Her Texan Temptation Read Online Free Page A

he took some ice, gathered it in the cloth, then spread it on the counter and methodically adjusted the cubes, folding them inside.
    “Here you go,” he said as he approached her.
    She waited for him to put the ice on her ankle, then caught her breath when the cold compress touched her skin. The weight of it made her ankle ache even more.
    “How does that feel?”
    She glared at him. “Cold.”
    He nodded. “Yeah, well, that’s how it’s supposed to feel.” Deke let go and stepped back, pleased with his work.
    The ice pack fell to the side.
    Frowning, he picked it up and put it back on. Before he could move away, it fell off again. “Damn,” he muttered.
    “I can hold it,” she told him, and reached for the compress.
    “Yeah? How? You can’t lean over and hold it on there for very long. Your back’ll be sore after a while.” Before she could protest, he gave her the ice pack, then lifted her and carried her toward the living room.
    “Will you put me down?” Mary Beth rasped, her tone revealing her frustration.
    “In a minute.” He settled her on the sofa, then grabbed a small throw pillow and stuffed it under her foot. “I’ll get you a more comfortable one from your bedroom in a minute,” he told her. Taking the ice pack from her, he put it back on the sprain. This time, propped against the sofa, it stayed in place.
    “This is fine.” Mary Beth didn’t want to think about Deke going anywhere near her bedroom. The last time he’d been in her house, he’d not only been in her bedroom, but in her bed.
    And they’d made love.
    Had sex, she corrected herself. For Deke it surely hadn’t been anything more, as he’d proven when he’d walked out the next morning and never bothered to call her. He’d probably felt sorry for her because her father had just died. Undoubtedly, he’d been just as surprised as she was when he’d kissed her. When she’d returned his kisses, well, she supposed he was used to women offering him sex.
    It hadn’t been that way for her. The crush on him she’d nurtured as a teenager had resurfaced when Deke had taken her in his arms, when he’d kissed her. She’d always wondered what it would be like to be intimate with him.
    And the instant his lips had touched hers, she’d known that she couldn’t deny herself the pleasure of finding out. She’d waited a long time for Deke McCall to notice her.And making love with him had been…incredible. Everything she’d dreamed it would be.
    His voice interrupted her thoughts, and she gave him a blank look. “What?”
    “I said, now that you’ve got ice on it, how about something for the pain?” he repeated, his tone a shade more tolerant than a minute ago.
    “I’m sure there’s something in the kitchen or bathroom, but don’t worry about it. I’ll take something later,” she said, unwilling to admit that her ankle was throbbing. And on top of everything else, her head felt as if someone was pounding on it with a large rock. The thought of Deke prowling through her personal belongings made it feel a thousand times worse.
    “You need to take something now.”
    She sat forward, and her expression sobered. “I appreciate your help, but I can take care of myself. I’m used to doing it.” Used to not depending on a man. Her father had taught her that lesson well, because he’d never been around when he was needed.
    Deke’s blue eyes sailed into hers. “Well, it won’t hurt you to let someone else look after you for a change.” She had a right to be angry with him. And he damned well didn’t deserve her forgiveness. He wouldn’t ask her for it because he could never make it up to her. But the least he could do before he left was to make sure she was okay. “I’ll see to the horses, then I’ll find something for you to take for the pain.”
    Without waiting for her to answer, Deke went outside. He made short work of unsaddling the horses, then returned to the house. As he searched the kitchen cabinets for some