him, then helped her to her feet. "I've already taken advantage of you."
She watched him run a hand through his hair and longed to touch it again herself, to lay her cheek against the roughness of his, to taste his mouth and feel the pressure of his hard chest on her soft breasts. She sighed. "You're being very stuffy, I think."
He arched a brow. "Hardly. And if you imagine that you can control me the way you are clearly accustomed to controlling everyone else, you are quite mistaken." The distant sound of Manypenny coughing made Geoff cock his head. "I'll see to him while you choose the books you'd like to borrow."
Watching him leave the room, Shelby looked down at the priceless books that were strewn, helter-skelter, across the rag rug and the wide-planked floor. Her eyes stung. Had she been rejected? It was hard to know for certain, but her heart was in conflict: on one hand she felt confused and even embarrassed, but on the other hand, she was euphoric.
Every nerve in her body sang with awakened passion and the heady joy of budding love.
* * *
Marsh, Cal, and Lucius turned up about midnight, after the rain died away. Seeing the light burning in the kitchen of the ranch house, Cal knocked at the back door, soaking wet, clutching his sodden Stetson in both hands.
Shelby wore a long dressing gown over a muslin nightdress with a ruffled collar, and her hair hung down her back in one thick braid. Opening the door, she beamed at the dripping cowhand. "Don't be scandalized by my appearance, Cal, but I had to wait up for you and I wanted to be comfortable. Where are the others? You all must put on some dry clothes, then come in for stew and tell me everything!"
"They've gone to the bunkhouse, ma'am." He nodded to Geoff, who had appeared behind Shelby. The Englishman had donned trousers, an untucked shirt, and thick socks. "We found a cave up in the mountains, one we'd seen before, and waited the storm out there. There was too much lightning to do anything else. I'm no fool!"
"Of course not! And we felt quite sure that was where you were. Now then, go and fetch the other boys and I'll dish up the stew. I've kept it warm all evening."
Cal's bloodshot eyes became even more pained. "Much obliged, ma'm, but everybody's awful tired, an'—"
"Shelby," Geoff spoke up, to her surprise, "why don't you serve the stew and Cal can take it over to the bunkhouse to eat while they get to bed."
Licking his lips in anticipation, the cowboy agreed, "That'd be a real godsend! That is—if you wouldn't mind, ma'am...."
"Of course not." She bade him wait, then gave Geoff a quick glance en route to the stove. After assembling a basket of dishes and forks, Shelby brought it along with the Dutch oven that had a swinging handle on it for easy transport.
"It sure does smell good," Cal said as he accepted the food. "Good night, Miz Shelby, Geoff..."
When she was alone again with Geoff, Shelby went past him to clean up the drips of gravy on the stove. "I still can't believe that he calls you Geoff! What would your subjects say?"
He laughed. "I don't have subjects and you know it. I think you're just annoyed because you're used to doing things your own way and you resent interference from me, no matter how inconsequential."
She scrubbed harder at the nickel-plated stove.
"Well, can you blame me? After all, it is my house!" And then the truth returned with a sting, reminding her of how little shedid control these days. Everything was topsy-turvy, even her heart. "Well, it was my house. I'm... very tired."
"I will leave you then." He stopped in front of her and gently put a hand on the sleeve of her dressing gown. "Good night."
Shelby suddenly felt tears threaten. She was afraid that if she looked at him, he would see the truth in her eyes. Instead, she only nodded and turned back to the stove.
Geoff withdrew. He went to see that Manypenny was sleeping peacefully, then on to his own room and closed the door. She's far too volatile, he
She watched him run a hand through his hair and longed to touch it again herself, to lay her cheek against the roughness of his, to taste his mouth and feel the pressure of his hard chest on her soft breasts. She sighed. "You're being very stuffy, I think."
He arched a brow. "Hardly. And if you imagine that you can control me the way you are clearly accustomed to controlling everyone else, you are quite mistaken." The distant sound of Manypenny coughing made Geoff cock his head. "I'll see to him while you choose the books you'd like to borrow."
Watching him leave the room, Shelby looked down at the priceless books that were strewn, helter-skelter, across the rag rug and the wide-planked floor. Her eyes stung. Had she been rejected? It was hard to know for certain, but her heart was in conflict: on one hand she felt confused and even embarrassed, but on the other hand, she was euphoric.
Every nerve in her body sang with awakened passion and the heady joy of budding love.
* * *
Marsh, Cal, and Lucius turned up about midnight, after the rain died away. Seeing the light burning in the kitchen of the ranch house, Cal knocked at the back door, soaking wet, clutching his sodden Stetson in both hands.
Shelby wore a long dressing gown over a muslin nightdress with a ruffled collar, and her hair hung down her back in one thick braid. Opening the door, she beamed at the dripping cowhand. "Don't be scandalized by my appearance, Cal, but I had to wait up for you and I wanted to be comfortable. Where are the others? You all must put on some dry clothes, then come in for stew and tell me everything!"
"They've gone to the bunkhouse, ma'am." He nodded to Geoff, who had appeared behind Shelby. The Englishman had donned trousers, an untucked shirt, and thick socks. "We found a cave up in the mountains, one we'd seen before, and waited the storm out there. There was too much lightning to do anything else. I'm no fool!"
"Of course not! And we felt quite sure that was where you were. Now then, go and fetch the other boys and I'll dish up the stew. I've kept it warm all evening."
Cal's bloodshot eyes became even more pained. "Much obliged, ma'm, but everybody's awful tired, an'—"
"Shelby," Geoff spoke up, to her surprise, "why don't you serve the stew and Cal can take it over to the bunkhouse to eat while they get to bed."
Licking his lips in anticipation, the cowboy agreed, "That'd be a real godsend! That is—if you wouldn't mind, ma'am...."
"Of course not." She bade him wait, then gave Geoff a quick glance en route to the stove. After assembling a basket of dishes and forks, Shelby brought it along with the Dutch oven that had a swinging handle on it for easy transport.
"It sure does smell good," Cal said as he accepted the food. "Good night, Miz Shelby, Geoff..."
When she was alone again with Geoff, Shelby went past him to clean up the drips of gravy on the stove. "I still can't believe that he calls you Geoff! What would your subjects say?"
He laughed. "I don't have subjects and you know it. I think you're just annoyed because you're used to doing things your own way and you resent interference from me, no matter how inconsequential."
She scrubbed harder at the nickel-plated stove.
"Well, can you blame me? After all, it is my house!" And then the truth returned with a sting, reminding her of how little shedid control these days. Everything was topsy-turvy, even her heart. "Well, it was my house. I'm... very tired."
"I will leave you then." He stopped in front of her and gently put a hand on the sleeve of her dressing gown. "Good night."
Shelby suddenly felt tears threaten. She was afraid that if she looked at him, he would see the truth in her eyes. Instead, she only nodded and turned back to the stove.
Geoff withdrew. He went to see that Manypenny was sleeping peacefully, then on to his own room and closed the door. She's far too volatile, he
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