A Daring Proposal

A Daring Proposal by Sandra S. Kerns Page B

Book: A Daring Proposal by Sandra S. Kerns Read Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra S. Kerns
taking her mouth in a kiss mimicking their lovemaking. It took only seconds for him to join her in release, arching back and barely swallowing the growl that threatened to erupt from his throat.
    When his body would allow, he relaxed against her. He felt the racing of her heart against his chest. The feel of it, knowing she wanted what had just happened as much as he did, gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t known in years.
    “Good morning,” he whispered into her hair. “And I thought this morning would be awkward.”
    Her hand glided over his bare backside before swatting it.
    “It’s going to be awkward if someone comes looking for us.”
    Jed lifted up on his elbows and smiled down at her. “They’d forgive us. It is our honeymoon, you know.”
    He watched tension replace the passion in her face. It was like watching a cloud cast a shadow over one place in a valley while the rest is in full sun. Then her hands were pushing against his shoulders.
    “Really,” she said. “We need to get to the house for breakfast. I’ve got work to do, a foreman to find, fences to mend.”
    Jed rolled to the side releasing her. He watched as she quickly covered herself as if she didn’t want him to see her body. After last night and now this morning, it seemed rather strange. He stood and pulled his own jeans up.
    “Did I say something wrong?”
    “No,” she answered but didn’t look at him. Instead, she finished buttoning her shirt then found her hat.
    “Talk to me, Chaney. To make this work, we have to communicate.”
    With the hat he despised firmly planted on her head, she faced him. He knew a barrier when he saw one and he didn’t like this one, not one bit.
    “Look, you need to remember that this is a business arrangement, not a real marriage. We are not on a honeymoon. Honeymoons and happily-ever-afters are for fairytales.”
    The sting of her words was more powerful than any bee he’d ever had the misfortune of running into. He supposed she was right though. It was his fault for trying to fall back into the closeness they’d had before. If she hadn’t called him on it, he might have forgotten his vow to love no one but his daughter.
    “Duly noted.”
    He bent down to pick up his mug. When he stepped beside her, he lifted the hat off her head. When she started to object, he held several pieces of hay he’d pulled from her braid in front of her face and then replaced the hat. “We wouldn’t want anyone to think there was any monkey business going on out here,” he said, tunneling his fingers through his own hair as he stepped away.
    “Don’t get mad, Jed. You know as well as--”
    “I’m not mad, Chaney. I’m not fifteen anymore.” Jed stared at her for a minute. “So, what was it you came out here for?”
    “I wanted to tell you breakfast would be ready soon.”
    Jed let the lie go. Not that he thought she had come out to the barn to do what they had done; he just didn’t believe she would bother to tell him something he already knew having spent a good part of his life on a ranch. “Then we should go.”
    He glanced back at her stiff posture and balled fists. He knew she was spoiling for a fight. Jed knew the reason, too. The fact that she enjoyed making love to him drove her crazy. He couldn’t blame her there. If he physically desired someone he detested, it would make him furious, too. He certainly hadn’t forgotten how she felt about him .
    Chaney hated him, but she wouldn’t let that lose the ranch. Heaven forbid anything come between her and her damned ranch. His anger grew remembering the one thing that had been able to come between them when they really did love each other. With that, he realized how right she had been. He needed to remember this was only business. Love had nothing to do with it. With that reminder, his anger evaporated. After a long tense moment, Chaney huffed passed him.
    “I’d recommend taking the scowl off your face unless you want everyone to know how you

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