Her Texan Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page B

been nice to take care of her, but a part of her was still very attracted to him, and she didn’t need the temptation of his hard, lean body or his charming smile.
    Besides, he was only looking out for her because it was the neighborly thing to do.
    As much as she might wish, Deke McCall wasn’t her miracle.

Three
    M ary Beth’s cupboards left a lot to be desired.
    Deke studied the choices before him. Canned soup, rice, a jar of spaghetti sauce, noodles and an array of canned vegetables. He’d already searched her freezer for some kind of meat to prepare, but considering he wasn’t a great cook by any stretch of the imagination, he figured he’d better not get too creative.
    He settled for the jar of spaghetti sauce and a box of macaroni in the shape of small shells. Adding the pasta to a pot of boiling water, he then poured the spaghetti sauce in a bowl and placed it inside a large microwave oven. It was so old that Deke figured the radiation it emitted could quite possibly make him sterile.
    He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to stay around to take care of Mary Beth, especially since she’d made it perfectly clear she didn’t want his company.
    Guilt.
    Yeah, there was that, he told himself. He couldn’t change what had happened between them in the past. All he could do was make sure he didn’t hurt her again.
    Lust.
    Now his brain was getting to the heart of the matter, and his body reacted in kind, sending a surge of blood below his belt. Hell, he was still attracted to her. Just thinking about her lying on the couch made him dream things he had no business dreaming about.
    Okay, get your mind back on cooking. Serve her dinner, make sure she’s okay, then get the hell out before you do something you’ll regret.
    Like kiss her.
    Oh, yeah, he was going to be in deep trouble if he couldn’t keep his mind off kissing her. He’d stayed with her at first because he couldn’t have left her alone to take care of herself. But now, after spending the afternoon watching over her, he’d found himself watching her.
    Wanting her.
    A hissing sound drew his attention. Realizing that the macaroni was boiling over, he turned down the heat and mopped up the mess. While the noodles finished cooking, he heated the sauce a little more, then searched for some kind of bread to go with the meal.
    Finding none in her pantry, he walked to the refrigerator. As he started to open the door, a picture taped to the front of it caught his eye. Taken in the moonlight, the scene seemed so out of place in her dingy kitchen that it had almost jumped out at him.
    Now the picture seemed to mesmerize him. “Mexico— Experience the Magic” was emblazoned bold-faced across the top of it. Amid the backdrop of the shimmering gulf and a magnificent full moon, two lovers lay on the sand, entwined in each other’s arms.
    Examining it, Deke noticed the serrated edges of the paper and suspected that it had been torn from one of the magazines. Was Mary Beth planning a vacation? She must be, he thought, remembering all the travel magazines he’d seen lying around.
    But how could she be planning a trip? It didn’t seem like something Mary Beth would do. She’d always been so level-headed. Surely she wouldn’t spend money on a vacation when the ranch needed so much work.
    Or would she? Did he really know her that well? Deke had to admit that he didn’t. As kids, they’d never really been friends. To tell the truth, he’d always just thought of her as a neighbor.
    But he’d thought about her a lot after they’d made love. Mainly that he wanted to make love with her again, and that had scared the living daylights out of him. Over the past two years, his views on getting involved with a woman hadn’t changed. After seeing his two older brothers and his sister recently marry, Deke was wary of spending too much time with the same woman.
    He was better off alone, where he wouldn’t let down anyone he loved.
    Like you let your father down.
    Yeah,