Free Fate's Intervention by Barbara Woster Page B

of an ape? ”
    “ Monkey, not an ape. Significantly different really, ” Marcelle said. For some reason , the ability she had to recoup using humor felt well . It irritated her slightly that all this man needed to do was look at her to turn her into a pudding head ; s o, if she could use her humor to unsettle him a bit, perhaps she could disrupt his calm as he ’ d done hers. Not very sporting she knew, as his looks weren ’ t his fault , but her rationale appeared to be nonfunctioning . “ But, no, I wasn ’ t calling you a monkey, ” she continued. “ I was merely pointing out that this gorgeous creature has extremely intelligent eyes, so he must have been easy to train. ”
    “ The n why didn ’ t you simply word it that way? ”
    “ Not as much fun, ” Marcelle said and smiled. She turned and looked at him then, finally finding her balance. Humor always managed to work for her. Yes, he was as gorgeous as ten of the stallions in the surrounding corrals were ; h owever, he was still a man. She handled suitors weekly who were strictly interested in her flesh, she decided, so she should have no difficulty talking with a man, on an intelligent level, who appeared to be interested only in horseflesh . At least she hoped that ’ s all in which he was interested. Still, to his credit, he wasn ’ t gawking at her b reasts the way most men did. That alone helped her relax.
    “ So , you ’ re a little devil with a pitch - forked tongue, are you? ” Matthew smiled.
    “ No, not really, ” Marcelle said. “ It ’ s just a safeguard. I hope I didn ’ t offend you. ”
    “ Not at all, but what ’ s the safeguard against? ”
    “ Men. ”
    “ A h, ” Matthew said, and both fell silent, turning their attention back to White Star. Matthew fully understood the need to safeguard against the opposite sex, since he ’ d had nothing but trouble with them since he was old enough for them to realize his existence. Still, what had caused a woman so young to buil d a self-defense mechanism so early in life ? He wondered. He ’ d met women with reason enough – women that men had abused or women forced to make a living using their bodies because of difficult circumstances. Those women were leery of men and it showed in the very fiber of their being. They were generally uncommunicative and slow to smile. Not so this woman. She laughed easily and joked readily – a lthough she did seem nervous about being this close to him. Perhaps it was just the kind of men she ’ d been acquainted with that made her uneasy about the entire male race.
    Her quick wit made him think of his wife, Melody. No! He quickly remedied. Melody hadn ’ t been troubled emotionally, and with her he ’ d found a perfect balance between friend and lover. He just missed that bond, that ’ s why his mind was playing at making a connection with this woman.
    He didn ’ t know anything about this lady. She could be like all the others he encountered. A n empty-headed twit that used every means at her disposal to land a husband. His Melody hadn ’ t been like that. On the contrary, Melody wasn ’ t a spoiled rich girl looking for a husband. She was the spindly-legged, pony-tailed daughter of the stable-master where he obtained his first job at the age of eighteen.
    It took two years for Matthew to realize that Melody was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, so he proposed. She ’ d been shocked, not realizing that he felt anything more for her than friendship. It surprised him, too. What surprised them both even more was how easily they bonded on their wedding night.
    Two years into the marriage, Melody gave birth to the light s of his life, Michael and David, his twin sons.
    Fate took them all away eight months after that.
    He ’ d been fighting off the opposite sex ever since. Battling against air headed rich brats who couldn ’ t care less about his standing in society. They wanted him , and they went after him with