Rancher's Spittin' Image by Peggy Moreland

Author:Peggy Moreland [Moreland, Peggy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Ranchers, Vendetta, Single Mothers, Unmarried Fathers, Westerns, General, Romance, Cowboys, Fiction, Texas
ISBN: 9780373761562
Google: NM6ZHCMmkXsC
Amazon: 0373761562
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 1998-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

Mandy awakened slowly, gradually becoming aware of the dull ache that throbbed between her legs and smiled softly at the memory of its cause. Rolling to her back, she scraped her still damp hair from her face. "Jesse?"

When he didn't answer, she lifted herself on one elbow and looked around the shadowed room. A vise slowly tightened around her chest. He was gone. He'd left without saying so much as a goodbye.

Fighting back the sting of rejection, she slipped from the narrow cot, gathered her skirt from the floor and stepped into it. Remembering that her blouse still lay on the entry-hall floor, she dropped back down onto the cot, giving in to the tears that burned her eyes. "Oh, Jesse," she sobbed, dropping her face into her hands. "How could you do this to me?"

But in her heart, she knew she shared part of the blame. He'd only taken what she'd freely offered. But had he taken her in the same spirit with which she'd given herself to him? With love?

Shaking her head, she rose, scraping the heels of her hands beneath her eyes … and saw his blue shirt draped across the foot of the bed. Fresh tears welled as she realized he'd left it for her. She picked up the shirt and slipped her arms through the sleeves, drawing the collar to her nose. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in his scent. On a shuddery sigh, she stooped, gathered up her boots and quietly stole from the room.

Once outside the barn, she gathered the plackets of his shirt tighter around her and ran through the fading darkness, anxious to get back to the house before her wranglers rose for the day and caught her sneaking from the barn half-dressed. Inside the dark kitchen, she set her boots down and turned to close the door quietly behind her.

"Mandy?"

Mandy jumped and whirled, flattening her back against the door, to find Sam standing in the triangle of light cast from the open refrigerator door. She placed a hand over her heart. "Sam! You scared the life out of me."

"Sorry." Sam closed the refrigerator and took a sip of the milk she'd just poured, her eyes widening above the glass's rim when she saw how Mandy was dressed. Slowly she lowered the glass. "Am I to assume that John Lee is wearing your blouse, since you are wearing his shirt?"

Mandy felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. "It isn't John Lee's," she murmured and stepped around her sister to open the refrigerator again.

Sam moved to peer over the door at the top of Mandy's head. "Well, whose is it, then?"

"Jesse's."

The name came from the depths of the refrigerator, but Sam heard the mumbled confession. "Jesse's!" she repeated, shocked.

Mandy stepped back, a pitcher of juice in her hand, and closed the door, turning to face her sister, her eyes brimming with tears. "Yes, Jesse's."

Sam immediately set her glass of milk aside and caught Mandy by the shoulders. "Did he hurt you?"

Mandy wagged her head, giving in to the tears.

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