she could admit
he
sure was nice to look at. Strong profile. Expressive eyes.
He’d been so nice to Gina, too.
That was the reason she found him somewhat attractive, right? A man who’s good to your kid—even if he did think you’d make a lousy wife to his best friend—made him appear more good-looking than he really was. Kind of put a golden glow around him. Besides, merely finding someone—anyone—attractive didn’t mean there was an actual
attraction
there.
Still conscious of his proximity, she refocused on the arena, reminding herself this was the man who’d single-handedly managed to keep her from honoring her husband with a museum exhibit by summer’s end. The man who’d done hisbest to talk Keith out of marrying her. Who’d shortchanged them out of who knows how many months they could have shared before her husband’s death. Who’d cheated her of an opportunity to make things turn out differently.
Very differently.
“Say something to him.” Devon’s voice again tickled her ear and Sandi shifted to get away from her. Bumped against Bryce. He looked over at her, and her face warmed again.
Please, Lord, get me out of this.
Bryce leaned toward her bright-eyed daughter. “Would you like a hot dog? Popcorn? Snow cone?”
Gina twisted to face her. “Can I, Mom?”
“Okay. But only one thing.”
“Snow cone! Grape.”
Gina beamed at Bryce, and Sandi’s gaze once again met his, caught off-guard by the kindness in his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You want anything?”
Yes. To be a million miles from here.
She shook her head, and he nodded toward Devon. “How about you? Anything you want?”
She could almost hear the inappropriate thoughts simmering in Devon’s head, but Keith’s sister smiled primly. “A Coke, please.”
He nodded, placed his hat on the seat next to Sandi and headed to the concession stand.
Thank You, Lord.
She gave Gina a grateful hug. Then cast a dirty look at the smirking Devon.
Chapter Six
M an, it had gotten warm in there.
All those people breathing the same air. Crammed in so close.
Sandi snuggling in even closer.
Bryce pulled a handkerchief from a back pocket and wiped his forehead as he waited for his order at the concession. He’d had to get out of there, at least for a while.
“Hello, Bryce.”
He turned to an auburn-haired woman, Cate Landreth, who’d been behind him in school. He’d run into her and her husband a time or two since returning to town. She always seemed friendly enough, but he hadn’t much taken to her.
“I see you’re with Sandi Bradshaw tonight.”
He wasn’t
with
Sandi, but he supposed it looked like that, with her sitting all cozied up next to him, her daughter in her lap. Like a threesome. But there wasn’t any point in explaining all that to someone he didn’t know well.
“I’ve always said she’s a mighty bright gal.” Cate darted a look at him, as if she knew a secret she was dying to share. “This proves it.”
Was he missing something here? “How’s that?”
“The museum rent.” She stared at him as though he was thicker than a stand of old-growth ponderosa. “Tourist feessure ain’t going to make up the difference. Everybody knows it, but Sandi’s not one to give up, God bless her. And we sure would hate to lose the museum.” She winked. “
Uncle
Bryce.”
The woman laughed, gave him a wave and sauntered off.
What was she implying? That Sandi planned to butter him up? Intended to use her feminine wiles to talk him out of the rent increase? Was that what tonight was all about? She’d managed to hone in on his location in the midst of hundreds of people with all the accuracy of a GPS. Then all the furtive looks, distracting movements, sweet blushes. Had she coached her daughter to keep calling him Uncle Bryce, too?
He should have known.
Hadn’t he learned anything at all from Keith’s involvement with the manipulative little minx? If he didn’t watch it, he’d be falling off the
he
sure was nice to look at. Strong profile. Expressive eyes.
He’d been so nice to Gina, too.
That was the reason she found him somewhat attractive, right? A man who’s good to your kid—even if he did think you’d make a lousy wife to his best friend—made him appear more good-looking than he really was. Kind of put a golden glow around him. Besides, merely finding someone—anyone—attractive didn’t mean there was an actual
attraction
there.
Still conscious of his proximity, she refocused on the arena, reminding herself this was the man who’d single-handedly managed to keep her from honoring her husband with a museum exhibit by summer’s end. The man who’d done hisbest to talk Keith out of marrying her. Who’d shortchanged them out of who knows how many months they could have shared before her husband’s death. Who’d cheated her of an opportunity to make things turn out differently.
Very differently.
“Say something to him.” Devon’s voice again tickled her ear and Sandi shifted to get away from her. Bumped against Bryce. He looked over at her, and her face warmed again.
Please, Lord, get me out of this.
Bryce leaned toward her bright-eyed daughter. “Would you like a hot dog? Popcorn? Snow cone?”
Gina twisted to face her. “Can I, Mom?”
“Okay. But only one thing.”
“Snow cone! Grape.”
Gina beamed at Bryce, and Sandi’s gaze once again met his, caught off-guard by the kindness in his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You want anything?”
Yes. To be a million miles from here.
She shook her head, and he nodded toward Devon. “How about you? Anything you want?”
She could almost hear the inappropriate thoughts simmering in Devon’s head, but Keith’s sister smiled primly. “A Coke, please.”
He nodded, placed his hat on the seat next to Sandi and headed to the concession stand.
Thank You, Lord.
She gave Gina a grateful hug. Then cast a dirty look at the smirking Devon.
Chapter Six
M an, it had gotten warm in there.
All those people breathing the same air. Crammed in so close.
Sandi snuggling in even closer.
Bryce pulled a handkerchief from a back pocket and wiped his forehead as he waited for his order at the concession. He’d had to get out of there, at least for a while.
“Hello, Bryce.”
He turned to an auburn-haired woman, Cate Landreth, who’d been behind him in school. He’d run into her and her husband a time or two since returning to town. She always seemed friendly enough, but he hadn’t much taken to her.
“I see you’re with Sandi Bradshaw tonight.”
He wasn’t
with
Sandi, but he supposed it looked like that, with her sitting all cozied up next to him, her daughter in her lap. Like a threesome. But there wasn’t any point in explaining all that to someone he didn’t know well.
“I’ve always said she’s a mighty bright gal.” Cate darted a look at him, as if she knew a secret she was dying to share. “This proves it.”
Was he missing something here? “How’s that?”
“The museum rent.” She stared at him as though he was thicker than a stand of old-growth ponderosa. “Tourist feessure ain’t going to make up the difference. Everybody knows it, but Sandi’s not one to give up, God bless her. And we sure would hate to lose the museum.” She winked. “
Uncle
Bryce.”
The woman laughed, gave him a wave and sauntered off.
What was she implying? That Sandi planned to butter him up? Intended to use her feminine wiles to talk him out of the rent increase? Was that what tonight was all about? She’d managed to hone in on his location in the midst of hundreds of people with all the accuracy of a GPS. Then all the furtive looks, distracting movements, sweet blushes. Had she coached her daughter to keep calling him Uncle Bryce, too?
He should have known.
Hadn’t he learned anything at all from Keith’s involvement with the manipulative little minx? If he didn’t watch it, he’d be falling off the
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