Texas!.03.Texas!.Sage.1991 by Brown Sandra

Author:Brown, Sandra [Brown, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Google: krAJ7RzOM4MC
Amazon: 0553295004
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 10

There wasn't much she could do about the whisker burns around her mouth or on her neck. The ones on her breasts wouldn't show. She rinsed her face with cold water. She washed all over with a washcloth, redressed, and raked her hands through her hair, trying to restore it to some semblance of order. In her enraged haste, she had left her purse in the car. With the resources that were available, she'd done as well as she could.

She gripped the doorknob for several moments, garnering all the courage possible before returning to the bedroom. There was no more than twelve inches of space on either side of the bed, so she instantly came face-to-face with Harlan.

Or rather belly to face, as he was still sitting on the edge of the bed. He had, however, pulled on a pair of jeans. Sage thought she must be the most wanton woman in the history of the species because—with his touseled hair, whisker bristle, bare chest and feet—Harlan looked mouth-watering. Her tummy fluttered, and, though she hadn't even begun to chastise herself for what had just happened, she wanted it to happen again.

"Sage," he began, raising his hands in a gesture of helplessness, "I don't know what to say."

"Good. Because I don't want to talk about it. I've got to go. G'bye."

She slipped through the narrow door and hastened down the passageway. He caught up with her in the galley and turned her to face him.

"We've got to talk about it."

She stubbornly shook her head no.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were … that you hadn't … that I was the first?"

"It wasn't any of your business."

"Maybe not until ten minutes ago. Then it became my business."

"That's where it ended, too."

"Like hell it did. Did I hurt you?" He reached up and touched the corner of her whisker-burned lips. "Christ, Sage, I could have hurt you."

"Well, you didn't, so stop acting guilty."

"Are you…" He paused to swallow hard. "Bleeding?"

Embarrassed and exasperated, she lowered her eyes. "You're the one who's bleeding." There were still four distinct red lines on his chest. "I'm sorry I did that to you."

He made a negligent motion with his hand, dismissing the scratches. "I've got to know if you're all right."

"Yes!" she cried, her voice cracking. Rather than show him how emotional she felt, she resorted to anger. "I thought you'd be crowing. Now I've really given you something to gloat about, haven't I?"

She freed her arm from his grasp and left the trailer. She was tempted to run but didn't, wanting to maintain a shred of dignity. On the other hand, she didn't dawdle. From the open doorway, Harlan watched her leave, the expression on his unshaven face grave. She avoided meeting his eyes as she backed the car away before turning into the road. She hadn't gone far when she met Chase driving toward her in one of the company trucks.

"Sage," he called from the open window. Extending his arm, he flagged her down.

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