Wandering Heart (13 page)

"I think you
better get in the house, while you until can. The storm is getting
worse." He turned away, as though dismissing her.

But the rain
had already begun to beat heavily on the window and door; it was
too late to go inside.

"You know," she
until followed him, watching every move he made. . "I think Cooper
Johnson is a very nice, and sensitive, man. That conversation with
Josh proves it. You didn't have to do that. But thanks anyway.
You're very good with animals and children. You should have a
houseful. And you're a hard worker. If I didn't know better, I'd
swear that reputation you used to have belonged to someone
else."

"Reputation?"
He cast her a curious glance over his shoulder. "I wasn't aware I
had one."

"Sure, 'love em
and leave em Johnson'. That's what the girls used to call you."

His brow shot
upward in a comical sort of way. But he surveyed her from just the
other side of the railing. "I didn't love 'em."

"None of
them?"

"None of them."
And he continued to work.

"Have you ever
been in love, Coop? I mean in a serious relationship?" she asked as
though she had every right to know.

He cut her a
crude glance. "Not in a long time," he answered flatly.

"Well, don't
fall in love, let me tell you. It's not what it's cracked up to
be."

"It isn't?"

She shook her
head slowly. "No, it isn't."

"Then maybe it
isn't the real thing," he suggested throatily, until patiently
working with the piglets.

She was very
silent for a long while. She couldn't bring herself to leave just
yet. "I loved Raif. I had no doubts. Now I look back and realize it
was some kind of puppy love. Mainly because I got over him too
quickly. I used to feel guilty about it. He was my son's father.
But we were kids, and I guess we didn't have a chance."

"He loved
you."

"What makes you
so sure?" She cast him a quizzical glance.

"It's not hard
to recognize in someone else."

For a moment it
looked as though she were giving it up and going in the house, but
she hesitated. "Maxine really likes you. She told me about your
date next Friday."

"Did she?"

"She's a sharp
girl. You'll like her."

"Will I?"

"Yeah," she
said softly.

Suddenly Cooper
was beside her, his arms resting on the rail in front of her, his
chin on top his arms. "Don't push it, Angel. I'll handle Maxine.
And you—you feel guilty that you aren't until pining away for Raif,
don't you?"

"A little, yes.
It's funny, but I can talk about Raif around you and it doesn't
bother me. But if anyone else asks I freeze up. Maybe you're just
easy to talk to."

"Am I?"

"Very."

"Maybe we have
some sort of psychic connection. I heard Henry say some people have
a bond, whether they know it or not."

"Soul-mates?"

"Something like
that." He made a face and turned away.

"Maybe," she
sighed.

"And Greg? Do
you have a bond with him?"

"How'd we get
on the subject of me, we were talking about you?" She wanted to
talk about something else. If he pursued this line of questions
she'd run back to the house in self-defense.

"Maybe we
shouldn't talk at all." His muscles flexed and he turned around
slowly and looked at her, as though he'd had all he could stand,
his eyes locked onto hers as he moved the rail from between them.
He was close.

She nearly
gasped, but was caught up in his actions. She couldn't move.
Slowly, hesitantly he tipped her chin, then with deliberate intent
bent his head, and meticulously moved his mouth against hers,
softly exploring her lips. It stole her breath, as his lips made a
slow, searing contact. Then, suddenly his mouth moved, the way a
cloud sails across the sky. Light, breezy and beautiful. It was a
long breathless kiss, so mind-boggling, they didn't seem to need
air. He took nothing from her, but gave everything. When he finally
raised his head, she didn't open her eyes for a long time.

A bonding?

But before she
could contemplate any further, he jerked her around, pushed her
against the railing, straddled her and pulled her up hard against
him. Making her face the reality of the situation. She could feel
the full male arousal of him. He wanted her. She knew what she was
doing to him. His lips bore down on hers in a heated fever. She
tasted the sweetness of him, savoring it. This kiss was different,
hard and thrusting, demanding a response she seemed incapable of
refuting. The kiss he had waited a lifetime for.

She was shaking
with a need that surged from deep within her, not just physical,
something deeper more meaningful, from the very core. She belonged
here in his arms. She felt that.

It was insane,
but it was the truth.

Just as
suddenly as he had kissed her, he shoved her to the soft hay, and
stood over her. His muscles flexed, tensed, he shook with
undeniable needs, and his eyes glittered.

"The next time
you taunt me, you won't escape. And you won't want to," he rasped,
his breathing as labored as hers, his eyes piercing her, undressing
her, wanting her, and yet something more, something so much
stronger than mere physical contact flowed between them. This
wasn't simple lust or need. It went beyond desire. Here and now
there was a connection between them, a tiny bond, a slender
thread.

It was
threatening, tempting, and true. Soul-mates?

When she said
nothing, his eyes narrowed on her. "I'm just the hired help, Angel.
You better remember that and stay away from me from now on. Marry
your Congressman. Make a family. Live in your mansion, have your
2.5 kids and plan the rest of your life, but stay away from me, for
both our sakes."

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Angela
overslept. It should have been an omen. That should have warned
her. She hurriedly threw on her blue linen suit; brushed her curls
up on top her head, grabbed a cup of coffee, and drove Josh to
school.

Of all days for
Senator Gallagher to show up, it had to be today, and Angela was
noticeably late.

She groaned
inwardly, and slumped into her office chair. She bit her
fingernails to the quick and winced at the pain, as Maxine
proceeded to tell her just how angry Greg was.

On top of
everything else on her agenda today, Josh's teacher wanted to talk
to her about his slipping math grade.

But behind it
all, was that stupid, senseless dream and Cooper's kisses. It was
ludicrous for a grown woman to dream such a fairy tale. It haunted
her. And so did Cooper's kisses. She tried to push it to the far
corners of her mind, but she couldn't ignore it. Never had a man
kissed her like that. Greg never kissed her like she was the most
desirable woman in the world.

She had tried
to erase Cooper from her mind. But it wasn't that easy. She should
start concentrating on Greg. It had come down to some kind of weird
showdown. If she was going to marry Greg she had to make an effort
for his sake.

Greg barely
spoke to her all morning. She was lucky to be included in the
luncheon with the Senator.

It was obvious
Maxine was the only one making any impression on Senator Gallagher.
They laughed and chatted all through the meal, while Greg shot
little reprimanding glances at Angela. She was sure that there were
times when Maxine played the cunning politician's woman better than
she. Until now, Angela never considered playing a role.It had never
appealed to her. It until didn't.

Had she been
deluding herself that she had found Mr. Right, only because she
needed a father for Josh so desperately? "Live in your mansion,
have your 2.5 children" wasn't that what Coop had said?

To top it all
off when they returned to campaign headquarters there were
protesters lined up in front of the doorway. No one could get in or
out of the office, and someone had already called the police.

"Maybe you
should talk to them, Greg," Angela suggested when the group refused
to budge.

A squad car had
arrived and the police were trying to move the crowd out of the
way. In a small town this could cause sensational headlines.

"Officer," Greg
smiled into the crowd, as he boldly approached him. "I don't wish
to press charges. These people have every right to assemble. In
fact I'm glad to see them here. I realized when I took this stand
I'd have opposition. I welcome it. I won't lift a finger to disturb
them. It's their constitutional right to assemble."

The crowd
seemed to calm. Like a mighty hand waving over an angry sea. Some
of them were actually listening. Some began to back off. They
didn't leave, but they were no longer adamant. Angela had to admire
Greg for his stand, and his diplomatic way of handling a bad
situation. But this was one of the reasons she had fallen for Greg
in the first place. He was a good man, a fair man, and a damned
good politician, she thought with pride.

Greg smiled and
went inside.

As Angela went
to the file cabinet, Greg tapped her on the arm. "I'd like to talk
to you for a minute."

Angela adjusted
her jacket, straightened a wayward curl, and followed Greg into his
office. She was well aware of the fact that every time he called
her into the office the other girls watched with open curiosity.
Today there was a knowing look on all their faces.

Greg removed
his glasses and flung them on the desk in a haphazard manner. It
wasn't a calculated move. He was angry. He paused a moment, then
looked directly at her, his eyes swallowing her whole.

"Angela," he
said drawing a deep breath trying to control his temper. Greg
seldom lost his temper but she knew he was on the verge of it.
"I've got to be able to depend on you in every way. This wasn't the
day to be late. It can't be tolerated, you understand. I've tried
to be understanding of your problem, but it's very important that
you make a good showing here in the office. I can't play favorites.
I've already made exceptions for you because of the farm."

Angela wrung
her hands, bit her lip and opened her mouth to apologize, but his
hand went up to stay her. She felt the urge to bite her nails, but
knew they were nearly raw. So instead, she held her hands in her
lap.

"But, that's
not why I wanted to talk to you. I called you in to talk about that
Johnson character."

"Coop?" Her
head flew up in surprise.

"Y…yes," he
said, wrinkling his nose up. "Coop. I've given it a lot of thought
and I think he is a very bad influence on Josh. He was teaching him
to cuss and play poker the other night. And to believe you just
stood there saying nothing. You're much too lenient on the boy,
Angela. Today's kids demand a tough hand."

"Oh, now,
Greg." She let out a little laugh before she caught the seriousness
on Greg's face. "As far as the cussing he can pick those words up
at school. And what's so bad about poker? It's only a card game.
It's not like they were playing for money."

"First it's
cussing, disrespect, and then gangs."

"Oh, but, Greg,
surely you don't . . ."

Greg had a bad
time last week at one of his rallies; a youth gang had hassled him,
making it almost impossible to finish his speech. Because of his
position he was exposed to all kinds of situations, and it
sometimes made things harder on Angela because of it. She knew he
had her and Josh's best interest at heart, but he was taking this
much too seriously.

"I most
certainly do. It's a bad influence. I'm only concerned with Josh.
Once I'm elected we'll have an image to live up to. Not just me,
but you and Josh, too. I know you think I'm overly concerned with
what people might or might not think, but I want the good life for
both of us, all of us. And there are some sacrifices we'll have to
make. You must understand these things now. It'll be a part of your
life too. And sometimes it won't be easy."

For some
strange reason Angela's Wednesday movie night came to mind. It was
the one night she allowed herself complete freedom. No more rollers
in her hair, no baggy sweats, no getting away from it all. No
attending the 'Palace' late at night. Privacy would be a thing of
the past. Could she accept this? It was a high price to pay to live
in the grandeur.

She sighed
heavily. It hadn't occurred to her that she would be giving
anything up except the farm. That was enough. About the only thing
Greg wasn't going to change was her little dream. No, that was too
private. And suddenly that dream seemed very important to keep. It
might be crazy. It might be out-dated, but it was hers.

She nodded
slowly. "I hadn't given it much thought, I'll admit. Our getting
married seemed so far in the future, it was like a fantasy. But of
course you're right, Greg. And I apologize for this morning. My
alarm didn't go off."

"That's a nice
way to look at it. A fantasy!" he mused absently. "But," he sobered
quickly, "It's getting closer to a reality. And the reality isn't a
fairy tale."

"Isn't it?"

"No. Listen, I
told you I had made special plans for tomorrow night. And I have.
We're having a candle light dinner at a very posh restaurant in
Dallas. Then I've made reservations for us at the Hotel
Intercontinental for the night. It's a beautiful hotel, and our
room will be nothing less than spectacular. I've spared no expense.
I want you to take care of any arrangements for Josh. Naturally,
I'll pay for it."

Angela pinked.
He had been busy. And thoughtful, she admitted. "But who's going to
watch Josh for me?" It had always been an easy out before. So this
was the showdown! The "High Noon" of her life.

"Why not your
farm manager? He seems to take care of everything else for
you."