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“I’ve already said it. Never mind. The point is I will try to give you a little space. Just don’t make me regret it. I have a lot of resources and I will use them to find you, so save yourself the trouble.”
He’d taken half a dozen steps, almost made it to safety, when she called out to him. He turned back.
“What?” he asked, noting the confusion in her eyes.
“Are you saying that kiss yesterday...” Her gaze locked on his. “Did it mean something?”
Rafe couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. Her words were too close to an invitation, way too close to a dare, or maybe he’d just been searching a little too desperately for any excuse at all to do it again.
“I don’t know,” he said nonchalantly. He walked slowly back to her. “Only one way to find out.”
Alarm flared in her eyes just as he bent down and lightly touched his mouth to hers. He could have stopped with that. He should have. But her soft little moan, the way she swayed toward him, they were too much. The next thing he knew she was in his arms and he was devouring her mouth.
The morning had been unseasonably cool up until then, but now the temperature shot up until it felt hotter than it had under the blazing sun on his walk back into town the day before. His heart pounded and his body turned hard, even as hers went pliant, molding to his in a way that left him shaken and her trembling.
His breathing was ragged when he finally pulled away. “I guess we have our answer,” he murmured, his voice husky.
She stared back at him with dazed eyes. “Answer?”
“That kiss definitely meant something.”
“What did it mean?”
He took a step back before he replied. “Trouble,” he said quietly. “It was definitely trouble.”
* * *
Trouble? Gina echoed to herself after Rafe had wisely walked away. It wasn’t just trouble. It was a disaster. If he’d asked, she would have followed him straight to the nearest bed without giving it a second thought. She would have slept with a man who wanted to put her in jail.
Okay, maybe he was beginning to cut her a little slack, but he definitely didn’t trust her, not the way a man ought to trust a woman he was making love to. Of course, that kiss had been all about lust, not love. Gina supposed a man—or a woman—could have spectacular sex with somebody without worrying too much about such niceties as trust. Personally, she’d never tried it. She’d had one serious relationship in Italy, but since coming back to the United States, she’d barely had time to date, much less get involved with a man deeply enough to think about letting him into her bed. And her relationship with Carlo had taught her all about the dangers of dating a suspicious man. His lack of trust, his constant accusations that she was deceiving him had destroyed them.
Now, in just a few short days, Rafe had stirred her hormones to such a fever pitch that she was willing to toss aside everything she valued for a quick romp with yet another man who didn’t believe in her.
“I saw what Rose Ellen meant,” Gina’s mother said quietly, slipping up beside Gina and putting an arm around her waist.
“You saw?”
“Oh, yes. So did your father.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t go for his shotgun.”
“I think he might have, if you’d shown even the tiniest hint of displeasure.”
Gina regarded her mother with a wry look. “Well, that certainly didn’t happen, did it?”
Her mother chuckled. “No, which begs the question, what is your relationship with Rafe O’Donnell?”
“I wish I knew,” Gina said plaintively. “It’s...it’s confusing.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, Mom, but I’ll tell you everything when I get it sorted out. I promise.”
“If you want your father to run him off, he will, you know.”
Gina grinned. “I know, and believe me, the thought holds a certain appeal.” She uttered a sigh of resignation. “But Rafe would just come back again.”
“Your father was a persistent man, too,” Jane said, looking nostalgic.
“Did you ever try to shake him?”
“For a while,” she said, then grinned. “But my heart was never in it. Is your heart really in getting rid of Rafe once and for all?”
“Apparently not,” Gina said. In fact, she was beginning to look forward to having him pop up when she least expected it. As for those devastating kisses, she was pretty sure she was becoming addicted.
5
Rafe had expected to be back in New York by Monday. Unfortunately, Gina showed every sign of sticking to her guns and staying in Winding River for a full two weeks. He’d hoped that his pestering would eventually wear her down, but she was clearly stubborn. Maybe that trait was also the reason she hadn’t given in to the inevitable and shuttered Café Tuscany already.
He had been true to his word on Sunday. He’d steered clear of her, though he hadn’t been able to resist taking a stroll through the park where the reunion attendees were gathered for their picnic. Gina had been playing baseball at the time, looking more carefree than she had since arriving in Wyoming. He regretted being the one responsible for putting a perpetual frown on her face, the worry lines between her eyes, but he had a job to do, whether he liked it or not.
Since it looked like he was stuck here, he had no choice but to call his office and have his appointments shifted to other partners or postponed until his return.
Even as he dialed, he was dreading the third degree he was likely to get from his meddlesome secretary.
“Have you made contact yet?” Lydia asked in an undertone, as if he were on some sort of secret mission.
“Yes, I have ‘made contact,’” Rafe said impatiently. “How are things on that end? Any word from the investigator on Rinaldi’s whereabouts?”
“Nothing. Charlie Flynn says the man has vanished. He’s probably basking in the sun on a beach in the Cayman Islands by now.”
“Entirely possible,” Rafe agreed. “What’s the deal on the restaurant? Have you been by there?”
“It was operating at full capacity last night. I checked it myself. Gina’s assistant has everything running smoothly. The veal piccata was as superb as ever.”
“Did I pay for your dinner?”
“No, but now that you mention it, that’s a very good idea. After all, it seems I was spying for you.”
“If that’s what you were doing, you must not be very good at it. You’re not giving me anything I can use, Lydia.”
“Because there’s nothing to pass along. All I can say is that it’s a shame that jerk’s actions might bankrupt the place.”
“Is the word out about Bobby skipping town?”
“It wasn’t in any of the society columns, and Deidre, that’s Gina’s assistant, acted as if everything were perfectly normal. If there was any buzz about their problems, I certainly didn’t hear it.” She hesitated, then said, “You know, if you just stopped bugging her, I think Gina could keep the place open and pay back all the money Bobby stole. Not that she should have to, if you ask me, but I suppose somebody is obligated to make good on the investors’ losses. Why not at least give her a chance?”
“If she’s guilty of conspiring with her partner—”
“She’s not,” Lydia retorted, cutting him off. “I wish you’d just use that supposedly stellar gut instinct of yours where she’s concerned. Have you spent a single minute with her? If you had, you’d know she’s no thief.”
Maybe not, Rafe thought, but he refused to give his know-it-all secretary the satisfaction of admitting that just yet. Then there was the very intriguing question of how Gina was keeping the place afloat on her own. Assuming she wasn’t involved in the scam—which he still considered to be a sizable leap—she had to be hurting financially.
Then again, Lauren Winters probably had very deep pockets. Even though Gina had insisted she wasn’t going to burden her friends with her problems, maybe she had lied. Maybe Lauren was quietly bailing her friend out of her financial difficulties. Rafe wondered if he owed the actress a warning about what a risky venture she’d be getting into. Unfortunately, based on past experience, he had a hunch she wouldn’t take the news well and that she’d manage to turn him into the bad guy.
“Lydia, cancel my appointments for the next two weeks. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”
“You’re staying?” she asked, sounding more pleased than shocked. “Why?”
“Because Gina is staying.”
“How are you and Gina getting along?”
“Let’s just say nobody’s likely to nominate us for couple of the year.” He tried to keep the regret out of his voice when he said it.
Apparently he’d succeeded, because Lydia sighed heavily. “Then you’re an even bigger fool than I thought you were,” she said. “Romantically speaking, of course.”
“Of course,” he said wryly. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“You’ve been doing it for seven years. I should be used to it,” she said with weary resignation. “But I keep holding out hope that one of these days you’ll come to your senses, find a woman who can put up with you and settle down.”
She paused, then added, “Now would be a good time, Rafe. You’re not getting any younger, and you could do a whole lot worse than Gina Petrillo.”
“So you’ve mentioned—more than once, as a matter of fact.”
“It bears repeating,” she said. “Bye, boss.”
“Goodbye, Lydia. Hopefully they’ll appreciate your humor in the unemployment line.”
“Your threats don’t bother me.”
“I know. I know. All those bodies,” he said and hung up. If only he could find a few of the skeletons in her closet. A woman as cheeky as Lydia was bound to have dozens of them.
* * *
If he was going to stay in Winding River, Rafe couldn’t keep wearing the same clothes, especially since the only dry cleaner in town seemed to have a quirky disregard for customer service. Whoever owned the business apparently opened when he felt like it. If he had regular hours, they weren’t posted, and Rafe had yet to see the lights on in the business.
The only clothing store in town offered Western wear. Rafe resigned himself to a new wardrobe of jeans he’d rarely have the opportunity to wear once he got back to New York. His closet was filled with practical suits and three tuxedos for all of the charity events he was duty-bound to attend because his partners’ wives served on the boards and the fund-raising committees.
He left the hotel, walked down Main Street and was about to go into the clothing store when he spotted Emma Rogers accompanied by a little girl, who looked as if she might be about six. Emma frowned when she saw him.
“Still here, Mr. O’Donnell?” Emma asked, her tone not especially friendly. “I thought you’d be long gone by now.”
“I’m afraid my business is taking longer than I’d hoped.”
Her gaze narrowed. “What exactly is your business?”
Before he could respond, Gina came darting out of the café across the street and pointedly got between them. Ignoring the two adults, she hunkered down to give the little girl a hug.
“Caitlyn Rogers, you are getting so big I hardly recognized you. How old are you now? Ten?”
The child giggled. “No, Aunt Gina, I’m only six.”
“I can’t believe it.” She leaned closer. “I think Stella has your pancakes on the griddle. Do you want to run on over there so you can get them while they’re hot?”
Caitlyn looked up at her mother. “Is it okay?”
Emma regarded Gina with amusement, then turned her attention to her daughter. “Go,” she said. When the little girl would have darted straight across the street, Emma reached out and caught her. “Hey, what do we do before crossing the street, even here in Winding River?”
Caitlyn regarded her guiltily. “Look both ways,” she said, then dutifully did just that.
“Okay then, now you can go.”
All three of them watched the child’s progress, then Gina beamed at Emma. “We should join her.”
“In a minute,” Emma said. “Rafe was just about to explain why he’s still in town.”
Gina gave him a sharp look. “Was he really?”
He grinned. “Emma was certainly hopeful that I might. In all honesty, I was heading for the store to buy some clothes.”
“You don’t look like a man who wears a lot of jeans,” Emma said. “In fact, if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say you usually wear thousand-dollar suits. I recognize the type. I go up against them in court every day. In fact, again if I were guessing, I’d say you’re either a lawyer or a stockbroker, Mr. O’Donnell. Which is it? Or are my instincts totally wrong?”
Rafe looked to Gina for some sense of what she expected him to do under the circumstances. She sighed.
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes, he’s a lawyer,” she said with no attempt to hide her exasperation. “Now that we know you have razor-sharp instincts, Emma, can we please go get some breakfast? I’m starved.”
“Not until we clear up one more thing,” Emma said, her gaze locked with Rafe’s. “Why are you hassling Gina?”
“Maybe I’m just a suitor who won’t take no for an answer,” he said, enjoying the flash of indignation in Gina’s eyes. Apparently she liked that explanation even less than the truth.
Emma’s gaze turned to Gina. “Is he?”
“He’s the most annoying man I know,” Gina said with heartfelt sincerity. “And that is all I intend to say on the subject.” She latched on to Emma’s arm. “Let’s go.”
This time her friend allowed herself to be led away, but not before pointedly meeting Rafe’s gaze. “I’m keeping an eye on you,” she warned.
Emma and half the rest of the people in Winding River, Rafe thought with resignation. Would a thief inspire that kind of protectiveness and loyalty? He needed to ask more questions about Gina, but doing so would stir up a real hornet’s nest. She might never forgive him for unfairly dragging her friends and family into this, and for reasons he didn’t care to examine too closely, that bothered him way more than it should.
* * *
“So, I was telling Mommy that I think we should live here forever and ever,” Caitlyn told Gina, her eyes shining. “Grandpa has already gotten me my own horse.”
“Grandpa ought to know better,” Emma grumbled under her breath, then smiled at her daughter. “Darling, we live in Denver. You’d miss all your friends if we moved here.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Caitlyn insisted. “I already have a lot of friends here.” Her expression brightened. “And I have cousins here. I don’t have any cousins in Denver.”
“She’s got you there,” Gina said, grinning.
“Oh, stay out of it,” Emma snapped. “I don’t see you moving back to Winding River.”
“You never know,” Gina said. Of course, if Rafe was successful in his attempts to make her part of Bobby’s scam, she might be in jail instead, but it was seeming more and more likely that she was going to have to leave New York once this mess was straightened out. Customers could be fickle. If Café Tuscany’s reputation was tarnished, they would stay away in droves. Any chance she might have of paying off the old debts would vanish.
She sighed, then realized that Emma was staring at her with a shocked expression. “What?” she asked.
“You aren’t seriously considering coming back here to live, are you?” Emma asked. “I thought you had your dream job in your dream city.”
“I do, but things could change.”
“Does this have something to do with Rafe?”
Gina nodded. “Let it alone, though, Emma. You have enough on your plate without me dumping my worries on you.”
“Hey, we’re friends. Friends can always share their troubles with each other.”
“Then why don’t you tell me why you’re wound tighter than a string on Pete Sampras’s tennis racket?”
“Too much work, too little time,” Emma said succinctly.
“Mommy is never, ever home,” Caitlyn said. “She works really, really hard.”
Emma winced at the matter-of-fact assessment by her six-year-old. “It’s going to get better, baby. I promise.”
Gina studied her worriedly. “When? I know you’re thinking about taking on a big case here with Sue Ellen. How much time will you have if you’re commuting between here and Denver?”
“I’ll manage,” Emma said tightly.
“And Caitlyn?” Gina persisted gently. “Will she manage, too?”
“Look, I’m doing the best I can, Gina, okay?” Emma stood up. “I have to get over to the jail. Will you take Caitlyn back to my mom’s?”
“Of course,” Gina said at once. She winked at the little girl. “But only if she’ll go to the toy store with me first. What do you think, Caitlyn? Want to help me pick out some toys?”
Caitlyn bounced up and down on the vinyl seat of the booth excitedly. “Who’re you buying toys for, Aunt Gina? Do you have kids at home?”
“Nope.” She grinned. “I guess if we find something really, really special, I’ll have to give it to you.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Emma shook her head, looking amused. “You’re going to spoil her.”
“That’s what an honorary aunt is supposed to do, right, Caitlyn?”
“Uh-huh,” the little girl said solemnly.
“Okay then, have fun, you two.” Emma kissed Caitlyn on the forehead. “See you later, sweet pea.”
“Bye, Mommy,” Caitlyn replied distractedly. “Aunt Gina, I was thinking. There’s this really, really neat Barbie I’ve been wanting. Do you think maybe the toy store has it?”
“If it doesn’t, we’ll go find ourselves a computer and look for it online.”
Caitlyn bounded out of her seat. “I’m ready. Are you?”
Gina drank her last sip of coffee, then joined the eager child. Truthfully, she was almost as enthusiastic as Caitlyn. Henderson Toys had been one of her favorite places as a child. She would save up her allowance for a whole month, then go into the store with her mother and walk up and down the crowded aisles studying the dolls and the trains and the board games before making her selection.
Sometimes, between the cost of an item and indecision, it was several months before she made a purchase. One memorable year, she bought a miniature stove, in which she could actually bake cookies, albeit very tiny ones. Her excitement over that purchase should probably have been a clue about the direction her life was likely to take.
Back on the street, they ran into Rafe standing outside of Henderson’s, his gaze locked on an elaborate train display in the window. The expression on his face was surprisingly wistful for a man whose every boyhood whim had probably been fulfilled.
Caitlyn slipped up beside him, her gaze every bit as fascinated as his. “It’s a really cool train, isn’t it?”
Surprised, he glanced down at her, then grinned. “It sure is. Do you like trains?”
Caitlyn nodded. “But I like dolls better. Aunt Gina is going to buy me a Barbie if they have the one I want.”
Rafe’s gaze shifted until it met Gina’s reflected in the window. “Is that so?”
“It’s not an expensive toy,” Gina said defensively.
He frowned at her. “Did I suggest it was?”
“No. Never mind. Come on, Caitlyn. Let’s see if they have the doll you want.”
The little girl gazed up at Rafe. “You can come, too, if you want,” she said politely. “I’ll bet they have lots more trains inside.”
“Maybe I will take a look,” Rafe said, ignoring the frown Gina directed at him.
Inside, Nell Henderson rushed out from behind the counter to give Gina a hug. “And this is your family,” she enthused. “How lovely that you’ve brought them in.”
“Actually, this is Emma’s daughter, Caitlyn. You remember Emma, don’t you?”
“Well, of course. The two of you were in here often enough, right along with Cassie, Lauren and Karen.” She beamed at Rafe. “They were some of my best customers, at least until they discovered boys. Then I lost them to the cosmetics counter over at the drugstore.”
“I can’t imagine why,” Rafe said. “They’re all beautiful enough without makeup.”
Nell chuckled. “Oh, honey, you have found yourself a jewel.”
“Rafe and I are not married,” Gina said irritably. “We’re not involved. We’re not anything.”
That threw the older woman for little more than a heartbeat. “Well then, you should work on changing that. A gallant man is a rarity these days. You should hang on to him if you’re lucky enough to find one.”
“Something to keep in mind,” Rafe said, regarding her with amusement.
Bored with the adult conversation, Caitlyn wandered over to the dolls. She was back in seconds, clutching a Barbie in a fancy ball gown.
“This is the one I’ve been wanting and wanting,” she announced to Gina.
Gina hunkered down beside her. “She is beautiful,” she agreed. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
Caitlyn’s head bobbed, then she cast a shy look at Rafe. “What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful?”
But Rafe’s gaze was locked on Gina, not the doll, when he murmured, “Yes, she certainly is.”
Gina’s cheeks burned. “I thought you wanted to look at the trains,” she grumbled.
“I’ll come with you,” Caitlyn offered, tucking her hand into Rafe’s. “I’ve been here before. I can show you where they are.”
Gina watched the two of them disappear at the end of the aisle, then sighed. When she looked up, Nell Henderson was grinning.
“Can’t say that I blame you for sighing over that one. If I were thirty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.”
“There is nothing between Rafe and me,” Gina repeated very firmly.
Nell shook her head. “Then that’s a real pity, especially since the man looks at you as if you were the most fascinating creature he’s ever come across. I haven’t seen a look like that since the night my Herbie, God rest his soul, swept me off my feet.”
Gina recalled belatedly that Herb Henderson had died just over a year ago. “You must miss him,” she said sympathetically.
“Every day of my life,” Nell agreed. “But I have my memories. That’s something you ought to think about. Grab as many memories as you can, Gina. They’re what carry you through during the difficult times. Otherwise, all you’ll have are regrets. You don’t want the last two words you whisper on your deathbed to be if only.”
Gina heard Caitlyn’s giggle, then Rafe’s lower rumble of laughter. They were sweet sounds. She was already regretting that she had no claim to Rafe or to any family of her own, for that matter. Lately, she’d had no time to think about any future outside of Café Tuscany. With the restaurant’s fate so much in doubt, she was forced to face the fact that without it her life would be unbearably empty.
She gave Nell’s hand a squeeze, then went after Caitlyn and Rafe. She found them both watching an intricate labyrinth of miniature train tracks as half a dozen tiny engines sped around them on what appeared certain to be a collision course. But of course it wasn’t. At the last second Rafe touched the controls and switched the tracks, sending the various trains safely past each other.
“Do you collect trains?” Gina asked him.
He shook his head and shut down those on the display. “Never had one.”
“Why not? It’s obvious you want one.”
“As a kid, there were better uses for our money. Now I don’t have the time to fiddle with a hobby.”
“You know what they say about all work and no play, don’t you?”
He regarded her seriously. “That it gets the job done?”
She groaned. “No, that it makes for a very dull guy.”
A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. “You think I’m boring?”
She knew exactly how he intended to prove otherwise, and a part of her wanted him to demonstrate, but there was Caitlyn to consider, and Nell. “Not boring, just limited. Under other circumstances, I might be tempted to try to change that.”
“Oh? How?”
“Let me think about it,” she said. “Maybe one of these days I’ll give you a list of my recommendations. Will you pay any attention to them?”
“I might,” he said solemnly. “What would my reward be?”
“More fun,” she said at once.
He grinned. “You’ll have to provide more incentive than that.”