grin back.
Violet pumped the trigger on the spray gun. Liquid cleanser blasted the cabinet door then slid in brown rivulets to the countertop. As she swiped a cloth back and forth over the gooey, grimy wood, she wondered again how she had gotten from her home in Amarillo to here. True, the house she’d lived in with her father-in-law had not been a real home to her. But she hadn’t left it to go to work for a Texas Ranger. An arrogant, know-it-all one at that!
She was scrubbing the wood viciously when a quiet voice shattered the silence.
“Picturing that cabinet door as my face?”
From her precarious perch on the countertop, Violet jerked around to see Charlie had slipped into the kitchen and right up behind her. She hadn’t known he was anywhere around, and the sight of him nearly made her lose her balance.
“Among other things,” she muttered. “I thought you’d be long gone by now. Out on the range hunting rattlesnakes.”
His expression unmoving, he said, “I will be. When the sun gets a little lower. Besides, I’m not going without Sam. Not after I promised him.”
Gripping the edge of the counter, she twisted around far enough to be facing him head on. “Over my dead body!”
Laughter erupted from him. “Violet, if I really wanted to take Sam on a horseback ride, I wouldn’t have to kill you to do it!”
His words were a mimicry to all the threats she’d heard in the past months. And suddenly without warning it was Rex’s voice in her head, not Charlie’s. It wouldn’t be hard for me to get custody of Sam. All I would have to do is bring up your brush with the law back in Georgia, and you’d never see your son again!
Rage at Charlie, at Rex, at men in general began to boil her blood. Before she knew what she was about to do, she jumped down from the cabinet counter, flung herself straight at him and pummeled his broad chest with both fists.
“You bully! You hateful—man! Don’t you threaten me! Ever!”
Charlie had expected his words to rile her a little. He supposed he’d even wanted them to. She irritated the hell out of him in a thousand ways, and he wanted to get back at her somehow. But in his wildest imaginings he hadn’t expected her to flog him.
“Damn it, Violet! Calm down!” Charlie finally managed to snatch both her wrists. He held her firmly until she finally stopped fighting and sagged weakly against him.
“What in the heck was that all about?” he demanded. “Have you gone crazy?”
Violet knew her face was red from exertion and embarrassment, and she could see Charlie’s eyes watching her breast heave to regain her breath. Without a doubt she’d acted like a wild woman and still looked like one. But for once she didn’t care. When she’d left Amarillo, she’d made a promise to herself never to let another man try to control her. And she’d be damned before she did!
“I was crazy for ever agreeing to stay here with you,” she said angrily. “This time I’m leaving. And I mean it!”
Any other time Charlie would have been furious with her. But curiosity over her fierce reaction erased any anger he was feeling.
“We’ve already been over all this,” he said curtly. “And I don’t understand why you’ve gone so wild all of a sudden.”
As Violet looked up at him, it dawned on her that he couldn’t possibly know why she was so angry and so desperate to get away. And above all else, she mustn’t let him find out.
Her eyes fell from his and her shoulders slumped. “Sam is my son. Not yours. I won’t let you take him over... just because...you’re doing me a favor.”
His expression was incredulous. “I have no intention of taking over your son!”
She looked at him with disbelief. “No? You put him on that horse without even asking my permission.”
He groaned, but Violet couldn’t help thinking it sounded more like a growl. “My word, Violet, I wouldn’t put him or any child in danger!”
“A horse could kill him!”
He dropped
Violet pumped the trigger on the spray gun. Liquid cleanser blasted the cabinet door then slid in brown rivulets to the countertop. As she swiped a cloth back and forth over the gooey, grimy wood, she wondered again how she had gotten from her home in Amarillo to here. True, the house she’d lived in with her father-in-law had not been a real home to her. But she hadn’t left it to go to work for a Texas Ranger. An arrogant, know-it-all one at that!
She was scrubbing the wood viciously when a quiet voice shattered the silence.
“Picturing that cabinet door as my face?”
From her precarious perch on the countertop, Violet jerked around to see Charlie had slipped into the kitchen and right up behind her. She hadn’t known he was anywhere around, and the sight of him nearly made her lose her balance.
“Among other things,” she muttered. “I thought you’d be long gone by now. Out on the range hunting rattlesnakes.”
His expression unmoving, he said, “I will be. When the sun gets a little lower. Besides, I’m not going without Sam. Not after I promised him.”
Gripping the edge of the counter, she twisted around far enough to be facing him head on. “Over my dead body!”
Laughter erupted from him. “Violet, if I really wanted to take Sam on a horseback ride, I wouldn’t have to kill you to do it!”
His words were a mimicry to all the threats she’d heard in the past months. And suddenly without warning it was Rex’s voice in her head, not Charlie’s. It wouldn’t be hard for me to get custody of Sam. All I would have to do is bring up your brush with the law back in Georgia, and you’d never see your son again!
Rage at Charlie, at Rex, at men in general began to boil her blood. Before she knew what she was about to do, she jumped down from the cabinet counter, flung herself straight at him and pummeled his broad chest with both fists.
“You bully! You hateful—man! Don’t you threaten me! Ever!”
Charlie had expected his words to rile her a little. He supposed he’d even wanted them to. She irritated the hell out of him in a thousand ways, and he wanted to get back at her somehow. But in his wildest imaginings he hadn’t expected her to flog him.
“Damn it, Violet! Calm down!” Charlie finally managed to snatch both her wrists. He held her firmly until she finally stopped fighting and sagged weakly against him.
“What in the heck was that all about?” he demanded. “Have you gone crazy?”
Violet knew her face was red from exertion and embarrassment, and she could see Charlie’s eyes watching her breast heave to regain her breath. Without a doubt she’d acted like a wild woman and still looked like one. But for once she didn’t care. When she’d left Amarillo, she’d made a promise to herself never to let another man try to control her. And she’d be damned before she did!
“I was crazy for ever agreeing to stay here with you,” she said angrily. “This time I’m leaving. And I mean it!”
Any other time Charlie would have been furious with her. But curiosity over her fierce reaction erased any anger he was feeling.
“We’ve already been over all this,” he said curtly. “And I don’t understand why you’ve gone so wild all of a sudden.”
As Violet looked up at him, it dawned on her that he couldn’t possibly know why she was so angry and so desperate to get away. And above all else, she mustn’t let him find out.
Her eyes fell from his and her shoulders slumped. “Sam is my son. Not yours. I won’t let you take him over... just because...you’re doing me a favor.”
His expression was incredulous. “I have no intention of taking over your son!”
She looked at him with disbelief. “No? You put him on that horse without even asking my permission.”
He groaned, but Violet couldn’t help thinking it sounded more like a growl. “My word, Violet, I wouldn’t put him or any child in danger!”
“A horse could kill him!”
He dropped
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