The Lady And Alex Payton

by Nikki Benjamin

  Shoved to one side were some of Alex’s clothes—shirts, jeans, sweaters and slacks—just a few of each, and all well-worn. Some old boots and a pair of deck shoes were also on the floor, and her bags had been stowed above, on the otherwise empty shelf.

  Kari frowned and shook her head as she slipped her shirt and pants from their hangers. Alex certainly hadn’t had any qualms about moving her into his house. But then, he’d thought he was going to be stuck with her awhile.

  “Well, you were wrong,” she muttered as she crossed to the dresser and opened the top drawer.

  Her underwear, socks, long white nightgown, one pair of gym shorts and two pairs of tailored walking shorts had been carefully folded and placed inside. She added fresh underwear to the clothes she already held, then gave in to her curiosity and opened the other drawers, as well. One contained more of Alex’s things—underwear, socks, shorts and T-shirts. The other two were empty.

  He’d told her the house was his, but she doubted he spent much time here. Either that, or he’d moved his more personal belongings out before moving her in, she mused, her gaze drifting over the top of the dresser, bare except for one small lamp. One possibility saddened her as much as the other, though she had no idea why.

  With a quiet sigh, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. She’d intended only to change into her clothes, but she was feeling so much stronger that she decided to take a quick shower first. The hot water revived her even more, and once she was dressed, she felt almost her old self again.

  She toweled her hair dry as best she could, fluffed her fingers through the short strands, then walked back into the bedroom. The heady scents drifting in from the kitchen had intensified, making her mouth water. Maybe she would eat, then call Devlin. But first...

  Wanting to familiarize herself with the lay of the land, she moved to one of the windows and raised the shade. Beyond the glass, she saw a neatly trimmed lawn slanting down to a thickly wooded area several hundred yards away.

  Though she couldn’t really judge by the view from one window, Kari sensed the house was fairly secluded. Which meant there probably weren’t any neighbors nearby to whom she could go for help.

  Not that she thought she’d have to seek outside assistance. But just in case Devlin refused to believe her, she ought to have an alternate plan of action. She was no match for Alex physically. However, she could be wily.

  She would have to keep her temper under control, watch her mouth and act demure. Then maybe he’d let his guard down and she’d have a chance to slip away. But she didn’t think she’d get very far on foot before he caught up with her. And she seriously doubted he’d left the car keys lying around where she could find them.

  Her thoughts whirling, Kari turned away from the window. A sense of panic seized her and her heart began to pound. She couldn’t stay there with Alex. She just couldn’t.

  She had to get back to San Antonio. She had to deal with Brandon Selby as best she could, then salvage whatever was left of her riding career. Maybe find a job at a stable where she would have more of an opportunity to work with children than she did now.

  And she would, one way or another, she vowed, taking a deep, steadying breath.

  Her mental turmoil subsiding somewhat, she squared her shoulders and headed toward the doorway. One step at a time, she told herself. Eat, call Devlin and then take it from there.

  The bedroom where she’d slept was at the end of a long hallway. Two additional rooms — one furnished with twin beds, a nightstand and dresser, the other set up as an office—opened off to the right and left respectively. There was also another bathroom just beyond the bedroom on the right.

  The hallway itself opened into a large living room wide enough to accommodate two sitting areas. A huge blue-and-white-striped sofa sat in front of a cabinet holding a television and stereo components at one end, while a couple of matching armchairs and ottomans were angled on either side of a fireplace at the other. Antique oak tables, bookshelves filled with books, and several appropriately placed brass lamps completed the furnishings. Braided rugs in shades of blue and red added a touch of warmth to the polished hardwood floor.

  Very nice, Kari thought, her gaze roving over the room, then lingering on the French doors, bordered by tall windows, that filled the far wall. Through them, she could see an expanse of tree-shaded lawn cut by a winding drive she assumed led to the main road.

  Her way out. But not just yet.

  Never one to rush her fences, Kari crossed the living room to the open doorway leading into the kitchen. She paused, then smiled slightly as she glanced around the cheery, sun-filled room, noting the plants on the windowsill as well as the basket of silk flowers and the placemats on the table. At least here the house looked lived in.

  From where he stood by the stove, Alex eyed her warily, a pitcher of pancake batter in one hand. For just a moment, Kari wondered what he’d do if she decided to make a run for it. Throw down the pitcher and take off after her? Probably. And when he caught her—

  The thought of his tackling her out on that luscious lawn sent a shiver of something closer to anticipation than anxiety creeping up her spine.

  Good Lord! What was wrong with her? She must be crazy—imagining herself rolling around in the grass with Alexander Payton and enjoying it.

  As a surge of heat spread across her cheeks, she lowered her gaze and moved to the table. “I realized I was hungry after all,” she offered by way of explanation.

  “I thought maybe you would,” he replied as he turned back to the stove and poured four good-size puddles of batter on the hot griddle.

  Obviously, she thought. He had set the table for two and was fixing her favorite breakfast—pancakes and bacon.

  He knew her so well. But then, he always had. Why, there were even times she’d been sure he could read her mind. Which meant she’d probably be wise to watch what she was thinking while he was around.

  Again she imagined tumbling around on the lawn with him, and again she blushed.

  “Help yourself to juice and coffee. There’s milk in the refrigerator, too, if you want it.”

  “Thanks.”

  She risked a glance at him and saw him watching her, a glimmer of something like longing deep in his eyes. The same longing she’d experienced only a moment ago.

  She stared at him wordlessly and he stared back. Her heartbeat quickening, she held on to one of the chairs, willing herself not to give in to the urge to go to him, to put her arms around him and—

  With a blink of his eyes, Alex’s expression grew cold and distant again. He picked up a platter and added the pancakes to the bacon already on it.

  Feeling as if she’d been put in her place, Kari moved to the counter, filled a mug with coffee, then sat at the table.

  When was she going to stop wishing he could love her as much as she loved him? He’d made it clear she meant nothing to him. Yet all she had to do was share a little space with him, and hope fluttered in her heart all over again.

  Drawing on what little pride she seemed to have left, Kari took a sip of her coffee, then another and another. She’d already called herself a fool six times over. No sense wasting time repeating herself. Better to pull herself together and make the best of the situation.

  She’d say as little as possible, eat what was offered, then call her brother. And no matter how much she wanted to put her head down and cry, she wouldn’t. At least not until she was alone again.

  Chapter 4

  With a nonchalance he wasn’t even close to feeling, Alex set the platter of food on the table. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to shake Kari till her teeth rattled or kiss her senseless. Either way, the temptation to put his hands on her was almost more than he could resist.

  He had been oddly off balance ever since he’d awakened to find her weaving like a drunken sailor beside his bed. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard her stirring sooner. He never slept like that. Never.

  Luckily, he had managed to catch her
before she landed flat on her face. But he’d had no time to distance himself emotionally from the impact physical contact with her, still seemed to have on him. As he’d held her lithe body in his arms, his senses had reeled.

  She had been just as irate as he’d anticipated, and with his defenses down, he hadn’t been able to hide his amusement. Or his affection.

  However, by the time she’d finished in the bathroom, he had collected himself. And a good thing, too, considering how she’d set about lying to him with such seeming aplomb.

  Had he not had all his wits about him, he might have been fooled by her bright smile and brash tone. But with his emotions firmly under control again, he’d been able to study her with a certain amount of dispassion.

  Though she’d appeared calm, Alex had realized almost at once just how flustered she really was. Granted, the explanations she’d offered had been reasonable enough. But her flushed face and averted eyes had contradicted almost every word she’d spoken. When he had also taken into account her earlier admission that she’d been too scared to sleep, he’d been sure she wasn’t telling him the truth.

  What he was still having a hard time understanding was why she’d chosen to lie to him. She herself had insisted that if she was in trouble, she’d welcome all the help she could get. Yet she seemed bound and determined not to let him run interference for her.

  Not only had she vehemently denied that Brandon Selby posed a threat to her well-being. In her doggedness to throw him off, she’d gone so far as to imply the man was her fiancé. Thanks to Devlin, Alex knew better. But she’d been so adamant about it that he might have been fooled otherwise.

  She must have a good reason for being so pigheaded. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was. Surely she had to realize he was much better equipped to deal with a man like Selby than she was. And she had to know he wouldn’t allow her come to any harm in the process.

  So what the hell was her problem? Did she really hate him so much she’d rather take her chances with a bastard like Brandon Selby?

  With a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Alex answered his own question in the affirmative as he watched Kari fiddle nervously with her mug. After the way he’d betrayed her love and trust, he would have to be the last man on earth she’d willingly turn to for assistance.

  Grimly, he poured a mug of coffee for himself, then sat down at the table. Without a glance in his direction, Kari forked two pancakes and several slices of bacon onto her plate, drizzled syrup over the pancakes and began to eat.

  He had expected her to be hostile toward him. At least initially. But not so much so that she’d risk endangering herself instead of accepting his help. Which proved just how seriously he had underestimated the depth of her animosity toward him.

  Looking back, he had to admit he’d given her good reason not to depend on him for anything. But that didn’t mean the situation was entirely hopeless.

  There was no way he could force her to cooperate with him. However, he could whittle away at her defenses until he won back her trust. Of course, he’d have to stop distancing himself from her. He’d have to be kinder, warmer and more gracious toward her or he’d never be able to convince her he was the lesser of two evils.

  Considering how he felt about her, he wouldn’t find that difficult to do. Once upon a time they’d shared a very special kind of camaraderie. And he still cared for her deeply. In fact, she meant more to him than any woman ever had.

  Wooing her would be a pleasure. An honest pleasure. But therein also lay the problem.

  Once he set about courting her favor, he could very well get caught up in the charade. And if Kari responded favorably, he might also begin to believe in happily ever after again. He might begin to hope and dream as he hadn’t done in years.

  And so might Kari. Only to realize he had misled her again—this time intentionally.

  They had no more chance now of having any kind of future together than they had six years ago. His reasons for walking away from her then were still equally imperative. He would be staying around only long enough to get her out of whatever trouble she was in. Then he’d have no choice but to be on his way.

  Of course, nowhere was it written that they had to be intimate. Merely establishing some kind of rapport with her ought to be enough to get her talking.

  In fact, as angry and resentful as she appeared, that would probably be as much as he could hope to do. And, he assured himself, reestablishing a cordial relationship with her would certainly be justifiable if she then told him what he needed to know to keep her out of harm’s way.

  Aware he was having a much easier time talking himself into pursuing this new course of action than he should have, Alex helped himself to pancakes and bacon. He could tell himself he was going to be more congenial toward her only because she’d never confide in him otherwise. But somewhere deep in his soul, he knew better.

  Having finally realized just how badly he’d hurt her, he wanted to make amends as best he could. He didn’t expect her ever to have any honest affection for him again. But if at all possible, he’d like her to think of him in the future with something more akin to fondness than fury. That she now bore him such bitter enmity pained him greatly. Even though he most certainly deserved it.

  His decision made, Alex supposed there was no time like the present to start winning her over. Crunching into a slice of bacon, he studied her silently for a few moments. She seemed just as intent on ignoring him as she had since he first sat down beside her. But he wasn’t going to let her get away with that ploy any longer.

  “Is the food all right?” he asked, allowing the very real warmth he felt for her to edge into his voice.

  Obviously taken aback by his change in manner, Kari shot a startled look at him. She regarded him cautiously for several seconds, then lowered her gaze.

  “Yes,” she replied as she helped herself to another pancake and a few more strips of bacon. “The food is just fine.”

  “Would you like me to fix some more pancakes?” he offered.

  “No, thanks.”

  Her overly polite tone grinding on his nerves, Alex schooled himself to be patient as he dug into his pancakes. After all, he reminded himself, he’d drugged her, abducted her and called her a liar. He couldn’t expect her to respond to his overtures as if none of that mattered.

  He ate in silence for a few minutes. Now finished, Kari sat across from him, head bent, hands in her lap, giving nothing away.

  “Help yourself to another cup of coffee if you want,” he said at last.

  Without looking at him, she stood and retrieved the pot. She refilled her mug, hesitated a moment, then topped off his mug, too.

  “Thanks.” He glanced up at her, smiling, but she was already turning back to the counter.

  “You’re welcome,” she murmured, then sat at the table again.

  Her demeanor was all too impassive for his peace of mind. The way she was biding her time, she had to be up to something. She’d made it clear she’d said all she was going to say about Brandon Selby, and evidently she’d meant it. Now he found himself wondering what she was planning to do instead.

  With an inner sigh of frustration, he pushed his empty plate away and sat back in his chair. He knew better than to goad her. She’d clam up even more. But he wasn’t about to let her brush him off, either.

  “You look like you’re feeling a little better,” he began again, hoping to draw her out.

  That she’d managed to shower, dress and come to the kitchen on her own meant the worst of the drug’s effect had more than likely worn off. But her face was still pale and she still had dark circles under her eyes. Though she didn’t appear quite as rough around the edges as she had earlier, he would have suggested she go back to bed if he hadn’t been sure she’d snap his head off.

  “Actually, I’m feeling a lot better.” She glanced at him, her gray eyes stormy. “Even though you pumped me full of God only knows what last night.”

>   “A relatively mild sedative,” he reiterated in the blandest tone he could manage. “At your brother’s request, and then only because you wouldn’t have come here with me otherwise.” He hesitated a long moment. Then, giving in to his curiosity, he asked, “Or would you?”

  “Not hardly,” she retorted, turning her face away.

  “Look, Kari, I realize I haven’t exactly endeared myself to you in the past. But right now I have only your best interests at heart. Regardless of what you say, I know you’re in some kind of trouble. And I really do want to help you, if only you’ll —”

  “Help me?” she cut in, her anger getting the better of her despite her obvious attempt to stay calm. “You walked out on me without a word. Left me lying naked in my bed. And now, just because my brother thinks I’m in some kind of trouble, I’m supposed to forget what a jerk you are and welcome you back into my life? Well, guess again.”

  Without waiting for him to respond, she pushed away from the table, stood and crossed to the counter. Her back to him, she gripped the edge of the sink and stared out the window, her shoulders stiff and straight.

  The pain in her voice cut through Alex like a knife. And though he knew he should stay as far away from her as possible, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from going to her.

  He had been so sure he’d done the right thing six years ago. That walking away from her then was better than subjecting her to the man he’d always been afraid he might become. He’d never thought that the wound he’d inflicted on her would still be so raw, so aching.

  Pausing behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry for leaving you the way I did. Believe me, I am. But I had my reasons.”

  He spoke without thinking, wanting only to ease her anguish. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d strayed into forbidden territory, inadvertently opening a door he’d already vowed would forever remain shut.