First Impressions

she arranged more wood on the coals before she went to the kitchen.
    “About time,” Vance said coolly as she walked in. “There’s nothing I hate more than having food get cold.”
    Shane shot him a look. “How inconsiderate of me.”
    After setting the bowls back on the table, Vance shrugged. “Well, no harm done,” he told her in a forgiving tone. His eyes brimmed with amusement as Shane sat. “Coffee?”
    “Not yours,” she said witheringly. “It’s terrible.”
    “I suppose if someone really cared, they’d see to it that I had decent coffee in the morning.”
    “You’re right.” Shane lifted her spoon. “I’ll buy you a percolater.” Grinning, she began to eat. The soup was hot and tangy, causing her to close her eyes in appreciation. “Good grief, I’m starving!”
    “You should know better than to miss meals,” Vance commented before applying himself to the meal. He quickly discovered he was famished.
    “It was worth it.” Shane shot him another grin. “The Sheridan I bought is fabulous.” When he only lifted a brow, she chuckled. “Then I had intended to have an early dinner . . . but I was distracted.”
    Vance reached over to take her hand. Gently, he lifted it to his lips, then bit her knuckle. “Ow!” Shane snatched her hand away as he picked up his sandwich. “I didn’t say it wasn’t an enjoyable distraction,” she added after a moment. “Even if you did make me furious.”
    “The feeling was mutual,” he assured her mildly.
    “At least I control my temper,” she said primly. She eyed him coolly as he choked over his soup. “I
wanted
to punch you,” she explained. “Hard.”
    “Again the feeling was mutual.”
    “You’re not a gentleman,” she accused with her mouth full.
    “Good God, no,” he agreed. For a moment, he hesitated, wanting to choose his words carefully. “Shane, will you hold off for a little while on that dining room set?”
    “Vance,” she began, but he took her hand again.
    “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t have interfered. I love you.”
    Shane stirred her soup, frowning down at it. She didn’t want to tell him how pressing her bills were. In the first place, she had every confidence that between her current stock and the small amount of capital she had left, she could straighten out her finances. And more, she simply didn’t want to heap her problems on him.
    “I know you did what you did because you cared,” she began slowly. “I appreciate that, really. But it’s important to me to make the shop work.” She lifted her eyes now to meet the frown in his. “I didn’t fail as a teacher, but I didn’t succeed either. I have to make a go of this.”
    “By selling the one tangible thing you have left of your grandmother’s?” Immediately, he saw he had hit a nerve. He tightened his fingers around hers. “Shane . . .”
    “No. It is hard for me. I won’t pretend it isn’t.” Wearily, she let out a long breath. “I’m not basically a practical person, but in this case I have to be. I have no place to keep that set, and it’s very valuable. The money it’ll bring into the shop will keep me going for quite a while. And more than that . . .” She broke off with a little shake of her head. “If you can understand, it’s more difficult for me having it there, knowing it has to be sold, than if it were already done.”
    “Let me buy it. I could—”
    “No!”
    “Shane, listen to me.”
    “
No!
” Pulling her hand from his, she rose to lean against the sink. For a moment she stared hard out the window at the trees splattered with moonlight. “Please, it’s very sweet of you, but I couldn’t allow it.”
    Frustrated, Vance rose, taking her shoulders, he drew Shane back against him. And how, he wondered, was he going to begin to explain? “Shane, you don’t understand. I can’t bear watching you hurting, watching you work so hard when I could—”
    “Please, Vance.” Shane turned to him. Though her eyes were dry, they were eloquent. “I’m doing what I have to do, and what I want.” She took his hands tightly in hers. “It’s not that I don’t love you even more for wanting to help. I do.”
    “Then let me help,” he began. “If it’s just a matter of the money right now—”
    “It wouldn’t make any difference if you were a millionaire,” she said, giving him a little shake. “I’d still say no.”
    Not knowing whether to laugh or swear, Vance pulled her against him. “Stubborn little