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a wedding, she suggested.  There hasn t been a proposal yet. To be honest I m not sure there will be
one.
Jenny dismissed that technicality with a wave of her hand.  You know how pig-headed Ty can be. He ll
keep us all in suspense until he s good and ready to do it.
Leanne chewed her lower lip.  I think everyone has the wrong impression, Ty and I have been working
together 
 Oh, honey, pleeeze. Jenny leaned across the table.  I don t think there s any way anyone could have
gotten the wrong impression if they saw you two together at the dance.
Leanne forced her right leg to stop its sudden bouncing.  Well, that s not&  How did she explain?
Jenny shook her head.  I can tell you re in love. I can see it in your eyes. She grinned.  I can also tell
that you ve already been together, if you know what I mean.
Leanne blushed to the roots of her hair and maybe beyond.  I& we&  What could she say? It was true.
Jenny patted her hand.  Don t even try to deny it. Even if I couldn t see it written all over your face. I
can see it on Ty s. Every time he looks at you or your name is mentioned, you can see the territorial
gleam in his eyes.
Leanne managed a trembling smile.  That s good to know. At least Ty was as transparent as she was.
 Who knows? Jenny offered cheerily.  There could be a little one on the way already.
Another rush of heat claimed Leanne s face. They d only failed to use protection once.  Jenny 
Again Jenny dismissed anything she would have said with a flippant wave of her hand.  Don t sweat it.
Angelica was on the way when Chad and I got married. We haven t regretted it for a moment.
 We haven t talked about children yet, Leanne stammered. She d never known that about Jenny and
Chad. She frowned, mentally doing the math and finding herself shocked all over again.
 Well, you know the Cooper men. They love to breed. Jenny s eyes twinkled.  I m definitely not
complaining, mind you. Ty will want to start right away I m sure.
Leanne squirmed in her seat, weighing the consequences of simply jumping up and running out of the
house.  I have the dude ranch to get off the ground, she countered, suddenly feeling the precise
definition of trapped.
 Oh, Ty will find someone to run that for you. Being Mrs. Ty Cooper will take up far too much of your
time for you to worry about running anything. Once those babies start coming you won t have time to
think of anything else.
A cold, hard knot formed in Leanne s stomach. Hyperventilation seemed a definite possibility.
 Speaking of Ty. Leanne stood abruptly.  Do you know where he is? I need to talk to him.
 I think he s out in the barn. Jenny followed her to the back door, reluctant to let her go.  When
you re through talking to your honey, come on back in here and let s map out that wedding.
Leanne only nodded.
Before the door closed behind her, she broke into a run. She ran all the way to the barn, skidding to a
halt when she almost ran headlong into Court and Chad as they strolled through the double doors.
 Don t worry, Leanne, Chad teased with a wink.  He s still in there. We didn t let him get away.
The two laughed as they headed toward the house. Leanne felt suddenly sick to her stomach. Her
hands shook as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her groceries would just have to wait.
She had to straighten all this out first. Then she had to get home. She didn t want to miss the doctor s
call.
Leanne found Ty just inside the barn door reading what appeared to be a crumpled letter. He stood as
still as stone only a few feet away, his angled jaw rigid, his dark hair tousled. Her heart started to
pound immediately. His hat was missing, which struck her once again as so unlike Ty. His shirt was
completely unbuttoned and hanging open. As usual the fit of his jeans made her feel giddy. She fought
for her next breath. Her chest ached with longing, but she pushed it away. She had to do this. She
couldn t let things between them keep spiraling out of control. It had already gone way too far. And it
was her fault. He d tried to slow things down& to steer away from physical intimacy. But she d forced
the issue. She had to make it right now.
 Ty, she said, then paused to dredge up enough strength to keep the quiver out of her voice.
He turned toward her, a smile instantly lighting his handsome face.  Leanne, I was just thinking about
you. Have you 
 We need to talk, she cut him off. She moistened her lips and forced her feet to cover the distance
between them.
Shoving the letter into his jeans pocket, he met her halfway.  Sure. As if it were as natural a reflex as
breathing, he leaned down and kissed her. He didn t linger, just a quick, tender kiss that stirred that
ache building inside her. It affected her so deeply she wasn t sure she would be able to do what she
knew she had to.
 Before we talk about anything else, though. He took her hands.  There s something I want to ask
you. His smile widened to a heart-wrenching grin.  I ve been thinking about this for a couple of days
now and I really feel it s the right thing to do.
Oh no. He couldn t.
No.
No matter how much she cared for him, this was wrong for both of them. Jenny s words had driven the
point home. Ty would never be happy with her for a wife. He deserved someone who could be the kind
of life partner he deserved.
And it wasn t her.
She wanted to do more than just be a stay-at-home wife.
She wouldn t put either of them through that.
She backed away from him, breaking the contact of their hands.  I m sorry, Ty. She shook her head,
struggling to hold the tears back.  I can t do this.
His expression clouded for a moment, then cleared as if he d just realized her hesitation.  Yes, you
can, he insisted.  It won t be that difficult. I ll make it work if you ll just give me the chance. I
promise.
Oh, God. He was going to ask her. She couldn t let him. It would only hurt them both in the long run.
He reached for her hand again.  No. She stumbled back a couple more steps.  Don t. He stilled,
confused, concerned.  I can t do this, she explained, hysteria rising in her voice.  I can t say yes.
Please don t ask me to marry you, Ty, because I can t. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]