“No problem so far. I think you took care of it. Thank you again.”

“I’ve been told I’m good with my hands.”

Kelly was glad he couldn’t see her blush in response to the images that flooded her mind. “I’m sure you have.”

She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her apartment Sunday evening. Responsibilities at the ranch were keeping him out of Dallas for now, though he’d called every day. Their conversations had been brief, not particularly satisfying, but he hadn’t pressed her about their relationship. He seemed to be giving her the time and space she’d requested—perhaps because he knew how nervous she was about the upcoming meeting with her father. In some ways, she was relieved that she didn’t have to deal with her feelings for Shane just now. But deep inside, she missed him much more than she wanted him to stay away.

“I miss you,” Shane said

She blinked, wondering for a moment if she’d accidentally blurted her thoughts aloud. “I, uh, miss you, too.”

“Well, that’s something.” His tone was a bit rueful. Without giving her a chance to respond, he added, “I haven’t given up on you, Kelly Morrison.” He sounded rather amused now—at her, at himself, maybe at both of them. “I’m going to win you with my famous charm and persistence.”

“Charm and persistence?” she repeated, smiling despite her qualms.

“Yeah. My dad said those are my—”

“Your dad?” Kelly interrupted with a sudden, suspicious frown. “Shane, did you talk to your father about us? After you promised you wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t talk to him about us. Well, not exactly.”

The faint guilt she heard in his voice only concerned her more. “What do you mean, not exactly?”

“I never used your name. We just talked sort of hypothetically.”

Kelly gripped the receiver so hard, her knuckles cracked. She had never underestimated Jared Walker’s perceptiveness. She pictured his shrewd eyes trained on her, assessing her as a potential mate for his son, making predictions about what would happen between them—and she shivered in panic. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“I didn’t break my word to you. I simply had a brief talk with my father when he asked if there was something bothering me. It was only a passing conversation. Chill out, okay?”

He was probably annoyed with her again, though he would surely deny it if she said so. It happened every time they came close to quarreling. And every time, she worried again that they were making a terrible mistake.

Her silence only seemed to irritate him more. “I’ve got to go,” he said, somewhat abruptly. “I promised Mclly I would keep time for her barrel-race practice. Let me know how it goes with your father, okay?”

Once again, he was withdrawing rather than staying to confront the problem. He had a pattern of retreating when faced with anger—hers or his own. A habit developed when he was twelve years old? How could they understand it if they didn’t talk about it? And what would happen if they had a real quarrel, after they’d gone public with their feelings? Would Shane run again, leaving her to deal with the consequences in front of all their friends?

This, she thought, was one of the reasons she continued to resist him. Until she completely understood him—until she knew what he kept hidden behind his sexy smiles, she would not risk everything on their tenuous relationship.

“You know, Shane, you keep saying you aren’t good at pretending, but you’re wrong. You pretend very well that you never get angry. You’re pretending right now that you’re hanging up only because of a promise you made to Molly, and not because you’re mad at me. The difference between us is that I’ve kept our relationship a secret from everyone else, but I’ve been honest with you. About my feelings, my fears...and about my anger. I’m angry with you now for talking to your father when you promised you wouldn’t.”

“I did not tell my father about you. And I’m not mad at you. What is this obsession you have with me being mad at someone?”

“I only want to talk about our feelings.”

“You know, I’m getting a little tired of talking about our feelings. We’ve been talking, but we aren’t getting anywhere. We’re still sneaking around acting like nothing’s going on, and you’re still predicting disaster and refusing to give me any indication of when—or if—we can date openly.”

“I said after the holidays,” she answered defensively. Then added, “Maybe.”

“‘Maybe,’” he parroted. “But in the meantime, I’m supposed to see you at the family Christmas gatherings and act like you’re nothing more to me than a friend. A pal. A cousin. Do you really think I can pull that off?”

“I hoped we could. It just seems so much easier.”

“No one ever said this would be easy. But I’d like to think what we’ve found is worth the effort.”

She swallowed painfully. “Shane...”

“I’ve got to go. Molly’s waiting for me. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Good luck with your meeting with your father.”

A moment later there was a dial tone in her ear. Kelly stared at the receiver for a moment, then thumped it against her head. How had she ever gotten herself into this situation?

Tags: Gina Wilkins Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net