"A man talks wild when the woman he's with only misses death by a hair's breath." Sara's lips upturned at the corners in a slow smile--a smile that was neither mocking, nor tender, nor chiding, but an exquisite blending of all three.

She caught her breath quickly--Trent could hear its soft sibilance.

Then she spoke.
"Will you marry me, please, Garth ?" He drew back from her, violently, his underlip hard bitten.

At last, after a long silence-- "No!" he burst out harshly.

"No! I can't!" For an instant she was shaken.