Page 20 of Point of Mercy

“Why not?”

She levered up on one elbow and stared down at him. “Does it matter?”

“Just curious.” His gaze touched hers, and her heart missed a beat.

“I wasn’t interested.”

He lifted a skeptical eyebrow.

“I only really dated Dennis and…well, our relationship wasn’t all that physical.”

“What’s wrong with the guy?”

“Nothing! Everything! I mean—I just knew it wasn’t right.”

He snorted. “But with me?”

“I love you, Turner,” she said again, hoping to hear the magic words returned. Instead she felt him stiffen and the arms that had held her so tenderly suddenly seemed like lead.

“You don’t.”

“Yes… I love you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

Her heart turned stone cold. “But I…we… I thought…”

“You thought what?” he asked, his arms slowly withdrawing from her as he sat and stared at her. “That we had something special? That we were in love?” His voice was filled with a cold incredulity that drove a spike straight into her soul.

“Of course—”

“Hey, wait a minute. I like you and hell, yes, I wanted you, I mean wanted you in the worst way. Damn thing of it is, I still want you. But love… Heather, you’re kidding yourself.”

Her throat seemed strangled and she wanted to die.

“Look—” He reached forward as if to touch her, but she drew away, as if he’d burned her. “I care about you and we can be friends, but—”

“Friends?” she whispered, her throat catching in disbelief. “Friends? I don’t make love with my friends!” Oh, God, what a mess! What had seemed so remarkable, so incredible only moments before, now seemed cheap. And to think of how she’d thrown herself at him. She thought of her sister, Rachelle, and all the pain and embarrassment she’d suffered at the hands of Jackson Moore, a boy she’d slept with only one night, a boy who had left her with her reputation in tatters.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I care for you. I do—”

“But you don’t love me.”

“I don’t love anyone,” he said flatly. “I don’t believe in it.”

She closed her eyes on the horrid words, felt hot tears in her eyes. “Then I feel sorry for you, Turner,” she said flatly.

He tried to touch her again and she recoiled. How could she have been so stupid? After Sheryl had warned her,how could she have thought she would be the one who could change him?

“I don’t know what you were expecting, Heather, but I’m not the kind of man to settle down with a wife and kids and picket fence and station wagon. I ride rodeo. In two weeks, I’ll rejoin the circuit. I’ll be in Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming and Alberta. And then—”

“I don’t need to know what you’ll do after that,” she said.

He grabbed her then, and though she tried to squirm away, he held her tight. Aware of her nudity, of his strength, of the love she still felt deep in her heart, she closed her eyes.

“Look at me, damn it,” he said, shaking her a little.

When she lifted her lids, she found his face only inches from hers, his expression filled with concern, remorse dark in his eyes. “What do you see?”

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