By The Sheikh's Command. Debbi Rawlins

went up, and she couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused.

      She didn’t care. She’d said her piece and she wasn’t sorry. “Now, if you will excuse me…”

      He touched her arm when she started to turn away. “Answer one question first.”

      “Okay,” she said slowly. “If I can.”

      “Why would you not want to go to this dance in town?”

      She lifted her chin. “You were listening?”

      “I overheard. There is a difference.”

      Amusement and not annoyance had been on his face, she decided. The look was still there. Condescending, almost paternal. She had a good mind to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him so hard he’d never think of her as a child again.

      The mere idea stole her breath. She could no more do something like that than ride bareback in a rodeo. Heck, she still had trouble staying in a saddle. Lots of dogs and cats roamed her New Hampshire neighborhood. No horses.

      Texas was a whole new world to her.

      So was Rafe.

      She swallowed hard at the way he stared into her eyes as if he could read her every thought. “I really have to get back to work.”

      “Then I will assist you.”

      That startled a laugh out of her. “You? Work?”

      Anger flared briefly in his eyes. “The idea surprises you?”

      “Well, you couldn’t even get your own breakfast.” She bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t said that.

      “Ah, how do you know that was not a ploy to assure myself of your company?”

      She blinked. “Huh?”

      He laughed, and his whole face changed. “Perhaps I am not the man of leisure you assume.”

      “I didn’t assume any such thing. Allie told me how much you do for Munir.”

      “Ah, but you think I am ignorant of the mundane tasks of life.”

      “Well…” Bri thought about Allie’s first attempts at manual labor and she had to stifle a laugh. “Actually, yes, I do.”

      His features tightened. “Your honesty is admirable.”

      “Not that I’m being critical. There’s been no need for you or Allie to do things for yourselves.”

      “While I was at the university, you would be surprised at what I learned to do for myself.” One side of his mouth lifted and made her wonder what exactly he meant. “Allie did not go away to school and as a result became very pampered.”

      “But she’s not anymore. She does a lot around here to help. Heck, before long Cord won’t need—” She gasped, horrified at what she was about to say.

      Quickly, she turned back to sorting the bits. She’d already lost count of the bridles. After an hour she’d accomplished nothing. If she couldn’t be useful in the business end of the ranch, no one would need her.

      When Rafe remained silent for too long, she finally slid him a glance. And wished she hadn’t. The sympathy she saw in his eyes made her ill.

      “Brianna.” He took her hand and she was too stunned to pull away. “Just because a man takes a wife does not mean he does not need his sister.”

      “You don’t understand.” She looked down at the toes of her tennis shoes, trying to gather her thoughts, willing herself not to say anything foolish.

      He stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumb, and her breath caught. “I understand that you mean a great deal to Cord.”

      She met his eyes, and pulled her hand away. “You don’t know him. You can’t say that.”

      “Ah, but I am only repeating something he told me.”

      “I don’t believe you.”

      He smiled. “He also said you were shy, but he neglected to mention refreshingly honest.”

      This conversation was not helping. In fact, hurt seeped into the fear. Just how intimately had Cord discussed her with Rafe?

      As if reading her mind, Rafe sobered. “Your brother spoke of you only in terms of a warning to me.”

      “A warning?”

      “I told him how extraordinarily beautiful you are and he told me to…” His dark brows drew together in a puzzled frown. “The saying escapes me. Ah, I believe the term he used was ‘hands off.”’

      Bri’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Rafe thought she was beautiful. How was that possible? And then she blinked. “Cord said what?”

      “Do not look so troubled. He is your brother, your patron. As we discussed earlier, of course he would defend you.”

      Bri shook her head. No sense trying to get through either of their thick, chauvinistic skulls. And then she drew in her lower lip, wondering what Rafe’s response had been. Not that she’d ask him. Not in a million years.

      “I have an idea.” He took her hand again.

      She gave him a cautious look.

      “Go to the Desert Rose with me.”

      The heat from his palm pressed to hers traveled up her arm and went straight to her belly. “Why?”

      “To watch Mac Coleman train the two new colts. I believe one of them is Rising Star.”

      No fair. He knew she had a special fondness for the scrawny colt. Although the way Rafe rubbed the inside of her wrist again was an even more persuasive argument. “You forget I have work to do.”

      “It will still be here.”

      She hesitated, afraid to meet his eyes.

      “Hey, Bri. I almost forgot to ask—”

      At the sound of Chuck’s voice, she gave a guilty start and tried to jerk her hand away. Rafe held firm.

      Chuck stared at them, obviously startled himself, and then his gaze fell to their clasped hands and his lips thinned.

      “Sorry,” he muttered in a sarcastic voice. “Didn’t mean to crash the party.”

      With a firm tug, Bri withdrew her hand. She was embarrassed. No getting around it, but she’d be damned if she’d let Chuck get away with acting like a two-year-old and give her that accusatory glare. “You wanted something?” Amazingly her voice didn’t crack.

      He glowered at Rafe and then gave her a wounded look. “Never mind.”

      “Chuck, come on. You didn’t interrupt, and you obviously wanted something.”

      “It’s personal,” Chuck said, darting Rafe a sour glance. “I’ll talk to you later.”

      Rafe didn’t offer to leave but stood there, looking bored and impatient, which really annoyed her. In fact, both men annoyed her.

      “Fine, then if you’ll both get out of my hair, I can finish this inventory.”

      Rafe frowned, his displeasure clear. “I thought we had a date.”

      Her gaze immediately went to Chuck, whose eyes had narrowed in contempt. “To watch Mac train over at the Desert Rose? I’d hardly call that a date.”

      “Afterward, I will take you to lunch,” he said as if the matter was settled, and then reached for her hand again.

      She had just enough wits about her to jerk away, but words failed her. What the heck was he doing? The whole bunkhouse would be gossiping about them by dinnertime. She couldn’t bear the thought. Enough of her life had been hurt by rumors and whispers. All that talk about how she was unwanted, a bastard child…