arguments. She’d discovered arguing was easier when she was prepared.
“Everything’s going to be all right for you now,” he vowed quietly.
She hadn’t prepared for that or the memory it tickled. She frowned. “You promised me that before?”
“Yes. On the ride here.”
She skimmed her left wrist with her right hand, remembering the feeling of being restrained. “You held me down?”
“Yes. I did.” He was matter-of-fact as he picked up her arm and shoved back her sleeve, ignoring her tugs to free herself. “You were fighting so hard, I thought you’d hurt yourself.” He touched the mark on her wrist, his frown deepening. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say that!”
His gaze flicked to her in surprise. “What?”
“That you’re sorry!” She jerked her hand free. She never wanted to hear those words from anyone again. “Don’t say it!”
He stared at her with knowing eyes and in one sentence, made the nightmare real again.
“He said that when he raped you.”
The man saying that was one of her few clear memories of that night. She took a deep breath, held it and slowly unclenched her fingers. There wasn’t much point in lying. “Yes.”
He leaned forward. She shrank back, but the headboard limited her movement. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. When he stepped back, she could breathe again. When she did, her lungs filled with the scent of sage, tobacco, and man. His scent.
“I would give anything for it not to have happened,” he said quietly.
Mara shifted her body into a better position. “Me, too.”
Even more immediately, she’d give about anything not to be having this conversation. She was lying in a bed, dressed in nothing more than a nightgown, for heaven’s sake!
Cougar transferred his weight from his left foot to his right. A floorboard creaked. The sound scraped Mara’s nerves. She felt raw, exposed, and so confused, she had to know the truth. “Is it true?”
“What?”
“Have you been helping me all these months?”
The floorboard creaked again. “Yes.”
“Why?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she asked him again, “Why have you been helping me? What do you want from me?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“Yes. You do. No one goes to all that trouble for nothing.”
“Some do.”
She eyed him consideringly. The man radiated intensity and purpose. “You don’t.”
His head snapped up. The board gave one final squeak as his weight landed squarely on it. The flick of his eyebrow told her he was surprised she’d figured that out about him.
“You’re right. I don’t.”
“So what do you want?”
“Your attention.”
Two little words that scared her to death. “Why?”
This time, the look he sent her questioned her sanity. “You’ve got to know how beautiful you are from the way the men flock around you.”
“And here I thought my reputation was the draw.”
Her sarcasm took him aback. She could tell from the way his eyes widened before narrowing and the way his hands settled on his lean hips. Well, if he thought he could win her with lies, he had another think coming. Her own Daddy had told her he wouldn’t be able to marry her off without a poke of gold to up the ante, so he’d sold her instead. A girl didn’t have any illusions left after something like that, so she wasn’t falling for this big man’s lies. But it would be nice, she thought, as he kept spinning yarns. Very nice, if half of what he said was true.
“Maybe, at first, the men thought you round in the heels.” He shrugged. “Women who work above stairs are. But, Mara, only a rabid fool would interpret your behavior these last months as anything but proper. You, Miss Kincaid, are a lady from the top of your head to the tips of your shoes.”
A lady dressed in the rag she wore on her back and the shoes she stuffed paper in to fill the holes in the soles? Did he think she was a fool? “Lies are not necessary, Mr. McKinnely. I know who I am, and I’m
“Everything’s going to be all right for you now,” he vowed quietly.
She hadn’t prepared for that or the memory it tickled. She frowned. “You promised me that before?”
“Yes. On the ride here.”
She skimmed her left wrist with her right hand, remembering the feeling of being restrained. “You held me down?”
“Yes. I did.” He was matter-of-fact as he picked up her arm and shoved back her sleeve, ignoring her tugs to free herself. “You were fighting so hard, I thought you’d hurt yourself.” He touched the mark on her wrist, his frown deepening. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say that!”
His gaze flicked to her in surprise. “What?”
“That you’re sorry!” She jerked her hand free. She never wanted to hear those words from anyone again. “Don’t say it!”
He stared at her with knowing eyes and in one sentence, made the nightmare real again.
“He said that when he raped you.”
The man saying that was one of her few clear memories of that night. She took a deep breath, held it and slowly unclenched her fingers. There wasn’t much point in lying. “Yes.”
He leaned forward. She shrank back, but the headboard limited her movement. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. When he stepped back, she could breathe again. When she did, her lungs filled with the scent of sage, tobacco, and man. His scent.
“I would give anything for it not to have happened,” he said quietly.
Mara shifted her body into a better position. “Me, too.”
Even more immediately, she’d give about anything not to be having this conversation. She was lying in a bed, dressed in nothing more than a nightgown, for heaven’s sake!
Cougar transferred his weight from his left foot to his right. A floorboard creaked. The sound scraped Mara’s nerves. She felt raw, exposed, and so confused, she had to know the truth. “Is it true?”
“What?”
“Have you been helping me all these months?”
The floorboard creaked again. “Yes.”
“Why?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she asked him again, “Why have you been helping me? What do you want from me?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“Yes. You do. No one goes to all that trouble for nothing.”
“Some do.”
She eyed him consideringly. The man radiated intensity and purpose. “You don’t.”
His head snapped up. The board gave one final squeak as his weight landed squarely on it. The flick of his eyebrow told her he was surprised she’d figured that out about him.
“You’re right. I don’t.”
“So what do you want?”
“Your attention.”
Two little words that scared her to death. “Why?”
This time, the look he sent her questioned her sanity. “You’ve got to know how beautiful you are from the way the men flock around you.”
“And here I thought my reputation was the draw.”
Her sarcasm took him aback. She could tell from the way his eyes widened before narrowing and the way his hands settled on his lean hips. Well, if he thought he could win her with lies, he had another think coming. Her own Daddy had told her he wouldn’t be able to marry her off without a poke of gold to up the ante, so he’d sold her instead. A girl didn’t have any illusions left after something like that, so she wasn’t falling for this big man’s lies. But it would be nice, she thought, as he kept spinning yarns. Very nice, if half of what he said was true.
“Maybe, at first, the men thought you round in the heels.” He shrugged. “Women who work above stairs are. But, Mara, only a rabid fool would interpret your behavior these last months as anything but proper. You, Miss Kincaid, are a lady from the top of your head to the tips of your shoes.”
A lady dressed in the rag she wore on her back and the shoes she stuffed paper in to fill the holes in the soles? Did he think she was a fool? “Lies are not necessary, Mr. McKinnely. I know who I am, and I’m
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