Suspicions of the Heart (6 page)

Without another word he turned and
began walking away.

She didn't have much choice. "Hey,
wait." She caught up to him, and pulled on his denim jacket until
he faced her. "Look, I'm sorry for being rude. You've been very
kind and I do need a ride home. I've got to get some sleep. I'm
bushed. And I'm leaving in the morning."

"Oh?" His brow slipped lazily upward as
he smiled at her through the brilliant moonlight. "Going
home?"

"That's right, home." The word sounded
like a miracle to Candy. "Any objections?"

"Nope. Should there be?" he asked, his
voice lowering a notch.

She couldn't help being upset; the day
and the night had been a nightmare. Tonight wasn't his fault. "I
don't know." She sighed heavily and looked away from him. "You are
such a puzzle, Joe Munroe. You see, I spoke with Charles Fargate
this morning and he told me about your offer to buy my land. Care
to tell me why you didn't bother mentioning it to me?"

She waited for some reaction, but it
was a long wait. His smile remained, and his expression merely
broadened with humor. "Wasn't much need after I met you. I knew you
weren't going to sell out. You see, I made that offer just after
your father died."

"How could you know I wouldn't
sell?"

He reached over to pull her stubborn
set chin up to meet his keen scrutiny. He seemed to study her face
with silent intent, as though memorizing every plane. "I've got you
pegged pretty good. You're a sweet, stubborn little redhead who is
too bull-headed to give in. And," his thumb began to stoke her
chin, "I don't want to fight with you."

Dammit, that thumb of his sent shivers
of delight all the way through her. And his earthy odor intoxicated
her nostrils. The man didn't reek like most of the cowboys. She
liked that. Her determination began to falter.

Gold moted eyes stormed into midnight
blue orbs. Blue eyes glinted past all the garbled emotions
rampaging through her. Part of her wanted to believe in this man,
another part kept warning her of the consequences, for there would
be no half measures with this man. She knew that instinctively. She
blinked rapidly, trying to mask her emotions.

"What do you want from me?" she cried
out at last, as her chin began to tremble.

Blue eyes flickered into liquid pools,
then were hooded, masking his expression as though he were not
ready to confide that much either. "That's a leading question. Do
you really want to expand on it right now?"

When she reddened, his laughter took
her by surprise.

"I'm not at all sure I trust
you."

"Good," he nodded, and began walking
toward his truck. "'Cause I'm not sure you should."

The conversation seemed to go in
circles. Were they talking about the same things? She doubted it.
But it was just too dangerous to explore his remarks. She was too
aware of the powerful force he held over her.

She caught up to him, and he swung open
the door on the driver's side. She slid in, putting distance
between them quickly. She felt suffocated when he closed the door.
It was as though the truck were not big enough for the two of them.
But that was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

His hand fastened around the steering
wheel, his eyes trained to the front. Sporadically checking his
mirrors, he drove with the utmost confidence and care. But it
didn't take long to figure he wasn't headed for the trailer park.
Instead, they passed it.

"Hey, you missed it…"

He hadn't said a word since they pulled
out of the parking lot, and the silence was unbearable.

"Yes ma'am."

"Where are we going?"

"Right here," he murmured quietly, as
he steered the truck off the main highway and through a small,
enclosed meadow. He was driving on the grass.

"I thought you were taking me home."
She bristled. A wave of panic pitted her stomach.

He cast her a trenchant look through
the darkness as he parked the truck in the moonlight. "Relax. I'll
get you home safe and sound. Remember, I'm not Leroy. Enjoy the
peace and quiet of the night."

What was he talking about? There was a
busy highway just behind those trees. She could barely hear the
chirping crickets from all the traffic.

Joe leaned against the seat and tipped
his hat over his eyes. "Relax and enjoy."

After a prolonged silence her
resistance faded. At least he wasn't making any moves on her. She
breathed a silent sigh of relief. She liked that, too. She couldn't
handle any more men tonight.

The moon looked like a huge lamp
hanging in the sky, surrounded by the glitter of a million tiny
diamonds.

"Do you do this often?" she asked when
he remained so silent.

But there was no answer--he was
asleep!

Asleep!

Of all the gall!

She wasn't sure what to do. She could
wake him and demand he take her home or she could lean back and
take his advice. Darn it, why did he always have such good
advice?

Slumber slipped up on her, and soon her
eyelids became too heavy. Contented, she didn't know when the truck
began to move. Not until a warm hand nudged her.

"Hey, sleepyhead, you're home now, just
like I said, safe and sound," His voice sent a slight shiver
through her, it was soft and deep.

"Hmm . . ." She stirred and cuddled
closer to the solid form that made her pillow.

Cuddle? Pillow? She shot straight up
and looked at his amused glance.

"I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. That was the
whole idea--to relax." He smiled gently into her face. Leaning
against his door he stared at her without a word.

For a long moment it was very
quiet.

He rested his head against the window,
his hat falling completely away. His voice sounded husky and soft.
"Well, I guess you gotta have an explanation, huh? Well, you see,
when I have a rough day, I pull off the side of the road for a
while, you know, somewhere pretty and peaceful looking. Like this
meadow. Funny how fast I relax. Usually I go to sleep, but whether
I do or not, I always try to let go of the day's frustrations. It
gets rid of the tension. And I'd say it worked for you,
too."

"I guess it did," she mused sheepishly.
"I was tense, wasn't I?"

"Very. You must have had one helluva
day," he said with a slight rasp. Then a hand shot out to touch her
neck. Gently, the roughened hands began to massage the aching
muscles she had since forgotten.

"I did have a bad day. I wasn't up to
going out tonight. But I couldn't get out of it."

When he didn't say anything, and
released his hand from her neck, she glanced over at him. He wasn't
going to make any moves on her, she knew that now.

"Thanks." She smiled, her hand poised
on the door handle. "For the ride…and everything."

He straightened, put his hands back on
the wheel and glanced over his shoulder at her. Their eyes locked
on contact.

"Goodnight, Candy."

"Goodnight."

A kiss that never happened hung between
them and she moved out of the truck before it did. "And thanks
again."

"No problem."

It was too hard to put into words what
she was feeling. She didn't want him witnessing her confusion. She
waved goodbye and dashed inside her trailer without looking back.
Once inside, she leaned against the door and let the mass of
emotions drain from her slowly. What was it about this man that
seemed so different?

It didn't matter; she'd probably never
see him again. But for just a second she let her mind wander, and
wonder, what might happen if she did see him again.

Chapter Four

Candy was up bright and early the next
day, after one of the most peaceful night's sleep she'd had since
her father died. She sipped at her coffee as she packed away the
things that might fall and break during the long drive. She was
used to packing up. She and her father had traveled this way for
years and she knew how to secure a trailer.

The soft padding of her slippers made
muted sounds against the tile floor in the small kitchen. Her
pajamas felt cool and comfortable against her skin as she worked.
She had the worst habit of not dressing in the morning. She dearly
loved to clean house in her pajamas.

She felt great today, and she wasn't
going to analyze why.

Later, she slipped into a pair of faded
jeans and a cool cotton top, donned her sneakers and scuttled
outside to check on Lancer.

It was still very early, and very few
people were up and about the campsite. Close to the river, giant
cottonwoods and beautiful willows creaked against a light morning
breeze, as a pair of scissor-tails and a blue jay debated
territorial rights to the tops of the pecan trees. Huge, white
clouds pillowed the sky.

A brilliant sun peeked slowly over the
horizon, creating all sorts of colors. What a beautiful morning,
she sighed.

Thanks to the camp manager, Candy had
been able to place Lancer in a nearby pasture, within walking
distance of the park. As she approached, he reared his head and
pricked his ears. By the time she reached the edge of the barbed
wire fence he was waiting for her, anxious to nibble his morning
treat of sugar cubes from her shirt pocket.

She giggled and extended her hand to
affectionately stroke his lovely mane. "You are so spoiled. But I
guess that's all right, 'cause we're going home today. That's right
boy, I said home."

The roan neighed and reared his head as
though he understood every word.

"You're up bright and early, I see."
Roscoe came from behind her. He joined her at the fence.

"Good morning. So are you."

Roscoe nodded, reaching out to give
Lancer a quick pat on the rump.

"Yes, Doc was out early this morning.
Gave me some salve for Lancer and put a new boot on his leg. Said
he'd mend."

"Why so early?"

"He has a full schedule and wanted to
do it before he got started."

"Then everything is okay?"

"As long as it don't get infected. Have
to doctor him twice a day for two weeks and then he said have him
checked again."

"Great."

"You said you wanted to get an early
start. So, here I am. Got my coffee on?"

"It's waiting for you back at the
trailer."

"That's my girl."

"I'm through with the
packing."

"Want to put Lancer in my trailer? If
he don't mind sharin' the company."

Candy giggled, looking at Lancer. "I
don't think Lancer minds the company of a beautiful woman, do you,
boy? It sure would save me a lot of hassle. I'll have my hands full
with the trailer, I'm afraid." Dusting the toe of her sneaker she
glanced up at her Uncle. "They've already shut my utilities off,
all I have to do is disconnect the lines. Would you mind helping
me?"

"Get my coffee, and I'll tend to it,
honey," he agreed as they headed back toward the park.

They went inside the trailer and she
poured them both a cup of coffee as they sat at the small table.
She felt the bond growing between them day by day. She knew she
couldn't do without this man. It was reassuring and scary, too. If
anything happened to Uncle Roscoe she didn't know what she'd
do.

He wasn't fooling her, though. The real
reason behind him coming along was because he was concerned about
her. They needed one another, needed that family
closeness.

"You know," she said, sipping her
coffee, and watching her uncle's face, "I'm glad you're going with
me. I've been apprehensive about this trip all along. I might put
up a brave front, but deep inside I'm a real coward. I'm not at all
sure what we'll find. I can't remember much about it. When dad got
sick, and was hospitalized, I stayed with him. But it's been ages
since I've been to the ranch."

"I know. I better prepare you now." He
eyed her carefully. "It ain't a pretty sight. Hank was a peculiar
old cuss in some ways. But I don't have to tell you that. His idea
of home was wherever he laid his hat. I guess you know
that."

"Yeah, I know that. About how long you
figure it'll take to get there?"

"It's not quite four hundred miles to
Amarillo, and the ranch is about ten miles on the outskirts, so I
figure driving steady it would probably take about a day, maybe
longer. I'd like to drive it straight through, if that's okay with
you."

"The sooner we get there, the
better."

"Reckon that would be best. Once I get
rolling I don't like to stop," he interjected. Glancing behind her,
he smiled. "I see you found your mocs."

"Yes," she exclaimed contritely. Candy
knew any minute he was going to ask for a complete low-down on her
date with Doug. She wasn't sure how to explain it. Ever since she
started dating though, her uncle had become her confidant and he
would be hurt if she stopped now. But she wasn't anxious to tell
him about last night. The whole thing embarrassed her.