She felt her cheeks redden, and she longed to strike out at him.
“Take care!” he suggested lightly.
“I have one sister,” she snapped out, her lashes lowered as she self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, very aware now of both her nakedness and her vulnerability.
“No other family?”
“My parents are dead. I—” She broke off, fighting her temper and her unease. She stared at him and spoke as softly as she could manage and with all the dignity she could gather underthe circumstances. “It is very important to me. Please, I need to bring her out here.”
He wouldn’t deny her such a thing, would he?
But he shook his head. “A hundred dollars is much more than her journey here is going to cost her.”
Skylar lowered her lashes again. “We—we have a few accounts that must be settled.”
She looked at him. He seemed to accept that yet still seemed somewhat amazed and puzzled by what he was hearing.
“You needn’t think that my sister will be a burden to you. She won’t be. She won’t bother you. Or get in your way. I swear it?—”
He lifted a hand. “Had you wished to bring half a dozen sisters into this house, I wouldn’t have been bothered. Fm merely having a difficult time understanding you. All that you want is to send your sister money to come live out here. Have I got this right?” he demanded.
She nodded. It was mostly the truth.
“You little fool. Why didn’t you just come right out and ask me? You could have saved yourself…this evening.”
“You mean?—”
“I’ll see that the money is wired first thing in the morning.”
“Oh …” she breathed. “I don’t want to trouble you. If you just give me the legal right, I can take care of everything. I don’t want to ruin your trip or delay it.”
“The trip you’re so concerned about me taking, right?” he demanded dryly.
“I understand it’s important to you?—”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then I wouldn’t want to interfere.”
He watched her gravely, then smiled wryly, but there was little humor in his eyes.
“You’re the most incredible little liar.”
“Damn you, I’m not lying,” she inhaled, fighting back her temper, hating to acknowledge gratitude toward him in any way. “I’m grateful that you’ll send for Sabrina, and I don’t mean to delay something that’s important to you. And speak of incredible liars! How you could ever fault me after the performance you put on when you pretended to attack the stagecoach—well, you’ve incredible gall!”
“Perhaps. But you’ll understand if I find it difficult to trust you. I’ll see that the arrangements are made.”
She started to speak again, but he interrupted her. “I’ll also see to it that you have a reasonable sum of money for personal expenses.”
“I don’t really want your money,” she said uncomfortably. “I just—needed it.”
“Women always need money, don’t they?”
“Not necessarily. Not usually. I wouldn’t have taken anything from you if…”
“If you hadn’t felt that you had to?”
She refused to meet his eyes.
