Texas Wildcat (7 page)

Kelly nodded hesitantly, uncertain of all these new, unexpected feelings she was experiencing.

“Now do you understand that when I say I find you attractive, intelligent and exciting it doesn’t just mean I want to take you to bed?”

She felt heat sweeping across her neck and up into her face. “You do have a way with words, Tyler,” she shot back.

Sam grinned, starting up the car. “I think you prize honesty above everything else, Kelly Blanchard. And I intend always to be honest with you.”

She settled back and put on her seat belt. They drove in silence, leaving the sprawling skyline of Port Neches and then Houston in the distance. Kelly sat there digesting his words. He wanted her, but on all levels. Suddenly, her wariness of Sam evaporated. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at him as he drove.

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-five. Why?”

“I was just wondering what it took for you to see women differently than most men do,” Kelly provided in explanation.

“A set of parents that encouraged me and my sisters to do whatever we set our minds to. My father didn’t make a distinction between the children when a tire on the car had to be changed or something mechanical had to be fixed.”

“So your sisters are…” She groped for the correct word.

“Feminists? Yes, I would say they are. One is a veterinarian and the other is teaching computer science at a local college.” His blue eyes twinkled. “They remind me a lot of you: headstrong, courageous and outspoken.”

“And you don’t find that a problem?”

“Why are any of those qualities a problem, Kelly?”

“Most men see them that way. That’s why.”

“Do you think maybe you’re a little prejudiced about men in general?”

Kelly gave a weak smile. “
Touché
, Sam Tyler.
Touché.
”

“No one is keeping score,” he reminded her darkly.

“Thanks,” she whispered, “I needed to know that.”

Sam reached out, capturing her hand for just a moment and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I know.”

Her fingers tingled where his hand had briefly rested. A crazy thought tore through her: what would it be like to be loved by Sam? If he was this understanding in conversation, he must be just as sensitive in lovemaking. Kelly flushed furiously over those thoughts. “Who developed your appreciation of women as real people?” she asked.

“Like I said, it began with my parents. My mother had plenty to do with opening my eyes to the fact that women really weren’t the weaker of the species at all. And then, every woman I knew thereafter more or less honed my appreciation for the sex.”

“I’ll bet there were plenty,” she muttered under her breath, more as a comment to herself than Sam.

“Jealousy doesn’t become you,” he teased, smiling.

Kelly returned the smile, feeling more free than she had in a long time. “No, it doesn’t. And I have a feeling that each woman was very special to you. You don’t seem the type to use a woman and then throw her away.”

He pursed his lips. “Right again. But then, I look at both men and women in that light, Kelly. Every human being is unique. Of course,” he drawled, “redheaded woman are just more fascinating than anyone else.”

Kelly laughed with him. “For once I’m glad I have red hair.”

“So am I,” he returned cryptically.

As the afternoon came to a close, Kelly didn’t want to return to her father’s home. Who could have made going out for barbecued spare-ribs an adventure? Sam Tyler did. At the door of the house, Kelly turned, looking up at Sam.

“I think you know how wonderful today has been,” she said.

Sam came to a stop, inches separating them. “I can say the same. Want to do it again sometime soon?”

Kelly grinned, touching her stomach. “At least not for another week! I stuffed myself on those delicious ribs. I guess I just never realized how much I had missed Texas food.”

He reached out and touched one of her curls. The sun glinted through the trees, leaving a pattern of dappled light on her head. “Do you realize,” he began huskily, “that in this light your hair is red, gold and copper?”

His intimate comment made her heart pound unexpectedly. All day she had wanted to rest against his stalwart body and be held. Sam seemed to sense that her grief made her more vulnerable. More in need of someone. But not just anyone. Him. Kelly gazed up, meeting, holding Sam’s gaze. Her heart soared, her body responded as he drew his hand down her cheek, cupped her chin, and tilted her head up to meet his descending mouth.

His breath was moist against her cheek as she closed her eyes, waiting…waiting. A tingle spread through her as his mouth brushed her lips. Touching, testing. He smelled wonderful. His arms slid around her body, drawing her against him. His hands moved down her torso to her hips. A soft moan of surrender sounded in her throat as his mouth moved masterfully across her lips, taking her, making her his in that fiery, breathless moment. Her heart raced wildly as his tongue outlined her lips momentarily, then lightly touched the corners of her mouth.

He gently disengaged his arms. His large hands cradled her face and he deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. She sagged against the hard oak of his body, craving further contact with him.

Slowly, Sam broke the spell of the kiss. His breathing was irregular, his eyes narrowed and dark with desire as he stared down at her in silence. His callused fingers gently caressed her skin.

He frowned, feeling her tremble. He knew that what they had shared had been mutual. Placing his arms comfortably around her back, he allowed Kelly to reorient herself. “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since that night I held you,” he admitted quietly.

“I have to go, Sam,” she said faintly, pushing away from his solid body. Kelly felt him release her and she felt bereft. She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. “It’s been a lovely day—”

“With more to come,” he promised.

Her lashes swept upward. Lord, he made her tremble from just his kiss! “Thanks for the day, Sam. I needed it.”

He smiled and opened the door for her. “My pleasure. Mind if I give you a call sometime next week so we can share another day together?”

Kelly shakily touched her temple, confused by the myriad of feelings exploding within her. “I won’t play games with you, Sam. I do enjoy your company, but right now…” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily. “Right now I’m scared to death. Of you. Of myself.”

Sam nodded. “I understand. You want some breathing room.”

“Yes.”

He leaned down to place a kiss on her hair. “Okay, you’ve got it, my redheaded witch. You call me when you’d like some company.”

Five

K
elly glanced at her watch. It was four-thirty p.m. Thank God, the day was almost over. The sight of her watch reminded her of the gold Rolex Sam wore. A sign of good taste. Of class. Had a week and a half gone by since she’d last seen him? She stared sightlessly, wanting nothing more than a hot bath and bed. Filling in for her father had been tougher than she had anticipated. Each day was one scheduled meeting after another with management, supervisors and Blanchard sales personnel to establish new company policy.

She gathered together another sheaf of papers that still needed her signature. Even with the demands of the job, she still found her thoughts returning to Sam Tyler.

Since their luncheon, she had had no word from him. What had she expected? She had been the one to set the rules for their relationship. She knew he was divorced, but she wondered if he was seeing someone else. Probably a redhead, she thought ruefully, scratching her illegible signature on the last letter. Still, in the emptiness of her Dad’s elegant, hollow home, she had wished for his presence. He was easy to talk with and listen to. How vastly different he was from Todd, whose acid tongue and scathing retorts did nothing but increase her own defensiveness. She was glad those days were gone.

“Ms. Blanchard?” Susan called, opening the office door. Her secretary wore an agitated expression.

Before Kelly could answer, Gage Wallace deftly stepped past the secretary. His self-assured smile brought Kelly’s blood to a quick boiling point.

“That’s all right, Susan,” Kelly reassured the distraught woman. “You can leave now. Thank you.”

Gage turned, his dark eyes narrowed. In his hand he held a dozen red roses. “I just happened to be in the Houston area for the week, Kelly.” He approached her desk and placed the bouquet on it. “I know you’ll forgive me for dropping in without notice, but it’s almost quitting time. I’ve made reservations at the Royden Oaks Country Club for us tonight.”

Her face grew tight, her emerald eyes flashing with barely contained anger. “You won’t give up, will you?” she hissed, clenching her fists at the sides of her lavender dress.

Gage gave her a viperous smile. “You’re a little too confident of yourself under the circumstances, Kelly.”

The coldness in his voice made her tremble inwardly but she was damned if he was going to know it. She jutted out her chin, placing her hands on her hips.

“You’re not making sense—as usual.”

“No?” One black brow rose. “As I predicted, word’s going around about Blanchard Pipe’s failures. You’re swimming into some very murky waters, Kelly. If you had any business sense at all, you’d let me buy into your company. I could bail you out with my good name.”

She wanted to laugh. And then she wanted to curse him. She leaned forward, hands flat against her desk. “Get this straight, Gage. I want nothing,
nothing
from you! You found a way to get Todd out of your partnership and remove him. You got away with that. But you won’t pull that kind of maneuver on me. I wouldn’t care if you were the only steel and aluminum manufacturer in the country, I wouldn’t buy from you! Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

She was trembling, wanting to strike his too handsome face. Gage Wallace represented everything she hated about big business. He was amoral, competitive to the point of being cutthroat.

Gage smiled, holding her furious gaze. “As usual, you do. I see you haven’t stopped shooting straight from the hip, Kelly.”

She straightened up. “Don’t go playing hurt little boy with me! You can take that poor puppy wounded look and leave.”

He tapped one carefully manicured finger on the desk top. “Never did fool you, did I, Kelly?” he asked softly. “You always knew where I was coming from. You know, we would make one hell of a team in the oil and gas industry. The two of us. With your beauty and bravado coupled with my business sense, we could corner the pipe market.”

She felt nausea rising in her throat. “What does it take to make you understand I want nothing to do—”

“Kelly…”

Her heart pounded wildly as her head snapped up. Sam Tyler stood just inside the door, his face tense. Wallace lost none of his cool as he turned. The silence was tense as the two men glared at one another, shock written on both of their faces.

“Wallace…” Tyler snarled in a low, menacing voice. And then his angry blue gaze settled on Kelly. Immediately the anger disappeared. “Kelly, grab your things. We’ve got a call.”

It was as if lightning had struck the office. For a moment Kelly was frozen to the spot. Wallace and Tyler knew one another! How? Where? A hundred fragmented thoughts whirled through her mind. Then she shook herself and walked quickly around the desk and past Wallace. Just as she passed him, he reached out, gripping her upper arm, and swung her around. Her lips parted in surprise. Before she could utter a word of protest she heard Sam mutter an obscenity.

“I believe the lady made herself clear,” Tyler warned. He grabbed Wallace’s wrist in a viselike grip. His right arm was now free of the sling, so he had the use of both hands. In one quick, clean motion, he pulled Kelly free. His grip tightened on Wallace’s wrist until he saw the pain register in the other man’s eyes. “Get your suitcase, Kelly,” he rasped, never taking his eyes off Wallace. “I’ll meet you at the car in a minute.”

Kelly glanced wildly at the men, who were frozen in a silent struggle with one another. The harshness of Sam’s voice spurred her into action and she left the room, shutting the door behind her. Hurriedly, she walked down the hall to her secretary, giving last-minute orders. Kelly went to her manager’s office and alerted Jake. He took the suitcase she had packed for the occasion and carried it out to the white Cadillac waiting outside.

“Be carefully, Kelly,” he warned, patting her arm. “And don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort here for you,” Jake assured her.

Her heart was pounding with…what? Fear? Anger? No, fear for Sam. The hatred between the two men had been almost tangible to her. Were they fighting in there? She saw Tyler coming quickly out the doors. His face was ashen, inscrutable.

“Get in,” he ordered.

Kelly gave Jake a quick hug and did as she was told. In no time, they were on their way to the Houston International airport. The traffic was heavy, adding to the tension in the car. She felt Sam’s anger and was unsure of what to do or say.

Finally, she could no longer stand the brittle atmosphere. “Where are we going?”

Sam’s eyes never left the road as he expertly wove his way through the traffic. “Saudi Arabia. The Rub of Khali Desert. It’s a big one, Kelly. An H2S gas well.” He shot her a cutting glance. “I didn’t want you along on this one.”

Her eyes widened. “Why not?”

“You’ve been around the block,” came the clipped reply. “H2S gas is poisonous as hell. They’ve got a flame shooting four hundred feet in the air. That means letting the fire continue to burn so it consumes the noxious gas. The gas will kill everything within a fifty-mile radius if the fire goes out.” His blue eyes darkened. “You have no damn business coming on this one.”

Anger replaced her nervousness. “I’ve been around H2S before, Sam Tyler! And quit yelling at me just because you’re angry over something else! Just make damn sure I’ve got oxygen apparatus and I’ll be a good girl and stay out of the way. Does that make you feel any better?” Damn! She shouldn’t respond to his anger. When she had first seen him at the door, she’d wanted to throw herself into his arms. He had looked so handsome. So capable. And she had missed him terribly during the past week.