Diana Palmer - Christmas On The Range - Winter Roses

“Why are you here with Hayes?” he asked abruptly.

She blinked at the boldness of the question. She should have told him it was none of his business. But she couldn’t. He had that air of authority that had always opened doors for him.

“He didn’t want to come alone and neither did I,” she said.

“He’s well off, and he’s a bachelor,” he replied.

“Are you making a point?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed on her face. “You’ll be twenty-one soon.”

She was surprised that he kept up with her age. “Yes, I suppose so.”

He didn’t blink. “Merrie said you wanted to study opera.”

“Then she must have also said that I don’t want to leave Jacobsville,” she replied. “It would be a waste of time to train for a career I don’t want.”

“Do you want to keep books for other people for the rest of your life?”

“I like keeping books. You might remember that I also do the occasional article for the local cattlemen’s association.”

He didn’t reply to that. His eyes went back to his sister, moving lazily around the dance floor with Hayes. After a minute, his big hand reached down and caught Ivy’s. He tugged her gently onto the dance floor and slid his hand around her waist.

“You said you didn’t dance,” she murmured breathlessly.

He shrugged. “I lied.” He curled her into his body and moved gracefully to the music, coaxing her cheek onto his chest. His arm tightened around her, bringing her even closer.

She could barely breathe. The proximity was intoxicating. It brought back that one sweet interlude between them, so long ago. It was probably a dream and she’d wake up clutching a pillow in her own bed. So why not enjoy it, she thought? She closed her eyes, gave him her weight, and sighed. For an instant, she could almost have sworn that a shudder passed through his tall body.

She felt his lips against her forehead. It was the closest to heaven she’d ever come.

But all too soon it was over. The music ended and Stuart stepped away from her.

She felt cold and empty. She wrapped her arms around herself and forced a smile that she didn’t really feel.

Stuart was watching her intently. “That shade of green suits you,” he said quietly. “It matches your eyes.”

She didn’t know how to handle a compliment like that from him. She laughed nervously. “Does it?”

He smiled slowly. It wasn’t like any smile she’d ever had from him. It made his pale eyes glitter like sun-touched diamonds, made him look younger and less careworn. She smiled back.

Merrie joined them, an odd little smile touching her lips. “Having fun?” she asked Ivy.

“It’s a very nice dance,” Ivy replied, dragging her eyes away from Stuart.

“It is,” Merrie agreed.

Hayes had been stopped on the way off the dance floor by a somber Harley Fowler, who motioned Cash Grier to join them. Hayes made a face before he rejoined them, disappointment in his whole look.

“We’ve had word of a drug shipment coming through,” he said under his breath. “Harley was watching for it. He says they’ve got a semi full to the brim with cocaine. I have to go. We’ve been setting this sting up for months, and this is the first real break we’ve had.” He stared at Ivy. “I can get one of my deputies to swing by and take you home,” he began.

“She can ride with us,” Stuart said easily. “No problem.”

“Thanks,” Hayes said. He grinned at Ivy. “Our first date and I blew it. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“I’m not upset, Hayes,” she replied. “You go do your job. There will be other dances.”

“You’re a good sport. Thanks. See you, Merrie,” he added with a wink, nodding to Stuart as he headed for the front door.

Merrie was biting her lower lip, her eyes on Hayes’s back as he left. Ivy noticed and didn’t say a word.

“How about some of this punch?” Ivy asked her best friend. “It looks very good.”

Merrie was diverted. “Yes. I’ll bet it tastes good, too. But I want a word with Shelby Ballenger before I indulge. I’ll be right back.” She went toward Shelby. Ivy filled two glass cups with punch and handed one to Stuart.

He made a face. “It’s tropical punch, isn’t it? I hate tropical punch.”

“They have coffee, too, if you’d rather,” Ivy told him, putting the punch down on the table.

He met her searching eyes. “I would. Cream. No sugar.”

She poured coffee into a cup, adding just a touch of cream. She handed it to him, but her hands shook. He had to put his around them, to steady them.

“It’s all right,” he said softly. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She didn’t understand what was happening to her. The feel of his big, warm hands around hers made her heart race. The look in his pale eyes delighted, thrilled, terrified. She’d never had such a headlong physical reaction to any other man, and especially not since that incredible night when he’d held her and kissed her as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. It had haunted her dreams for more than two years, and ruined her for a relationship with any other man.

She let go of the cup with a nervous little laugh. “Is that enough cream?” she asked.

He nodded. He sipped it in silence while she sipped at her punch. The music was playing again, this time a slow, bluesy two-step.

Merrie came back to them, grinning. “I asked Shelby if she’d save me one of those border collies she and Justin are breeding. They’re great cattle dogs.”

Stuart scowled at her. “What the hell do you need with a cattle dog?”

“It’s not for me,” she replied. “There’s a sweet little girl on my ward who has to have a tumor removed from her brain. She’s scared to death. I asked her parents what might help her attitude, and they said she’d always wanted a border collie. It might be just what she needs to come through the surgery. You see,” she added sadly, “they don’t know if it’s malignant yet.”

“How old is she?” Ivy asked.

“Ten.”

Ivy winced. “What a terrible age to have something so deadly.”

“At least she’ll have something to look forward to,” Stuart added. “You really are a jewel, Merrie.”

She made an affectionate face at him. “So are you. Now let’s dance or eat or something so we don’t burst into tears and embarrass Ivy.”

He cocked an eyebrow and gave Ivy a mischievous look. “God forbid that we should embarrass her.” He put down his coffee cup. “Dancing seems more sensible.”

He took Ivy’s glass of punch and put it down, only to draw her back onto the dance floor.

* * *

It was the sweetest evening of Ivy’s life. She danced almost exclusively with Stuart, and he didn’t seem to mind that people were watching them with fond amusement. It was well-known that Stuart played the field, and that Ivy didn’t date anyone. The attention Stuart was showing her raised eyebrows.

Merrie didn’t lack for partners, either, but she seemed subdued since Hayes had left. Ivy wondered if there wasn’t something smoldering under Merrie’s passive expression that led back to that old crush she’d had on Hayes.

When it came time to leave, Merrie informed Stuart that she was going to ride home with one of the Bates twins, who passed right by their house. She didn’t give a reason, but Stuart didn’t ask for one, either. He linked his fingers into Ivy’s and drew her outside to his big, sleek Jaguar.

“I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a party more,” he remarked.

“It was fun,” she agreed, smiling. “I don’t get out much at night. Usually I’m trying to keep up with the accounts, including doing estimated taxes for all my clients four times a year. It keeps me close to home.”