plate. Somehow, the warning seemed to have lost some of its salt this morning. If it ever happened that he followed in his older brother's footsteps and settled down with one woman for the rest of his days, he hoped she would be as easy on the eyes as Rachel Hollister,
And just what the hell was he thinking!
Joseph leaned his head through the hole and gave his dog an accusing glare. Turncoat. "Get off that bed, you spoiled mutt. " And don't go making yourself at home.
This was a temporary situation. The moment that Darby got back on his feet, Joseph would be out of here faster than a cat with its tail on fire. "Come on!" He snapped his fingers. "You're a dirty cur. I'm sure Miss Hollister doesn't want your fleas. "
"I haven't noticed him scratching, " she observed from her work spot at the table. "And I truly don't mind his being on the bed. My dog, Denver, used to sleep with me all the time. "
A woman after his heart. That thought didn't sit well, either. He took a chair at the table to drink his coffee. The purely awful taste made him feel better. A man would have to be out of his mind to tie up with a woman who couldn't make better coffee than this. Coffee was one of the mainstays of Joseph's diet.
Just then he heard Rachel spewing and sputtering. He craned his neck to see her bent over the sink, spitting and scrubbing her mouth with one hand, her other holding a coffee cup out from her body as if it contained poison.
"This is horrible!" she cried. She emptied the cup and advanced on the coffeepot. "How can you drink such awful stuff?"
Joseph thought it was a good remedy for what ailed him, namely a purely irrational, inexplicable, imbe-cilic attraction to a crazy woman.
Rachel was none too pleased when Joseph Paxton informed her that he meant to leave for part of the afternoon. He stood at the opening, ducking his hatless head to see through, his blond hair trailing forward over his sturdy shoulders.
"But one of my windows is wide open!" she reminded him. "And my wall has a huge hole in it!
Surely you can't mean to leave me here alone. "
"Of course I don't mean to leave you here alone. I told Darby I'd look after you, and I mean to see that you're looked after. " He flashed her a cajoling grin. "Have a little faith. "
Over the course of the morning, Rachel had catalogued his features, which were chiseled and irregular, his bladelike nose a little too large and sporting a knot along the bridge, his squared jawline accentuated just a bit too strongly by tendon, and his cheekbones just a shade too prominent. Only somehow the overall effect was attractive, especially when he spoke or grinned as he was now. His mouth was full and mobile, a dis-tractingly soft and expressive feature for an otherwise rugged countenance that lent him a boyish appeal. She also liked his blue eyes. When they twinkled with
warmth, she felt as if she'd just swallowed a dozen live pollywogs.
"While I'm gone, my brother Ace is going to stand guard, " he explained.
His brother! Rachel had come to accept Joseph's presence in the dining room, and she was even starting to trust him a little. But that was where her high-mindedness ended. If he had his way, every citizen of No Name would soon be traipsing through her house.
"No. "
"Now, Miss Hollister, Ace is a champion fellow. You'll like him. "
"I don't care how champion he is. I won't have him inside my house, and that'll be the end of it. "
She whirled away from the barricade and advanced on the sink to finish washing the breakfast dishes. "You tore the boards from my window, broke out the glass, frightened me into blowing a hole through my barricade, and now you're leaving!"
"I have important business to take care of. "
"What important business?"
He took so long to reply that she glanced over her shoulder. All the laughter had left his eyes, and their usual sky blue had gone stormy dark. "My brother David is—"
"How many brothers do you have?" she asked, her tone
And just what the hell was he thinking!
Joseph leaned his head through the hole and gave his dog an accusing glare. Turncoat. "Get off that bed, you spoiled mutt. " And don't go making yourself at home.
This was a temporary situation. The moment that Darby got back on his feet, Joseph would be out of here faster than a cat with its tail on fire. "Come on!" He snapped his fingers. "You're a dirty cur. I'm sure Miss Hollister doesn't want your fleas. "
"I haven't noticed him scratching, " she observed from her work spot at the table. "And I truly don't mind his being on the bed. My dog, Denver, used to sleep with me all the time. "
A woman after his heart. That thought didn't sit well, either. He took a chair at the table to drink his coffee. The purely awful taste made him feel better. A man would have to be out of his mind to tie up with a woman who couldn't make better coffee than this. Coffee was one of the mainstays of Joseph's diet.
Just then he heard Rachel spewing and sputtering. He craned his neck to see her bent over the sink, spitting and scrubbing her mouth with one hand, her other holding a coffee cup out from her body as if it contained poison.
"This is horrible!" she cried. She emptied the cup and advanced on the coffeepot. "How can you drink such awful stuff?"
Joseph thought it was a good remedy for what ailed him, namely a purely irrational, inexplicable, imbe-cilic attraction to a crazy woman.
Rachel was none too pleased when Joseph Paxton informed her that he meant to leave for part of the afternoon. He stood at the opening, ducking his hatless head to see through, his blond hair trailing forward over his sturdy shoulders.
"But one of my windows is wide open!" she reminded him. "And my wall has a huge hole in it!
Surely you can't mean to leave me here alone. "
"Of course I don't mean to leave you here alone. I told Darby I'd look after you, and I mean to see that you're looked after. " He flashed her a cajoling grin. "Have a little faith. "
Over the course of the morning, Rachel had catalogued his features, which were chiseled and irregular, his bladelike nose a little too large and sporting a knot along the bridge, his squared jawline accentuated just a bit too strongly by tendon, and his cheekbones just a shade too prominent. Only somehow the overall effect was attractive, especially when he spoke or grinned as he was now. His mouth was full and mobile, a dis-tractingly soft and expressive feature for an otherwise rugged countenance that lent him a boyish appeal. She also liked his blue eyes. When they twinkled with
warmth, she felt as if she'd just swallowed a dozen live pollywogs.
"While I'm gone, my brother Ace is going to stand guard, " he explained.
His brother! Rachel had come to accept Joseph's presence in the dining room, and she was even starting to trust him a little. But that was where her high-mindedness ended. If he had his way, every citizen of No Name would soon be traipsing through her house.
"No. "
"Now, Miss Hollister, Ace is a champion fellow. You'll like him. "
"I don't care how champion he is. I won't have him inside my house, and that'll be the end of it. "
She whirled away from the barricade and advanced on the sink to finish washing the breakfast dishes. "You tore the boards from my window, broke out the glass, frightened me into blowing a hole through my barricade, and now you're leaving!"
"I have important business to take care of. "
"What important business?"
He took so long to reply that she glanced over her shoulder. All the laughter had left his eyes, and their usual sky blue had gone stormy dark. "My brother David is—"
"How many brothers do you have?" she asked, her tone
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