by Peggy Webb
HALLIE’S DESTINY
Peggy Webb
Copyright 2011 Peggy Webb
Cover art design 2011 Kim Van Meter
Publishing History/Bantam/Loveswept
Copyright 1988 by Peggy Webb.
All rights reserved.
CHAPTER ONE
Hallie left the rodeo with her pockets full of winnings. Her spurs jingled as she unhooked them. Then she climbed into her 1967 El Dorado Cadillac and headed toward home.
Home was a modest duplex with a fenced-in yard, a garage, a roof that didn’t leak, and a front porch with a scrawny potted petunia and two enormous Great Danes. She leaned down to cuddle the dogs’ big heads and receive their lavish attentions. Opening her front door, she whistled them inside.
“Let’s pack, boys. We’re going camping.”
She could almost hear the freedom of the outdoors calling her name. Besides her family, that large rambunctious group of Donovans, she loved freedom and adventure most in the world. She had decided to camp for a few days before wheeling on up to her brother’s ranch to meet her twin sister who was coming down from Alaska for her vacation.
She pulled off her chaps, then flipped on the radio while she worked, finding a station that played the kind of classical music her dogs were partial to. They cocked their big heads and wagged their tails in time to the music.
When she had finished packing, the three of them piled into her car. She was glad to be leaving the city behind. Even in May, it was hot in Dallas. The buildings and the streets seemed to soak up the heat of the sun and reflect it back. She’d feel cooler just glimpsing Ray Hubbard Lake.
Hallie turned off at the lake, following the main road until she came to the gravel lane that would take her to Armadillo Cove. The cove, with its multiple curves and bends and its thick growth of trees, was a favorite spot of hers.
She parked her car in the shade of a cottonwood and set up camp. The dogs rolled and tumbled in the grass, as happy as their mistress with their wonderful freedom.
“Wolfgang, Ludwig,” she admonished them, “don’t get into anything I can’t get you out of. I’m going fishing.”
In no time at all she had caught a big catfish, skinned it, cut it into filets, and iced it down. Hallie looked up from her work at the setting sun. The sky seemed bigger out here, she thought, grander, more beautiful. Right now it was painted gold. She stood very still, letting the awesome beauty of the sunset wash over her.
Wolfgang, nudging her leg, brought her out of her trance. “Hey, old fellow. Let’s go skinny dipping before dinner.”
She stripped, spread her clothes on a bush, and waded into the water. It was deliciously cool. Taking a deep breath, Hallie ducked her head under and came up in time to see Wolfgang attacking the bush that held her clothes. She stood knee-deep in water and watched.
“Careful with those pants,” she called as her jeans shook loose from the bush. They fell to the grass, one leg in the water. She’d started to rescue them when her bra fell victim to Wolfgang’s attack. It sailed off the bush and landed with a plop in the lake. Her bra, drifting with the current, floated majestically by and disappeared around the bend, sinking slowly as it soaked up the water.
Hallie was nearly helpless with laughter until she realized that she was losing her favorite bra, the one she’d gotten at Neiman Marcus. She waded after it.
o0o
Deep around the bend, Josh Butler got a strike on his line. He had been fishing for some time without success, due, he figured, to the loud splashing he’d heard upstream. Probably some kids playing.
He reeled in his catch, his mouth watering as he dreamed of the catfish supper he’d have. The weeds tangled his line, slowing his progress, but he finally landed his fish. He picked it up and held it, dripping, with two fingers. Black lace, size 34C. A woman’s bra.
“Unhand my underwear.”
Josh Butler nearly dropped his catch, not to mention his guard. Standing armpit-deep in the water was the woman he’d dreamed of for five years, Hallie Donovan, his woman in red, the woman whose beautiful smile started his day.
Judging from his partial view of her, she was stark naked. He was stunningly aware of her, of her black hair, wet and sleek, her eyes, wide and exotically tilted at the corners. He’d known they were an astonishing silver-gray, like a winter sky on an overcast day, but he’d never before noticed their exotic shape. They were gorgeous, sexy. And her skin, he thought, delectable. Drops of water glistened on her bare shoulders. He felt an insane urge to lick the moisture away. Hallie as a model on an advertising poster was sensational, but Hallie in the flesh was lethal.
He was instantly on guard. If he weren’t careful, she’d make him forget the dreadful betrayals women were capable of. He’d seen enough firsthand to last a lifetime.
“Well, now, if it isn’t a damsel in distress come to ruin my fishing.”
Hallie hated being at a disadvantage, naked in the water while a large, golden man on the bank lorded it over her. And that’s what he was doing, she thought, flaunting his good looks, his golden hair and sun-golden skin. It was just her luck to come to the lake for freedom and end up with a fatally attractive man as a next-door neighbor. Lord, deliver me from another fatally attractive man, she silently pleaded.
“Look who’s talking. You’ve ruined my swim.”
“Do you always wear that fetching outfit when you swim?”
“Only when I’m not expecting strangers.”
He smiled. “Then you wear that charming outfit with friends? By all means, let’s be friends. My name is Josh Butler.” He watched her closely for any signs of recognition, but there were none. He considered it a lucky break. He was at the lake for anonymity, not recognition.
“Josh Butler, you have to be the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.”
“I try.”
He gave her such a sizzling look, she was sure the water around her heated up fifteen degrees. Her tongue flicked out over her lips.
“You’re losing your pole,” she said.
“Indeed?”
When he lifted his eyebrows, Hallie noticed that even his eyes were golden, a curious amber that reflected the sunset.
“Your fishing pole. If you intend to catch any fish, you’d better hang on to it, or it’ll drift off with the current.”
He quickly scooped up the pole, cursing himself for being so mesmerized by a woman—a dangerous woman at that.
“It’s not likely I’ll catch anything else today. You’ve scared off every fish for miles around. That was you having a wild party around the bend?”
“Yes. And I’m liable to have another.” Hallie took swift inventory of the camp set up on the shore. “You might as well pack up and go somewhere else.”
“No. I never leave unfinished business.”
“Unfinished business?”
“Fishing. Raymond, back at the convenience store, told me this spot has the biggest fish in the lake.”
Looking at her bra, still dangling from his hand, Hallie felt the laughter bubble up inside her. What was it about the man that instinctively made her feel cheerful, she wondered. “Some big fish.”
Josh grinned. “I must be using the wrong kind of bait.”
“If it’s bass you’re after, try a spinner plug.”
“If it’s bass I’m after, perhaps I will.”
“Now, would you mind tossing your catch back into the water. I’m planning to wear it tomorrow.”
“Since it’s my only catch of the day, I was planning on deep-frying it and having it for supper.”
“I don’t think lace and latex are in the basic four food groups.”
“A pi
ty. I was going to invite you to join me, considering you’ve provided the meal.”
“It seems all I’ve provided is entertainment. Now, will you send my bra back, please?”
“Certainly, I’ll send it back.” As he looked down at the black lace garment, all sorts of visions filled his mind. His hands were unsteady as he pulled weeds off her bra and tossed it into the water.
The splash created eddies that swirled around Hallie. Josh drew in a sharp breath at the sight.
The sight of his hands on her lingerie had done things to Hallie—wild, crazy things. Her breathing became short and her heartbeat unsteady. She felt a chill, and it wasn’t entirely from the water.
They waited, watching each other as the bra slowly floated toward Hallie. They were so still, so attuned to the moment, that even the silence seemed loud.
A fish breached the water, its tail slapping the surface with a magnified boom. Caught in the eddy, the bra floated back toward the bank and snagged on a dead branch sticking out of the water.
Hallie came free of the spell she’d been under and started toward the bra. She’d gone only two steps when she realized she was heading into shallow water.
She backed into deeper water and shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe you can turn your back. Not that I’m a prude or anything, but . . .”
“. . . not that I’m a voyeur.” Josh quickly peeled off his shoes and stepped into the water. “Allow me.”
“You’ll get your clothes wet.”
“I already have. I’ve been wanting to wade all afternoon. It takes me back to my childhood.”
He untangled Hallie’s bra from the limb and waded out to her. Although only her shoulders were above water, the rest of her was faintly visible. As hard as he tried not to notice, he couldn’t help but see. He quickly lifted his gaze, hoping to find something less disturbing to look at, but Hallie Donovan, wet and naked, was pure dynamite. There wasn’t an inch of her that didn’t disturb him.
“Here’s your runaway garment.” He’d meant to hand the bra to her and quickly turn away, but it wasn’t to be. He held onto her hand, gazing down into her eyes. “It seems a pity not to get better acquainted,” he said softly.
She wet her lips with her tongue. “Maybe some women would fall for that line. I won’t.”
“I was talking about your name. You never told me who you are,” he said, hiding the fact that he’d known her at first sight.
She thought his smile was positively wicked. “You never asked.”
His gaze played over her face, her slender throat, her wet shoulders. “I suppose I had other things on my mind.”
She felt goose bumps rise on her skin. She spoke quickly, before he had her completely spellbound. “Hallie Donovan. Not that it’s necessary for you to know. We won’t be seeing each other again. I’m a loner.”
“So am I.”
“That’s good. I’ll stay on my side of the cove, and you can stay on yours.”
Her husky voice did strange things to him. “Agreed,” he finally said, then stood in the water and watched as she disappeared around the bend.
o0o
Josh changed into dry clothes and tried his luck with the fishing pole again. After an hour he gave up and resigned himself to doing without catfish for supper. In the distance he heard dogs barking and a woman laughing. Hallie’s laughter. The sound brought a smile to his face.
He remembered the first time he’d seen her, her head flung back, laughing, her red dress billowing around her incredible legs. Five years ago. She’d been in Alabama posing for an ad for Silken Moments, his company. His ad man, Herb Williams, had brought her in, put her in a red dress, and photographed her in a pose similar to the famous one of Marilyn Monroe. The magazine layouts, combined with the life-sized cardboard replica of her, had sold more Silken Moments pantyhose than any campaign they’d ever done.
They’d never been introduced, but he kept her life-sized replica in his office—not for sentimental reasons, but as a reminder that cardboard women were safer than the real thing.
Gathering his fishing gear, he went back to his campsite. He stowed the gear and opened his ice chest. Fortunately, he’d made alternate plans for supper. He took out a rib-eye steak, placed it on a platter on top of his ice chest, then set about starting a fire in his hibachi.
If he hadn’t been whistling, he probably would have heard the dog. As it was, he was blissfully ignorant of Ludwig stealing his steak. The gleeful thief took the tasty morsel in his big jaws and pranced around the bend to place the offering at the feet of his mistress.
“Ludwig! Where’d you get that?” As if she couldn’t guess, she thought as she took her catfish out of the hot oil. “What am I going to do with you two? You’re always into mischief.” Her unrepentant pet gave her arm a thorough bath with his big, wet tongue, then pranced off to join Wolfgang for a swim in the lake.
Hallie stored her supper safely inside her tent and picked up the steak. Even if there had been a way to get the dog’s germs off the piece of meat, it had been abused beyond redemption by Ludwig’s strong jaws and teeth. She sat back on her heels and pondered what to do. The decent thing, of course, would be to face Josh and confess the crime—a prospect she didn’t relish.
Since her divorce, she’d taken care to avoid men of charm and wit and power. There was no doubt about it: Josh Butler was charming and witty. And there was something powerful about him, too. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she instinctively knew it was there.
Heaving a resigned sigh, she dumped the ruined steak into a paper bag and started around the bend. She found Josh standing over his grill, tending his coals and whistling.
“Good evening.”
“Well, hello there. Up to mischief again, Hallie?”
“You’re the one who keeps causing the mischief.”
“Came around the bend for a little neighborly argument, did you?” he asked with a smile.
She wished he wouldn’t smile. Texas wasn’t big enough for both of them when he smiled. “Actually, I’m doing a good deed.”
Josh threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“You’re a dangerous woman, Hallie. That poor recipient is in a hell of a lot of trouble. Who is he, by the way? Anyone I know?”
“Unfortunately.” Behind her back, she shifted the paper bag from one hand to the other. “Preparing your evening meal, I suppose?”
“Yes. Since I didn’t have much luck at the lake, I’m having steak.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“You have something against steak?”
“No. Steak is lovely—unless it’s been chewed by a dog.” She held out the paper bag. “My dog, I’m sorry.”
She watched the puzzlement on his face change to laughter as he peered inside the sack. “Hallie Donovan, that’s twice you’ve deprived me of my supper.”
“I’m going to pay you for the steak. It’s the least I can do.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I insist.” She glanced toward his rig parked beside his camp. “Unless, of course, you’re an independently wealthy trucker. You are a trucker, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Just ended a long haul to Dallas.” Josh felt like a heel. He hated not being able to tell Hallie the whole truth. Nobility almost won out over common sense, but before he turned the moment into a confessional, he made himself think of his dad and his brother, one sad and bitter, the other a broken alcoholic. And both of them victims of women.
“Forget the money,” he said. “It’s not important.”
“The least I can do is offer you a meal. The catfish I caught this afternoon is more than big enough for two. It’s already cooked and waiting. Why don’t you join me?”
Gazing down at her, he found it hard to believe that someone as spontaneous and animated as Hallie could be capable of inflicting pain. It was a pity the fairer sex didn’t live up to their packaging.
Hallie took his hesitation for reluctance. Once she set out to do a good d
eed, she’d be darned if she’d let anything stop her. “All strictly business, of course. There’s no crime in two vagabonds sharing an evening meal. Especially since one is the cause of the other being without.”
“How can I resist such an invitation? Thank you, Hallie. I’d love to eat with you. Shall we take this back to your hungry dog?” He indicated the sack in his hand.
“We can take it, but I doubt that either of my pets will eat it. They’re so well fed, they wobble when they walk. I believe Ludwig stole your dinner just to prove what a great hunter he is.”
Together they walked back to Hallie’s campsite. It was a short walk, around the bend and through a thick grove of trees, easily within hearing distance of his camp but hidden from his view.
The spring night had grown chilly. Hallie had a pleasant fire going, and they settled down beside it to eat their catfish. Josh found that small talk was easy with her.
“This is delicious, Hallie. You caught and cleaned this fish yourself?”
“Yes. That’s something I learned from my brothers. Back home, if you caught a fish, you cleaned it.
“Where is back home?”
“Greenville, Mississippi.”
“You’re a woman of many talents. What do you do—besides catch fish, cook them to perfection, and go skinny-dipping?”
“Skinny-dipping is my main occupation, but the pay isn’t very good.”
He chuckled. “I deserved that. You can’t blame a man for not being able to get the skinny-dipping off his mind. It was memorable, to say the least.”
“So was the sight of you holding that catch. Pity it couldn’t have been bigger—size 36D. Then you would really have had a fish story to talk about.”
“I like a woman with a sense of humor, Hallie.” He raked his eyes over her before continuing. “You never answered my question.”
“I used to model some, back when I was still in school, before I married Robert Gilbert.”
“And after?”
She didn’t discuss her marriage often, even with her family, but she found it hard to evade Josh. He had a way of making even the simplest statements sound like commands. At the same time, he evoked feelings of trust in her. He reminded her of her brothers. She found herself wanting to confide in him.
