Hitched! Page 14

  He had the name, but he sure as hell didn’t have the game. In that instant, he admitted he wanted the game—and her. She might not be one of those glamorous creatures he was accustomed to, but what she had was infinitely more important: a caring heart and a beautiful soul. If he hadn’t already realized that, the sad story of her early life would have convinced him.

  Covering her hand with his, he guided the spoon to his mouth, taking what she offered. Even before he swallowed, he knew he’d made a mistake. Choking, he backed away, feeling as if flames were shooting from the top of his head. His face must be beet red; his mouth sure as hell was on fire.

  “Rand!” Alarmed, Max grabbed his arm. “Are you all right?”

  “Water!” he croaked. “Beer! Something!”

  “Oh, gosh—”

  He didn’t know where she got the cup of water, but he downed it gratefully. Eyes tearing, he spotted Joe Bob on the sidelines, looking pleased.

  “Doggone you, Joe Bob! What did you put in that stuff?”

  “Just the usual. Possum gizzards, rattlesnake and imported tomatoes. Guess I didn’t stir it well, though, ’cause all the chili peppers went to the bottom. Sorry, Randy, but at least the little lady didn’t get bushwhacked.” He raised his voice. “All right, folks, line up over there. We’re about to start serving. Anyone wants to can sample the world’s greatest chili, but I got another pot a’ that stuff for the sissies.”

  He led the way around the end of the wagon toward the barbecue pits.

  Rand, over the worst of it, sucked in a deep shuddering breath. He’d never tasted anything so hot in his entire life. How had Max done it?

  She smiled. “That was nice of you.”

  “What was nice of me?”

  “Giving Joe Bob and the dudes the reaction they wanted. I didn’t realize until the second or third bite that I’d goofed up. If I’d been thinking—but you did great.”

  “Max, I wasn’t being nice. I nearly did myself in with that one bite. How did you stand it? How could you shovel that stuff in without a quiver?”

  “Because I liked it.” She grinned impishly. “The chili peppers didn’t worry me—it was the possum and rattlesnake. See, my mom’s boyfriends used to, uh, come and go, and a couple of them were Mexicans who liked to cook. I can even chew those mean little peppers without blinking. That’s also how I learned Spanish.”

  The ingenuous way she made her explanation stunned him. So did the life she’d led. “Maxine Taggart,” he said, “you’re one in a million.” When he linked her name with his, her eyes went wide, but she didn’t say anything. “C’mon, let’s go find something we can both eat.”

  With his arm around her waist, they strolled toward the barbecue pits. Her body felt firm, yet yielding, and somehow he found himself speculating on how it would look beyond the few brief and guilty glimpses he’d already had.

  “ATTENTION! Attention, y’all!” Joe Bob waved his arms until everyone glanced up from their plates of ribs, coleslaw, tortillas and chili. “I gotta few announcements to make before we move on to the dancin’.”

  “Speak up, Joe Bob!” one of the dudes yelled from the back of the crowd. “We don’t want to miss a word!”

  “You won’t, don’t worry.” Joe Bob’s voice carried clearly. “First of all, I have a little announcement for my guests. The hayride will start at six tomorrow, not seven like we said before. The day after that will be dude day at the Hells Bells Low Life Saloon for y’all who want a taste of the Old West.”

  A smattering of applause greeted this announcement. Maxi thought that Joe Bob must be a great dude rancher, because all the dudes seemed to be crazy about the man.

  “Guess that’s about it—”

  “Hold on, Joe Bob.” Donna climbed up beside him on the bench. “I’ve got an announcement myself.”

  Joe Bob blinked. “Okay, honey. Say your piece.”

  Donna grinned. “I just thought everybody would like to know that we have honeymooners with us tonight.”

  Maxi’s stomach clenched into a hard knot of dismay. Donna was just about to enlarge the conspiracy.

  “Randy and Maxine Taggart, come on up here.”

  Rand chuckled. Leaning forward, he whispered one word into her ear: “Sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Licking her lips, Maxi rose, Rand with her. At the bench, she turned to face the crowd, clinging to his hand.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Donna said, “Randy’s folks were pioneers in this area and a lot of us have watched him grow up. We’ve been waiting a long time for him to pick a bride. Now he has, and as we all saw, he didn’t pick a sissy! Maxine may be from Chicago, but I think she must have been a Texan in another life, judging by the way she handled that chili.”

  Enthusiastic applause greeted this announcement. Even Jesse and Meg seemed to approve.

  “Let’s give the newlyweds a big round of applause. May they have as many years of happiness as Randy’s folks have had.”

  Surrounded by smiling well-wishers, Rand turned Maxi to face him. His warm expression gave her a little start. Then he drew her into his arms, lowered his head and kissed her.

  A gentle kiss that still managed to send shock waves to buckle her knees. Leaning against his firm chest, she reveled in the possessiveness of his lips. The sounds of the crowd disappeared and she stood alone with Rand in an embrace that felt more like prologue than epilogue.

  He lifted his head and she opened dazed eyes. Over his shoulder, she saw Joe Bob grinning like a Cheshire cat. Her cheeks burned with private embarrassment. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, fighting the realization that the kiss hadn’t been phony, as it should have been. It had been real.

  Too real. What was happening here?

  “LET’S GO HOME, Jesse.”

  He’d been talking to Joe Bob and one of the dudes, a dignified older gentleman who was a retired stockbroker from Chicago. He looked up with a quick smile for her.

  “Sure, honey.” He straightened away from the large rock where he’d leaned a booted foot. “How about Clemmie?”

  “She’ll come later with Randy and Maxine.”

  “That’s good.” He tipped his Stetson. “Thanks for the invite, Joe Bob. Good meetin’ you, Chester.”

  “See you later, J.J.”

  “Do you mind?” Meg asked while they crossed the grassy meadow toward the graveled parking lot.

  “If I did, I’d have said so.” He slipped his hand beneath her elbow as if he wanted her as close as possible.

  She gave him a grateful glance. “I love you, Jesse,” she said, the words coming from the very depths of her heart. “I’ve always loved you.”

  “I love you, too, honey.” He held the door to the pickup truck for her. Once behind the steering wheel, he went on. “That guy Chester was telling me about this big scandal going on in Chicago. Seems Randy’s old college roommate, Bill Overton, is mixed up in it. You remember Bill, don’t you?”

  “How could I forget? He was a natural-born con man. I never could understand why Rand put up with him.”

  “Yeah, well, apparently Bill bilked investors in that company he inherited out of millions. I’m just glad he and Randy didn’t keep up their friendship.”

  “Not that we know of, anyway.”

  He gave her a sharp glance, his movement illuminated by moon glow. “Yeah. Randy’s got enough problems without that.”

  “Meaning what?” She couldn’t help the way her voice rose to a challenging note. Jesse had always been too hard on their son.

  “Meaning that if he’s really married to that girl—”

  “You doubt even that? Jesse, she showed me the marriage license.”

  “Even so…” He drove for a few minutes in silence and then he burst out, “If he’s really married, he’d better grow up and settle down. He wants the Rocking T, but what for?” He answered his own question. “To sell, that’s what for. He wants the money, Meggie. That’s all.”

  “I don’t think
so,” she argued, although it wasn’t really true. “You said yourself that he seems to really care for Maxine.” She laughed ruefully. “God, you’re as ambivalent about this marriage as I am. I just have to hope Maxine likes the ranch, because if she does…”

  His laughter sounded indulgent. “You’ve always made excuses for him. Give me one good reason to believe that a rich kid from Boston and a poor girl from Chicago have a prayer of making a go of marriage.”

  “Don’t put me on the defensive,” she said. She thought about that for a minute…and then she knew she had him. “Here’s a good reason,” she said. “Think back to a rich girl from Boston and a country boy from Texas. Jesse, the odds we faced were at least as long as theirs. You were living out the male fantasy of the cowboy—a self-sufficient loner pursued by crowds of women. I never actually believed that any woman would ever become indispensable to you…even me.”

  “And you wouldn’t settle for anything less,” he said softly. Pulling into the ranch yard, he killed the engine. “Remember another night when we came home from one of Joe Bob’s dude barbecues?”

  “Yes. Oh, yes. I tried to run away from you that night….”

  “But not very far or fast. I caught you on the steps…picked you up and kissed you. What happened then was inevitable because I loved you so damn much. None of our problems meant a damn thing at that moment.”

  “I hope Randy and Maxine feel that way about each other.”

  “So do I, but I’m not holdin’ my breath.”

  “I am. We made love that night, Jesse, for the first time in years. But even then, you never told me that you loved me. That was what I wanted to hear.”

  “I hurt you and I’m sorry. I was a stubborn cuss back then. Now I know better.” Twisting in the seat, he cupped her chin. “Meggie, I love you and I’m about to show you how much.”

  “Promises, promises….”

  Promises kept.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A SMILING MAXINE smoothed escaping tendrils of hair away from her flushed face. “I can’t believe square dancing is so much fun!” she exclaimed. “You might have told me, Rand.”

  Clementine looked curiously from Maxine to her brother and back again. The two had danced every dance, undisturbed now that everyone knew they were newlyweds. They’d done the fast dances and the dreamy slow dances, completely satisfied with their own little world.

  Clementine had danced, too, with Shane and several others. But she’d been here and done this many times and had never found the simple pleasure Maxine seemed to have discovered.

  Still…

  There was something funny about Maxine, funny-strange as opposed to funny-haha. And something vaguely familiar, if Clementine could only place it. Had they met before? But Maxine had said she’d never been in Texas, where Clementine had spent most of her life.

  Enough with the speculation; she had a mission. “Rand,” she said, “I hate to interrupt, but Joe Bob’s lookin’ to talk to you.”

  Rand frowned. “What for?”

  “He didn’t say. He’s over there cleaning up the chuck wagon.” Clementine pointed.

  Rand turned to Maxine. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not.” Her smile was warm.

  “I’ll be right back, then.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  He walked away and Clementine seized the opportunity to say, “Maxine, this is going to sound silly but I have the strongest feeling we’ve met.”

  Instantly the dreamy expression on Maxine’s face disappeared, to be replaced with…could that be caution?

  “Really? I suppose anything is possible, but I don’t think I’d have forgotten you, Clementine. Your name alone is unusual enough to stick with a person.”

  Clementine chuckled; she’d heard variations of that all her life. “I know, there’s no real reason for me to feel this way, but I do—and very strongly.”

  “I guess I have a common face. Lots of people tell me that.”

  “Your face isn’t common at all,” Clementine protested. They’d begun to drift toward the chuck wagon on an oblique route. “In fact…” She narrowed her eyes and surveyed her new sister-in-law. “You’ve actually got a lot of assets, even if most of them are hidden.”

  Maxine gave a self-conscious shrug. “Thanks, but I am what I am.”

  A peal of laughter burst from Clementine’s lips. “That’s ridiculous. No woman is what she is. We all invent and reinvent ourselves until we’re satisfied.”

  “I’m satisfied.” Maxine didn’t look amused.

  “Really? I don’t want to offend you or anything…” Which under the circumstances, might be inevitable, but for her brother’s sake Clemmie must go on. “With a little help you could be…really pretty.” She added quickly, “Not that you’re not pretty now. You are. But—”

  “Oh, Clementine! I’m happy as I am.”

  “But you’ve got such great skin and wonderful cheekbones. Do you have to wear those glasses?”

  “Only if I want to see.”

  “Contacts, then. Your eyes are beautiful. We could—”

  “You’re a wonderful sister-in-law,” Maxine cut in, “and I love you for wanting to help me out. But really, I’m happy as I am and Rand isn’t complaining, so could we just drop it?”

  Rand wasn’t complaining yet, Clementine thought dourly. Then a new possibility thrust itself upon her. What if Rand really did love Maxine just the way she was? After all the actresses and models and socialites he’d dated, that would be a miracle in itself.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to offend you, as I said when I lifted my foot in preparation for stuffing it in my mouth. You’re right. If you and Rand are happy, I should butt out. So on that note of contrition, I will.”

  With a penitent smile, Clementine turned away. When was she going to learn to mind her own business?

  THAT’S A RELIEF, Maxi thought, watching Clemmie walk away. Violet’s Advantage was aimed right at women Clemmie’s age—and men, of course, who liked looking at the pictures and buying overpriced little nothings for their wives and significant others. And Maxi’s photos had been prominently featured in it for several years now.

  No wonder Clementine was stricken with déjà vu. She’d probably seen Maxi’s picture a hundred times.

  Maxi turned back toward the chuck wagon just in time to see Joe Bob reach into his pocket and pull out a wad of bills. Without counting it, he handed the whole thing to Rand.

  Rand, looking earnest, said something; Joe Bob shook his head vigorously and walked away. The entire exchange took only a few seconds.

  What in the world?

  Rand met her halfway. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so. Uh, what did Joe Bob want? Anything important?”

  “No. We were just catching up on a few things since the last time I was here.”

  “I see.”

  The music began again, produced by three guys in cowboy clothes with guitar, violin and drums. Rand took her hand.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  All her pleasure in this event seemed to have evaporated; the combination of Rand and money tended to do that to her. “I think I’d like to leave,” she said.

  His face filled with quick concern. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. I…suppose I’ve just had enough fun for one night.”

  “Okay. Let’s go find Clemmie.”

  “You go, Rand. I think I’d like a glass of water. I’ll meet you at the car in a few minutes.”

  “All right.” But his expression was no longer easy and relaxed.

  After he’d gone, she made a beeline for the door through which Joe Bob had disappeared. It turned out to be the door to the kitchen, where he stood by a counter with a fork in his hand, eating coleslaw out of the serving bowl.

  When Maxi entered, he jumped guiltily. “Lord, I thought it was Donna,” he said with relief. “She’d kill me if she saw me eatin’ this stuff. Ho
w’s it goin’, Max? You havin’ a good time?”

  “Wonderful.” Until recently. “I wanted to thank you for inviting us.”

  “You’re leavin’?” He put down his fork.

  “Yes.” She licked her lips. “I wonder if you could answer a question for me?”

  “Shore ’nuff.”

  “Why did you just give Rand all that money?”

  Joe Bob stared. “What’re you talkin’ about, darlin’? All what money?”

  “All that money you just handed him over by the chuck wagon.”

  He shifted uneasily on his shiny snakeskin boots. His already-ruddy complexion turned even redder. “You’re mistaken, you surely are.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  “What you think you saw, which you didn’t. If you want to make points with old Joe Bob, you’ll forget all about…what you didn’t see—and you sure won’t say a word to Donna.”

  For a moment she considered the embarrassed and unhappy man. “Joe Bob,” she said, trying again, “I’d really like to know—”

  “There you are.”

  The door swung open and Rand entered. He took one look at Joe Bob, then turned to Maxi with a frown. “What’s going on?”

  “Joe Bob and I were just—”

  “Nothin’,” Joe Bob cut her off. “She was just sayin’ her goodbyes. Sorry you have to go, Randy. Hope to see you again before you pull outa town.” He added hastily, “You, too, Maxine. Now I gotta get back to the party.”

  He was gone. There was nothing else to be done about the money exchange unless she wanted to ask Rand point-blank. But if he lied to her…

  “Clemmie’s waiting at the car,” he said, taking her elbow. “Anything wrong?”

  “No. Nothing’s wrong.”

  That she could do anything about at the moment, anyway.

  CLEMENTINE CHATTERED all the way back to the house. Rand was glad. Max was unnaturally quiet and he had no idea why.

  She’d enjoyed the evening; he was sure of it. The food, the dudes, the dancing—she hadn’t held back at all. Especially when they’d danced…

  He could still feel the imprint of her body against his. It had almost been like making love on the dance floor.