relationship.”
His boot heels clicked on the wooden slats as he edged around her, circling her like a dog with a particularly meaty bone. “Pity.”
Feeling more than a little unbalanced, she decided not to argue the point. Yet.
He stopped behind her. “What? No clever reply this time?”
“I’m working on it.”
He paced to the front of her. “I see you changed your dress.”
She pursed her lips into what she hoped was a mixture of boredom and prim scolding. “I felt it necessary after you pestered me earlier.”
“Are you claiming I acted against your will?” His words were barely above a whisper.
Katherine shut her eyes against the implication of his question, trying desperately to keep her thoughts in the present. But slowly, oh so slowly, her mind slid back in time to a place where a man had forced her.
The muscles in Katherine’s heart tightened from the effort to stop the memories from overwhelming her. The effort left her breathless.
Panicky.
The other man had made her feel so dirty, while Trey never, never ever, did. She shouldn’t have let him believe otherwise, not even for a moment.
Feeling remorseful, she lifted her eyes back to Trey’s. His stricken expression sent fresh guilt through her.
“Against my will? No. No, of course not,” she rushed to say. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
He nodded, relief filling his gaze. “Then let’s settle down and talk this through.”
“Oh, Trey, the past few times we tried to talk, we didn’t do so well.”
He slid her an amused grin and then waved her toward one of the chairs. “So we get back on the horse and try again.”
“I don’t ride horses.”
“Well, then.” He tapped her lightly on the nose. “That makes it more likely you’ll learn something here.”
She bit back a flippant retort, annoyed as much by her shaky reaction to his nearness as by the arrogance of his tone. He had the insolence to smile at her again, and everything in her softened. “Don’t, Trey.”
“Don’t what?”
“This is hard enough as it is.” Resignation tripped along her spine. “Don’t make me like you on top of everything else.”
He touched her cheek. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
“The worst.”
He dropped his hand and clenched his jaw so hard, a muscle jumped.
Realizing she’d insulted him, she shook her head. “I’m not making myself clear. Perhaps this isn’t the best time to talk.”
She started to turn, but he caught her by the arm.
“No, it’s the perfect time. We…Let’s start again, shall we?”
“Can we do that?” She had her doubts, for very good reasons.
He steered her toward one of the rockers. “We can try.”
She scooted out of his reach and perched against the railing. “How do you propose we start again when we can’t have a single conversation without arguing?”
“I’m confident we can do this. I’ll start. By apologizing.”
He took her hand gently into his.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said.
“The apology or—” he dropped his gaze to their joined hands “—this?”
She quickly pulled her hand free. “ This is the sort of behavior that got us into trouble earlier. Aren’t you rather forgetting yourself?”
He made a deep sound in his throat. “Seems I always do when I’m around you.”
“Well, in my estimation, that makes you very unpredictable.”
His smile never faltered. “I certainly hope so.”
Resisting the urge to smile back at him, she swallowed. Slowly. “Your charm isn’t working on me.”
“So you said already.”
“Keep it up and I might say it again.”
“You know, Miss Taylor, there is nothing worse than when a man is trying to be sincere and the woman is not.”
“This is your attempt at sincere?” she asked.
“I’m trying, Katherine.” He let out a slow breath, his eyes slightly less haunted than usual. “I’m really trying.”
She shut her own eyes against the intensity in his gaze, wishing she knew how
His boot heels clicked on the wooden slats as he edged around her, circling her like a dog with a particularly meaty bone. “Pity.”
Feeling more than a little unbalanced, she decided not to argue the point. Yet.
He stopped behind her. “What? No clever reply this time?”
“I’m working on it.”
He paced to the front of her. “I see you changed your dress.”
She pursed her lips into what she hoped was a mixture of boredom and prim scolding. “I felt it necessary after you pestered me earlier.”
“Are you claiming I acted against your will?” His words were barely above a whisper.
Katherine shut her eyes against the implication of his question, trying desperately to keep her thoughts in the present. But slowly, oh so slowly, her mind slid back in time to a place where a man had forced her.
The muscles in Katherine’s heart tightened from the effort to stop the memories from overwhelming her. The effort left her breathless.
Panicky.
The other man had made her feel so dirty, while Trey never, never ever, did. She shouldn’t have let him believe otherwise, not even for a moment.
Feeling remorseful, she lifted her eyes back to Trey’s. His stricken expression sent fresh guilt through her.
“Against my will? No. No, of course not,” she rushed to say. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
He nodded, relief filling his gaze. “Then let’s settle down and talk this through.”
“Oh, Trey, the past few times we tried to talk, we didn’t do so well.”
He slid her an amused grin and then waved her toward one of the chairs. “So we get back on the horse and try again.”
“I don’t ride horses.”
“Well, then.” He tapped her lightly on the nose. “That makes it more likely you’ll learn something here.”
She bit back a flippant retort, annoyed as much by her shaky reaction to his nearness as by the arrogance of his tone. He had the insolence to smile at her again, and everything in her softened. “Don’t, Trey.”
“Don’t what?”
“This is hard enough as it is.” Resignation tripped along her spine. “Don’t make me like you on top of everything else.”
He touched her cheek. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
“The worst.”
He dropped his hand and clenched his jaw so hard, a muscle jumped.
Realizing she’d insulted him, she shook her head. “I’m not making myself clear. Perhaps this isn’t the best time to talk.”
She started to turn, but he caught her by the arm.
“No, it’s the perfect time. We…Let’s start again, shall we?”
“Can we do that?” She had her doubts, for very good reasons.
He steered her toward one of the rockers. “We can try.”
She scooted out of his reach and perched against the railing. “How do you propose we start again when we can’t have a single conversation without arguing?”
“I’m confident we can do this. I’ll start. By apologizing.”
He took her hand gently into his.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said.
“The apology or—” he dropped his gaze to their joined hands “—this?”
She quickly pulled her hand free. “ This is the sort of behavior that got us into trouble earlier. Aren’t you rather forgetting yourself?”
He made a deep sound in his throat. “Seems I always do when I’m around you.”
“Well, in my estimation, that makes you very unpredictable.”
His smile never faltered. “I certainly hope so.”
Resisting the urge to smile back at him, she swallowed. Slowly. “Your charm isn’t working on me.”
“So you said already.”
“Keep it up and I might say it again.”
“You know, Miss Taylor, there is nothing worse than when a man is trying to be sincere and the woman is not.”
“This is your attempt at sincere?” she asked.
“I’m trying, Katherine.” He let out a slow breath, his eyes slightly less haunted than usual. “I’m really trying.”
She shut her own eyes against the intensity in his gaze, wishing she knew how
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