Cowboy To The Altar. Rosemary Carter
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be so sure, woman. You’ve only been here a few hours and already there’s tension on the ranch. You’d be blind if you hadn’t noticed it. Hank, aggressive and on the prowl. Charlie, ready to protect you. Too ready. I won’t have violence at Six-Gate Corral, Morgan. The odd spat is normal enough when you get a bunch of men, living and working together—especially tough men, as these are. But out-and-out fighting, alliances forming, one lot of men against another—that kind of thing leads to major trouble. I won’t tolerate it, Morgan.’
‘I don’t like violence any more than you do, Jason.’
‘Then let me warn you, if you insist on staying—and I’m asking you not to—sooner or later the men will come to blows over you.’
‘I don’t believe that,’ she said heatedly. ‘They won’t fight because of me. I won’t be doing anything to encourage them.’
‘You can’t help being yourself, Morgan. Hank won’t change and Charlie will for ever defend what he thinks of as your honour, poor misguided fool.’
Morgan suppressed a shiver. ‘Don’t you think that in time the men will accept me as one of them?’
Jason gave a short laugh. ‘How can they?’ He studied her a few seconds in silence. When he went on his eyes were hard. ‘You said you went to the bunkhouse because you needed a place to sleep. Was that the only reason, Morgan?’
‘What other reason could I possibly have had?’
‘That’s what I’m wondering.’ His tone was heavy with sarcasm.
It wasn’t difficult to understand what he meant. Feeling a little ill, Morgan stared up into the ruggedly handsome face. ‘Why do you dislike me so much, Jason?’ she asked at last. ‘To my knowledge, I’ve done nothing to offend you yet from the moment I came here you’ve shown me nothing but hostility. Why?’
Jason ignored the question. Instead he said relentlessly, ‘Didn’t it occur to you that your presence in the bunkhouse would be regarded as an invitation?’
‘No—because I tried so hard not to be seen.’ Her voice shook.
She saw the flash of steel in his dark eyes and the movement of muscle in his hard jaw. ‘A woman in a bed meant for a man. Come on, Morgan, don’t pretend you’re naïve because I don’t believe it for a moment.’
‘Don’t you care that you’re insulting me, Jason?’
‘Is that what I’m doing?’ he jeered.
‘Yes! How do you think the things you say make me feel?’
Brooding eyes ravaged her face. ‘OK, Morgan, supposing you only went to the bunkhouse to sleep, what would you have done if one of the men had tried something? Really tried?’
‘I’d have defended myself,’ she said shortly. And when she saw the cynical look in his eyes she added, ‘I thought I’d made that clear in the bunkhouse.’
‘You spoke a few brave words. Don’t suppose they meant anything.’
‘Oh, but they did. Neither you nor Charlie would have had to help me, Jason. You see, I’ve been to a self-defence class.’
Jason grinned. ‘Really?’
A second later she was in his arms. It happened so quickly that Morgan was taken by surprise. One moment they were facing each other across the little room and the next the strongest arms she had ever encountered were wrapped around her and Jason’s mouth had fastened on hers.
His kiss was hard, so punishing in its onslaught that for a few seconds Morgan could scarcely breathe let alone think. It was half a minute at least before she remembered the self-defence course she had mentioned and had never had occasion to use. Another half-minute went by before she could think clearly enough to consider what move she should make. And by then the nature of Jason’s kisses had changed.
They became softer and sweeter. There was a tenderness in them which made Morgan dizzy and numbed her thought processes. Sensations she had never experienced stirred in the very core of her being, setting her on fire with their intensity. The body against which she was welded was rock-hard, overwhelmingly masculine, making her feel deliciously feminine. Any thought of defending herself fled from her mind as she parted her lips in response to the demanding mouth over hers, and her fingers buried themselves in the hair at the nape of a corded neck.
When Jason lifted his mouth at last Morgan looked up at him in a daze.
‘What happened to the self-defence skills?’ he asked contemptuously.
‘I...I was about to use them.’
‘Right,’ he said, and she knew that he knew she was lying.
Her cheeks were suddenly flushed. ‘I could have.’
‘Could you, Morgan? Maybe so. On the other hand, if brave intentions are the extent of your ability then I can tell you right now that you wouldn’t stand a chance against a man like Hank.’ He went on as she stared at him wordlessly. ‘A word of advice, Morgan. If you don’t know how to fight a fire, don’t kindle flames.’
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