Free The Temptress by Jude Deveraux Page A

right. He doesn’t want his only child to marry somebody like me. I don’t even know how to treat a good girl like you. I don’t know how to live in a house like that big one of your father’s or even how to stay in one place for very long at a time. I’m not husband material and your father knew it. He didn’t want me doing anything to his daughter short of marriage and we both knew I wasn’t the marrying kind. Do you understand?”
    â€œNo,” she said softly, looking into his eyes. “I love you and—”
    â€œNo you don’t. You’ve just been too busy with your newspaper over the years to notice men and now you’re worried that you’re getting old and you think you’re in love with the first man you see.”
    â€œThen why aren’t I in love with Mr. Prescott?”
    He leaned back, winked and grinned at her. “I’m better looking. There’s no competition.”
    â€œI think you’re right,” she said, moving out of the shelter. “I believe I have made an error.”
    He caught her shoulder and pulled her back inside. “Don’t get angry, Chris. Under other circumstances, I’d love to climb into bed with you, but I don’t want to go back to that hellhole and I don’t want to be unfair to you. You deserve a man who’s husband material. I’m not. I hope you can understand.”
    â€œI think I understand better than you think,” she said coolly. “I want to apologize for my forwardness, for following you, as you’ve asked me not to do, and for imposing myself on you. I will try to do better in the future and not give you cause to fear that you will have to return to prison because I have put you in an impossible situation. Is that what you wanted to hear? May I go now?”
    â€œI think you’re angry with me. I didn’t mean—”
    â€œI am angry with myself,” she interrupted. “And deeply embarrassed. I’ve never thrown myself at a man before and I can assure you that I will never do it again. You won’t have any more problems from me, Mr. Tynan. Now, I’d like to go back to my tent and take a nap, if that’s all right with you.”
    He frowned. “Yes, of course. Chris, I really do appreciate the offer, I mean when you thought that physically I couldn’t—”
    â€œWe shall never know, will we?” she said as she left the shelter.

Chapter Seven
    By the time they entered the little town at the edge of the rain forest, Chris had cried all the tears she could cry. She had done a marvelous job of staying away from Tynan. No matter what he said to entice her to stop and talk, she’d ignored him.
    Nor did she spend much time with Asher. She did what work was required to keep the camp running and nothing else.
    Tynan, after a day of attempting to talk to her, began to stay away from the camp more and more often until, at the last, he was the shadowy figure he had been at the beginning of the trip.
    â€œThis has not become the joyous trip I’d hoped for,” Asher said with sadness and confusion in his voice. Chris didn’t say anything. All she wanted was to get away from the place where she’d made such a fool of herself.
    It was still morning when they pulled into the little town at the foot of the rain forest. The place was busy with shoppers, wagons being loaded, cowboys strolling about, and a few women stopping and talking to each other. Most people halted when they saw the strangers come into town.
    At least that’s what Chris first thought was the cause of their staring. For the first time in days she came out of her dejection and began to take an interest in her surroundings.
    As she watched the people, she became aware that they were actually stopping to stare at Tynan.
    He was in front of her, his back held as straight as a piece of steel, eyes ahead, looking at no one. As they passed the