Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas #5)(104)

The clouds rushed overhead, the thunder rumbled, and a wave of fury caught her in its grip. "I was so touched when you kissed me in front of everyone. So giddy that you were willing to make that kind of sacrifice. For me! But you . . . you weren't risking a thing."

"Wait a minute." His eyes flamed with righteous indignation. "You lit into me that night. You said what I did was stupid."

"That's what my head said. But my heart . . . My stupid heart . . ." Her voice broke. "It was singing."

He winced. "Meg . . ."

The play of emotions on the face of this man who would never willingly hurt anyone was painfully easy to decipher. His dismay. His concern. His pity. She hated it-hated him. She wanted to hurt him as he'd hurt her, and she knew exactly how to punish him. With her honesty.

"I've fallen in love with you," she said. "Just like the others."

He couldn't hide his dismay. "Meg . . ."

"But I don't mean any more to you than the rest of them. Any more to you than Lucy did."

"Hold it right there."

"I'm such an idiot. That kiss meant so much to me. I let it mean so much." She gave a harsh laugh that was mainly a sob, no longer certain which of them she was most angry with. "And the way you wanted me to stay at your house . . . Everybody was so worried about that, but if it had happened, they'd have killed themselves covering for you. You knew that."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing." But he wouldn't meet her eyes.

She took in his strong, clean profile. "Just the sight of you made me feel like dancing," she whispered. "I've never loved a man like I love you. Never imagined the kind of feelings I have for you."

His mouth twisted and his eyes darkened with pain. "Meg, I care. Don't think I don't care. You're- You're wonderful. You make me . . ."

He paused, searching for a word, and she sneered at him through her tears. "Do I make your heart sing? Do I make you feel like dancing?"

"You're upset. You-" 

"My love is hot!" The words burst from her. "It's a burning thing. It boils and churns and runs deep and strong. But all your emotions are cool and spare. You stand on the sidelines where you don't have to sweat too much. That's why you wanted to marry Lucy. It was neat. It was logical. Well, I'm not neat. I'm messy and wild and disruptive, and you have broken my heart."

With a clap of thunder, the rain began to fall. His face twisted. "Don't say that. You're upset."

He tried to reach out to her, but she jerked away. "Get out of here. Leave me alone."

"Not like this."

"Exactly like this. Because you only want what's best for people. And right now what's best for me is to be alone."

The rain was falling more heavily now. She could see his internal scales working away. Weighing the pros and cons. Wanting to do the right thing. Always do the right thing. That's how he was made. And by letting him see how much he'd hurt her, she couldn't have hurt him more.

A crack of lightning split the air. He pulled her up the steps and beneath the overhang above the church doors. She jerked away. "Leave! Can't you at least do that?"

"Please, Meg. We'll sort this out. We just need a little time." He tried to touch her face, but when she flinched, he let his arm drop to his side. "You're upset. And I understand. Later tonight, we'll-"

"No. Not tonight." Not tomorrow. Not ever.

"Listen to me. Please . . . I have meetings all day tomorrow with Spence and his people, but tomorrow night, we'll . . . We'll have dinner at my house where there won't be any interruptions. Just the two of us. We'll both have had time to think about all this, and we can talk it through."

"Right. Time to think. That's going to fix everything."

"Be fair, Meg. This has come out of nowhere. Promise me," he said roughly. "Unless you promise to meet me tomorrow night, I'm not going anywhere."

"All right," she said woodenly. "I promise."

"Meg . . ."

Once again he tried to touch her, and once again she resisted. "Just go. Please. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

He studied her for so long she didn't think he'd leave. But eventually he did, and she stood at the top of the church stairs, watching him drive away in the rain.

When he was out of sight, she did what she hadn't been able to do before. She walked around the side of the church and broke a window. A single pane she could reach through to unfasten the latch. Then she shoved the window open and climbed into her dusty, empty sanctuary.

He expected her to meet him tomorrow night for a calm, logical discussion about her unrequited love. She'd promised him.