When Last We Loved Read Online Free

scandal it would cause if the Temple bloodline ever became tainted by the likes of me.” There, she'd finally said it. The poor-white-trash shame had stalked her silently, constantly, for months. Twilight shadows of angry purple deepened in her eyes and her heartbeat quickened when Hoyt failed to reassure her.
    “I guess you'll have to get used to the idea that you don't own anything around here but your precious land,” she added flippantly.
    “Who put the burr under your saddle?” he demanded. His rumbling voice reminded her of the thunder that had orchestrated their last night of lovemaking.
    “I'm positive that you won't have a bit of trouble replacing me, if that's what prompted your visit.” Cassie kissed caution good-bye. Her adrenaline surged as she let him have it with both barrels. “Why, I'd lay odds that there are at least another half-dozen poor young tramps on the Diamond T payroll. Surely you can convince one of them that she'd be saving the old homestead if she hopped into bed with you.”
    “Blackmail isn't my game, baby.” Hoyt's brows drew together in a dark scowl. “I didn't drive all the way out here to fight a range war with you, either. But if I remember correctly, nobody dragged you kicking and screaming into that bedroom.”
    “I'm sorry, Hoyt.” Her voice softened to a whisper as the fight drained out of her. She knew she wasn't playing fair, but she didn't know how else to handle these crazy feelings. “I know that I should have told you sooner, but I— I didn't— I've got a lot to do before I leave.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Maybe you'd better go.” She turned her back on him and went through the motions of cleaning the countertops.
    “You've been under quite a bit of strain lately, what with the funeral and the legal mess.” He reached around her, removed the sponge from her hand, and laid it aside. His warm breath caressed the nape of her neck as he fit his lean length against her curves. “Why don't we relax and try to calm down? Then we'll talk this out. I'm sure we'll find a solution that suits both of our needs.”
    “I won't sleep with you, Hoyt.” She squeezed her eyes shut. Every nerve in her body was attuned to that hard male shape. “And there's nothing to discuss, either. My mind's made up and I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. You're wasting your time, and your charm.” There was a harsh note in her flat statement.
    “What do you want that I can't give you?” Impatience edged his question. She turned in his arms and he waved the letter she'd written under her nose.
    “A chance to make it on my own.” Cassie lowered her eyes. She'd never dreamed she could hurt like this.
    “Hell, you're as independent now as a hog on ice.”
    “I knew you wouldn't understand. And that's exactly why I didn't tell you what my plans were.”
    “A lot of people have accused me of having a hard head, but you're the first one who's ever assumed my skull was so thick that it couldn't absorb simple facts.” He tipped her chin up and forced her to look into those twin blue pools. A clean cattleman's crease shaped the summer Stetson shoved back on his wavy brown hair. The late afternoon sun outlined his masculine features, playing grooves and hollows against prominent cheekbones. “Come on, ‘fess up,” he cajoled. “What's behind this Nashville nonsense?”
    “It isn't nonsense,” she protested. “If you'd ever really listened when we talked, you'd have known how much this means to me.” She waved her arms in frustration. “Can't you see the differences between us?”
    “Well, I can't say that I've had the pleasure of seeing them lately.” His gaze slid possessively over her body and Cassie tingled in spite of herself at the remembrance of his touch. “If I'm not mistaken, though, it's been those very differences between us that have kept me coming around.”
    “That's not what I mean, and you know it.” She hated it when he humored her.