Barbara Boswell - The Wilde Bunch

Mac arched his brows. “At the risk of sounding redundant—ouch!”

He lifted his hand from the wheel to run one long finger along the length of her arm, from her shoulder to her fingertips. “The lady has claws, hmm? Just like her kitty.”

Kara shivered. Though well-protected under the heavy cotton of her sweater, her skin tingled along the path that he’d traced. “Don’t patronize me,” she growled.

“Whatever you say, sweetie.” He flashed a teasing grin.

A quivering spiral of tension coiled in her stomach. When he smiled like that, he was devastating. A fact he probably well knew, lectured a stern little voice in her head. Some cautious feminine instinct warned her that Mac Wilde was not averse to turning on the charm, should it serve his purpose.

Silence descended between them. Kara’s nerves felt stretched to the screaming point as she reviewed this decidedly bizarre situation. Mac Wilde had footed the bill for her journey and in return expected her to marry him and help him raise his four unruly nieces and nephews.

What a preposterous idea! Was he dreaming? Perhaps she’d fallen asleep on the plane and when she opened her eyes, the flight would be landing and Uncle Will would be waiting eagerly at the gate for her.

Mac, on the other hand, did not seem affected by any tension whatsoever. “This is one of my favorite songs,” he announced cheerfully. He turned up the volume and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the beat. “Merle Haggard. ‘That’s the Way Love Goes.’”

It did not go well, according to the lyrics. And Kara knew this absurd idea of his was just doomed to fail.

“I’ll repay you for the cost of my plane ticket, of course.” Kara gulped, wishing she could appear cool and controlled, but failing utterly. “I—I’m terribly sorry about the misunderstanding. This is all so embarrassing. No, it’s beyond embarrassing. It’s absolutely mortifying!”

“I don’t want to be reimbursed. I expect you to honor the terms of our agreement and marry me.”

“But we have no agreement!”

“I bought that ticket in good faith and assumed you’d accepted it and the terms offered in the same good faith.” Mac slid a glance at her.

He was surprised at how well he was able to read her already. She was confused and aghast, the better to fall for this legal spiel he was spinning. “Maybe you’re scamming me,” he accused. “Using my money for a free visit to Montana? Who can guess how much more cash you planned to wring out of me. Maybe the Rev is in cahoots with you. Find a sucker, promise him a—”

“How can you even think such a thing!” Kara cried, panic lacing her voice. “This is all just a—a terrible misunderstanding.”

“That’s what you said before. I’m not buying it, honey. I think you and the Rev tried to con me,” Mac said rather gleefully.

“We did no such thing!” Kara stared at him. That gleam in his dark eyes, that note of triumph in his voice suddenly alerted her to the possibility that Mac Wilde might be improvising. Masterfully. “You have no reason to suspect any conspiracy or wrongdoing. Or any proof, either,” she added succinctly.

“Don’t I? Then answer this question for me, Kara. If Ginny Franklin regards you as a thorn in her side, if she sees you as an unpleasant reminder of an era she is determined to forget, then why would she suddenly allow her husband to invite you to stay at their home and to pay for your ticket out here?”

Kara opened her mouth to speak, then abruptly closed it. She’d asked herself that same question when Uncle Will had first extended the invitation. But she had been so happy to be invited, she hadn’t probed any deeper. Had it been pure wishful thinking on her part, that she would at last be accepted into the Franklin family?

“You’ve never visited them out here before,” Mac went on. “The only times you’ve seen the Rev have been when he was traveling on church-related business, without Ginny and the girls. Am I correct?”

Kara gave a grudging nod.

“From the time you were a child, Ginny made it plain that she didn’t want you and your ex-stepfather to maintain your ties,” Mac continued. “The Rev told me himself that he wasn’t able to see you as much as you two would’ve liked. That was because of Ginny. Well, why should Ginny have a sudden change of heart at this late date? I happen to know that she’s not suffering from a terminal disease so she isn’t trying to set things right before she meets her Maker. The truth is, Ginny Franklin is not expecting you to stay at her house. If she even knows about your visit to Bear Creek, she’s been told that you will be with me at the Double R. As for that fantasy you concocted about the Rev buying your plane ticket—ha! Only over Ginny’s dead body.”

Kara swallowed hard. “You’re using the information I gave you against me.”

“All’s fair in love and war, baby.”

“Well, this isn’t either one. Stop this car!” Kara commanded impulsively. “I’m getting out.”

Mac laughed at that. “You plan to hitchhike back into Helena? With your luggage and that caterwauling cat?”

“Yes.”

He raised one dark brow. “Are you sure? The sun is going down and it gets pretty scary out here at night. Bears and cougars and wolves prowl along the highway. Your cat could end up being their appetizer while you serve as the main course.”

Kara tried to ignore the apprehensive chill that rippled through her. “You’re deliberately trying to scare me. I think I’m in greater danger from you than any animal predator out there. And if you don’t stop this car right now, I—I’ll jump out.”

Mac abruptly steered the Jeep off the highway, onto the wide shoulder of the road.

Kara trembled. It seemed he was about to grant her wish and let her out. A cold lump of fear settled in her stomach and expanded to fill her throat. How was she going to get back to Helena? This interstate was going in the wrong direction—she would have to hitch a ride or walk to the next exit and then make her way to the eastbound portion of the highway to hitch or walk back to the city. Tai emitted a miserable meow, and Kara stifled a sob of her own. What if there really were dangerous wild animals on the prowl out there?

“You’d better put the cat back in his carrier,” Mac advised.

Kara nodded dumbly. Tai did not go gracefully back into his hated carrier. She practically had to wrestle the cat into it, while he hissed and tried to claw her. Finally, after he was safely locked inside, Mac placed it on the back seat.

Kara reached for the door handle. “I’ll get my luggage out and take Tai last,” she said stiffly.

“That won’t be necessary.” Mac moved as swiftly as one of those animal predators he’d warned her about.

Before she realized what was happening, he’d outmaneuvered the armrests and the seat belts which restrained them, and took both her hands in his. Their knees touched, their faces were very close.

“What are you doing?” Kara’s voice rose to a squeak. She tried to snatch her hands away but his grip was too firm for her to break.

“I’ll tell you what I’m not doing. I’m not abandoning you and your cat on the highway. I would never expose you to that sort of danger, Kara.”

Kara’s heart was thundering in her chest. She was in danger right here in the Jeep! She tried frantically to recall the self-defense tips she’d heard in that lecture she had attended last year with some women from work. It had been given by a police officer who’d designed a program to teach women street smarts and safety.

Now Officer Murray’s number one piece of advice came back to her and roared in her ears. “Don’t get into a car with anyone you don’t know.” Well, she’d already blown that one. Officer Murray would be chagrined at her stupidity.