Her Texan Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page A

hadn’t been touched since Mary Beth’s father had died.
    Deke was dumbfounded.
    She’s still grieving for Hank, he thought.
    Feeling empathy, he could understand, because he was still dealing with his own demons concerning his relationship with his father. The fight they’d had haunted him. He would take every word back if it was in his power. But that time was long lost.
    Shaking his head, Deke didn’t think it was a good sign that Mary Beth was hanging on to Hank’s belongings. And it probably wasn’t his place to mention it, but then again, if he didn’t, who would? Mary Beth was all alone out here.
    Still mulling over what he should do, he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He stepped across the hall and opened the door to Mary Beth’s bedroom. As he walked inside, her unique womanly scent halted his movements. This room was also tidy, though the bed was unmade, as if she’d just climbed from it.
    Deke stared at the rumpled bedding, and the memory of making love to Mary Beth right there on that bed caused his chest to ache. Why couldn’t he forget what it felt like to make love to her? What was it about her that was so different from other women he’d known?
    It had been good between him and Mary Beth. Too damn good. Good enough to scare the pants off him. He snatched two pillows from the bed. Tucking them underhis arm, he went back to the living room. Mary Beth was scrunched down on the sofa, her head resting against the arm. She looked so damn vulnerable. So fragile.
    She would probably laugh at that, he thought with sardonic amusement. He had a feeling that Mary Beth wouldn’t appreciate him thinking of her as fragile in any way. Deke walked over and gently touched her shoulder.
    “Oh,” she murmured as she slowly opened her eyes.
    When she appeared to gain her bearings, he handed her the glass of water. “Here, take these,” he instructed softly, opening the medicine bottle.
    She held out her hand, and he dropped two white pills in her palm. “Thank you.” She popped the pills in her mouth, then drank some water. “There. Are you satisfied?”
    Deke frowned as he placed one of the pillows behind her so she could rest easier. “I’m only trying to help.” Despite her surly tone, he tried to make her more comfortable by sliding the other pillow under her foot.
    Mary Beth looked repentant. Okay, so he had been helpful, and she should have expressed a little gratitude instead of being so disagreeable. “I know. I’m sorry.”
    Taking the glass from her, he set it beside yet another stack of old magazines on the table beside the sofa. He stared absently at them a moment, then turned his head to look at her. “I called the Bar M. Someone’s going to round up your cattle and repair the hole in the fence. So you don’t have to worry about anything.”
    Mary Beth cocked her head as she looked into his eyes. “I appreciate the help, Deke. Really. But your family’s already done too much for me these past two years.” She was relieved that the cattle were being seen to, but that the McCalls were handling the problem made her feel evenmore indebted to them. How could she ever repay their kindness?
    Taking note of the worn fabric on the arms, Deke made himself comfortable in a chair across from her. “It’s not a big deal, Mary Beth.”
    Her eyes fell away from his. “Yes, it is.”
    The problems at Paradise were becoming overwhelming, and the weight of her need to make the ranch successful was dragging her down. Though she was barely hanging on, she refused to depend on others to help her.
    She had to prove her father wrong.
    He’d never given her a chance to show him that she could help. It was a man’s job, he’d told her more than once, with a harsh tone that revealed his disappointment in having a daughter and not a son.
    “Not if you don’t make it one.”
    Deke’s soft reply interrupted her thoughts. Her gaze went to his again, and he smiled. Her stomach tingled, like