Kael (Texas Rascals, #6) Page 10

  countable instead of facing the painful truth. That her own

  twin sister had purposely set out to make love to Daisy’s

  boyfriend just to hurt her. Because she had talked to Rose

  that night. Had told her about the big blowup between her

  and Kael. It would have been so easy for Rose to pretend

  to be her. As children they’d swapped places often and

  rarely had they been detected.

  “Explain why Rose was dressed in your clothes and

  wearing her hair in a ponytail? She knew exactly what she

  was doing, Daisy.”

  “That’s right, go ahead, pin it all on a dead woman.”

  “You know Rose had been after me for years. Long

  before you and I ever started going out together.”

  Daisy had no comeback. She’d always suspected the

  truth. That her twin sister had intentionally seduced Kael

  while he was in a vulnerable state.

  But even if her sister had seduced him, that in no way

  exonerated Kael. What would have happened if he had

  made love to her instead of Rose, and she had been the one

  to get pregnant? Would he have come back and married

  her? Daisy doubted it. Besides, she didn’t want a man who

  would wed her only because she was carrying his child.

  She wanted a man who loved her for herself.

  “Daisy, you were the one issuing ultimatums, demand-

  ing marriage or nothing. Well, I want to marry you now.”

  “You don’t want to marry me. You want to dominate

  my life. You think you can come in here and take over,

  become this great dad. It doesn’t work that way, buddy.

  Parenting is difficult work, and it’s going to take time to

  build Travis’s trust,” she shouted.

  “I’m aware of that.” Kael shouted right back, his chest

  heaving.

  Daisy realized her own breathing matched his hungry

  inhalations and expirations.

  He leaned in so close their noses almost touched, but

  Daisy wasn’t backing off even though being this near him

  sent warm tingles throughout her whole body. How could

  she be so aroused by him when she was so angry? It

  seemed physical attraction carried no rhyme or reason. One

  look in those shadowy hazel eyes of his and her whole body

  sparked with unquenched desire.

  Kael must have felt it, too, because in the next instant,

  he pulled her headlong into his embrace.

  Shocked, Daisy froze as his strong arms bunched around

  her waist and his lips dove down to seize hers in a kiss so

  bold, so forceful, her toes curled.

  He’d never kissed her like this before.

  In the past his kisses had been teasing, cajoling, frisky

  and sassy. They’d been the kisses of a playful boy.

  This kiss emerged from a pure, unadulterated man.

  It scared the pants off Daisy. And she had a feeling that’s

  precisely what Kael had intended.

  Trembling, she tried to push away, but her hands knotted

  ineffectively against his chest as his tongue roughly de-

  manded entry into the recesses of her mouth.

  He was angry with her. She could taste it on him. Well,

  dammit, she was angry, too!

  Oddly enough, their mingled ire excited as much as it

  frightened her. Daisy threw her head back and growled low

  in her throat, intending it to be a warning. Instead, muffled

  by his moist active bps, the noise sounded like a soft moan

  of desire.

  He devoured her. His fingers slid through her hair. His

  heart thudded against her chest. His tongue strummed over

  her teeth.

  Daisy, overwhelmed by the sensations, closed her eyes

  and allowed it to happen.

  She savored the pressure of his arm on her shoulder,

  delighted in his unique taste, reveled in his manly scent.

  When at last she felt courageous enough, she opened her

  eyes to find him staring intently at her.

  Her pupils widened, her pulse quickened, her stomach

  contracted.

  “Stop it,’’ she cried, breaking away from him at last.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Giving you a taste of what our marriage will be like.”

  His hair was disheveled, his collar askew. His breath was

  ragged, his eyes murky with passion.

  “You can forget about that. I’ll never marry you.”

  “Not even for the sake of our son?”

  That stopped her cold. Daisy frowned and rubbed her

  forehead. ‘ ‘Even if I did agree to marry you, it would be

  in name only. A cold marriage of convenience, so we could

  both get what we wanted.”

  “Why? Because you’re so afraid of the passions lurking

  inside you? Because you’re terrified that if you taste the

  honey of lovemaking, you’ll mm wild like your sister

  Rose?”

  “That’s a lie!” Daisy denied shrilly, but his words hit

  far too close to home.

  “You’re the most sexually repressed woman I’ve ever

  met.”

  His statement cut. If she was sexually repressed it was

  because he’d ruined her for any other man. Before she had

  time to temper her reaction, Daisy reached out and slapped

  him soundly across the face.

  Kael’s eyes glistened a warning. He ran a hand along his

  jaw. “I suppose I deserved that, Daisy Hightower, but you

  mark my words, you will be my wife, if I have to move

  heaven and earth to accomplish it, me and you and Travis

  are going to be a real family.”

  Chapter Six

  Sh e could not, would not, marry Kael Carmody.

  Sucking in a ragged breath, Daisy stared at the tenacious

  man towering above her.

  He was cocksure arrogant, smug beyond belief, and she

  didn’t trust him. Not for one minute. The mere idea of

  hitching herself to this man for eternity had panic surging

  through every inch of Daisy’s body. Being buried alive

  would produce less anxiety.

  “I mean what I say,” he warned, placing a hand on the

  door frame, effectively barring her exit. ‘‘We’re going to

  get married, so get used to the idea.”

  Daisy stood stock-still, fists knotted at her sides, mind

  whirling as she weighed her options. If she refused to let

  him see Travis, he’d have her in court before she knew

  what hit her. Although she doubted a judge would take

  Travis from her, Kael just might win joint custody. Partic-

  ularly if the truth of her financial situation came to light.

  “What do you say?”

  “Not if you were the last man on the face of the earth.”

  She raised her chin and forced herself to look at him

  “Don’t be stupid, Daisy Anne, marriage is the most log-

  ical course of action.” The lines of his face were hard,

  unyielding.

  She swallowed. Just as she suspected, Kael wanted to

  marry her because it was logical, not because he truly loved

  her.

  The old familiar ache, no less sharp after all these years,

  sprang up inside her. How could she agree to such an ar-

  rangement when all she could expect was more pain? She’d

  spent enough time pining for a man
too hung up on his

  career to give her the kind of love she needed.

  Kael Carmody played second fiddle to no one. Not in

  the rodeo arena and not, she felt sure, in marriage. If she

  wed him, she would lose control, over her life, her farm,

  her son, everything.

  And nothing frightened Daisy Anne Hightower more

  than the loss of control.

  From the moment her parents had been killed, she’d as-

  sumed the role as head of household. Cleanly, swiftly, with-

  out complaint, she’d abandoned her own hopes and dreams

  in favor of doing the right thing. At sixteen years old she

  had orchestrated funeral arrangements in the midst of mak-

  ing decisions about the honey farm. Daisy had gone to court

  and gotten herself declared an emancipated minor. She’d

  succeeded on sheer grit and hardheaded determination. Fin-

  ishing high school at the top of her class while at the same

  time adequately providing for her family, she had a lot to

  be proud of.

  It had been very difficult, but Daisy had attained a level

  of emotional independence rarely achieved by someone so

  young. Especially a woman. She was used to getting her

  own way, and that’s how she liked things to be. In fact, in

  all her endeavors, she’d only been thwarted once—when

  Kael Carmody had chosen his bull riding over her.

  She’d never been able to manipulate him as she had Rose

  and Aunt Peavy. Ultimately that had been the sticking point

  between them. Never mind that once upon a time, she

  would have given everything in her possession to become

  his wife. That time had long since passed. She wasn’t about

  to go running back to him with open arms, no matter how

  bright the old flame burned within her. She’d die before

  she let Kael Carmody know how she really felt.

  What about Travis?

  The thought reared in her mind. Indeed, what about her

  child? The boy deserved to know his father, and Kael, for

  all his faults, deserved a chance to prove himself. Not to

  her, but to his son.

  “We don’t have to get married for you to be a father,”

  Daisy said. “You live right next door. That should be good

  enough.”

  Kael reached out and touched a lock of her hair. He

  gently caressed it between his index finger and thumb.

  Daisy suppressed a shiver and cast her eyes to the floor.

  “Maybe I want more than being a father.”

  Daisy inhaled sharply and took a step backward. ‘ ‘What

  do you mean?”

  “I’ve missed you, Daisy.” His voice was hoarse, husky,

  like he’d shouted too long and too hard.

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t have rodeo groupies chasing

  you around the circuit, because I know better, Kael Car-

  mody.” She spouted the first thing that came to her mind,

  anything to pick a fight and keep her anger going. She

  couldn’t handle the feelings that whooshed through her

  when Kael turned tender.

  “You’re never going to let me live down my mistakes,

  are you?’ ’

  “It’s a little hard when your biggest boo-boo is a seven-

  year-old child.”

  “Well, it’s obvious you’re not going to forgive.”

  “That’s right,” she replied, turning her heart to stone

  and refusing to be swayed by the remorseful expression on

  his face. ‘ ‘Why should I?’ ’

  “For Travis’s sake. For my sake.” He hesitated a mo-

  ment. “For your own sake.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing,” Daisy said, her tone

  sharp edged.

  “What’s that?”

  “A marriage should be based on love.”

  “We used to love each other, once. Remember?” His

  fingers lingered on her shoulder, sending warm tingles over

  her skin. “We could try again.”

  Daisy shook her head. She didn’t want to resurrect those

  old memories. She opened her mouth and told him a bald-

  faced lie. A fib designed to protect her heart and push him

  away. “That’s where you’re wrong, Kael Carmody. I never

  loved you.”

  Daisy Anne was not a good liar. The tip of her nose

  tended to turn red when she told a whopper, and right now

  the cute upturned tip was vividly crimson. Kael forced him-

  self not to grin. No matter what she might claim, the

  woman still cared about him. Now how could he get her

  to see that they were, and always had been, meant for each

  other?

  At this point the smart course of action was to withdraw

  and let her stew about her situation for a while. What he

  was about to do was low-down and underhanded but the

  only way he knew of getting through Daisy’s stubborn

  pride.

  “When I offered to help you rebuild the honey farm,

  that was before I knew about Travis,” Kael said, playing

  his trump card.

  Daisy looked startled. “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’d like to add a contingency to that offer. Marry me

  or the deal’s off. No insurance money. No assistance with

  the actual labor. No help of any kind.”

  ‘‘I don’t believe this.” Daisy smacked her palm against

  her forehead. “This is blackmail.”

  “See what it feels like to be issued an ultimatum, Daisy?

  Not fun, is it?” Kael had to admit turning the tables on

  Miss High-and-Mighty Hightower offered a modicum of

  enjoyment. He didn’t really like to see her squirm, but it

  was time she had a taste of the hot seat.

  “You’re despicable.”

  “That may be, but it’s your call, Daisy. Marry me or

  risk sacrificing your family’s honey farm.”

  “Why would you want to marry someone who doesn’t

  want to marry you?” she retorted, the irritation in her face

  easy to read.

  “Because that someone is the adoptive mother of my

  child.”

  “You’d make Travis suffer just to get back at me? If the

  farm goes bankrupt we’d lose everything.”

  “Oh no, Travis will lack for nothing. I’ll feed him, clothe

  him, buy him toys. I just won’t save your farm.”

  “Damn you, Kael Carmody,” she said. “I regret the day

  I ever clamped eyes on your sorry behind.”

  “I’m aware of that,” he replied coolly. “But you’ll get

  used to the idea. Tell you what, Daisy, I’ll give you a week

  to make up your mind. In the meantime, I’m ready to in-

  troduce myself to my son.”

  Daisy raised a hand to her mouth. ‘ ‘Can’t we wait a little

  while longer? Ease Travis into the idea?”

  “I don’t think so. You’ve kept me waiting seven years.

  It’s way past time.”

  “Don’t you dare go against me on this, Kael Carmody!”

  She shook her finger in his face. “If you tell Travis behind

  my back, I’ll make your life a living misery.”

  Kael gritted his teeth. Her condescending manner rubbed

  him the wrong way. He was tempted to take her haughty

  self over his knee and give her a good spanking. Instead,

  Kael reached down and picked his ha
t up off the floor from

  where it had fallen when he’d kissed her.

  “All right. We’ll play it your way for a while. I’ll give

  you a week to think over my proposal.” Kael thrust his

  chest out with more bravado than he felt. The woman was

  just stubborn enough to call his bluff. If push came to shove

  and she still refused to marry him, Kael didn’t have the

  heart to stand by and watch Daisy lose the only thing she’d

  ever loved besides Travis. He would bail her out and be

  stuck without any bargaining chips.

  “You have changed,” Daisy said quietly. “I was wrong

  before. Unfortunately, the change wasn’t for the better.”

  Kael shrugged. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta

  do.” With those parting words, he turned and sauntered out

  of the room, quietly stmggling against the pain in his leg

  and trying his best not to limp.

  “Bad news?” Aunt Peavy peered at Daisy through her

  thick glasses from her vantage point at the kitchen sink,

  where she was peeling apples for a homemade pie.

  Three days had passed since Kael Carmody had issued

  his ultimatum. Three days of worrying, cursing and pacing

  the floor. Three days of feeling like an animal caught in a

  trap with no way out save gnawing a paw off.

  Daisy hung up the telephone and sat down at the kitchen

  table. “Worse than that. The green monster has officially

  expired. Willie said it’d cost three thousand dollars to fix

  her, and the thing’s not worth five hundred.”

  “Oh, Lordy, no.” Aunt Peavy sighed and laid a dramatic

  hand over her chest. “Not more problems! What are we

  going to do?”

  For once Daisy wanted to join her aunt in her overre-

  action to bad news. She suppressed the urge to lay her head

  on the table and bawl her eyes out. She’d been strong for

  so long, she didn’t even know how to let down her guard

  and simply sob her sorrows away.

  “Maybe you better call Kael and tell him you’ll marry

  him.”

  “Aunt Peavy!”

  “Well,” her aunt said defensively. “You got any better

  ideas?”

  “I’ll get a job.”

  “Doin’ what? It’s not like jobs are poppin’ out all over

  everywhere in Rascal.”

  “I know.” Daisy plowed her hands through her hair. “I

  was thinking about applying in Corpus.”