ANOTHER SUNNY DAY (11 page)

Sarah choked on a giggle. "Thanks, I think. Possibly there was a compliment hidden in there somewhere, but I've never
heard a more left-handed one."

"A left-handed compliment for a left-handed lady," he quipped. "Let's see how you interpret this." His breath brushed her wet lips a split second before his mouth told her what his words had not conveyed. Oblivious to the rain that trickled down their faces, they shared the desire that flowed hotly through their blood as their kiss deepened dangerously. Showing remarkable restraint, Tyler took a step backward. "Unless you want to make the front page of the Houston
Post tomorrow, you'd better let me go take care of the horses. I want you to go straight to your camper and get dried off. I'll let you know when supper is ready."

"
I'm going to get a cup of coffee first. I'll see you later, unless you feel the urge to give me another compliment right now." She flashed him a seductive smile.

"You'd better get away from here right now, or I guarantee you the front page of not only the Houston papers but the National Enquirer too," he t
hreatened with a wolfish grin.

"Promises, promises . . ." she tossed saucily over her shoulder as she wi
sely left him with the horses.

Jed had set up his cooking area so that the worst of the wind and rain was blocked off on two sides by vehicles and natural cover. The heat from the cooking fires radiated surprising warmth and provided im
mediate relief from the storm.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee Sarah dreaded the thought of going back out in the weather even for so short a trip as to her trailer. When Jed announced that supper was ready, she decided she might as well fix herself
a plate and take it with her.

There was thick
, spicy Texas chili that Jed guaranteed would "warm your innards and stick to your ribs" and pans of hot crumbly cornbread. Jed's cooking was meant to be eaten only by Tyler and his group, as everyone else on the trail ride was expected to prepare their own meals. But tonight, lured by the tantalizing smell and the protective cover, several extras joined in to help empty the huge cast-iron pot. Sarah noticed that Jed had set aside generous portions for Tyler and the others who were still out with the horses.

The weather continued to worsen as the temperature dipped toward freezing. With the winds sustaining their fury at over twenty miles per hour, the wind chill factor made it seem closer to zero. The shivering riders huddled around a portable TV, listening to the weather forecaster warning of severe weather conditions with the temperature continuing to drop and a high of only thirty predicted. To make matters even worse, rain mixed with sleet wo
uld continue until midmorning.

Curses were muttered through stiff lips as the riders dispersed to try to make themselves and their animals as comfortable as possible for the savage night ahead. Willie had been standing next to Sarah but
now turned to follow the rest.

"Will Ethyl be okay tonight?" Sarah asked, concerned for the ancient mule and even more worried a
bout her old master.

"
Me and Ethyl's been through worse weather than this. Besides, Ethyl's spending the night in Ty's horse trailer with a blanket and everything. That, mule will probably be so spoiled, she won't even talk to me tomorrow," he snorted.

"And what about you, Willie? Where will you be sle
eping?" she questioned gently.

"Oh, I've got me a good sleeping bag, and I'm
goin' to crawl up into one of them wagons. By the time I fall asleep, I'll have enough antifreeze in me to last till March, anyway," he said with a cackle, silencing her protests with a wave of his hand. "It's right nice of you to worry about old Willie. Not too many folks pay me much attention, you know. But, hey, I'll be fine."

Sarah watched him disappear into the darkness hoping he knew what he was doing. Tyler had still not returned from bedding down the horses but she decided she shouldn't wait for him here any longer. She had hoped to see him again tonight, but he had warned her he would be very busy preparing for the continuing storm. She called a good-night to Jed and the cowboys who still huddled around the fire finishing their me
als and went into her trailer.

Some wonderful person had turned the heat up high and she was welcomed into
a blissful warmth. Eagerly she peeled off her clinging clothes, tossed them into a pile, followed them up with her hat and scraggly wig, and stepped into a steaming shower. It took several minutes for feeling to come back into her numbed body. It wasn't until the small hot water tank was completely empty that Sarah left the shower. She dried off, leisurely toweling the moisture from her long hair.

This was one of the first times this week she had truly appreciated her sister's star status and preferential treatment. She tried not to think about those less fortunate who would be sleeping in unheated tents or wagons, especially Tyler. It wasn't exactly fair that she should be enjoying his camper while he roughed it in the cold She would gladly share the warmth with him, but he hadn't asked, and she didn't know if she was willing to make
that all important first move.

Feelings of frustration made her unreasonably restless. She found some hot chocolate mix and made herself a cup that she ended up leaving almost untouched as she struggled to repair the damage to
Sunny's wig. At last, when even her experienced hands couldn't make it look as good as it should, Sarah decided to wash it tonight and restyle it tomorrow. After washing it and toweling it dry she hung it in the bathroom and tried again to read the book she had started the night before.

The noisy clatter of frozen rain against her windows and on the metal roof of the trailer was a constant reminder of the unfriendly weather conditions and she hoped again that wherever Tyler was, he was comfortable and
try. Just as she had decided to turn off the light and dry to get some sleep, even though the prospect seemed highly unlikely, a new sound brought her scrambling to the window.

The wind had ripped the tarpaulin from its moorings, leaving one corner to snap back and forth, sounding very much like a whip cracking. As she watched, Tyler, Jed, and several others ran out and, sensing a futile fight against the wind and sleet, unfastened the other three corners, folded it up, and took
down the poles.

Watching them struggle against the uncooperative elements made Sarah shiver sympathetically. She moved away, letting the curtain drop back into place, but she could still hear their shouts which were thrown toward her by the wind, even though she couldn't understand what they were saying. A few minutes later she heard several vehicles star
t up and drive away from camp.

Sarah was just getting up to look out the window again when she heard a knock at the trailer door. Pulling on her robe, she went to the door but hesitated, a little frightened that she
should have a visitor so late.

It's me, Tyler," he called in answer to her unspoken qu
estion. "Are you still awake?"

Her hands fumbled with the lock before she opened the door and stared at him in dismay. Still wearing his yellow slicker and soaked jeans, he looked miserable and uncharacteristically vulnerable. His face had a strange pale, almost blue pallor and tiny icicles hung fr
om the brim of his sodden hat.

"I saw your light was still on and wondered if there was something wrong. Do you need anything?" he asked, his
teeth clenched from the cold.

Her heart cried out to him, I need you, but aloud she said, "I'm fine, but what about you? Where ar
e you going to sleep tonight?"

"I sent my men to a motel, except for Jed. He wanted to stay here with his
chuckwagon, and someone has to take care of you, so he's going to sleep in his chuckwagon, and I'm going to sleep in the cab of the pickup truck." His breath billowed in a white cloud as he spoke.

"Oh, no, you're not." Sarah exclaimed, opening the door wide. "You're go
ing to sleep in here tonight."

"Oh, no, I'm not." He shook his head, sending sprinkles of ice off his hat. "I don't think that would be a very good idea for eith
er of us."

"You're freezing out there, and it's nice and warm in here. There's absolutely no reason why you sh
ouldn't stay here" she argued.

"I can think of several right offhand," he retorted. "There's your reputation, for one thing."

"That's baloney," she countered. "I think you're more worried about your reputation. Besides Jed, who would know anyway? I promise I won't ever mention it to anyone, not even the supermarket rags," she teased.

"You know it isn't that." His eyes eloquently raked her scantily clad figure. "I'm sure that in spite of the discomfort and the cold I could get more sleep cramped in the pickup truck than
here in the room next to you."

"We're both adults." She forced her voice to remain calm. "There's one bed in the bedroom, and I'm sure that this is a sleeper sofa,
so we can work something out."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," he responded
more harshly than he intended.

"Would you please come in before I freeze to death! The longer we argue, the greater the risk that I'll catch pneumonia, which I would blame entirely on you." She had decided to appeal to his sense of duty. "I won't take no for
an answer," she added firmly.

For a moment longer he hesitated, his eyes reflecting his inward conflict. She didn't realize what physical pain she had already put him through, or that now she was insisting that he add to the torture. She was just making a kind, generous gesture with no hidden meaning intended. No matter how badly he wanted her, he was a mature man, and surely he was capable of controll
ing his passion for one night.

"Like I said before, lady, you're the boss." He shrugged with renewed resolve as he knocked the clumps of mud off his boots and stepped into the trailer.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sarah pulled off Tyler's soggy boots and helped him get out of his stiff slicker and heavy suede leather coat, which she hung near the door so they could drip on the vinyl floor of the small entryway instead of on the carpet. Both of them were taking extra pains not to touch each other, sensing the possible explosiveness of the situation. Tension filled the room like an overblown balloon waiting for the tiniest pi
nprick of passion to burst it.

Tyler turned on the range burners and, after discarding his gloves, held his frozen hands over the warming flames, turning his back on Sarah in an attempt to force his hungry eyes from her unconsciously seductive figure. Resisting her tonight was going to take the self-control of a saint,
and he certainly was no saint!

Absolutely not, he lectured himself. You will not make a fool of yourself by letting desire get the better of your self-respect. He refused to become just another notch on her guitar. His teeth gritted together in determination as he forced himself to repeat that statement over and over until he thought he had himself convinced. But when he turned around to confront his nemesis, hi
s jaw dropped open in despair.

Sarah had taken some sheets from the cabinet over the sofa, which she had pulled out to make into a bed, and was leaning over it, engrossed in tucking the sheets under the cushions. Tyler's view, however, was limited to her well-rounded derriere, emphasized by the off-white silk cl
inging to her enticing curves.

"Damn!" he growled his breath escaping in a rush from his suddenly malfunctioning lungs. His first impulse was to leap across the small room, throw her on the half made couch, and make wild, passionate love to her. His second impulse was to flee before
his first impulse became fact.

"What?" Sarah straightened, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, alarmed by the strange, strangled look on his face. She took a step towa
rd him, her hand outstretched.

"I need to take a shower," he stated, almost frantically .avoiding h
er touch. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not. After all, it is your shower." She continued to watch him curiously. "I used all the hot water earlier, but
it should be replaced by now."

"The colder the better," he muttered, an
d hastily fled from the room.

Sarah shook her head, bewildered by his bizarre behavior. She heard the pump kick on and muffled sounds coming from the shower. With a shrug she finished making the bed and put a pot of water on to boil so coffee would be ready for Tyler when he returne
d.

He seemed to be in a much more normal frame of mind when he rejoined her after a long shower. But now it was Sarah's turn to feel discomfort as she stared at his half-naked body. Unaware of her devouring stare, he was briskly rubbing his hair dry with a towel. She welcomed the opportunity to gaze unchecked at his magnificent male form. Her appreciate eyes fasted on the breadth of his shoulders, his bulging biceps, the thick dark hair covering the convex curve of his chest, trickling down the middle of his stomach, and disappearing behind the thick blue towel that swathed his narrow hips. Long sinewy legs a couple of shades paler than his tanned torso were visible benea
th the almost too short towel!