Stone Cold Charade (A Stone Family Novel) by Kathleen Royce

her face became. She all
but rolled her eyes at his foolishness.
    Alex was not going to allow him to get
away with it this time. If Ty presumed to think they could take up where they
had left off six years ago, like nothing had ever happened, he could think
again. She was not the same trusting, lovesick fool she’d been. She was not
going to let him play with her emotions. He had already deceived her once before
by letting her believe he cared for her when he hadn’t. She didn’t need her
heart thrown back in her face ever again!
    “She’s right Sam, I’m just joking.”
    Alex let out a long breath and turned to
Sam to say I told you so, but his next statement caused the words to freeze on
her tongue, and the color to leave her face.
     “Now that she’s all grown up, I’m
looking for more of a permanent relationship from her, not just a physical one.
I am not just going to hand my body over to her without the benefit of a commitment,”
he shrugged his large shoulders, “people would talk, and there would go my
reputation. No one would marry me after that.”
    Alex froze, dumbfounded. She slowly
turned her face toward Ty to see if he was really speaking or if she in fact
had finally cracked and was hearing “the voices”.
    “If all else fails, I’ll just seduce
her. Then call in the cavalry. Max would ensure that Alex made an honest man
out of me. I can’t have a woman playing with my affections now can I?” he
continued casually.
    Alex stared at him as if he had lost his
cognitive brain functions. Her mouth hung open in surprise, and realizing she
probably looked like a goldfish, snapped it shut. As she turned to Sam, she saw
that she was trying desperately to smother her laughter, but failing. She lost
it with a snort and started busting up, doubling over when she saw Alex and her
astounded expression. She couldn’t even look her in the face through her tears.
    She turned angrily to Ty and asked,
“Have you been in the liquor cabinet? Maybe you should consider checking into
the local hospital for observation because you’re obviously delirious!” she
accused with a straight face.
    Sam’s sides hurt all the harder,
clutching her ribs, she gasped for breath as she shook her head at them.
    “I’m glad you find this is so amusing,
because I sure don’t. Now see what you’ve done? She thinks you’re serious!” she
scolded as she leapt to her feet and gestured to Sam with her hands. “But I’m
not falling for it! Go find someone else to play with who is more to your taste.
I wouldn’t want you to feel like you need to babysit me. ”
    Chuckling, Ty got up from the table and
grabbed his Stetson from the back of his chair. “I’ll go play nice with the
other boys, but when I get back we need to talk,” he said, looking poignantly
at Alex.
    Seeing the way she avoided his eyes and
straightened in her chair, he knew she had heard him and was going to try to
avoid him now more than ever. She was running scared.
    “If you need me, I’ll be out in the barn
office going over plans with the foreman.”
    When he left, Sam was still laughing. He
could tell that Alex hadn’t believed a word he said. Moreover, he hadn’t really
meant it. He was not the marring kind, or so he assured himself. If he needed
any proof beyond his parents’ messed up nuptials, he didn’t have far to look.
Many of the men under his command struggled to save their marriages, only to
fail miserably. While serving their country, their wives couldn’t handle the
pressures of being tied to military men, and they found themselves in divorce
court. It was a waste. He wouldn’t pursue that senseless path.
    Playing at seducing her was one thing,
marrying her was quite another. He knew they should spend some time together,
get to know each other again. Then, once he had her in his bed, he could purge
her from his system once and for all. He had no problem taking her as his
lover, but he could never tie himself to her. Nothing had