she hadn’t experienced those reactions with Kyle, but assumed it was because she’d touched him in some way just about every day of her life. Still, she found herself comparing Kyle's muscular build to Radford's lean body as they stroked their brushes across the last few slats of the floor.
“I’ll be back in a minute to clean up,” Kyle said, balancing his paintbrush across the top of the pail.
With a relieved sigh, Evelyn sat back on her heels and watched him walk to the outhouse they used during the day when they were too dirty from work to use the necessary inside. Rubbing the back of her neck, she released a long, slow breath. She had to stop this. She couldn’t keep letting her eyes and mind wander to Radford. Yet, spending so much time together made it nearly impossible not to do so, especially after the argument they’d had over Rebecca that day in the paddock. Somehow Radford and Evelyn had revealed themselves to each other during those tense moments. Their angry words had stripped away their pretenses and left them vulnerable to each another. There was a depth to Radford she hadn’t known existed, deep wounds that still pained him. And he was afraid. He’d said he was failing as a father, but Evelyn sensed a deeper despair, a level of desperation buried beneath his heartbreaking confession.
She closed her eyes and rolled her neck to release the tension. Radford’s secrets were none of her business.
“You have paint on your chin, Evelyn.”
Her eyes sprang open. Radford was watching her, wearing a tender smile. She lowered her face and wiped her chin across her lifted shoulder to avoid his eyes.
“You've made it worse.”
She used the bottom of her shirt to scrub her chin, then displayed her face for his inspection. “Gone?”
His smile widened and Evelyn forgot about everything outside the realm of Radford’s face. There was something warm in his smile, something personal in the lazy way it developed, something in his eyes that said it was just for her. But his smile faded and Radford gave her a curious, probing look that made her tighten up inside.
“You know, I wouldn’t have paired you and Kyle,” he said, surprising her with the unexpected comment. “I don't think I know two people who are more opposite than you.”
It hadn’t always been that way, but Evelyn had no wish to discuss feelings better left unexplored. “We’ve been friends for years.”
“So have you and Boyd.”
Evelyn laughed. “Yes, but I couldn't handle all that wildness and oozing charm.”
“Then why not Duke?” he asked with a grin.
She shook her head. “I could never marry a lawman. I’d always be afraid he’d go to work and never come home. Duke is steady, but too high a risk. Besides,” Evelyn added with a grin to lighten the conversation, “neither one asked me to marry him.”
Radford smiled. “Well, it’s a good thing one of us did. Ma’s sure happy about getting you for a daughter-in-law. She’s always bragged about her little angel.”
Evelyn didn’t feel like an angel. She had noticed far more than was modest about her future brother-in-law since he'd been home.
“Your mother’s biased because she helped raise me.”
The reminder made Radford sorry he'd said anything. He could see how Evelyn’s eyes lost a bit of their sparkle, though she tried to hide it.
Radford crossed the porch then knelt by Evelyn. The urge to stroke her hair was strong, but he withheld the hand that started to lift of its own accord. “I'm sorry I brought up hurtful memories. Since my father passed away, I've gained a deep appreciation of the pain you've suffered. We all lost someone special when your mother died.”
For the second time, Radford found himself searching Evelyn’s eyes, trying to recognize her as an old friend. But it dawned on him that she had never been his friend. She was the little neighbor girl who had played with Kyle while Radford was helping his father at the mill. During the
“I’ll be back in a minute to clean up,” Kyle said, balancing his paintbrush across the top of the pail.
With a relieved sigh, Evelyn sat back on her heels and watched him walk to the outhouse they used during the day when they were too dirty from work to use the necessary inside. Rubbing the back of her neck, she released a long, slow breath. She had to stop this. She couldn’t keep letting her eyes and mind wander to Radford. Yet, spending so much time together made it nearly impossible not to do so, especially after the argument they’d had over Rebecca that day in the paddock. Somehow Radford and Evelyn had revealed themselves to each other during those tense moments. Their angry words had stripped away their pretenses and left them vulnerable to each another. There was a depth to Radford she hadn’t known existed, deep wounds that still pained him. And he was afraid. He’d said he was failing as a father, but Evelyn sensed a deeper despair, a level of desperation buried beneath his heartbreaking confession.
She closed her eyes and rolled her neck to release the tension. Radford’s secrets were none of her business.
“You have paint on your chin, Evelyn.”
Her eyes sprang open. Radford was watching her, wearing a tender smile. She lowered her face and wiped her chin across her lifted shoulder to avoid his eyes.
“You've made it worse.”
She used the bottom of her shirt to scrub her chin, then displayed her face for his inspection. “Gone?”
His smile widened and Evelyn forgot about everything outside the realm of Radford’s face. There was something warm in his smile, something personal in the lazy way it developed, something in his eyes that said it was just for her. But his smile faded and Radford gave her a curious, probing look that made her tighten up inside.
“You know, I wouldn’t have paired you and Kyle,” he said, surprising her with the unexpected comment. “I don't think I know two people who are more opposite than you.”
It hadn’t always been that way, but Evelyn had no wish to discuss feelings better left unexplored. “We’ve been friends for years.”
“So have you and Boyd.”
Evelyn laughed. “Yes, but I couldn't handle all that wildness and oozing charm.”
“Then why not Duke?” he asked with a grin.
She shook her head. “I could never marry a lawman. I’d always be afraid he’d go to work and never come home. Duke is steady, but too high a risk. Besides,” Evelyn added with a grin to lighten the conversation, “neither one asked me to marry him.”
Radford smiled. “Well, it’s a good thing one of us did. Ma’s sure happy about getting you for a daughter-in-law. She’s always bragged about her little angel.”
Evelyn didn’t feel like an angel. She had noticed far more than was modest about her future brother-in-law since he'd been home.
“Your mother’s biased because she helped raise me.”
The reminder made Radford sorry he'd said anything. He could see how Evelyn’s eyes lost a bit of their sparkle, though she tried to hide it.
Radford crossed the porch then knelt by Evelyn. The urge to stroke her hair was strong, but he withheld the hand that started to lift of its own accord. “I'm sorry I brought up hurtful memories. Since my father passed away, I've gained a deep appreciation of the pain you've suffered. We all lost someone special when your mother died.”
For the second time, Radford found himself searching Evelyn’s eyes, trying to recognize her as an old friend. But it dawned on him that she had never been his friend. She was the little neighbor girl who had played with Kyle while Radford was helping his father at the mill. During the
Similar Books
