could say nothing more.
Carrie swallowed her disappointment. “It’ll never happen again,” she assured him.
“Right.”
Kyle blamed himself for this mess. He should have known they were headed for trouble the moment he learned there was only one hotel room available. His hands tightened around the steering wheel and he slowly released his breath, wondering what he was going to do.
“Kyle.”
“Yes,” he answered anxiously.
“I think we should have turned, back there.”
“Back where?”
“That Y in the road. According to the map, we should have gone right.”
He sighed. “I didn’t see any Y in the road.”
“You didn’t?” She carefully read over the map, then shook her head. “I think we’re going the wrong way.” Her words cut into the strained silence.
“We’re fine.”
“Look at the map yourself if you don’t believe me,” she suggested calmly.
Kyle was rip-roaring mad and so damned uncomfortable with the emotion that it was all he could do to keep the tires on the road. “We’re going the right way,” he insisted.
“Time will tell, won’t it?” she said, with the heavy sigh of a martyr.
Time, as it turned out, was on her side. An hour later, Kyle was forced to admit they were hopelessly lost.
7
“ Why don’t we ask someone for directions?” Carrie suggested.
“Forget it,” Kyle said stiffly. “I know exactly where we are.”
Carrie clenched her teeth to keep from commenting. This was another one of those macho he-man things like fumbling around in the dark and risking injury rather than admitting he needed the light to find his way back to bed.
“Haven’t we seen that barn before?” she asked, hoping none of the sarcasm she was feeling showed. Not that Kyle was in any danger of losing his temper. The man didn’t allow himself the luxury of being angry—unless, of course, it could be directed at her.
“No,” he said shortly. “That’s a different barn from the one we saw before.”
“No, it isn’t.” It was the very one they’d passed no less than five times in the last hour. Carrie wouldstake her life on it. They’d been circling the area for so long she was dizzy. Getting Kyle to admit the truth would be difficult, cursed as he was with male pride.
“At the risk of flirting with danger,” she said with a saccharine smile, “I’d like to suggest that it just might possibly be the same barn. If you’ll notice there’s a tractor parked out front, suggesting a farmhouse nearby. I was thinking—”
“I know exactly where we are,” Kyle insisted heatedly.
“So do I! We’re lost somewhere in the great state of Texas, and precisely where we are will be placed on our tombstones once we’re found and buried.”
“Might I suggest you’re overreacting?”
“No, you may not. Just this once appease me. Please, Kyle, just stop and ask directions.”
“Carrie,” he said with a long-suffering glance in her direction, “in case you hadn’t noticed, there isn’t exactly a streetful of people to ask.”
“We’ve driven past a dozen farms.”
“I’ll look like an idiot,” he muttered.
“Do you think you’ll be less of a man if you don’t figure this out on your own?” she inquired.
He didn’t answer, but she nearly cheered when he turned down a long dirt road. Soon a two-story house, freshly painted and gleaming white against the sun, showed in the distance. Civilization at last. She felt as if she’d been wandering for forty years in the wilderness.
No sooner had they pulled into the yard than a young woman with two small children stepped onto the porch. She wore jeans and a thin cotton top andheld a squirming toddler on her hip. A second towheaded youngster, who could be no more than five, stood at her side.
Kyle turned off the engine and climbed out of the car, standing inside the open door. Carrie did too, surprised at the wave of heat that hit her full force in the face.
“Hello,” the woman said, shielding her eyes
Carrie swallowed her disappointment. “It’ll never happen again,” she assured him.
“Right.”
Kyle blamed himself for this mess. He should have known they were headed for trouble the moment he learned there was only one hotel room available. His hands tightened around the steering wheel and he slowly released his breath, wondering what he was going to do.
“Kyle.”
“Yes,” he answered anxiously.
“I think we should have turned, back there.”
“Back where?”
“That Y in the road. According to the map, we should have gone right.”
He sighed. “I didn’t see any Y in the road.”
“You didn’t?” She carefully read over the map, then shook her head. “I think we’re going the wrong way.” Her words cut into the strained silence.
“We’re fine.”
“Look at the map yourself if you don’t believe me,” she suggested calmly.
Kyle was rip-roaring mad and so damned uncomfortable with the emotion that it was all he could do to keep the tires on the road. “We’re going the right way,” he insisted.
“Time will tell, won’t it?” she said, with the heavy sigh of a martyr.
Time, as it turned out, was on her side. An hour later, Kyle was forced to admit they were hopelessly lost.
7
“ Why don’t we ask someone for directions?” Carrie suggested.
“Forget it,” Kyle said stiffly. “I know exactly where we are.”
Carrie clenched her teeth to keep from commenting. This was another one of those macho he-man things like fumbling around in the dark and risking injury rather than admitting he needed the light to find his way back to bed.
“Haven’t we seen that barn before?” she asked, hoping none of the sarcasm she was feeling showed. Not that Kyle was in any danger of losing his temper. The man didn’t allow himself the luxury of being angry—unless, of course, it could be directed at her.
“No,” he said shortly. “That’s a different barn from the one we saw before.”
“No, it isn’t.” It was the very one they’d passed no less than five times in the last hour. Carrie wouldstake her life on it. They’d been circling the area for so long she was dizzy. Getting Kyle to admit the truth would be difficult, cursed as he was with male pride.
“At the risk of flirting with danger,” she said with a saccharine smile, “I’d like to suggest that it just might possibly be the same barn. If you’ll notice there’s a tractor parked out front, suggesting a farmhouse nearby. I was thinking—”
“I know exactly where we are,” Kyle insisted heatedly.
“So do I! We’re lost somewhere in the great state of Texas, and precisely where we are will be placed on our tombstones once we’re found and buried.”
“Might I suggest you’re overreacting?”
“No, you may not. Just this once appease me. Please, Kyle, just stop and ask directions.”
“Carrie,” he said with a long-suffering glance in her direction, “in case you hadn’t noticed, there isn’t exactly a streetful of people to ask.”
“We’ve driven past a dozen farms.”
“I’ll look like an idiot,” he muttered.
“Do you think you’ll be less of a man if you don’t figure this out on your own?” she inquired.
He didn’t answer, but she nearly cheered when he turned down a long dirt road. Soon a two-story house, freshly painted and gleaming white against the sun, showed in the distance. Civilization at last. She felt as if she’d been wandering for forty years in the wilderness.
No sooner had they pulled into the yard than a young woman with two small children stepped onto the porch. She wore jeans and a thin cotton top andheld a squirming toddler on her hip. A second towheaded youngster, who could be no more than five, stood at her side.
Kyle turned off the engine and climbed out of the car, standing inside the open door. Carrie did too, surprised at the wave of heat that hit her full force in the face.
“Hello,” the woman said, shielding her eyes
Similar Books
