Love and Fury by Patricia Hagan

Author:Patricia Hagan [Hagan, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780552130738
Goodreads: 2640103
Publisher: Avon
Published: 1986-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Briana lifted her gaze from the book she was reading and looked at Colt. He was seated across the room, behind his desk. Very handsome, in a pale-blue shirt and soft brown leather vest, he was examining the ranch ledgers.

It had been a pleasant day, and, for the first time, Colt had asked her if she wished to join, him in his study after dinner. Briana took this to mean that he was warming to her. Oh, there had been some friendly moments, but inviting her to his study was new, and she was warmed by his invitation.

Colt was, Briana acknowledged, not only the handsomest man she’d ever met, but also most appealing in other ways. He possessed a casual wit and a gentleness that contrasted with his sometimes steely manner.

She sat back in the large, comfortable chair, trying to keep from staring at Colt. She looked around the study approvingly. She liked every room in this house, and that made her curious to know Colt’s parents. Warm and loving people had decorated this house; she knew that much from living in it.

It was a big house, however, and wealth was evident. She was used to being a servant, and she had to be careful not to appear awkward, even though a great deal of the time she felt that way. She reminded herself to act as though she had been born among these people, for Dani indeed had. No behavior must carry over from her days as a servant, Briana told herself again and again.

She also had to be most careful of her feelings about Colt. She knew what she had to do, but, sweet heaven, she was beginning to like him more and more. She had to be on her guard, she admonished herself. Everything she was doing was being done for Charles, loathesome though the assignment was. She had to be careful not to feel sorry for Colt.

It was hard, though. He was so nice to her, even when he was trying not to be. Why, a couple of days ago, she had ridden out to join him on the range, to see what a branding was like. She knew the wranglers were going to brand a new shipment of cattle, fifty or so, and she’d ridden out fifteen minutes after Colt left the stable, hoping he wouldn’t make her go back when he discovered her.

She’d ridden up as he was giving instructions to Branch Pope. When he turned and saw her, she joked, “You never heard me the whole time I was following you. Why, I could have been a fierce Indian and put an arrow in your back.”

When he said nothing, merely staring at her, she asked, “Are you angry because I rode out here? I…I wanted to see what kind of work you do.”

“The house is your territory,” he said, “and the range is not. What did you come out here for?”

“Who says a woman can’t ride the range,” she retorted, “especially when she happens to own half of that range?”

“Are you trying to make a point?” he asked wearily.

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