Meeting Her Match (10 page)

P
ace was waiting for her the next morning when she pulled into his driveway. To her surprise he wore his regular cowboy gear minus the spurs and chaps plus tennis shoes. No cowboy boots in sight, yet still he managed to look head to toe like a cowboy at home on the range.

She wasn't lost to the fact that she'd actually been looking forward to seeing him. She tried to pretend that she wasn't excited about spending time with the broad-shouldered, ill-tempered man, but eventually she'd given up. She couldn't help it that she had fun giving Pace a hard time.

“Hey, cowboy, how's the morning treating you?”

He slid into the seat and fixed his charcoal eyes on her. “I'm looking forward to working on the church.”

Sheri was shocked by the good humor in his voice. She'd expected him to be mad. Hadn't he caught on to what the posse was doing? “You are?” she said, hearing the surprise in her voice and knowing he heard it, too.

“Sure. I came to Mule Hollow to give something back to the Lord. Lending my time and muscle to keeping God's house in shape seems like a good place to start.” He lifted an eyebrow. “You thought I wouldn't want to?”

Sheri looked away, concentrating on steering the Jeep onto the road. Though it was morning, the air was already dry with heat. It whistled through her hair as they sped down the road. “Well, no,” she said. “I thought you'd hate being away from your horses is all.”

Pace had a hand resting on the top of the windshield and Sheri couldn't help glancing at it. Pace had nice hands, large and tanned with a dusting of hair that was burnished to a golden hue from the exposure to the sun day after day. She felt a tingle race down her spine remembering how those hands had felt when he'd steadied her the day she'd stumbled. Oddly, they'd been so gentle. Like when he worked with his horses. Now he wanted to give time to God.

Was this Neanderthal actually a nice guy underneath?

She pushed away the thought. He did not need to be a man she could truly come to like.

“So you can paint?”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You've never seen a cowboy paint?”

“Well, of course I have.” She glanced back toward the road. “It's just that you aren't exactly like the rest of the guys.”

“And you aren't exactly like other women.”

“Right,” Sheri snapped, irrationally irritated by the remark. “We've already established the way you view me. Let's just stay away from that.” Why did it irritate
her that he thought so little of her? The man had apologized, sort of. Yet she knew deep down he still had a poor opinion of her moral character.

“You're not all bad.”

Was that supposed to make her feel better? “Gee, thank you
so
much. Now back to you. What I originally meant before we got sidetracked—” she gave him a pointed look of warning “—was that you just seem like a guy that wears spurs and chaps in your sleep. I mean, out there in the sticks I just didn't figure there was much else to do but check on your cattle and work your horses.”

“You think I'm one-dimensional? Who do you think fixes the fences?” He looked at her in disbelief, and she shot it straight back at him.

“
All
cowboys can fix fences.” What was it with them and communication?

“Look. I can paint, okay,” he said drily, shaking his head, almost glaring at her.

“Well, you don't have to get all testy about it,” she laughed as the church came into view. Yes, indeed, the man was fun to irritate. She wondered if he got any joy out of frustrating her, because he could sure do it. She yanked the wheel hard and they whipped into the parking lot. He was forced to hold tight to the roll bar to keep his seat as they bumped over the gravel parking area.

“You need driving lessons,” he growled after she'd finally slammed on the brakes.

“Testy, testy,” Sheri chided as she climbed out of the car and strode past him to find out where she would be assigned to work. Norma Sue was in charge of distributing the workforce, which translated, as Sheri had sus
pected it would, into Sheri being partnered with Pace. The look on his face upon learning his plight was comical. The man surely had figured out what was going on. Surely. But when he didn't say anything she didn't offer any explanations. She could tell as he strode off toward the tools and ladders that he was not overly happy at spending the day in her company. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“Good luck, Sheri,” Norma Sue said. “He's acting like a caged-up bobcat this morning.”

Sheri met Norma Sue's gaze. “What's new about that?” She jogged after Pace.

“What job did you check off the list for us to do?” she asked, catching up with him. Despite his ill temper she was determined to keep her focus on achieving her goal of making the posse think they had possibilities.

“Roof repairs.”

Sheri slammed to a halt. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

He paused to grab the tallest ladder she'd ever seen and settled innocent eyes on her. “Something wrong?”

Sheri gulped in air and lifted her chin as she gave a smile she didn't feel. “No. Nothing's wrong. I just thought you said we were on roof repairs.”

“That's what I said. You can find something on the ground to do if you've got a problem with that.”

Sheri met his steady gaze and shook her head out of pure stubbornness. “Why would I have a problem with that?” She laughed halfheartedly and hoped he didn't notice the sweat popping out across her upper lip.

“You're not afraid of heights, are you?”

“N-no.” Her gaze shot to the roof. It was at least twenty feet from the ground and so steep.

“I didn't think so,” Pace said. “Not with the way you were climbing around in that tree.”

Sheri smiled, but inside she was fainting. There was a difference in climbing out on a few limbs that weren't more than ten feet off the ground versus climbing around on a roof. She glared up at the roof that seemed to go on and on into infinity from where she was standing. Plus, her tree had limbs to hang on to. The roof had nothing but air to grab if she were to slip and roll off the edge.

“You okay? You look kinda green.”

She forced her head to nod. She was too afraid to answer for fear her voice would screech, exposing her terror to him.

She sucked it up and put on her game face 'cause the last thing Pace Gentry was going to see was her fear. Oh, no, this girl was getting on that roof. No matter what happened Pace would not see her sweat.

She'd just have to figure this out. She could do it.

“Look, Sheri.” He smiled. “I was just teasing you. I'm not comfortable with you getting on the roof. So you can go do something else.”

She should have been relieved by that, but she wasn't. She might be scared to get up there, but she didn't really like being told by him to stay on the ground. “No, I—I can do it. I want to do it.”

She was crazy, crazy for doing this. But she was going up there, crazy or not.

He shrugged a shoulder, settled the ladder on it and walked away.

Sheri stood frozen to the spot and watched him stride purposefully toward the church, toting the heavy ladder as though it were a feather. Despite her fear, she didn't appreciate him telling her she couldn't do something. Who did he think he was?

 

Pace stepped onto the roof and scanned the shingles for damage. He'd stopped by the day before to see what Pastor Allen needed fixed. Pace liked to be prepared. If a man came knowing what needed doing he could be organized. When he'd learned the roof needed repairs, he'd volunteered. The pastor had explained that in several places the shingles were lifting during heavy winds and because of it there had been some leaks. Pace figured the painting and scraping were important but that if the roof wasn't strong then everything below would be weak. That being the case, he'd chosen the job on the roof because he trusted himself to do the job right. Plus, he had experience. He'd fixed many a roof on the ranches he'd worked and this was a simple repair done quickly with a caulk gun.

Standing on the steep roof he spied the first buckled shingle and went to investigate. It was midway up the incline and as he bent down to check the loose shingle the sounds of activity down on the ground drifted up to him. It was nice how everyone was working together. Voices and laughter floated up to him, and he paused to listen. He realized there was another reason behind his choosing this job. Repair
ing the roof was the most isolated job of all. He'd come to join in, yet he'd removed himself from the rest of the action.

A grunt behind him had him looking over his shoulder. Just in time to watch Sheri crawl onto the roof.

“What are you doing?” he barked, alarmed that she'd followed him and that instead of stepping onto the roof like any normal person would, she'd crawled.

“What does it look like I'm doing?” she snapped, hunkered down on her hands and knees looking a bit green around the gills.

“I'm not sure. I told you to stay on the ground. And from the look of it, you need to let me do this. Now, get back down that ladder before you fall.”

“Nope. No way,” she gritted out. “I can do this.”

His alarm grew as Pace watched her crawl forward, head down and eyes shut.

“Whoa, there,” he called. She was inching sideways! She looked like a crab. “What are you doing?” he demanded, now openly alarmed as she stalled in her slow crawl. She shook her head but didn't say anything. Just stayed there on all fours as stiff as a board. “Wait a minute. Are you afraid of heights?” he demanded incredulously, immediately moving down the roof toward her. The fool woman was going to break her neck.

“I'm fine.”

The words were almost inaudible. “No, you're not.”

“Sheri,” Esther Mae yelled from down below. “You ain't moving. You sure you can do that? Have you realized how high it is up there?”

At Esther Mae's warning, Pace saw Sheri open her
eyes and glance over her shoulder. “Ohhh, mercy,” she gasped, then glued her gaze to a spot between her hands.

He reached her just as she swayed.

“W
hoa, there. I've gotcha.” Pace grasped Sheri's wrist, his heart in his throat. “Look at me,” he demanded, hunkering down beside her on the steep roof.

She shook her head. “Can't.”

He wanted to wring her neck and protect her at the same time. What had the woman been thinking? “I'm not going to let anything happen to you,” he promised gently. He knew he needed to get her calm before he could help her. Her breathing was shallow, and he was worried she might faint. He decided he'd save the neck wringing for after they got off the roof safely. “You're not going to fall on my watch, Sheri.”

“Promise?”

Pace had to smile. He heard the spunk in that one-word sentence even in the state she was in.

“I promise, but you're going to have to trust me. Can you move?”

She shook her head vigorously. Pace had to wonder
what in thunder had possessed the woman to climb up here. Especially if she was afraid of heights? After all, he had seen her climbing that tree.

Sheri focused on the steadiness of Pace's hand securely wrapped around her wrist and the warmth of his breath near her ear as she struggled not to pass out. She would have no credibility with the man after this. Still on her hands and knees she forced her eyes open and met his gaze. What had she been thinking?

“I've got you,” he repeated as if to reassure her.

He'd seen the terror in her eyes. She knew it…but there wasn't a thing she could do about it at the moment. At least he wasn't laughing at her. No, his voice was gentle and his eyes were steady. Though she was frozen to the roof, she'd begun to feel calmer at his touch and the security of his voice. She knew instinctively that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Still, that didn't mean she could move.

“I can't move.” How she hated to admit such a weakness. She didn't have a shred of dignity left. This was a fine fix her silly pride had gotten her into.

Pace's eyes crinkled at the edges when she glared up at him, but he didn't smile. “Yes, you can move.”

“No,” she said, wagging her head from side to side. The movement made her dizzy so she stopped. “I'm pretty certain I can't.”

“Sheri, I have your wrist and I know you're stubborn enough that you can force your mind to do what you tell it to do. Turn around and sit here beside me.” His tone was gentle, the same tone he had used with the wild mare. It was Dr. Dolittle to the rescue.

“I can't.”

“Yes, you can. Stop saying you can't and put your mind to it. You are the most hardheaded woman I've ever met. You can do anything you set your mind to. Now come on.”

Sheri met his gaze again. He smiled. “Come on. Show me what you've got.”

“A headache,” she growled and he chuckled, his grasp tightening around her wrist. Sick to her stomach and terrified, she forced herself to ease around. The instant she was seated she slammed her eyes shut. He scooted close to her, their shoulders touching as he lifted her hand and securely linked his fingers with hers. If she hadn't been so scared it might have felt pretty nice.

“I knew you could do it. Now open your eyes.”

She shook her head. “Can't.”

“I didn't know you knew that word.”

She nodded. “Not proud of it, but for me when it comes to heights it's ahead of ‘aardvark' in the dictionary.” Her voice squeaked. She hated this. She'd let herself get in over her head, and now he was going to see that she wasn't as strong as everyone thought she was. He was going to see that she was a fraud. “It's ridiculous, isn't it?”

“But it's real to you. That's something that's hard to overcome.”

“Is everything okay up there?” Lacy called. Sheri recognized her voice, but there was no way she was looking down to see her friend.

“Everything's fine, Lacy,” Pace called calmly.

“You sure? Sheri, are you okay?”

“She's fine, Lacy.”

Sheri opened her eyes and looked at him. “Thank you.” He nodded. The last thing she needed was the entire town knowing she'd just freaked out.

“We're just taking a moment to enjoy this great view,” he reassured Lacy.

Ha! He was enjoying the view. Sheri was looking only at him.

“Can you tell me how you could climb around in that tree but not be able to get up on this roof?”

She gave a weak smile and shrugged. “It's just different. I don't know how to explain it. For one, the tree was only about ten feet off the ground. Plus, I had the other limbs to hold on to. There's a sense of security in those limbs, I guess. But a roof is wide-open space going upward. There's just the edge and nothing to break my fall. I just have a phobia about it. Always have. Yet I've been climbing trees since I was about four. Nearly scared my mother to death the first time she found me up in one. I can't explain it, but I'm scared of those elevators with the glass, too. I have to stand by the door. And airplanes…I tried to fly once. They had to stop the plane and escort me off.”

“And you knew all of this before coming up here?”

He was looking at her as though she was nuts, which she deserved. She was nuts to follow him up here for the sake of her childish pride.

“Like I said, you are the most stubborn woman I've ever met. You probably did it because I asked you if you were scared, and you didn't want to admit it.”

Reluctantly, she nodded. “I know. It was stupid of
me.” It just about killed her to admit it to him. He would probably pick on her about it for the rest of her life. Then she thought about that and realized he wouldn't do such a thing. And why would she think Pace would be around for the rest of her life?

“So now we just have to get you down without everyone noticing how scared you are.”

She hated admitting to him that she didn't think she could turn around, back up and put her foot on that ladder. She hated herself for not being able to do it.

“Don't move. I'm just going to let go of your wrist. Okay?”

She nodded, watching him. He smiled. He was so beautiful. The thought made her giggle, and she was not a giggler. It was proof of her nerves. His grip tightened.

“You're not fixin' to go into hysterics on me, are you?”

“No,” she managed and tried not to think about what he'd say if she told him that she thought he was beautiful.

When he suddenly stood, turned around and stepped onto the ladder, Sheri had a near-hysteric outburst. Her heart went wild in her chest, and she started breathing shallow and swift again. Then his eyes were back on her and she locked into that gaze like a life preserver.

He held her hand, and now he tugged gently. “Scoot over here. Don't look at anything but me.”

She shook her head. “Sheri, I want to pray for you.”

Her eyelids flew up. “Pray?”

“Sure. Sheri, the Lord can help you with this. He might take away the fear and He might not, but I know He will help you get down this ladder.”

Sheri didn't want to tell him that she couldn't really remember the last time the Lord had actually done anything for her, but he was already closing his eyes and squeezing her hand. It was a way to put off having to climb over that edge for a few more moments. Pace prayed, his voice low and full of confidence. Sheri listened with mixed feelings, not really expecting the Lord to think this was important. When he was done she felt as though her day of reckoning had come as he tugged on her hand again and smiled.

Suddenly feeling a surge of determination, she scooted to the edge, not daring to let her gaze falter from his. She was a chicken and a half, and the man could see straight through her as he grasped her wrist so her fingers were free.

“Grab the ladder, put your foot on the rung and come on. I'm holding you, and I'm holding the roof. You're not going anywhere but down this ladder with me.”

She felt like one of his horses. The man could say things like that and she believed him. Sucking in a shaky breath she did as he asked. The instant her foot met the rung she felt calmer. One minute she was on the roof, the next instant she was on the ladder with Pace securely at her back.

She knew she was safe.

“Okay,” he said softly. She felt his warm breath against her ear. “Better?”

She nodded, turning her head to look into his eyes. She felt secure, and suddenly she wanted to kiss this cowboy. But she didn't. Something about kissing Pace Gentry scared her. Her emotions were wound tighter
than a ball of rubber bands as she seemed to sway toward him against her will.

“Take hold of the ladder,” he whispered, his voice bringing her back to the moment like a splash of cold water. What had she been thinking? His expression was unreadable as he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other just above her hand on the ladder. “Now, move downward as I do. I'll shield you like the tree branches.”

Sheri knew that he would. She started down the ladder. Her legs felt weak and her hands felt shaky, but suddenly it had nothing to do with her fear of heights and everything to do with the mountain of a man ever so carefully shielding her from harm.

 

Pace hammered the last loose shingle down then applied the tar to stabilize it. His thoughts kept going back to Sheri. The woman had been terrified, yet because of her stubbornness, she'd followed him up that ladder. She'd made it down the ladder, and though he'd tried to protect her from everyone realizing that something was wrong, he should have known it would be impossible.

He'd figured out that he'd walked into a setup when Norma Sue had put him and Sheri together as working partners, so why had he been surprised that they were watching them like hawks from down below? The posse and a small group of others were hovering at the bottom of the ladder as they reached the ground. Immediately, Sheri had been bombarded with questions. Reluctantly, she admitted that she'd frozen up there on the roof. He could tell it bothered her to admit a weakness to the
group, but she covered it up with her flippant humor. Telling them she'd had to find some way to get Pace to put his arms around her.

That had shifted the attention to him, and he'd decided it was time for him to get back to work.

On his way up the ladder he heard her tell them to stop fussing over her. Just like that she was all tough and brassy again as she strode away.

He had to wonder if what he'd seen up on that roof had been real. Had she really been afraid, or had she been manipulating him? The thought wouldn't go away as he worked.

He stayed on the roof all afternoon, not even going down for lunch. His thoughts were tied up with Sheri. If what he'd witnessed was real, and in his heart he felt it had been, then Sheri Marsh was wearing a mask for the world to see. He'd been privy to seeing beneath that tough exterior for the few moments on the edge of the roof. The woman was not all what she made others believe she was. She'd been vulnerable, and there had been something else, something that ran deeper. He'd seen it in her eyes.

Beneath that brash facade there was a scared woman. But what was she scared of? Why did she think she had to put on an act? These were her friends. He had to admit he was drawn to finding out why.

His gaze sought her out, entirely aware of where she sat beneath a tree working in a flower bed. The woman had as much talent with flower beds as she did with hiding her feelings from the world.

There was a mystery about Sheri Marsh. Watching her
pulling weeds, he realized she'd chosen a job that was removed from the crowd, too. A job that isolated her. He couldn't help wondering who the real Sheri Marsh was.