Lisa Kleypas - Give Me Tonight

"If you say so," Ben muttered, nearly losing his balance as Russell stumbled on the next step.

"Thas' right… this year… cow's jumpin' over the moon…"

"Only if you start thinking about breeding some better animals with your damn stringy longhorns."

"Thas' right… I'm thinkin' 'bout that… Smart boy- "

"Thank you."

"But… you ain' been smart 'nuff t' go after my daughter. My Adeline. Don' you know she's the pretties' girl in Texas?"

Ben dragged him up another step. "Yes, sir." Addie raised her eyes heavenward. Russell was bound and determined to play matchmaker in his uniquely heavy-handed way.

"Then why haventcha…?" Russ demanded, gesturing with his hand and nearly sending them toppling down the steps. "She's sweet-tempered-"

"When she wants to be."

"Got everythin' a man could want-"

Addie couldn't keep from interrupting any longer. "Do you need some help?" she asked crisply, and both men looked up at her, Russell with foggy surprise, Ben with a familiar narrow-eyed glance. "You're going to wake the whole house up," she said.

Ben shrugged. "Russ just tipped the bottle one time too many. Thought I'd help him upstairs."

"You've done a lot of that sort of thing tonight, haven't you?" she remarked, going halfway down the stairs and taking her father's other arm.

Russell squinted down at her. "You're up late, honey," he said mildly.

"So are you."

With a great deal of sweat and effort, they managed to get him up the steps and into his bedroom, a small miracle considering Russell's condition.

"Thanks," Ben said as they helped Russell to the bed, where he promptly collapsed.

"What possessed you to think you could get him up here alone?" Addie asked, arranging a pillow underneath the slumbering man's head.

Ben grinned, going to the foot of the bed and pulling off Russell's boots. "Optimism."

"Simplemindedness," she corrected, peering at him suspiciously, as if questioning his judgment. "And just how much have you had to drink?"

"Why? Are you offering to tuck me in too?" Disconcerted, she turned and left the room, aware of his footsteps as he followed her and closed the door. Slowly she walked down the hall, refusing to look at him. Her heart began to beat faster as Ben passed the stairs and continued to follow her. "I'm perfectly sober," he remarked.

"I have no interest in your condition."

"Why are you up at two-thirty in the morning?"

"That's no concern of yours."

"So you couldn't sleep. I wonder why."

They reached her door and Addie stopped, afraid he was going to ask to be invited in, afraid of what she might say. She fortified her determination before whirling around to face him. He was unbelievably handsome with his black hair disheveled and his rumpled white shirt rolled up at the sleeves. Rapidly she tried to think of something, anything to say to forestall the question she knew he would ask.

"Ben, I wondered… "

"What?" He braced a hand on the doorframe behind her and rested his weight on it. She shrank back a little.

"What was the matter with that cowhand you talked to tonight?"

"Watts?" Ben hesitated, as if debating whether or not to tell her. "He went over to the next county to hunt down the truth about a rumor he'd heard about his sister."

"Oh?"

"He's been supporting his mother and sister on the pay he earns, does odd jobs on the side to get extra money. Apparently from what he found out tonight, he couldn't provide enough for them."

"What did he find out?"

"His sister's working in a dance hall. "

"As a dancer?"

"As a… fancy woman." That was a delicate way of putting it. There were a hundred more colorful words that were more commonly used to describe a whore, all of which would have offended a lady's sensibilities. He wasn't sure if Addie would have taken exception or not.

"Oh, Ben." Addie's voice was soft with pity. "How old is she?"

He shrugged. "Sixteen, seventeen."

"What if she had more money? How much would it take so she wouldn't have to work there anymore? I can find some way to get some from Daddy. You know how tenderhearted he is inside-"

"I've already offered to help. Watts refused to take a cent. At the moment he's not thinking too straight. I'll try again tomorrow when his head is clearer." As Addie continued to frown, Ben reached out to touch a lock of hair that was trailing over her shoulder. He tugged it gently. "Don't look so worried. It'll be all right. "

"I hope so." She looked down at the floor. "Sometimes I can't believe how much unhappiness there is in the world."

"What are you unhappy about?" Ben nudged her chin up with the tip of his forefinger and smiled into her eyes. "Tell me and I'll fix it."

"You couldn't begin to," she said shortly, jerking away from him. "Just leave, please. I'm going to bed now."

"Leave? But this is my favorite part of the evening. "

"Good night," she said firmly.

"I hope so." He smiled into her startled face, reaching past her to the doorknob, turning it with a deft twist. The door swung open as if eager to welcome him. Addie was speechless as Ben pushed her into the room and closed the door behind him with a nudge of his elbow. He hadn't asked to be invited. Typical of him.

"B-Ben… " she stuttered.

"Hmmn?" He arched an eyebrow in casual inquiry, rolling down his sleeves.

"Ben, get out of here. I… What are you doing?"

"What I've been wanting to do ever since we were interrupted earlier." He was starting on the front of his shirt now, freeing the buttons one by one. Stunned, Addie watched with her jaw hanging as the firm, tanned flesh of his torso was revealed by the gaping shirt. Then she glanced at the door, unable to believe Ben had come in here and started to strip his clothes off. Was this another one of her nonsensical dreams? It had to be.

She heard the rustle of his shirt dropping to the floor, and looked back with a start. He was bare to the waist. He seemed much larger without the shirt on, his shoulders broad, his arms and chest heavily muscled. The expanse of abdomen revealed by low-riding jeans was etched with washboard muscles, sun-bronzed except for the half-inch of paler skin that gleamed just above the top of his Levi's.

Addie pointed at his discarded shirt with a finger that trembled slightly. "I told you to get out… I… Put that back on!"

Ben smiled slowly, walked over to her bed, and sat down. And held her eyes while he yanked at a boot. That calm, anticipatory stare was too much to. bear. She found her tongue and began to babble, certain that any minute someone in the house was going to find out what was going on in her room.

"Ben… Ben, stop that and listen to me. I'm sorry for the things I did tonight that might have made you think I'm interested in doing this with you, because I'm not, I'm not ready to do this with anyone, especially not you, and if Daddy knew you were in here right now, he'd kill you, either that or tomorrow morning you'd find yourself on the wrong end of shotgun until you promised to m-m…" Her voice stuck on the last word.

"Marry you?" Ben finished for her helpfully. He pushed his boots aside with one bare foot and stood up. There was an enigmatic softness in his voice. "Interesting idea, isn't it?"

"Not very," she quavered, knowing she had no control over the situation, searching for some retreat. "Although I'm certain you like the idea of marrying someone with my money. And you know my father would give you everything he has if we got married, including the ranch, with no strings attached. Oh, I'll bet the prospect of being my husband holds no end of appeal for you."

As Ben saw her distress, the hint of ruthless amusement faded. "To hell with your father's money and the ranch. I don't need to be given anything. I have my own resources, including enough money to do whatever the hell I want."