The Cowboy's City Girl by Linda Ford Page A

because he enjoyed how Beatrice’s eyes shifted color, revealing her emotions. Right now they were dark as burnished gold filled with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure.
    â€œLevi, what’s this about someone opening the gate?” Maisie’s voice was firm, demanding his full attention.
    He turned to her. “I might have been a little careless yesterday what with all that happened.” He hoped she’d accept his explanation. After all, how often did he rescue a beautiful woman and a little girl in the same day? Not to mention his cousin.
    But even before she spoke, he knew from the disbelief in her eyes that he had failed to convince her.
    â€œLevi, you are never careless. Now tell me what’s going on.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” There was no point in trying to ignore her. He’d learned that a long time ago.
    Dolly left her chair and crowded to Beatrice’s side, her eyes wide with concern. “Did he do something bad?” she whispered to Beatrice.
    Maisie chuckled. “Levi never does anything bad.”
    â€œNever?” Dolly considered him with awe.
    â€œBut he sometimes tries to keep secrets,” Maisie said, her voice gentle.
    Levi knew Maisie’s gentle voice carried unyielding stubbornness. He had wanted to spare her the worry of knowing what was going on. But Charlie’s careless comment now made that impossible. “It’s nothing to concern you. Any of you,” he added for Beatrice’s sake. “Probably just some youngsters away from home for the first time who think it’s funny to get into mischief.”
    â€œWhat sort of mischief?” Maisie asked, insisting on knowing all the details.
    He would only give her enough to stop her from asking for more. “A gate left open now and then. I expect whoever is responsible hides somewhere nearby watching for me to discover it and then has a good laugh about the trick they played on me. Just harmless fun.”
    Maisie studied him with knowing eyes but he held her gaze unblinkingly. Finally she blinked. “It doesn’t sound like harmless fun to me.”
    â€œProbably city boys who don’t understand what they’re doing.” He reached for his coffee cup, knowing it was empty, and managed to look surprised then glanced at Beatrice. His surprise grew real at the hard look she gave him, her eyes narrowed, her lips pressed tight. What had he done? Or said? He stifled a desire to bang the heel of his hand on his forehead. His comment about city boys could be construed as a criticism of city people in general. “They don’t know any better,” he said by way of explanation and apology.
    Her look did not change.
    Charlie nudged him. “I think you put your foot in your mouth, cousin.”
    â€œI didn’t mean anything by it,” Levi said with some despair and rose to fill his coffee cup. Not until he sat down again did he realize it might have been wiser to forget more coffee because now he was forced to drink it, all the while enduring a harsh look from Beatrice and a disbelieving one from Maisie. He dropped his gaze to Dolly. And a frightened one from her.
    He forgot the other two and focused on the child, wanting to reassure her. “It’s okay, Dolly. No one is angry.”
    â€œYou sound angry.”
    He wondered why she never spoke above a whisper.
    â€œI’m not. Ma, are you?”
    â€œNo, I’m not angry.”
    He turned to Beatrice. “Are you angry?”
    Her expression softened as she pulled Dolly close. “I’m not angry.”
    â€œMe, either,” said Charlie.
    Dolly relaxed but still pressed to Beatrice’s side.
    He felt Maisie’s continued study of him and knew she had more questions that he didn’t want to answer, and especially not in front of the child and the city gal who might construe the situation to be more dangerous than he thought it was. He downed his coffee, grateful it