“I just handed you a dish. Why are you smiling like that?” she asked. She would have expected him to tell her to wash it herself, not to smile at her as if his soul was smiling at hers.
Sully took the dish from her and immersed it in the sink. The suds were already beginning to dissipate and fade away, leaving only discolored water to mark their passing. Looking at her over his shoulder, his smile only deepened.
Rae felt her breath standing still in her lungs and backing up in her throat.
“Why are you smiling like that?” she repeated.
He stopped washing the last dish and looked at her, really looked at her, the gaze penetrating all of her defenses. Causing all sorts of things to go on within her stomach as well as the rest of her.
“You don’t want to know,” he answered quietly.
Chapter 8
Rae was totally taken aback by Sully’s flippant statement. If there was something she hated, it was someone having preconceived notions about her and how she thought.
“Yes, I do,” she insisted. “I have a right to know.”
Sully slowly and deliberately wiped his hands on the dish towel that was lying crumpled on the counter. Leaving the towel there, he took a step closer to her. His eyes never left her face. “Are you sure about that?”
“I said it, didn’t I?” Rae uttered the words like a challenge and tossed her head, sending her hair flying over her shoulder.
Sully inclined his head, a hint of a smile slowly making its way across his lips.
“That you did,” he agreed.
It felt as if time had suddenly stopped, the moment freezing around the two people in the room. For now, the only two people in the world. Then, when time finally began to thaw out, everything that happened from then on did so in crystal-clear slow motion.
Even her heart had stopped. And then, when it began to beat again, it wasn’t hammering wildly—it beat to some lyrical rhythm that she wasn’t aware of ever having heard before. She was aware of it now. Very aware of it. Very aware of him.
And very aware of his lips when they finally came down on hers.
Rae didn’t remember lacing her arms around his neck, didn’t remember which one of them deepened the kiss. All she was aware of was that her desire had grown so deep, so overwhelming, she was in danger of drowning in it.
Shakily, Rae pulled away and tried to summon indignation, or anger, or something that would effectively separate her from the myriad emotions erupting all through her.
Desperately trying to collect her thoughts and get them under control, all Rae could manage to do was say, “You do realize that you just kissed your boss, don’t you? Your foreman,” she stressed, willing her pulse to get back into sync and stop trying to trip her up.
“I didn’t kiss a foreman,” Sully corrected quietly. “I kissed a very desirable woman. A woman who kissed me back.”
“I did not kiss you back!” she protested.
She felt completely ill equipped to pull herself together. All her defenses were just out of her reach.
Sully inclined his head. “My mistake. I’m sorry,” he told her. And then Sully left the kitchen without another word.
Seething, Rae wanted to demand that he bring himself right back here, that she wasn’t finished talking to him. But she didn’t say anything, knowing full well what would happen if he did come back.
Sully had stirred up feelings within her, feelings that were now clamoring for a release. And releasing them would be a very bad thing.
She had to remember not to be alone with him like this again. At least not until she built up an immunity to him.
It wouldn’t be easy, she told herself, but she could do it. All it would take was vigilance. Constant vigilance.
* * *
“Did the boys bail on you?”
Rae had just arrived at Murphy’s less than five minutes ago. Miss Joan had a habit of appearing out of nowhere within her diner.
Obviously, the woman didn’t restrict herself to doing that just at the restaurant, Rae thought.
She turned around to face the owner of the diner and saw that Miss Joan was wearing a rather becoming two-piece navy blue dress. It was a departure from her usual subdued way of dressing. In addition, Miss Joan had taken the time to pin her red hair back and up, allowing a few wayward wisps to frame her face.
“I didn’t see you standing there, Miss Joan. You look very pretty,” Rae told her.
Miss Joan gave her a look. “Don’t say it like it’s a surprise, girl.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out sounding like that,” she apologized. “Of course you always look pretty.”
Miss Joan waved away the apology as well as the compliment. Instead, she focused back on what was of more interest to her. “So they’re not coming?” she asked Rae.
“They said they would,” Rae told the woman. “I drove separately.”
Miss Joan raised one inquisitive eyebrow. “Any particular reason?”
“Yes,” Rae answered. “So I can leave when I want to and not have to worry about driving a truckload of drunken wranglers back to your ranch.”
Miss Joan scrutinized her for a moment, and just when Rae searched her mind, looking for a further explanation, Miss Joan said, “Very thoughtful of you, but I don’t think you have to worry about that. The sheriff’ll make sure that no one goes over their limit. This is a friendly celebration. He wouldn’t want to see this gathering turn ugly. After all, Cash works with the sheriff’s wife.”
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she was prone to believing that Miss Joan had a way of being able to see right through an excuse—and she saw through hers. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to drive home a bunch of inebriated ranch hands—she didn’t want to possibly wind up alone with Sully.
What was it her grandmother had been fond of saying? An ounce of prevention was worth more than a pound of cure. That certainly made sense in this context.
Before her interrogation could go any further, she saw Miss Joan’s thin lips draw back in a knowing smile. “Well, speak of the devil.”
The woman was looking directly over her shoulder toward the entrance to Murphy’s. Rae turned her head even though she told herself not to.
She was just in time to see Sully walking in through the old-fashioned double swinging doors. Warren was with him, but Rawlings was nowhere to be seen.
“Wonder if he decided not to come,” Rae murmured to her boss as more people came in right behind Sully and Warren.
“His loss,” Miss Joan said with a dismissive shrug. “But at least Sully’s here.” Rae could have sworn the woman had said that for her benefit. “Well, I need to say hello to someone,” she said, already moving away. Her parting words were, “Maybe you should do the same.”
The words would have meant anything. But coming from Miss Joan, Rae had a feeling she knew exactly what the woman was telling her—to go greet Sully.
Even so, she avoided making eye contact with the man. Instead, she sought out Cash and his wife, Alma. The latter had once been one of the sheriff’s deputies and had the distinction of being the only woman serving in the small law enforcement department.
“Congratulations, you two,” Rae said warmly, shaking Cash’s hand. She was about to do the same with Alma, but the woman enfolded her in an enthusiastic embrace. Caught off guard, after a second she took a step back and looked at the other woman. “You really are glowing.”
“I don’t know about glowing, but I can’t stop smiling,” Alma told her.
“Neither can I,” Cash confessed.
“Well, you both look great,” Rae told the couple as she looked at them.
She was able to say only a few more words to them before someone else commandeered the couple’s attention, heartily congratulating Cash and Alma on adding to their already growing family.
About to back away to let the couple mingle with their well-wishers, Rae felt a light touch on her shoulder. Even though she hadn’t turned around to see who it was, every single inch of her body just knew that it was Sully.
“Hi,” Sully greeted her even though they had seen one another at the ranch a little more than an hour ago. Rae had been even more distant than usual all day, and he felt that he needed to clear the air before things got any worse. “Listen, about yesterday—” he began.
Rae quickly dismissed whatever he was going to say, wanting to sweep the incident under the rug. “Already forgotten.”
He surprised her by saying, “That’s too bad.” Stunned, she looked at him, momentarily speechless. “Because I was going to say that I found the whole experience to be very gratifying. I’m really sorry to hear that the feeling wasn’t mutual. But I promise that I’ll be on my best behavior,” Sully added as she began to turn away.
She didn’t want to come across as petulant, so she turned back to face him.
“Good,” Rae responded, even though something within her felt rather disappointed and let down because he’d just said he was going to refrain from kissing her again.
You’re going to drive yourself crazy, Rae, she upbraided herself.
The sound of silverware clinking against a glass suspended any further verbal exchange.
“Everyone, I’d like to propose a toast,” Miss Joan’s husband announced once he had gotten everyone’s attention. When everyone turned toward Harry, giving the older man their undivided attention, Harry raised his glass of beer toward his grandson and granddaughter-in-law. “To the little Taylor-to-be. Aside from the day that Miss Joan made me the happiest man on earth by becoming my wife and the two days that my other great-grandchildren were born, I have to say that this ranks right up there as the happiest moment of my life.” He beamed at the couple. “May you have many more blessed events,” Harry said, lifting his glass even higher.
Cash slipped his arm around Alma, drawing her closer and hugging her.
“Don’t go getting ahead of yourself, Cash Taylor. We’ll talk,” Alma told her husband, feigning a serious expression.
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Rae felt a deep pang. She found herself envying the couple, knowing full well that she was never going to know that kind of happiness. She had resigned herself to this life she was leading a long time ago, thinking that to want anything more would only be exceedingly ungrateful of her.
When her father had died, leaving her an orphan, she had faced a very bleak future before Miss Joan had taken her in and provided for her. To want more than she already had would just be greedy.
Liam Murphy, the youngest of the three Murphy brothers who owned and operated the bar, headlined a professional band that had just returned from a tour. Hearing about the party that was to be held at Murphy’s, he’d volunteered to provide music. After Harry had given his toast and a number of other well-wishers had added a few things in its wake, Liam and his band struck up the first song.
Several couples around Rae began to dance, including Cash and Alma. Rae moved to the side, intending to get out of the couples’ way. There was no official dance floor designated at Murphy’s. Anywhere there was a space did just fine.
The number the band was playing had a very catchy beat, and Rae swayed to it without meaning to.
Sully observed her for a moment and then, smiling, asked, “Would you like to dance?”
Rae forced herself to stop moving to the beat. “No, that’s all right.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be safe,” he guaranteed. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re out in the open.” Leaning in little closer, Sully said, “And I promise not to kiss you while we’re dancing.”
Her chin instantly shot up defiantly. “I’m not afraid of that. Or of you.”
“Oh, well that’s good to hear,” Sully responded. Taking one of her hands into his, he slipped his other hand around her waist. “Then let’s do this,” he told Rae. When she made no move to comply, he added, “Let’s show them how it’s done.”
Despite herself, she fell into step with Sully. If she expected him to be awkward, she was disappointed. Still, she heard herself saying, “They wouldn’t be dancing if they didn’t know how it was done.”
“You’re right,” he agreed with a smile. “I have so much to learn. Working for you is a complete education in itself.”
Her eyebrows drew together, letting him know that she didn’t find him charming, if that was what he was trying for.
She informed Sully, “I don’t react well to sarcasm.”
“And I’ve just learned something else,” Sully told her, whirling her around again before his arm tightened around her ever so slightly.
“Does that mouth of yours get you in trouble a lot where you’re from?” Rae asked.
The smile on his lips widened just a little.
But it was the way he looked into her eyes that caused her stomach to tighten, hard, for a split second. She had to concentrate in order to will it to up loosen again.
“Oddly enough,” he replied, “where I’m from I’m one of the quiet ones.”
Yeah, right, Rae thought. “I find that very hard to believe.”
Sully’s smile turned into a grin. “You’ve got to meet my family sometime.”
The song ended, but before Rae could uncouple herself from Sully, Liam and his band went right into the next number. For now, Sully gave no indication that he wanted to stop.
Resigned, Rae went on dancing with him. A second dance wouldn’t hurt anything, she reasoned. Like he’d said, they were out in the open, right?
Besides, there was something in his Sully’s voice when he mentioned his family that caught her attention. The mention of families always reminded her that she had none.
“Do you have a big family?” Rae asked, doing her best to sound as if she was just making conversation and that the topic wasn’t close to her own heart.
Sully laughed at the question. When she looked at him quizzically, he nodded and told her, “Very big.”
He’d emphasized the word big, further arousing her curiosity.
“How big? Five, ten people?” she guessed, thinking the latter number to be excessive.
He laughed as he shifted her so that they avoided dancing into another couple. “Not even close.”
“Fifteen?” she said, growing incredulous. When he continued smiling, she guessed. “Twenty?”
He moved his head from side to side. “Keep going,” he encouraged.
Okay, now he was just stringing her along. “You’re exaggerating.”
His grin merely grew. “Like I said, you’ve got to meet my family.”
She was still trying to fathom the idea of having a family of ten, much less a larger one. She sighed, then grew quiet.
Sully’s smile faded. Concern replaced it. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” she tossed off. He continued looking at her, as if expecting her to explain further. She sighed again. “You’re lucky, that’s all. Having a big family.”
Now it made sense. “There are times I would have disputed that,” he told her. “But yes, now that I’m older and no longer feel as if I’m hopelessly outnumbered, I agree with you. I am lucky. You don’t get along with your family?”
A few days ago, she would have told him to mind his own business, but being here at the party, dancing with him like this, changed a few things, so she answered him. “I don’t have a family to get along with.”
“You don’t have a family?” he asked. He couldn’t begin to understand what that had to be like. While sympathetic, he had no frame of reference to fall back on. There had always been family around for him. “What about Miss Joan?” The woman wasn’t exactly sugar and vanilla spice, but she did seem to have a soft spot when it cam
e to Rae.
This time Rae did smile. “She’s more like my fairy godmother, and I care about her a lot, but she’s not a relative.”
“Fairy godmother, huh?” He glanced over toward the woman who now appeared to be ordering Brett Murphy around. “There’s a bedtime story in the making,” he said with a dry laugh.
She took offense for the woman who had been like a second mother to her.
“Don’t you dare say anything bad about Miss Joan,” she warned him. “That woman took me in when she didn’t have to.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he told her. “Besides, Uncle Seamus would have my head if I said one negative word against that woman.” He grinned again. “I’ve grown very attached to my head.”
Rae groaned at the pun and smiled despite herself.
“Knew you had it in you,” Sully told her.
“Knew I had what in me?”
“A smile,” Sully said, suddenly whirling her around on the floor. Rae didn’t pull back or stop dancing.
As far as Sully was concerned, the tempo for the evening had been set.
Chapter 9
Rae had had every intention of only staying at the party for a little while, a couple of hours at best. But the party turned out to be better than she’d expected, and having Sully at her side seemed to somehow enhance that good time.
Sully managed to get her to remain at the party until it was officially over.
And it wasn’t that Sully monopolized her. While never seeming to leave her side, Sully still mingled with everyone else who had attended—and those people mingled with Rae, as well.
Rae interacted with more people in the space of those few hours than she had over the course of more than the last year.
It was one whirlwind of an evening as far as Rae was concerned. And it had showed her a side of Sully Cavanaugh that she hadn’t known existed. He was downright friendly and charming.
As they got ready to leave in their separate vehicles, Rae felt she had to make an observation.
“You know, for a man who came out here with the intention of keeping to himself, you certainly did an about-face rather fast.”
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