The Emperor's New Clothes by Victoria Alexander Page A

gazed around as if the answer could be found somewhere out there in the Wyoming countryside. Abruptly, she squared her shoulders and stared Jack straight in the eye. “Very well. I’ll sell.”
    â€œI’ll be damned.” Jack shook his head and laughed. “I’m going to be an English count.”
    â€œMore like a Wyoming jackass,” Tye muttered.
    Ophelia turned to Tye and smiled sweetly, her voice meant for him alone. “One could say it’s better to be a Wyoming jackass”—she dropped his sodden handkerchief in his lap—“than a lover in Venice. At least the animal doesn’t have to depend on the fickle whims of moonlight to get what he wants.”
    Tye stared as if he couldn’t quite believe her words. Lovely self-satisfaction flooded her. Then a wicked smile quirked the corners of his lips and her heart sank. What was he up to now?
    â€œI’ve never considered moonlight fickle.” His eyes simmered with a challenge or a threat or a promise, and she shivered with unwanted anticipation. “And I always get what I want.”
    She drew a deep breath and matched his gaze with hers. “I shouldn’t wager the ranch on it if I were you. Not this time.”
    He laughed, and she tossed her head and turned to Jack. This was going far too well to waste time worrying about Tye Matthews. Besides, once she and Jack set a price for her mythical title and estate, and once she collected the money, she and Jenny would get out of Dead End so fast Tye wouldn’t know what happened. Then she could firmly put behind her all his talk about lovers and moonlight and the crazy idea that sheactually wanted to kiss him. She sighed to herself.
    She might have to shoot him after all.
    Â 
    Tye ignored much of the conversation between Ophelia and Jack on the drive back to the house. He had far too much to think about to pay attention to their enthusiastic discussions. He had a bad feeling about this. A real bad feeling.
    He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Yet. But something was wrong. It wasn’t simply Jack’s determination to buy Ophelia’s land and title, although the idea was probably one of the most asinine things he’d ever heard of.
    It wasn’t Ophelia’s denial of their mutual attraction. Hell, she was only a woman and couldn’t be expected to know her own mind. Even with her reluctance this morning, his confidence hadn’t wavered as to his eventual conquest. She’d be in his bed before she knew it. And she’d love every minute of it.
    He shook his head as if to jar odd, unsettling pieces of a unfamiliar puzzle into some kind of rational order. The answer seemed to beckon just beyond his reach. But his bad feeling was never wrong. And this was the strongest it had ever been.
    Abruptly, one tiny piece snapped into place. He threw her a quick glance, then stared straight ahead. Lord, she was lovely. He was certain the body hidden beneath that prim, yellow dress was made for loving. And he’d already had a tempting glimpse of the passionate nature simmering just beneath that cool English exterior.
    Could it be that her mind was really as convoluted as his aunt’s? Or could there be another reason altogether? He clenched his jaw and thought long andhard. Did it mean anything at all? Or did it mean everything?
    What the hell was her dead husband’s name anyway?

Chapter Five
    Jenny sighed with disgust and threw the riding habit on the bed. If she had to sew one more stitch, she’d go stark, raving mad. Besides, it wasn’t fair, none of it. Ophelia was out having a good time touring the countryside with Big Jack, while Jenny was stuck here, ordered to stay in their rooms, no less, and forced to do menial, slave labor. All right, she conceded to herself, maybe it wasn’t exactly slave labor, but the effect was the same nonetheless.
    She glanced around Ophelia’s room and sighed again. Jenny had