Impetuous. Lori Foster

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      4

      TYLER HAD very large hands.

      Carlie stared, without meaning to, as he cut into a piece of peach pie, then put the bite in his mouth and chewed. His jaw was strong, lean and hard, with only a slight shadow of dark beard stubble. His nose, straight and high-bridged, would appear aristocratic but for the lump where he had broken it in a fight when he was younger. Bren had told her the story, about how Jason had joined in and the two brothers had ended up defeating four other kids.

      His eyebrows were straight and dark. His lashes thick and long. His cheekbones high and sculpted. There was a healthy color to his skin, not a dark-baked tan, but definitely the added color of outdoor activities.

      Carlie sipped her coffee, her gaze going again to his hands. She remembered those hands so well, the way they had touched her, their strength, their gentleness. The memory gave her an odd tingle.

      “Aren’t you going to eat your pie?” he asked.

      Carlie pulled her eyes away from his hands. She nodded and took a large mouthful to give her something to do, namely chew, while Tyler filled the silence with questions.

      “I could come to the school Friday, around four again, if you want me to do some sort of sign-up, or make a roster. What about you? Can you make it, or is that too soon?”

      “Friday would be terrific. I’ll put out a few calls tomorrow during lunch to see who can stay over. The ones who can’t make it can have a schedule Monday.”

      Tyler pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “These are my best times to get together. I tried to make them as regular as possible, so the kids can know what to expect. You can look that over then let me know if you’ll have a problem with any of those dates.”

      She tucked the paper into her purse. “It’ll be fine.”

      “You didn’t even look at it. How do you know it won’t interrupt your plans?”

      Carlie gave him a quick smile. “We’re glad to have your help. Whatever works for you is fine with me.”

      Tyler laid his fork by his plate and shook his head. “You know the saying about all work and no play? You have to take time for a social life, too.”

      “Why don’t you let me worry about my social life, all right?” she said, annoyed with his persistence.

      “What social life? It doesn’t sound to me as if you have one.”

      That was entirely too close to the truth, and rubbed Carlie the wrong way. “Look, Mr. Ramsey. You may be the authority on having a good time, but I take my commitments seriously.”

      She watched Tyler’s face go rigid, and then he leaned toward her. “And I don’t?”

      “Not from what I hear.”

      Leaning back, Tyler observed Carlie thoughtfully. “You know, if we’re going to work together, you’ll have to get over your attitude. I don’t know why you dislike me so much, but it’s not something I’m used to. Nor do I intend to get used to it.” He waited a heartbeat, and Carlie felt his annoyance wash over her before he added, “I’d really like to work with you and the kids. But if you would rather find someone else to help you with your project, I’ll drop out.”

      It was plain, by his tone and expression, he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to be involved, for whatever reasons, and Carlie did need him. She hated to admit the truth, but it was her own personal conflict that was causing the problems. What she needed was an emotional compromise.

      After adjusting her glasses, she straightened. “I think we can manage to get along if we keep it on a business level.”

      Tyler shook his head. “No go. I don’t have a ‘business level.’ You’re going to have to get your little nose out of the air and be friendly.”

      Her compromise exploded into oblivion. Did everything have to be his way? “You’re an extremely arrogant person!”

      His chuckle was warm and husky. “Bren says the same thing regularly. Funny, it sounds almost affectionate СКАЧАТЬ