A Woman's Touch (17 page)

„I didn’t think anything could scare Alice Cork.“

„She was a woman living alone in an isolated area. Of course, she got nervous at times. Anyone would.“

„You never even met the woman,“ Kyle muttered. „How do you know what she felt?“

„I just know. At any rate, she wrote that, in the end, she didn’t have to worry after all. A couple of teenage boys, local kids, drove up in a pickup truck that belonged to the Stockbridge ranch. The two boys got out of the truck and proceeded to beat the stuffing out of a couple of the bigger kids who were trying to trash the barn. The rest of the gang ran off into the night. The two boys who had saved Alice’s barn and maybe her animals got back in the truck and drove away.“

„Who would have thought old Alice would have kept such a detailed journal?“

„That was you driving the pickup that night, wasn’t it, Kyle? You’re the one who ran off that gang of toughs who were threatening Alice.“

„I had help.“

„I know. Glen Ballard.“

There was silence from the other side of the Porsche. „Alice saw us both?“

„Oh, yes. She saw you and Glen. She knew who had come to her rescue. She wrote in her diary that there might be hope for the next generation of Ballards and Stockbridges, after all. When the chips were down, apparently, the two of you could put aside the feud long enough to work together.“

„Don’t forget that Ballard and I both had a long-term interest in Harmony Valley,“ Kyle said. „You may have noticed we’re both kind of possessive about it. Neither of us was about to let a bunch of young toughs trash Alice’s barn that night We took it personally, I guess you could say. When I heard about the plans for Halloween, I borrowed Dad’s truck and went to find Ballard. I knew I was going to need a little help. I figured he had a vested interest in the situation, same as I did.“

„Where did you find Glen that night?“

„He was cruising town with a bunch of his friends. I told him what was happening and he got in the truck without asking any questions. We drove over to Harmony Valley and took care of the problem. Then I drove Ballard back to town and dropped him off in front of the gas station. End of story. We never said more than ten words to each other during the whole thing.“

Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. „But Alice knew what had happened.“

Kyle shrugged again. „And based on that one incident, she came to the conclusion Ballard and I could some day coexist?“

„I think Alice Cork was a very perceptive woman. And there have been other incidents, haven’t there, Kyle? Not very many, I’ll grant you, but one or two. Alice wrote about how you and Glen split the cost of Herb Crocket’s bypass surgery a few years ago. The Crockets didn’t have any insurance at the time.“

Kyle swore bluntly. „She knew about that, too? No one was supposed to know about that. I told Ethel to send the hospital bill to me and keep quiet about it. But Ballard got wind of what was happening and demanded to split the tab with me.“

„And you let him.“

„Hell, yes. I let him. You got any idea what bypass surgery costs? At the time I wasn’t nearly as well off as I am today. Neither was Ballard. It made sense for both of us to go fifty-fifty instead of one of us trying to cover the whole thing. Besides, we’d both known Herb all our lives.“

„Just common sense, hmm? Naturally you’d both want to make certain no one found out you and Glen were capable of cooperating. Bad for the image.“

„Believe me. It wasn’t what you’d call real cooperation, Becky. Don’t romanticize it. And don’t get any ideas about riding into town on a noble white steed and ending the Stockbridge-Ballard feud, either. Life doesn’t work that way.

Turn right here.“

Rebecca swung the wheel a bit sharply and Kyle grabbed at the dashboard. „Sorry,“ she said lightly.

„I can tell.“ He threw her a dangerous glance. „The house is at the end of this driveway. Up there on that hill.“

Rebecca peered ahead. Lights were on inside the sprawling, two-story ranch home, but the illumination didn’t seem to project a feeling of warmth. In the dark it was hard to see much, but she got an impression of a house built for grim endurance. There were other large structures out back that looked like stables.

„You can park over there,“ Kyle said, indicating a stretch of concrete in front of a large garage.

Rebecca obeyed and switched off the engine. „You must be freezing in those wet clothes.“

„The thrill of your driving kept me warm.“ Kyle pushed open his door. „But now that you bring up the subject, I realize you’re right. I’m freezing. I need a hot shower and a glass of brandy. Let’s get into the house before I also need treatment for hypothermia.“

He held out his hands for his keys as they hurried up the front steps. Rebecca hesitated and then handed them over to him. Later she would figure out how she was going to get back to the motel.

„You pour the brandy,“ Kyle said as he opened the front door and ushered her into the living room. „It’s over there by the fireplace. I’m going to get out of these clothes.“ He yanked at the buttons of his wet shirt. „Be back in a few minutes.“

Rebecca watched him stride down the hall, peeling off his shirt as he went. He certainly didn’t seem nearly as upset about the dunking as she would have expected. But, then, that was probably because Kyle figured he’d won the confrontation with Glen Ballard. He’d gotten what he wanted. Rebecca had gone home with him.

Shaking her head ruefully, Rebecca crossed the room to the mahogany table beside the fireplace. The brandy glasses were fashioned of beautifully cut crystal, she noted. They looked old. And the brandy was about as old as the crystal, according to the label.

The glasses were the only touch of elegance or luxury in the room. She wondered if they had been wedding gifts that Martha Stockbridge had left behind when she had fled.

Everything else in the place looked heavy, masculine, functional and cold. It was a man’s room, with no touch of softness or charm to lighten the oppressive atmosphere. Rebecca tried to imagine what effect a house like this would have had on a young, motherless boy. There had been no softness in Kyle’s life, Alice Cork had written. Kyle had been raised by a hard, bitter, withdrawn man, a man who would have scorned a woman’s touch.

Kyle returned less than fifteen minutes later, buttoning a fresh shirt as he came down the hall. There was an exuberance in his stride that told its own story. It was clear he had the rest of the evening planned.

„The Stockbridge luck seems to be running true to form again, I take it?“ Rebecca asked speculatively as she handed him a glass of brandy.

„Stockbridge luck beats Ballard charm any day of the week.“ He took a swallow of the brandy.

„Except when it comes to women,“ she reminded him smoothly. He eyed her over the rim of the glass. „Did you love her very much, Kyle?“

He looked blank. „Who?“

Rebecca frowned. „Darla.“

„Oh, Darla.“ He made a dismissing gesture with one hand. „I told you about her. It’s ancient history.“

„So is the Stockbridge-Ballard feud, but it still persists.“

Kyle’s gaze grew sharp and speculative. „Are you jealous, Becky?“ he asked suddenly.

„I’m curious, that’s all.“ She turned away and walked over to stand in front of the cold fireplace.

„You
are
jealous.“ Kyle spoke with satisfaction as he set down his brandy glass and went down on one knee to build a fire.

„No, damn it. I am not jealous!“

„Forget Darla,“ Kyle broke in crisply as he adjusted kindling. „I’m not carrying the torch. I’ll admit I was a tad upset when she picked Ballard to run off with, but I’m over it.“ He grinned and waved a long fireplace match aloft. „You’re the only one who lights a fire under me, baby.“

„You asked her to marry you.“

„That was four long years ago.“ He glanced up and saw the assessing look in her eyes. „Hey,“ Kyle said softly as he finished lighting the fire and got to his feet. „What’s the problem here?“

„I told you. I’m curious. That’s all.“

He caught her shoulders, the indulgent humor fading from his face. „I’ve told you about Darla. She’s not important any longer.“

„She says you might not have even noticed the engagement had ended if it hadn’t been for the fact that Ballard was waiting in the wings. A Stockbridge can’t stand to lose anything to a Ballard.“

„True enough,“ he said with a sigh. „But I got even. I’m satisfied on that score.“

„Did you really make a scene at their wedding?“ After all she had learned about this man, that sort of audacity was still enough to amaze her.

Kyle shook his head reminiscingly and ignored the question. „You know, right up until the last minute, I thought for sure Ballard was just using Darla to get at me. I never expected him to marry her. But I guess things have been for real between them after all. They seem happy together.“

„They are. And if it’s any consolation, Darla was afraid she was being used, too. But she loved Glen and decided to take a chance. She says he got caught in his own trap. He fell in love with her in spite of himself.“

Kyle slid his hands into his back pockets and stared down into the fire. „Ballard’s not the only one who got caught in a trap. I got caught in one, too. I want you back, Becky.“

She held her breath. „Why? So you can be assured of getting Harmony Valley?“

„No, damn it, not because of Harmony Valley! You’ve got a one-track brain, woman.“

„You’re the one who put my brain on that particular track.“

Kyle groaned. „I know. I know. I made a mess of things. I admit it.“ He turned and gave her a direct look. His eyes were intense and brilliant in the firelight. „But I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back.“

„Whatever it takes?“ she repeated uncertainly.

He paused and then said grimly, „I suppose you want me to prove how serious I am about getting you back. I’ve done a lot of thinking, Becky. And I’m prepared to do exactly that.“

Rebecca was suddenly very uneasy with the direction of the conversation. Kyle Stockbridge was a wily opponent.

He knew all the tricks and he was not above using the vast majority of them. „If s not a question of proving anything,“

she said carefully.

„I think it is,“ he countered quietly. „I think that things are so tangled up now that you’ll never believe how important you are to me unless I show you.“

She didn’t look at him. „How can you do that?“

„What would you say,“ he asked slowly, „if I told you to go ahead and sell Harmony Valley to Ballard?“

Rebecca’s head snapped around. „Sell to Ballard?“

He nodded, saying nothing else.

„You’d hit the roof if I did that. You’d explode. You’d be furious. You’d never forgive me, let alone want me back.“

Kyle shook his head, still saying nothing. But he watched her unblinkingly.

Rebecca toyed with her brandy glass. „I don’t understand.“

„I’m trying to prove something to you, Becky. I don’t know any other way to do it.“

„But, Kyle…“

He took a step forward and gently removed the glass from her hand.
„I
want you more than I want that damned land.“ He caught her face between his palms. „And I want you to know it.“

Kyle bent his head and took her mouth with a slow, seductive heat that left Rebecca trembling. She touched his wrists, his arms and then, with a small sigh of surrender, she clung to him.

„That’s it, baby,“ he breathed, folding her close. „That’s it. Stop fighting me. Come back to me. Let me show you how much I want you.“

The hurt and anger that had driven Rebecca away from him melted in the warmth of Kyle’s embrace. This was where she wanted to be, she thought. She loved him. Nothing could change that, just as nothing on earth could alter the thrilling sensation she experienced when Kyle made love to her.

„I
have a feeling I’m going to regret this.“

„No you won’t. I’ll make sure you don’t. It’s okay, Becky,“ Kyle murmured reassuringly against her throat.

„Everything’s going to be okay between us again. You’ll see. Give me a chance to show you.“ The soothing, gentling words were punctuated by a series of hungry kisses.

„I wish I understood,“ Rebecca whispered helplessly.

„There’s nothing to understand except the way I feel about you. This is where you belong, Becky. Right here in my arms.“

Abandoning herself to instinct, Rebecca allowed herself to be drawn into his heat. He was right. This was where she belonged. She pressed against him, aware of his response in every fiber of her being. Kyle made no secret out of the fact that his physical reaction to her was fierce and immediate.

And she knew there was little she could do to hide her own response. On this level, they were equal.

Rebecca felt Kyle’s fingers on the fastening of her blouse. He removed the garment with a restrained eagerness that was oddly touching. He was trying to control himself, she realized, trying not to rush her.

She raised her face and kissed the hard line of his jaw. „It’s all right,“ she heard herself whisper and knew he understood when he groaned and hugged her close.

„I want to do it right. I want to show you,“ Kyle said huskily as he unpinned her hair. He caught the dark brown mass in his fingers.

Rebecca smiled tremulously. „You always do it right. It’s never been anything but right with you.“ And that was the truth, she thought.

„Oh, Becky,“ he rasped. „My sweet, soft, sexy Becky. You make me crazy.“

He undressed her quickly, his hands moving over her fire-warmed skin. When the last of her clothing lay in a small heap at her feet, Kyle grazed his thumb over one breast. When the nipple grew taut, he smiled with satisfaction and leaned down to kiss it.

„Kyle.“ His name was a throaty catch of her breath. Rebecca closed her eyes and slid her hands inside his shirt.

The tight, muscled strength of him was as alluring as ever.

He let her push his shirt off and moved her fingers lower. He hadn’t bothered to fasten the metal snap on his jeans.