little broader in the chest.” She held her hands apart.
“Those aren’t the only places I’ve grown since adolescence.” With one leg braced straight and the other on the footrail of the lunch counter, he gave the sense of someone relaxed yet ready to manage anything thrown at him. “If you’re measuring.”
He spoke of personal growth, personality, depth of character, of course. Still she found herself struggling against the powerful urge to glance at his jeans.
He put the chicken leg down and began lazily to lick his fingertips. “But then not many of us look the way we did at seventeen.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. She wondered if she suddenly sucked her tummy, would he catch her at it and tease her? Instead of risking it, she went on. “You were a scrawny, snot-nosed kid then. Who wants that? Now you’re a man, a real man with a real man’s needs and appetites.”
“True enough, Rita.” His dark eyes glittered,and his smile—if you could call that slow, smirky tilt of his lips an authentic smile—never faltered. “True enough.”
She felt a perfect fool. All her blustering the past few days, all the speeches she had made to herself about how she would stay in control and not let him rattle her, and she had not lasted through their first lunch before blurting out something dumb. “All right, you win. Clean your plate. Take your notes. We’ll go over them tomorrow, then you can be on your way.”
“With the satisfaction of having done my good deed for the decade and not having had to spend more than a single night in Hellon.” He said it in an undertone, like a commentator filling in what Rita had kindly left unspoken.
“I didn’t say—”
“But that’s what you thought, and we both know it. Despite my efforts on your behalf, Rita, you don’t really think any more highly of me than you did six years ago when you told me off.”
“Eat the last biscuit, too. No sense in its going to waste.”
He took the biscuit in one hand and turned it over once, then again. “You’re the one who insisted you wanted things uncomplicated. Well, this is about as simple as it gets. I make my recommendations and a list of people who will give you a break on costs. If you choose to follow through, you follow through. If you don’t…”
You’re a damned fool . It always came down to that with her and Wild Billy, didn’t it? He wascool and sexually smoldering. He said and did all the right things. She was cautious and a little too lumpy to have inspired lust even in her own husband.
“If I don’t follow through on your suggestions, you’ll never know the difference.” She smiled at him. “So why make an issue of it now? Do what you came to do, then tomorrow we will go over your ideas, I’ll thank you as sincerely as I can, we’ll shake hands, and say—”
“I hope you’re happy!” The front door banged open and Jillie stood in the threshold, her hands on her hips. “Because now the shit has really hit the fan!”
Chapter 4
E VERY D IXIE B ELLE H AS H EARD :
Only an untrained hound sinks his teeth in a decoy. The harder you try to fool people into thinking you’re on the high road, the more down and dirty the gossip is going to get.
“First rule of life in a small town.” Jillie pointed her finger at his face and walked into the Palace, a diva taking center stage. “When you are up to something you don’t want absolutely everybody to know about, you should never, never, never park your car in a place where just anyone can come along and clap their eyes on it.”
“I’d have thought you of all people would know that.” Rita went up on tiptoe to peer out the front window, then lowered her lashes to nail him with a glance over her shoulder.
Will wasn’t looking at her eyes or her shoulders. “I’ve never been one to hide my light under a bushel. I thought the two of you would know that.”
Jillie snorted.
Rita didn’t say a word, though her lips partedin a way
“Those aren’t the only places I’ve grown since adolescence.” With one leg braced straight and the other on the footrail of the lunch counter, he gave the sense of someone relaxed yet ready to manage anything thrown at him. “If you’re measuring.”
He spoke of personal growth, personality, depth of character, of course. Still she found herself struggling against the powerful urge to glance at his jeans.
He put the chicken leg down and began lazily to lick his fingertips. “But then not many of us look the way we did at seventeen.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. She wondered if she suddenly sucked her tummy, would he catch her at it and tease her? Instead of risking it, she went on. “You were a scrawny, snot-nosed kid then. Who wants that? Now you’re a man, a real man with a real man’s needs and appetites.”
“True enough, Rita.” His dark eyes glittered,and his smile—if you could call that slow, smirky tilt of his lips an authentic smile—never faltered. “True enough.”
She felt a perfect fool. All her blustering the past few days, all the speeches she had made to herself about how she would stay in control and not let him rattle her, and she had not lasted through their first lunch before blurting out something dumb. “All right, you win. Clean your plate. Take your notes. We’ll go over them tomorrow, then you can be on your way.”
“With the satisfaction of having done my good deed for the decade and not having had to spend more than a single night in Hellon.” He said it in an undertone, like a commentator filling in what Rita had kindly left unspoken.
“I didn’t say—”
“But that’s what you thought, and we both know it. Despite my efforts on your behalf, Rita, you don’t really think any more highly of me than you did six years ago when you told me off.”
“Eat the last biscuit, too. No sense in its going to waste.”
He took the biscuit in one hand and turned it over once, then again. “You’re the one who insisted you wanted things uncomplicated. Well, this is about as simple as it gets. I make my recommendations and a list of people who will give you a break on costs. If you choose to follow through, you follow through. If you don’t…”
You’re a damned fool . It always came down to that with her and Wild Billy, didn’t it? He wascool and sexually smoldering. He said and did all the right things. She was cautious and a little too lumpy to have inspired lust even in her own husband.
“If I don’t follow through on your suggestions, you’ll never know the difference.” She smiled at him. “So why make an issue of it now? Do what you came to do, then tomorrow we will go over your ideas, I’ll thank you as sincerely as I can, we’ll shake hands, and say—”
“I hope you’re happy!” The front door banged open and Jillie stood in the threshold, her hands on her hips. “Because now the shit has really hit the fan!”
Chapter 4
E VERY D IXIE B ELLE H AS H EARD :
Only an untrained hound sinks his teeth in a decoy. The harder you try to fool people into thinking you’re on the high road, the more down and dirty the gossip is going to get.
“First rule of life in a small town.” Jillie pointed her finger at his face and walked into the Palace, a diva taking center stage. “When you are up to something you don’t want absolutely everybody to know about, you should never, never, never park your car in a place where just anyone can come along and clap their eyes on it.”
“I’d have thought you of all people would know that.” Rita went up on tiptoe to peer out the front window, then lowered her lashes to nail him with a glance over her shoulder.
Will wasn’t looking at her eyes or her shoulders. “I’ve never been one to hide my light under a bushel. I thought the two of you would know that.”
Jillie snorted.
Rita didn’t say a word, though her lips partedin a way
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