Free Southern Seduction by Brenda Jernigan Page B

sensed there was so much more to Travis than he let anyone see, and before she realized what she was doing, she’d reached across and touched his hand. “Your family must be proud of you.”
    She wasn’t sure what she saw in his eyes, but it was quickly masked, and she realized she’d stepped across the invisible line that Travis had erected. He withdrew back into his shell.
    “Let’s head for the mill. I have work to do there,” Travis said, his tone much sharper than before. He nudged his horse forward, not bothering to wait for her.
    To her annoyance, Brooke found herself blushing. She sighed as she muttered to herself, “So much for being nice.” Then she clicked her tongue, and flicked the reins, Gray Mist took off in the direction that Travis had ridden. How could she penetrate the deliberate blankness in his eyes? And more important . . . why did she care?
    Brooke wondered if Travis realized that he’d finally called her by her given name.
    Could his ice be melting just a little?
     
     
    “Who in the hell is that?” Jeremy Dubois asked as Travis dismounted and handed the reins over to the groom.
    Travis didn’t have to look. He knew who Jeremy referred to, but Travis turned anyway to see Brooke galloping in from the field. “My new partner,” he drawled, his voice heavy with sarcasm. He felt increasing leery of the woman with each passing moment.
    “Your what?” Jeremy, who owned the plantation next to Travis, asked.
    “It’s a long story.” Travis brushed him off, signaling an end to the conversation.
    “Hello,” Brooke said as she dismounted.
    The dark-haired gentleman in front of her gave her a sweeping bow. “It’s nice to meet you.” He had handsome well-chiseled features and sinfully dark hair, but it was his dazzling smile that held Brooke’s intention. His smile was a refreshing break from Travis’s ever-present scowl.
    “Jeremy Dubois, may I introduce you to Brooke Hammond.”
    “And your partner, I believe you said.” Jeremy grinned, as he took her hand and raised it to his lips. “I must say you have excellent taste, Travis. And my curiosity will kill me if you don’t tell me how you found such a lovely creature.”
    Brooke found Jeremy’s attitude refreshing after Travis’s rude treatment.
    “He didn’t find me, Mr. Dubois, I found him,” Brooke informed Jeremy, enjoying the look of surprise on his face. “Do you work here, as well?”
    “Good Lord, I hope not,” Jeremy said with mock alarm. He laughed. “I have my hands full with my own plantation.”
    “Jeremy is a friend . . . most of the time,” Travis drawled. “He owns Slow River, the plantation next to mine.”
    “Once you’re settled in, you must bring Mrs. Hammond over to call. And bring Mr. Hammond, too,” he added.
    At least this one had charm and manners, Brooke thought. “There is no Mr. Hammond, I’m a widow,” she lied. “Calling me Mrs. Hammond makes me feel so elderly. Please call me Brooke.”
    “I’d be honored,” Jeremy drawled, amusement flickering in his green eyes. “So this means that you are Travis’s partner and not your husband?”
    She nodded.
    Jeremy threw his head back and roared with so much laughter that Brooke had to wonder what the previous conversation had been about.
    Travis didn’t join in Jeremy’s amusement. Instead he asked him, “What brings you to Moss Grove, Jeremy? I thought you started your own harvest three days ago.”
    “I did,” Jeremy confirmed once he stopped laughing. “My sugarmaker has come down with the grippe, and I’ve got to find a replacement for him. As you are aware, without a sugarmaker, the end of the harvest is in jeopardy. I thought maybe Morgan might know someone.”
    Travis nodded. “I can see your dilemma. Let’s go and find out,” Travis said.
    Both men ignored her completely as they walked toward the building , leaving Brook on her own. Their manners were deplorable to say the least. And she was sure that Travis was sending