She thought that was a lovely thing to say to her. He wasn't really serious. She shook her head at him to let him know she wasn't so gullible, then began to laugh. She stopped when she noticed he wasn't even smiling.
'We both know you aren't serious. Stop tormenting me. You wouldn't really…'
'You wouldn't have to flirt with me either.'
'I wouldn't want to,' she admitted. 'Why are you holding on to me?'
'It makes it easier.'
'Makes what easier?'
He slowly bent his head toward hers. 'Kissing you.'
He caught her whispered 'Oh,' as his mouth covered hers. His tongue swept inside to leisurely explore the sweet taste of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. The last thought that fluttered through her mind was that she was going to insist that he let go of her just as soon as she finished kissing him back.
All that mattered now was Travis. She could feel his hard muscles under her fingertips and was a little overwhelmed by the sheer strength of him, yet he was being so incredibly gentle. She loved his masculine scent too. It did crazy things to her heart. She could feel it beating frantically now.
Lord, but he did know how to kiss.
He didn't understand why he suddenly felt the need to kiss her, but once the thought came into his mind, he couldn't get rid of it. He wasn't going to let passion get the upper hand, however, and as soon as the urge to become more aggressive entered his mind, he pulled away from her. Damn, she was seductive.
Emily had a bemused expression on her face, but quickly came to her senses.
'You really can't kiss me whenever the mood strikes you.'
To prove her wrong, he kissed her again. She let out a little sigh of pleasure when he lifted his head again.
'That was the last kiss you'll get from me,' she announced, groaning inside over the shiver in her voice. 'I mean it. You mustn't ever kiss me again.' She added a frown to let him know she meant what she said.
'You were a willing participant,' he said. 'Or wasn't that your tongue inside my mouth?'
She turned scarlet within a heartbeat. 'I was being polite.'
He burst out laughing. 'You are a piece of work, Miss Emily Finnegan. If I were the marrying kind, I'd give good old Randolph a run for his money.'
She knew something was wrong with the comment he'd just made, but it took her a full minute to figure out what it was.
'Clifford O'Toole,' she said then. ' Randolph is the man who married my sister.'
'Ah, that's right. The man who jilted you.'
'Must you use that word?'
'No need to get in a huff about it,' he told her.
Even though they were a good distance away from the barn, Travis could hear the squeak of the door as it was being opened from the inside, and he instinctively moved closer to Emily so he could shove her behind his back if he needed to. He didn't think he was being overly cautious, for he had learned from past experience that a few of the folks who visited the Perkinses' establishment lived like animals up in the high country and were a crude and uncivilized group who didn't abide by any man's laws.
Travis relaxed his guard as soon as he saw the man strutting toward them. It was ornery Jack Hanrahan, whom everyone called One-Eyed Jack for obvious reasons. He was a fright to look at, with long straggly brown hair that hadn't been washed in years and a permanent scowl on his face that was mean enough to make a person think Jack was going to tear him apart. He was also downright vain about his godawful appearance and didn't bother to wear an eye patch. He thought a patch made him look sissified.
Every time Travis looked at Jack, he inwardly blanched. Other men weren't quite as restrained. They let Jack see their reaction, and that, according to old man Perkins, made Jack all the more vain. He got a kick out of terrorizing people.
Travis suddenly came up with one hell of a brilliant plan to make Emily come to her senses and realize how crazy her notions about men were.
'Maybe there is a way you can prove your point to me,' he told her.
'There is?'
She tried to turn so she could see what Travis was staring at, but he put his hands on her shoulders and wouldn't let her move.
'Do you really want to show me how effective acting helpless can be around a man?'
'I would if I could. I've done a complete study on this topic, and I assure you I know what I'm talking about.'
'Yeah, yeah. You studied it. How about proving it with the very next man you see?'
'You don't think I can do it, do you? Well, I can, Travis.'
'You're that sure of yourself?'
'Yes, but only because I've watched it over and over again. My sister Barbara could turn all the men in a ballroom into a pack of fleas hopping around her, just like that,' she said and snapped her fingers.
The comparison of Barbara to a dog made Travis laugh. 'God help your husband if he ever does anything wrong. You sure do know how to hold a grudge.'
'And just what does that mean?'
'Never mind.' He gloated with satisfaction over what was going to be a well-deserved victory for all men everywhere. 'Want to make it interesting and wager on the outcome?'
Although it wasn't proper for a well-bred lady to gamble, she was so certain she would win, she couldn't resist the temptation. Granted, she hadn't had much practice turning a man's head by acting helpless or coy, but she had observed the ladies traveling on the train who had blatantly flirted with several men, and she had also watched the master, Barbara, and therefore had complete confidence that she could pull it off.
'How much would you like to wager?'
'A dollar.'
'Shall we make it more interesting and wager five dollars?'
'Five dollars, it is,' he agreed.
'I want you to know I wouldn't agree to this if I thought the gentleman I'm going to give my attention to would end up with hurt feelings, but what I'm about to do is harmless. Wouldn't you agree?'
The thought of Jack Hanrahan getting his feelings hurt made Travis choke on his laughter. 'Yes, it's harmless. Have we got a bet, then?'
'As long as it isn't dangerous,' she hastily qualified.
'I won't let it be dangerous.'
'What are the rules?'
'No rules,' he replied. 'Just a time limit. Is ten minutes enough time to turn a man into a blithering simpleton, or do you need more time?'
'Ten minutes will be just fine. Are you sure you don't want to set some other rules? I don't want you to accuse me of not playing fair.'
'No other rules,' he insisted. 'Just flirt with the very next man you see,' he told her before he slowly turned her around.
He heard her indrawn breath and was a little surprised she didn't scream. She took a step back toward him.
'You want me to flirt with… him?'
'His name's Jack Hanrahan, and he was the next man you saw, wasn't he?'
'Yes, but…'
Her shoulders were now pressed against his chest. He leaned down close to her ear and drawled out, 'Did I happen to mention Jack's an avowed woman hater?'
She closed her eyes. 'No, you did not. Is he dangerous?'
'He won't hurt you, or any other female, for that matter, but he sure won't be nice to you either. Folks say he has the personality of a rattlesnake, but I think that's a rotten thing to be saying about snakes. They're much sweeter. Do you want to admit defeat now, give me your five dollars, and be done with it?'
