Page 48 of Texas Glory
“Dallas?”
He swung around at the hesitant lilt of Cordelia’s soft voice. She had come to his study shortly after they had returned home to get his catalogue. He had hoped she would browse through it in his office, but she’d just grabbed it and scurried out like a frightened rabbit. He hadn’t seen her since, had assumed she’d gone to bed—without him once again.
He crossed his arms over his bare chest and wished to God his feet weren’t bare. He felt naked and chose to clothe himself in anger. “What are you doing out here?”
“Austin told me to come talk to you.”
First Amelia. Now Austin. It seemed his whole family was intent on nudging the woman toward him. Unfortunately, he wanted her to come of her own accord.
Cautiously, she eased closer to the corral and ran her finger along the railing. “I see you out here often. Do you have trouble sleeping?”
“I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?”
How pretty your eyes are. How soft your skin looks. How sweet you smell. How much I want to hold you.
“My brand. I need to change it.”
“Why?”
Because I haven’t held a woman in years, not since Amelia.
“Because the symbol isn’t right anymore.”
“What happened to change it, to make it wrong?”
Destiny.
“When I first bought this land, I used aDfor Dallas. When Amelia agreed to marry me, I added anA.I made it lean against the side of theDso the letters were joined. Only she and I aren’t joined. You and I are, so I need to change the symbol, but your name doesn’t lend itself well to leaning against the D. ACandDjust look like twoD’sback to back so I’m trying to figure out how to put theCandDtogether so they look like themselves and not other letters.”And rambling like an idiot in the process.
She held his gaze in the moonlight. “Did you love her?”
“Who?”
She lowered her lashes. “Amelia. Did you love her?”
He brushed his thumb and forefinger over his mustache. He’d never stopped to ask himself that question. Maybe he should have. “I was fond of her. She added a grace to my life while she was here, but no, I didn’t love her. Not the way Houston did then; not as deeply as he does now.”
“They seem happy.”
“I reckon they are.”
She stepped on the bottom rung of the fence. Her toes curled around the wood. He thought about touching his bare foot to hers, rubbing his sole along her delicate ankle.
Pulling herself up, she leaned against the corral. Within the shadows of the night, he could see the curve of her breasts pressing against her wrapper. He ached to slip her wrapper off her shoulders, cup her breasts, and feel her satiny skin against his roughened palms. He dug his fingers into his arms to keep them from reaching for her when she looked so serene.
“I think back to back would work,” she said softly.
Back to back? The woman was incredibly innocent. Back to front might work, although he’d prefer front to front. He’d never known a woman as tall as she was. Pressed against her, he imagined he would find very little of himself not warmed by her flesh. Thigh to thigh. Hip to hip. Chest to breasts. His shoulders might come a little higher than hers, but he could live with that.
She glanced over at him. “Cameron calls me Dee. I prefer it to Cordelia, so you see, two D’s back to back might work.”
“Two D’s? Back to back?” He snapped his head back, gasping for breath. “My brand. You’re talking about my brand.”
“What did you think I was talking about?”
He gave her a jerky nod. “My brand. I thought you were talking about my brand.”
