Free The Bridal Path: Ashley by Sherryl Woods

boxed?”
    Her expression turned sheepish. “Well, I never got into a ring, exactly, but yes. I put a mental image of whoever was driving me nuts onto that bag and slugged away. It was very satisfying. I mentally bloodied the noses of a lot of very important people in the business.”
    “I’ll bet. I suppose my face would have been on there this afternoon.”
    “Right in the middle of the mental bull’s-eye,” she agreed cheerfully. “But I’m over that now.”
    “Must have been some drive.”
    She looked straight into his eyes. “Must have been some hike.”
    “Touché.”
    She settled her tush onto the railing right next to his propped-up feet. “Now that we’ve made peace, let’s start fresh. Let’s pretend we’ve just met for the first time. Why don’t you tell me who Dillon Ford is today? All of the relevant statistics–where you live, what you do, who you date.”
    That would be the easy way, but Dillon had never opted for easy in his life. He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think maybe that’s one you should figure out for yourself.”
    She regarded him worriedly. “Why? Is there something you’re trying to hide?”
    There was no mistaking her meaning or the tiny flicker of unease in her eyes. Dillon gave her a hard stare and asked, “You mean am I wanted for any major crimes?”
    She winced at that. Before she could try to wriggle off that particular hook, Dillon took pity on her. As insulting as he found the question, he supposed she had a right to ask, was even smart to ask, for that matter. After all, she was all alone with him here. And though she obviously didn’t feel herself to be in any danger–except perhaps from her hormones–some level of concern was clearly nagging at her.
    “No, sweetheart. I will tell you that much. My slate is clean with the law. There won’t be any cops arriving at the front door to interrupt us.”
    He watched closely for her reaction to his declaration. She didn’t look either relieved or disappointed. She simply nodded, accepting what he said as truth, apparently.
    “I’ll go fix dinner,” she told him, and headed for the door.
    “Ashley?” Dillon called after her.
    “What?”
    “I’m very sorry you felt you had to ask.”
    She sighed. “Me, too.”

Chapter Six
    A shley had no idea what to make of Dillon’s odd mood or her own. As relieved as she’d been by his response to her pointed question about whether he was hiding out, she also felt an amazing amount of guilt over having raised the issue at all.
    It had been an insulting question. If she’d been on the receiving end of it, she doubted she would still be sharing a house with the person who’d asked.
    The possibility that he might yet decide to walk out on her terrified her. She found that she didn’t want to be alone. More, she didn’t want to lose this chance to discover if she and Dillon had anything more in common than mutual lust and old yearnings.
    And yet she wouldn’t blame him if he left.
    Not that Dillon seemed to be holding her question against her. He’d chatted pleasantly all through dinner, though there was an unmistakable distance between them that had never been there before, not even years ago.
    She couldn’t blame him for that, either. She should have trusted her gut feeling that deep down Dillon was honest, kind and caring. Since his unexpected arrival here, when he’d discovered her already occupying the space he’d expected to find empty, he’d been all of those things, in spite of her lack of welcome. Her only excuse for prodding was that she didn’t trust her own judgment about much of anything these days, least of all men.
    It didn’t help that Dillon intentionally diverted attention away from himself and focused on her. She supposed she ought to be flattered, but she was so used to men whose monumental egos required they be the center of attention that Dillon’s actions seemed suspect.
    Add to that her current low level of self-esteem, which