Paxton Pride Read Online Free PDF Page B

gentle sway of her hips. He wondered to himself whether or not to reveal to the ravishing woman in front of him how he had been so struck by her beauty he had spent the afternoon following her all over Washington to the foot of Rock Creek Bridge, how he had watched her from afar, desperately pondering the best way to make her acquaintance. It was a game he was unused to playing. Karen turned, smiled back at him. The path was wide enough for two now and she held out her hand. He took it and joined her and they started off together. The clean, heady scent of spring clover and newly-budded flowers clung to her shapely form. If it was a game, Vance thought, it was well worth the playing.
    Karen and Vance followed the path as it led from tiny glade to high brushed knoll and down again to creek side. From there it sloped gently up again through dogwood, white blossoms blazing in dappled golden afternoon light, to pause on the fringe of an expansive meadow. An old blockhouse had fallen to ruin near the wooded fringe, leaving behind only half a vine-choked wall and a length of stone fence along which a host of berry bushes clung. Having cooled themselves with water from the creek, the couple meandered through the high growth toward the blockhouse.
    â€œThis is a famous spot in Georgetown.”
    â€œFamous for what?”
    â€œFighting. People call it the Dueling Wall. It hasn’t been used for ages. Dueling is illegal, of course. Still, if a couple of senators or congressmen want to have it out and settle their differences violently, there would be no one to stop them. The police are too busy catching pickpockets and lawless Negroes to worry about enforcing the law when it comes to politicians.”
    â€œYou are too young and beautiful to be so cynical, Miss Hampton,” Vance chuckled.
    â€œMy father is too wealthy for me to be anything but cynical, Mr. Paxton,” Karen retorted, playfully darting out of sight among the vines. Her voice came from behind the wall. “I used to play here as a child.”
    â€œWhat did you play?” Vance asked, plunging in after her.
    She waited by the wall until he appeared, her delicate features set off by the dark, rough-hewn stones. “Why, house, of course. What do little boys play in Texas?”
    Vance stopped in front of her, suddenly serious. “I never got around to playing much. As soon as I could walk Pa had me out tending to any chore I could manage. And some I couldn’t. When I got so’s I could ride the local trail boss took me on as a button on a drive to Kansas.”
    â€œA button?”
    â€œYep. That’s what they call the fellow who gets all the jobs nobody wants. And the first one everybody kicks when the going gets rough.”
    â€œGoodness,” Karen said excitedly.
    Vance sighed before continuing. “Pa always figured a man’s got to earn his lumps before taking on the responsibilities of a ranch. It’s the only way he can figure out if he’s right or wrong for the job. Try it on for size, so to speak.” Vance drew closer to Karen who stepped back, stopped by the wall behind her blocking her retreat. “A man … and a woman … ought to try the thing out before deciding whether it’s right or wrong, too. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
    Vance’s face was only inches from Karen. She wanted to flutter her eyelids, laugh and spin away flirtatiously, keeping her beauty out of reach. All she could manage was a weak, “No.” The protest was cut short as Vance brought his lips to hers and slowly, slowly forced her head back against the wall. I should be fighting, calling for help, anything but this, Karen thought, but her arms, as if with a will and mind of their own, encircled his neck. He felt even stronger than he looked, she reflected as her hands ranged the length of his back. Her breasts tightened, strained against the bodice so cruelly holding them in, so cruelly interceding