Free Cattleman's Choice by Diana Palmer Page A

her eyes were wary. She didn’t miss the speculative look he sent toward Patty and Jake, or the way he moved quickly back to his bull. Was he trying to make the other girl jealous?
    She didn’t say another word until Patty was ready to go, and then she all but ran for the truck. Carson made her nervous, he intimidated her. She sat there listening as Patty told him what else to do for the sick bull. And all the while Mandelyn never actually looked at him. She was frightened of what her eyes might tell him.
    â€œYou sure were quiet today,” Patty remarked as they ate a hamburger at a local restaurant known for its barbecue. “You and Carson have a fight or something?”
    â€œOh, nothing like that,” Mandelyn said. “We, uh, I just couldn’t think of anything to say, that’s all. I don’t know a lot about animals.”
    â€œI love them,” Patty sighed. “I always did. There was never anything I wanted to be more than a vet.” She glanced suspiciously at Mandelyn. “What was going on in the barn when Jake and I walked in, by the way? You were hot and bothered like I’ve never seen you. Carson make a pass?”
    â€œYou know I don’t feel that way about Carson,” Mandelyn said nervously, making a jerking motion with her hand that knocked over her cup of soda.
    Patty ran for more napkins, and Mandelyn sat there in the ruin of her suit wondering if it would be undignified to scream.
    The rest of the day was no better. She didn’t make a single sale, although she did show one undecided young couple six houses only to learn that at least one major thing was wrong with each. She stopped by the attorney’s office for the closing on Patty’s new building, and then locked up her own office with a weary sigh. She still had to think of something to fix for supper. And Carson was coming!
    She jumped in her car and made a wild rush home to see what she had to cook. Thank goodness there was some chicken she could fry and some vegetables. She took off her suit, put on jeans and a loose shirt, and got to it. She didn’t even think about what lay ahead; it made her too nervous. Things were getting entirely out of hand with him, and she didn’t know what to do anymore. What had begun as a simple etiquette course now promised to be a full-fledged affair if she didn’t watch her step. It occurred to her that he wanted her, physically. But she knew that he could feel that way and still be in love with Patty. It wasn’t the same with men as it was with women. Which made her even more nervous about her own survival instincts. They didn’t seem to work with Carson.
    Just before six, she tried on five outfits before deciding on a demure little yellow sundress. She left her hair down and brushed it to silky perfection, and then stared at herself in the mirror and hoped she didn’t look too eager or too dressed up. She hadn’t been so excited in years, and over Carson, of all people!
    He got there five minutes early, just as she’d finished dishing up the chicken and vegetables. She ran to the door to let him in, and smiled in helpless appreciation at the way he looked.
    He was wearing one of the new outfits they’d bought him—tan slacks with a patterned shirt and a casual white and tan plaid blazer. He was freshly shaven and his hair, under his Stetson, was well-groomed. He smelled of fine cologne and he looked good enough to eat.
    â€œWell?” he asked impatiently.
    She stood aside to let him in, sensitive to the sweeping glance he gave her. “You look very nice,” she murmured.
    â€œSo do you. Good enough to be the main course, in fact.”
    She grinned. “I’d give you a rash.”
    â€œThink so?” He tossed his hat onto the chair and there was a sudden sharp gleam in his eyes.
    She knew what he was thinking, and it frightened her. She went hurriedly ahead of him into the dining room, where the