The Perfect Couple

“No kidding.” Kara blew on the coffee, then took a cautious sip. Her eyes widened. “Wow. You weren't kidding when you described this stuff. I'll bet it keeps you awake all night if you drink much of it.”

“It's decaf,” he countered. “Don't change the subject.”

Eyes lowered, she sensed him studying her, waiting to see if she'd answer at all, let alone be truthful. She looked up as she said, “I came because Susan wanted me to do the honors, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Tyler's brow furrowed.

“In case you got mad.” Kara faced him squarely, surprised that she wasn't nearly as jumpy as usual, considering the gist of their conversation.

“What difference would that make to Susan?”

“Well…” Kara hesitated, taking time to chose her words carefully. “She didn't want to do anything that might adversely affect Mark's position with you, so she—”

Tyler got to his feet so quickly his coffee sloshed. He set the mug aside. “Whoa. Hold it a minute, lady. Do you mean to tell me that you and your sister think I'd be dumb enough to fire the best foreman I've ever had, just because his wife and sister-in-law happen to drive me nuts on a regular basis?”

“Well…”

He muttered under his breath. “You do have a pretty low opinion of me, don't you?”

“No. It's not like that at all,” Kara insisted. Their pleasant conversation had deteriorated so rapidly she felt she'd better try to say or do something that would reverse the negative trend, if only for Susan's sake. Rising, she cautiously stepped over the resting pup.

Tyler folded his arms across his chest and remained resolute as she approached. “Oh? Then how is it?”

“It's a long story.” Kara willed him to understand and hoped she wasn't making a mistake by confiding in him. “Susan and I come from a wonderful family, really we do. It's just that our father had a pretty short temper, sometimes. He yelled a lot. Especially when I was a teen. Susan used to intervene on my behalf all the time.”

Tyler's frown deepened. “What's that got to do with me?”

“Nothing, directly. But we've discussed it more than once and decided that may be the reason she and I tend to avoid unpleasant confrontations whenever possible.”

“I see.”

Kara could tell by the leery look in his eyes and his standoffish posture that he didn't see a thing. That didn't surprise her. None of her friends had ever believed that her dad could be a monster when he lost his temper, either. His company-face was unblemished. Outsiders had never seen him behave irrationally or heard him shout at his family until he was hoarse, so why should they believe the wild tales of an uptight teenager?

And then, heaven help her, she'd married a man just like him. She'd been searching for someone who was kind and gentle, who loved animals as much as she did, and she'd been totally fooled into thinking Alex Shepherd was the perfect choice. She shivered. What irony.

Taking a deep, settling breath Kara managed a nonchalant smile as she turned her back on Tyler and started for the door. “Well, thanks for the coffee. I have to be going.”

He opened his mouth to ask her to stay longer, then changed his mind. Having a normal chat with this woman was impossible. Every time he decided she was intrinsically antisocial, she came up with some revealing tidbit that tugged at his heart so strongly he was tempted to take her in his arms and offer comfort.

His breath caught. Now that would be a mistake to end all mistakes. Half the time, Kara was as prickly as a porcupine. Yet she could also be as gentle, as vulnerable, as a doe. With his luck, he'd give in and decide to hug her just about the time she stuck her quills up!

Following her to the door, he found he was smiling at the analogy.

Kara caught him grinning. “What's so funny?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About me?”

“Sort of.”

“I don't want to know more, do I?” she asked wisely.

“Probably not.”

“I didn't think so.” She extended her hand. “Thanks for agreeing to take Roady. He really is a sweet-natured little guy. I'm sure he and Buster will get along fine.”

Instead of shaking her hand, Tyler opened the door and stood back. “I'm only keeping the dog until he's healed up.”

“Of course.” Kara felt like cheering! By the time she got around to removing the cast, Road Kill would be so much a part of Tyler Corbett's life he'd beg her to let the puppy stay. Naturally, she'd have to give in and allow it.

Stifling a triumphant smile, she hurried to her car, climbed in and drove away. Things were going to work out fine as long as Susan didn't interfere and try to “help.” The Corbett ranch was the perfect place for a rambunctious pup, and having a canine companion might give old Buster a new lease on life, too.

Kara's smile turned wistful. What a lovely, tender scene she'd beheld when she'd first entered Tyler's living room. The elderly, yellow Lab was as much a permanent fixture in the casually furnished ranch house as the soft, leather sofa he'd claimed as his own. Clearly, he was a well-loved member of the family.

Tears began to cloud her vision. Disgusted, she blinked them back. What was the matter with her? The mercy mission had gone well. Roady had a good home with a loving man who'd watch over him and care about him. So why get emotional now? Why, indeed?

Suddenly, Kara realized what was bothering her. The concept wasn't rational, nor could she explain what had caused her to make such a ridiculous comparison. Only one thing was certain. In spite of her aversion to marriage and commitment, she envied the dogs. They'd found unconditional love. And someone they could always trust.

It didn't matter that their master was Tyler Corbett. The important thing was they truly belonged.

For the first time in months, Kara dreaded Sunday. She wasn't about to let anything keep her out of church, she just wasn't keen on running into Tyler there. To be on the safe side, she'd spent the two days since her visit to his ranch rehearsing a series of nonchalant comments to use in case they happened to come face-to-face.

Knowing that the Corbetts and their friends usually sat together in the third and fourth rows, Kara took a seat near the rear of the old stone church, greeting fellow worshipers with a demure smile.

This was the church she'd attended before her marriage. Afterward, Alex had insisted they didn't need to worship in a small, country church that didn't offer him much opportunity to further his practice by impressing wealthy, local ranchers with his intellect and supposed piety. Kara never had been able to make him understand how at home and peaceful she felt when she sat quietly in that little church and allowed the Lord to fill her heart with His love. She sighed. Words couldn't describe how good it felt to be back.

The day had promised to be warm so she'd wound her long hair into a twist and fastened it up with a large, tortoiseshell clip that matched the muted colors of her softly draped, rayon print dress. She was smoothing her skirt when all of a sudden her sense of peace vanished.

Wisps of hair on the back of her neck tickled, prickled and would have stood on end if they hadn't been so long. She tensed. It wasn't necessary to look over her shoulder to know what was wrong. Tyler Corbett had arrived. She could feel his presence.

The broad-shouldered man passed right by Kara as he made his way forward, down the center aisle. On his arm was a slim, blond-haired lady. Kara raised one eyebrow. Well, well. And who might this be? She wasn't surprised that she didn't recognize the woman. Since she'd only recently begun attending this church again, there were many people she didn't know, or faces she couldn't place.

What did bother Kara, however, was the unexpected twinge of jealousy when Tyler and his companion had walked by. What a silly response! Why should she care who he was with?

Susan slid into the pew next to her and nudged her gently. “Scoot over, will you? Mark's coming as soon as he parks the car. I was afraid we'd be late so I had him let me off at the door. One of the horses picked last night to foal and we were up half the night.”

“Why didn't you call me?” Kara whispered. “You know I'd have come out to help.”

Susan made a face. “I thought of that. Mark said no. It seems Tyler wasn't too pleased when you dropped by the other day.”

“That's your fault.” Kara wasn't about to back down. “You talked me into doing it. I wanted you to take the puppy to him in the first place.”

“I know. My mistake.” She shielded her mouth with one cupped hand and leaned closer. “What did you say to the man, anyway? Mark says he's been a real pill ever since you were out there.”

Shrugging, Kara was at a loss. “I don't know. We just talked. Made polite conversation. The usual.” She remembered her confession about their father's bad temper but could see no connection between that and Tyler's mood. “He seemed okay when I left.” A sly smile lit her face. “Of course, I did foist an injured dog on him. Maybe that's what's bothering him.”

“Maybe.” Susan slid closer as her husband joined them. “And maybe he's just naturally mean-spirited.”