Logan's scrutiny.

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief. Soon she would be alone, away from those condemning gray eyes. As Cody rose, she rose, too, and wished him a good night. Then she turned to Mr. Logan, prepared to see him leaving, too, but he wasn't. He was just sitting there. Staring. She gritted her teeth again. Now what was he up to?

Seeking support, she glanced over to the corner where Candace had been sitting but found her chair empty. How long had the woman been gone? Felicity could not remember anything past the time Candace got up to poke the fire. Had Mr. Logan told her to leave? Had he planned for them to be alone? He was certainly doing his best to get rid of Cody.

What was he going to do? Was he going to try to kiss her again? And if he did, what should she do? Felicity swallowed with effort as she realized the question really was what would she do? She knew instinctively he would not force himself on her. If she struggled, he'd let her go as he had before. If she screamed, Candace could hear her out in her little cabin behind the house or Cody would come running from the bunkhouse. The problem was, she didn't think she wanted to scream or struggle or resist at all. Panic welled up in her, stretching her nerves taut until they seemed to hum in her ears.

Josh studied her face, easily reading her anxiety. That would work in his favor. Of course, he didn't plan to propose or anything, not just yet. He'd feel her out on the subject a little first, see what her initial reaction was to the idea. If she was too eager, he'd back off, knowing she only had designs on the wealth and security marriage to him would bring.

He briefly considered the possibility that she might refuse him completely, but then dismissed it. What other choice did she have, after all? She needed wealth and security. He could give her what she had never had: a home. That seemed more than a reasonable exchange for what she would give him in return.

When Cody had gone, Felicity remained standing for a long moment, hoping against hope that Mr. Logan would take the hint and leave, too. But he didn't, so then she thought about simply going off to bed herself, except she felt uncomfortable at the idea of going to her bedroom with him watching her. He wasn't going to leave, that much was certain, she realized at last.

Resignedly, she seated herself on the settee once again, smoothing her skirts perhaps a little more than absolutely necessary. "I think you'll be very pleased with the photographs I took today," she said to break the uncomfortable silence.

Well, that was as good a subject as any, Josh decided, playing along. "I'm sure I will," he replied. "You seem to know quite a bit about photography."

"My father was a good teacher," she said, sadness clouding the blue of her eyes for a moment.

Josh hadn't intended to dredge up unpleasant memories, but on the other hand, it was a perfect opening. "Have you given any more thought to where you're going to go and what you're going to do?" he asked with what he hoped was appropriate concern.

Felicity eyed him warily, not quite trusting his concern. "There really isn't all that much to think about, is there? I mean, I don't know anyone except you…" Mortified, Felicity stared at him, feeling the heat burning her cheeks. She hadn't meant to say that. Now he would think… What would he think?

Josh watched the gingham tighten briefly over her breasts and then forced his gaze back to her reddening face. A little disturbed over her response, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Was it possible she was not as innocent as she appeared? Could she have set this whole thing up to trap him? "You know that you can't stay here," he said, testing her.

"Oh yes," she quickly agreed, eager to correct the impression she had given.

"Truth to tell, the fact that you've been here several days already, unchaperoned, looks pretty bad," he continued, leaning back in his chair to watch the effect of his words.

Felicity's eyes widened. She had not considered this possibility. Of course, no one around here knew her, so she really had no reputation to tarnish. But if she stayed in the area, this could ruin her. "I… I didn't realize…"

Josh relaxed. She seemed genuinely upset. If she had designs on him, she would now be demanding that he give her the protection of his name. Instead, she was shocked by the magnitude of her problem. All he had to do was solve it for her. "There is one way you could stay here and everything would be completely proper," he remarked.

"What?" she asked absently, preoccupied with her predicament.

"If you were a married woman, living here with your husband, then nobody would think twice about it," Josh pointed out reasonably, liking the way he had phrased it, making it sound as if he might have been marrying her off to anyone except himself.

Felicity stared at him in complete surprise. To whom was he planning to marry her off? He couldn't possibly think she was interested in any of the men. Or maybe he did. He might think she liked Cody more than a little from the way she had let the boy help her today. That would explain why Mr. Logan had been watching them so closely all evening. For some reason she did not fully understand, she did not want Mr. Logan to think she liked Cody. "But there's nobody on the ranch I want to marry," she explained quickly, knowing even as she spoke that it was a lie. There was one man she would consider, but of course, he would never…

"There isn't?" Josh asked. Either she was a very good actress or else she had really not considered the possibility of marrying him. The thought should have pleased him, but it did not. Perversely, he felt annoyed. "What about me?" he demanded.

Felicity stared at him in surprise. He was teasing her. He had to be. This was all some great, ugly joke. Unfortunately,

Felicity did not feel like laughing. "Don't be silly," she said faintly.

Josh stood up, slowly and deliberately. "Why is it silly?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips in silent challenge. This wasn't at all the reaction he had expected from her. She didn't even seem to consider him a viable candidate.

If he could see himself at this moment, Felicity thought, he wouldn't even need to ask why the idea was ridiculous. Standing there like a conquering general in the midst of his fine home, a bearskin rug (which he no doubt had bagged himself) stretched out at his feet, his silver hair gleaming in the firelight and his handsome face twisted into a frown, he was just about the last man on earth whom anyone would pair up with little Felicity Storm. She didn't want to say all that, though. Casting about in her mind, she came up with a more practical-sounding reason. "Well, you're a little old for me."

"Old?" he repeated, completely puzzled and not even certain he had understood her correctly. How could she possibly think he was too old for her? There couldn't be more than ten years difference in their ages, and on the frontier even a difference of twenty years or more wasn't considered excessive. For a moment he thought she must be grasping at straws, but one look at those guileless blue eyes convinced him otherwise. Her objection was perfectly sincere. Another, very unsettling, thought occurred to him. "Just how old do you think I am?" he inquired.

Felicity thought this an odd question and certainly one she was loath to answer. No one liked to have his age guessed incorrectly, as Felicity knew from bitter personal experience, and she had no definite concept of his age. But she also knew that he was going to insist on an answer. She studied his face. He wasn't as old as her father had been, because he didn't have nearly as many wrinkles, but she also knew he must be pretty close to her father's age because of his white hair. She swallowed and ventured, "Forty?"