Haley typed furiously for several hours, transcribing the letters Rand had dictated. She refused to think of anything but the words pouring in a staccato flow from the machine. After printing and proofreading the letters, she felt marginally better. Her secretarial skills were excellent, and they would define her relationship with Rand from now on, if she could ignore the achy feeling in her chest.
For some insane reason, no matter how he acted toward her, she still wanted him to kiss her, to make love to her. Although her body yearned, her mind warned that there was no way she could walk away undamaged. Right now her heart was only a little bruised and battered, but if she slept with Rand, she could end up with scars that lasted a lifetime. Everyone in her family loved forever, it was the Marchand way.
“I don’t even know him well enough to feel this badly,” she said. The denial sounded weak, even to her. She smiled wryly as she stacked the letters in a neat pile next to the computer, realizing that lying to herself wasn’t the way to handle the problem.
She stared out the office window at the pool. The water looked as cool and clear as she had felt before coming to this house. Now she felt emotionally muddy, much like the tiny Red River, which flowed through her hometown in Oklahoma. Grudgingly, she acknowledged that she was more than attracted to Rand. She had never felt a desire so intense it caused her to drop all inhibitions.
Her cheeks burned as she remembered melting against him when he kissed her, returning his kisses with an abandon totally unlike her usual responses to the men she dated.
You knew from the start he didn’t like you
, she reminded herself with disgust. She had recently read an article about why women fall in love with unlikely men. Something to do with pheromones and hormones. Fall in love? Attracted definitely, but she refused to call it love. She was not into self-destructive behavior, and falling in love with Rand McNeil would be emotional suicide. She grinned as she thought about developing a pheromone antidote. Probably make her a fortune.
The clock over the computer edged toward two. She’d worked for over four hours without a break. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched and yawned, deciding to go to the kitchen to make a sandwich.
Just then the office door opened. “Haley, my mom says to come and eat. She made lunch.” Carrie circled around to the front of the desk. Adorable in a flowered bathing suit, the five-year-old bounced up and down on bare feet, two ponytails bobbing at the back of her head.
Haley reached up and tugged on one of the ponytails. “Hi, sweetie. That’s good news, I’m starved.” She noticed Carrie didn’t comment on the pet name. Following Carrie to the kitchen, she wondered if Rand would be eating with them.
As if reading her mind, Carrie said, “Uncle Rand had to go to the doctor for his broken leg. He told us you were working and to make lunch. But you didn’t come, so Mom said to go get you.”
Haley chuckled. “I’m glad you did.” Nodding at her swimsuit, she asked, “Are you going swimming?”
“Uh-huh. After lunch. Mommy’s going too. Can you come with us?”
Elizabeth, who was pouring lemonade, seconded the invitation. “Come swimming with us, Haley. If you didn’t bring a suit, I’m sure I can find one to fit you.”
“What a great idea. I brought my suit, and I’m dying for a swim. Every time I glanced up from the computer, the pool was right in front of me.” Grabbing a tuna sandwich from the table, she grinned at Rand’s sister. “You know, if it weren’t for Rand, this would be the best job I ever had.”
Elizabeth looked confused. “Job? I thought you and Rand were friends.”
Haley took a few minutes to sketch the exact nature of her relationship with Rand.
“I guess I’ll stop making wedding plans,” Elizabeth said, laughing. “I was hoping you’d be my new sister-in-law. You’re so much better than the last prospect.”
Right after lunch they headed for the pool. The water, reflecting the blue tiles of the sides and bottom, was deliciously refreshing. Carrie, Haley, and Elizabeth swam and played for an hour. Then Elizabeth and Haley climbed out and watched Carrie, who swam like a fish, cavorting for their benefit.
Lying side by side on flowered chaise lounges, the women chatted as if they had been friends for years. Eventually the conversation wound its way to Elizabeth’s marriage.
“We’ve been separated for two months, and I still don’t know if Craig really wants a divorce, or if he just wants me to change,” Elizabeth said forlornly.
“What really matters is what you want, Liz,” Haley said encouragingly. “If you want him back, how much change are you willing to make?”
“I’d do anything to get him back.” Elizabeth sighed. “I love him. I’ve loved him from the first day we met. I feel totally unhinged since he’s left. I’m taking antidepressants because I can’t even think straight anymore.”
“How does he want you to change?” Haley asked. It was much more interesting to talk about someone else’s love life than to think about her own.
“Like I told you this morning, he thinks I’m too rigid, too structured, that I’m sexually inhibited.”
“Didn’t you say he offered to go to a sex therapist with you? Why didn’t you go?”
“I thought it would be too embarrassing. I could barely undress in front of my husband. I certainly wasn’t going to discuss intimate things with a total stranger.”
“And now?” Haley pushed a little more.
Elizabeth sighed. “Now I’d go on one of those daytime talk shows stark naked if I thought it would get us back together.”
“That may be a little over the top, but I’ve got a great idea,” Haley said. “My friend has free tickets to the Chippendales concert at the Boise Center tonight. I’m sure she can get two more. Let’s go, and see if we can loosen you up a little. It’ll be fun.”
Elizabeth looked stunned. “Chippendales! The male strippers?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so Haley, I’ve never…”
“I know you’ve
never.
That’s the point. And they’re not strippers. They are exotic dancers,” she added in a lofty tone.
The other woman gave an embarrassed laugh. “I saw them on Oprah once. They really are gorgeous!”
“Well, there you have it.” Haley grinned. “Nothing on Oprah was bad. I’ll go call my friend.” She got up and ran into the house before Elizabeth could change her mind.
A half-hour later the plans were set. Haley’s friend Janine had two extra tickets and would meet Haley and Elizabeth at the Boise Center at eight that evening.
“Maybe I’ll ask Rand to babysit,” Elizabeth said, then chuckled. “As nervous and excited as I feel right now, you’d think I was planning to do something depraved. They don’t take off all their clothes, do they?”
Haley shrugged. “I don’t know, but bring plenty of dollar bills just in case.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “In case of what?”
“In case we get close enough to tuck them into their briefs.” Haley laughed at the horrified look on her friend’s face. “Come on, Liz. We’re trying to un-inhibit you. You won’t have any fun if you don’t get into the spirit of things.”
“I don’t think un-inhibit is the correct word,” Elizabeth imitated the same lofty tone Haley had used earlier.
When Haley only rolled her eyes, Elizabeth squared her shoulders, a determined smile crossing her face as she raised her hand to Haley’s in a high five gesture. “You’re right. It is time to change. We’re going out on the town tonight, girlfriend.”
“Wear your wildest outfit,” Haley advised as Elizabeth and Carrie left the pool. “I don’t want to see you in one of those prissy sun dresses.”
Looking back over her shoulder, Elizabeth stuck out her tongue then laughed. “I haven’t done that since I was six years old. You’re a bad influence on me, Haley.”
Her words washed over Haley like ice water, recalling Rand’s warning earlier in the day. He’d be furious when he found out Haley was taking his precious sister to a Chippendale performance.
“Well, too bad for him. Liz is an adult, and his kingship can have a fit if he wants. We’re still going,” she muttered as she swung off the chaise and headed toward the downstairs bathroom where she had left her clothes.
Rand stopped abruptly in the hallway, mesmerized by the sight of Haley in a bathing suit. The plain navy maillot outlined the feminine swell of her small, perfect breasts and the curve of her hips and buttocks. Her nipples pebbled under the dark material, and Rand could easily visualize himself peeling the garment slowly down her slender body, one strap at a time.
Desire slammed through him, and he shuddered from the impact. A harsh breath escaped his lungs, and Haley made a startled turn toward him. “Rand! When did you get home?”
Shaking his head to clear it, he answered hoarsely, “A few minutes ago. I was looking for you.”
He hoped the hell he sounded coherent. He certainly didn’t feel it. His reactions to Haley were completely out of hand. Already the front of his jeans were uncomfortably tight.
“What do you want?”
“Well, I…ah...I was wondering…” He paused, unable to think. “Never mind, it’s not important.”
She gazed at him uncertainly. “Are you all right? You look funny.” Moving toward him, she asked, “Is it your leg? What did the doctor say?”
He held up his hands to warn her off. If she touched him, he would lose it. “Fine. He said I was fine.”
All he wanted was to drag her to the floor and plunge himself into her. No foreplay, no easing up to it. To hell with her misgivings. To hell with his broken leg.
Fortunately he was skilled at masking his emotions. However, the need to have her was so intense, he would certainly terrify her if he acted on the impulse. He had to get away from her.
She stopped short. Hurt flashed across her face at his rejection.
He could have kicked himself for hurting her again. He reached out a hand to touch her arm. “Haley, I didn’t mean...”
Her shoulders stiffened, and she jerked away. “Excuse me, I need to change.” She walked stiffly into the bathroom and slowly and deliberately closed the door. Rand would have felt better if she had slammed it hard enough to shake the foundation.
He limped into the living room and fell into the lounge chair. He should be feeling great. His leg was healing well. The doctor told him only three more weeks with the cast. Negotiations with the Blakelys were finally completed, and Angela was out of his life for good. So why wasn’t he elated? Why did he feel so edgy? Stupid question! Since he’d met Haley, he felt like one of those bumper cars at the amusement park—out of sync and out of control.
He had to let her go. She was getting under his skin, and the one lesson he learned from his engagement to Angela was that a permanent woman in your life screwed with your head. Tomorrow he’d call that WorkForce guy and tell him to send someone else. Someone older and shapeless. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Haley came out of the bathroom still furious. Rand acted as if she had the plague. Did he think she was going to throw herself at him? The way she felt right now, she wouldn’t help him if he fell at her feet writhing in pain. She nurtured the anger, believing it healthier than the sharp pain that had sliced through her when his hands had come up to ward her off.
She stalked into the living room ready to give him a piece of her mind, then stopped short at the sight of him asleep in the chair. The shadowy stubble along his jaw softened the harsh edges, and the single lock of hair hanging over his brow gave him a boyish, vulnerable look.
Ha! Rand McNeil was about as vulnerable as a rattlesnake. Every time she thought they might be making some headway, at least toward becoming friends, he turned as cold as day-old pizza. So Angela had “done him wrong,” that didn’t mean he had to take it out on every woman he met. Haley was fed up being his verbal punching bag.
“Do you want to go out to dinner?”
“What?” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. He hadn’t even opened his eyes.
When he did open them, his gaze was carefully neutral. “I asked if you’d like to go out to dinner. You’ve worked hard, and I owe you for helping with the Blakelys.”
She recognized it as an apology. Damn. Why was it always like this between them? One minute she wanted to rip his face off, and the next she wanted to cuddle in his lap. He was trying to be nice, but she couldn’t take him up on his dinner offer. For a second she considered calling Liz and canceling, but Rand’s sister needed to get out and have some fun, and there were no guarantees Rand wouldn’t turn into Arctic Man again.
“Sorry, I’ve made other plans.”
His blue eyes darkened. “Do you have a date?”
She considered lying just to see his reaction, than realized how childish that sounded. “No date. Your sister and I are going out. I think she’s going to ask you to babysit.”
He popped right out of the chair despite the awkwardness of his cast and towered over her. “You and Elizabeth? You’re going out with my sister?”
Haley sighed. “Yes, Rand, we’re going out.” Then with an impish grin, she added, “I think it’s time you found out—we’re lesbians!”
His expletive was vulgar in the extreme. “I told you to stay away from my sister. She’s vulnerable right now, and she is certainly not going out on the town with someone like you.”
A red haze clouded her vision, and a fury so foreign to her that at first she didn’t recognize it, erased all protective instincts. She walked right up to him and stood on tiptoe as she stuck her face in his. Poking him in the chest with her index finger, she hissed, “What do you mean, someone like me? You are way out of line, buster! And paranoid to boot. You need help.”
“Buster?” The blue eyes glaring back at her suddenly glinted with amusement. “For a sweet girl from Oklahoma, you often sound like you’re a Mafioso.”
She was too angry to relent. “Don’t try to be charming. You’re not good at it.” She poked him on the chest again. “Your sister and I are both over twenty-one, and if we want to go out on the town with our hair wrapped in jellybeans, we will. Liz is very depressed, and your attitude isn’t helping.”
Rand backed away, and sat on the edge of the brown leather couch, disquiet registering on his face. “Why do you think she’s depressed?”