The Rancher and the Redhead by Suzannah Davis

Author:Suzannah Davis
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-05-02T23:00:00+00:00

Six

The man was made of cast iron. Cold, unfeeling cast iron.

It was the only explanation, Roni decided, bending over the edge of the tub to give Jessie’s yellow duck a squeeze. While Jessie splashed and squealed her delight at her morning bath time, the rubber duckie gave a dejected whistle that mirrored Roni’s mood exactly. After all, she and Sam had spent four nights in the same bed, she’d worn everything from a sophisticated black satin slip to frilly baby-doll pajamas, and all the man had done was snore. Did she have to come to bed buck naked to get noticed? It was downright humiliating.

Of course, to be fair, there had been a one-year-old in the room with them, and Sam had a lot on his mind, what with the ranch’s current financial pinch.

Yeah, but he’s not dead.

Roni made a face. Maybe he just wasn’t interested anymore. And, short of actually painting over everything and starting again, she’d drawn out the project in Jessie’s room as long as she could. She wasn’t going to be able to use that excuse to bunk with Sam much longer.

Actually, in her opinion, the mural was turning out rather well, all her frustrated energy pouring out in a creative furor that had produced a whimsical Western landscape with gnomelike gophers, playful cacti and a family of lovable coyotes. To keep Jessie entertained while she worked, Roni had made up stories about the creatures that weren’t half bad. In fact, with a bit more work, there just might be a kid’s picture book in the offing, and any profits could be socked away for Jessie’s college fund. The idea gave Roni a lot of pleasure.

But in the meantime, her feminine self-esteem was at an all-time low. Maybe she should just tell Sam she’d changed her mind about the physical side of their marriage. But what if he turned her down? The mental picture made her cringe in hot embarrassment. She’d never be able to look him in the eye again!

No, she valued their friendship too highly to put him on the spot, but it appeared he was immune to the apparently inept subtleties of her seduction techniques. It was enough to make a woman bite nails—ten-penny ones!

“Ready to get out, honey?” Roni reached for the baby, but Jessie laughed and did a belly flop in the four inches of bathwater, a clear indication that she still wanted to play.

“Well, just a minute more, but the water is stone cold. Here, let’s warm it up a little.”

She twisted the hot water knob, finding it stubborn, as usual—then suddenly everything happened at once. The entire knob assembly gave way in her hand and hot water spewed out of the wall pipe. Scalding liquid splashed her arm and she screamed, not so much out of her own pain, but out of terror for Jessie. Desperately, she grabbed the baby, pulling her out of the tub and away from the dangerous flood. Jessie gave a horrifying howl that chilled Roni’s core.

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