing stiff like a robot.  He had manhandled her at first, and for a moment she’d even thought he would force himself on her, but when the kiss changed to something else, something much softer, the hot wave of desire that spread from her limbs to her very center had been as startling as his initial assault.
    Laney shivered as a delicious chill shot down her spine at the memory. She’d been attracted to Tyler from the moment she first laid eyes on him in town, but real desire for a guy was something that hadn’t happened to her in quite a while. In fact, she couldn’t ever remember such overpowering feelings as what his embrace and kiss had evoked. It had scared her to the point that she pushed him away. She couldn’t afford to lose her heart to another guy. Every time she’d let herself get close for someone, it had always ended in disappointment. Besides, she wasn’t staying in this