Free Lorraine Heath by Texas Destiny Page B

“Another question. I’m impressed.”
    He wanted to look away, but her eyes held him captive. At that moment, with those green eyes boring into him, Houston almost had an overwhelming desire to search for his own dreams. “You don’t have to answer it.”
    She scooted closer to him. “I think I do. No, I don’t think he will
give
me my dreams, but I think we’ll work together to gain them. I’ve always believed that dreams were meant to be shared. Where’s the joy in reaching for something if you have no one to see you capture it?”
    He had no idea. He’d stopped reaching long ago.
    She laid her hand on his arm. “I don’t expect you to answer that.”
    “That’s good because I wouldn’t know how.”
    She laughed, tilted her head back, and looked at the canopy of stars. “Oh, the sky is beautiful tonight. I almost envy you sleeping outside.”
    “It has its moments.” Just as she did. Sweet moments, gentle moments. Moments that filled him with awe.
    She smiled softly. “I should stop pestering you and let you go back to sleep.”
    He unfolded his body as she rose gracefully to her feet and turned away from the fire.
    “Oh, look. I can see the shadow of a moth that’s flying inside the tent. Isn’t it pretty?” The smile eased off her face. “I can see the moth’s shadow,” she said in a hushed voice, “and everything inside the tent.”
    Houston stiffened as her gaze streaked to his pallet. With his saddle at one end, it didn’t take much imagination to figure out which way he’d been lying or what had been in his line of sight.
    Her gaze flew back to the tent, then to the pallet before she snapped accusing eyes his way. “I can see everything. Everything. Have you been watching me each evening?”
    Sweet Lord, he wanted to speak but anything he could have uttered would have condemned him. As it turned out, his silence condemned him.
    As she drew back her hand, he forced himself to give her an easy target. The blow came, jerking his head to the side.
    She stormed into the tent, the flap momentarily billowing and slapping after her. Her shadow reflected as much hurt and anger as he imagined she felt. Then the shadow disappeared into the darkness as she extinguished the flame in the lantern.
    Houston felt as though all the light had suddenly gone out of his life. He broke out in a cold sweat as his gaze swept over the camp. He’d told her he was alone, but until this moment he didn’t know the true meaning of the word.
    She’d shut him out of her life with a single breath. She’d ask no more questions of him, of that he was certain. He should have been relieved. Instead, he thought he might keel over and die. With trepidation, he neared the tent. “Miss Carson?”
    A thick heavy silence was her reply. For some reason, he thought he’d feel a sight better if he could hear her sobbing o r throwing things around.
    “Miss Carson, you need to step outside and slap me again. The side you hit is mostly dead. You need to hit the other side of my face so I can feel it like I should.”
    He could hear nothing but the heavy pounding of his heart. He could see nothing but a vast emptiness filling the coming days. Dear God, what words could atone for what he’d done?
    “Miss Carson, I know what I did was wrong. It was shameful, and I regretted it even as I did it, but dear Lord, woman, I swear to God, I’ve never seen a sweeter shadow than yours … and that’s all I saw. Just your shadow.”
    “Without clothes! Washing up! Enjoying a few moments of freedom!”
    Sweet Lord, yes, and he’d enjoyed her moments of freedom most of all, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate hearing that at this moment.
    “Miss Carson, if I could undo what I’d done, I would. But I can’t. If you just knew how beautiful—”
    “I don’t want to hear it, Mr. Leigh. Just leave me alone.”
    “You have every right to be upset—” He heard a sob. He’d been wrong. Hearing a noise was worse than hearing the