Kitabı oku: «Montana Fever»

One

Giving her hair a pat, Lola Fanon smiled at herself in the mirror over the sink in the small bathroom of her store. She really liked her new style. Her almost black hair had always been long, at least shoulder-length, and this short but sophisticated cut was a major change.

But she relished change, she thought with another smile. Her reflection seemed to agree. Her green eyes shone with a dancing excitement, precisely the way she felt inside. The store had been open for only three months and was already proving to be a smart decision. And the Lord knew that Lola Fanon, world traveler, settling down—back in her hometown yet—and opening a men’s clothing store, was definitely a change.

In her mind this innovation was permanent, though. She had finally seen enough of the world and had gotten very lonesome for home. Lonesome for Rocky Ford, Montana, and for her family. It was great to be back, great to be living under her Uncle Charlie’s roof again, and it was especially gratifying to be the owner of a business.

Humming under her breath, Lola took her purse and left the little bathroom. Betty Drake, one of her part-time employees, was at the counter ringing up a sale. Lola darted into her office at the back of the store, deposited her purse in a desk drawer, then returned to the main part of the store to walk among the merchandise, her eye attuned to anything out of order. Betty was chatting with her customer—she knew almost everyone who came in—and Lola began straightening the stacks of jeans on the twenty-percent markdown table which the customer had obviously gone through quite thoroughly.

The man left with his packages. The two women smiled at each other as Betty came around the counter. “Good sale. He bought three pairs of jeans and two shirts.”

“Great,” Lola said. Betty was a wife and mother, and her hours were from an eight o’clock opening until 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, as she wanted to be free when her three children got home from school. Lola’s help in the afternoons and on Saturdays—the store was closed Sundays—consisted of high school kids, who were proving to be very good help. Lola got along with all of her part-time employees, but she especially enjoyed Betty, who was only a few years older than herself and had a wry sense of humor that sometimes had Lola in stitches.

A woman came in and Betty walked off to greet her. Lola was finishing with the jeans just as the bell above the door jangled again, announcing another customer. She turned from the table with a smile and felt the strangest frisson of energy travel her spine. The man walking in was one for the books, tall, lean and startlingly handsome. A shock of sandy hair. Tanned face. She couldn’t see his eyes, as they were behind a pair of very dark sunglasses. He was dressed like most of her male customers, in jeans, boots and Western-cut shirt; nothing unusual, but there was something besides his good looks that affected Lola.

She didn’t take time to wonder about it; instead, she began moving toward him. “Good morning.”

Duke Sheridan turned his head to see who had spoken to him, at the same time removing his dark glasses and tucking them into his shirt pocket. One good look at Lola had him feeling very male and high-spirited. She was slender, in white jeans and a loosely structured, emerald green blouse tucked into the waistband of the pants. Her dark hair was short and perfect for her beautiful face. Yes, he thought, beautiful. Who was she? Before walking in here he had believed that he’d known every attractive woman in the area.

Every attractive unattached woman, he quickly amended; she must be taken.

Not that he was a womanizer. But he’d lived in this part of Montana all his life and there were very few unfamiliar faces.

“Morning,” he replied with a lopsided grin that arrowed straight to the core of Lola’s system. “Been meaning to stop in since this store opened.” They had gotten close enough to each other for him to see the name tag on Lola’s blouse. He bent his head to read it aloud. “Lola Fanon.” His eyes rose to meet hers. “Are you one of Charlie Fanon’s kids?” The Fanon on her name tag was encouraging. Most married women took their husband’s last name.

“You know Charlie?”

“Everyone knows Charlie. Let’s see. He has three kids, if I remember right. Haven’t seen any of them for quite a while, now that I think about it.”

“He has two children and a niece,” Lola said with a small laugh of indulgence. “I’m the niece.”

One of Duke’s eyebrows went up. “Really? I was always under the impression that…well, you know what I mean.”

“A lot of people thought Charlie was my father while I was growing up. Some probably still do.”

Duke’s gaze kept roaming her features. Her perfect little nose, startling green eyes and sensual mouth seemed to demand a great deal of study. He was thoroughly enjoying this unexpected meeting, and was willing to talk about anything to prolong it.

He folded his arms across his chest, as though settling in for a good long chat. “So, Charlie raised you?”

“Since I was nine.”

“But we’ve never met, have we?”

“Not that I can recall.” That wasn’t completely true. He seemed vaguely familiar, although she couldn’t really place him. There was hordes of information she could pass on to clarify her own past for this man, but it really wasn’t any of his business, good-looking or not. “Is there something I can help you find?” she asked, indicating the merchandise in the store with a wave of her hand.

He smiled. “You know, maybe there is. Seems like I lost something when I walked in here.”

“Pardon?”

“Yeah, there seems to be an empty spot right about here.” Unfolding his arms, he tapped the left side of his chest. “I think what’s missing is a piece of my heart. Do you have it?”

Lola’s face colored. What an outrageous flirt! Well, she’d dealt with his sort before.

“I think if you’re suddenly missing a body part, sport, it’s from a little higher up than your chest,” she said pertly.

Duke laughed with genuine relish. He did like a woman with spirit. “Could you by any chance be referring to my brain, Lola Fanon? Oh, by the way, I’m Duke Sheridan.” He held out his right hand.

Lola stared at it. Now she knew who he was, or at least, what he was. A rancher. The Sheridan Ranch was one of the largest and most successful in the area. Or it had been before she left Rocky Ford.

But did she want to touch that big masculine hand? Feel its warmth? Physically connect the two of them, if only for a handshake? Although Betty was taking good care of her lady customer, Lola could sense that she was also highly interested in what was happening near the table of jeans.

“Hey,” Duke said softly. “Don’t be afraid to shake my hand. I guarantee not to bite.”

Lola tilted her chin to a defiant angle, and she boldly stared into Duke’s golden brown eyes while she laid her hand in his.

He laughed. “I don’t scare you at all, do I?”

“Not an iota.” But she only allowed the handshake to last a few seconds. “Now, is there anything I can show you, Mr. Sheridan?”

“A whole lot, Miss Fanon, if you’re willing.”

His bedroom voice sent ripples of heat throughout her body, which she did her best to ignore. “I’m willing and delighted to show you anything in the store that’s for sale, Mr. Sheridan. The key phrase is for sale, in case you missed it.”

“Didn’t miss it at all.” Grinning to himself, Duke walked over to a display of hats. “You’ve got some good merchandise in here.” He took a hat from the rack and put it on. “What do you think?”

“It’s definitely you,” she drawled, which was an out-and-out lie. The black hat he’d chosen was huge, with a ten-inch crown and a wide, floppy brim, and it looked ridiculous on him.

He laughed as though she’d said something hilarious. Removing the hat, he replaced it on the rack and picked up another, a cream-colored Stetson. “I think I like this one.”

So did she. “The black one suits you much better,” she said with a smile of exaggerated sweetness.

“Yeah, right.” Leaving the hat on, he moved to a rack of shirts. Flipping through them, he asked, “Who owns the store?”

“I do.”

He sent her a glance. “So you’re a businesswoman. Or should I say businessperson?”

She shrugged. “Say anything you wish.”

He stopped to give her a long look. “That’s an opening if I ever heard one. Do you mean it?”

“I’m talking about my title, Mr. Sheridan.”

“Duke. I’ve decided to call you Lola, so you may as well call me Duke.”

“Male logic. Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Maybe you don’t surprise easily.” His smile flashed. “Then again, it could be that you’re feeling as overwhelmed by me as I am by you.”

“Oh, please,” she said, attempting a contemptuous intonation. “Men do not overwhelm me, Mr. Sheridan.”

“Not even once in a while?” he said teasingly, at the same time pulling three shirts from the circular rack. “I’ll take these, along with the hat,” he said before she could respond to his silly question.

Lola accepted the shirts, genuinely surprised that he was planning to buy something.

“And these two,” he said, adding another two shirts to the three she was holding.

“Would you like to try them on?” she asked.

“Don’t need to. They’ll fit. Let’s see what else you’ve got in here.” He walked over to the jeans section, which was in a different location than the table of jeans at the front of the store. With his hands on his hips, he perused the laden shelves. “Good size selection. Little guys, big guys…” He gave her a grin. “They can all buy here.”

“That’s the idea.” His grins were much too adorable for Lola’s comfort. And yet she found herself waiting for the next one. She enjoyed flirting with an outstanding guy as much as any woman, but there was the strangest little voice in the back of her mind issuing warnings. If she remembered anything at all about the Sheridans, father and son, it was the rumors that they always got what they wanted, when they wanted it. It was entirely possible that Duke flirted with every reasonably attractive woman he ran across, just as he was doing with her, so she shouldn’t allow herself to get too giddy about it.

“I’ll bring these shirts to the counter while you look around,” she told him. “Would you like me to take the hat, too?”

“Thanks, but I like it right where it is.”

“Fine.” Lola walked across the store to the counter and hung the shirts on a rack behind it.

Betty excused herself momentarily from her customer and hurried over. “Do you know who he is?” she asked in an undertone.

“He introduced himself. I remember the name, but not him.”

“He’s the best catch in the county,” Betty whispered. “Be nice.” Smiling broadly, she returned to her customer.

Lola could see Duke pulling jeans from a shelf; apparently he had found his size. After a deep breath, she walked back to him. “These jeans are—”

“No salesmanship necessary. I’ll take four pair.”

“Oh.”

“I see you carry boots.” Duke started for the boot display.

“Not many, Mr. Sheridan. I plan to expand the shoe and boot department, but at the present my stock is limited.”

“These are good.” He picked up a gray lizard boot and looked it over. “Got this one in a size twelve?”

“I think…possibly. Let me check.” Hurrying to the storage room, she scanned the boot boxes. Elated, she returned with a size twelve. “Sit down. You really must try boots on. They vary a great deal depending on style and brand, and boots should fit perfectly.”

“Really?”

She flushed slightly. He’d worn boots all his life, for heaven’s sake, and certainly didn’t need advice on how they should fit.

“Sorry,” he said. “Only teasing. I like it when you blush.” Duke sat in one of the three chairs Lola had installed in the boot section of the store. “Are you going to put them on me?”

“No, you are.” So, he liked making her blush. For some reason that annoyed her. She opened the box and pulled out the boots, removing the packing from inside them. “Here you are,” she said, placing the boots on the floor next to the ones on his feet.

Chuckling quietly, he yanked off his boots and pulled on the new ones. Standing, he checked the result in the mirror. “What do you think?”

“They look great, but how do they feel?”

“Like new boots.” He grinned, but only for a moment. With his eyes narrowed on her, he said in a tone too low to reach Betty and the other woman in the store, “You sure are a pretty little thing.”

Lola cleared her throat. “Thank you. About the boots…”

“I’d much rather talk about you. How about going next door to the diner with me for a cup of coffee?”

Startled at his unexpected invitation, Lola felt another blush sneaking into her cheeks. “Thanks, but I really can’t leave.”

“Aw, sure you can. You’re the owner, aren’t you? You can do anything you want.” Duke resumed his seat and pulled off the lizard boots. “I’ll take these.”

He hadn’t asked for the price. “They’re $375,” Lola said.

He shrugged. “How about that coffee?”

Lola gathered up the boots and fit them back in their box, while Duke pulled on his old boots.

“Sorry,” she said. “I really can’t leave the store.” She heard the phone ringing then, and since the boot department was close to her office, she called to Betty, “I’ll get it. Please excuse me, Mr. Sheridan. I won’t be long.”

“Take your time, sweetheart. I’m in no hurry.”

His sassy response caused Lola’s pulse to flutter. She had met some intriguing men during college and her years of travel, but none to compare with Duke Sheridan. Leaving the office door ajar, she picked up the phone. “Men’s Western Wear, Lola speaking.”

“Miss Fanon? This is Naomi Pritchard, the principal of the Lewis and Clark Elementary School. May I speak to Betty, please? I’m afraid we have a bit of an emergency. Her son, Brian, was hurt in a fall. The school nurse thinks he may have broken his arm.”

“I’ll get her immediately.” Dropping the phone, Lola went to the door, then decided against calling clear across the store for Betty. Winding through the merchandise, she approached her instead. “Betty, the school principal is on the phone for you.”

Betty’s eyes registered alarm, but she spoke calmly to her customer. “Please excuse me, Mrs. Callahan.”

“Well, certainly, Betty. I’m through anyway. Lola can ring this up for me.”

Mrs. Callahan had picked out a striking silver belt buckle with turquoise insets. As Betty sped away, Lola put the buckle in a little box.

“It’s a birthday present for my husband. I’m sure he’ll love it,” Mrs. Callahan said. “You gift wrap, don’t you?”

“Yes, we do,” Lola replied. Duke was wandering, she saw with a quick glance in his direction. She rang up the sale on the cash register. Betty came out of the office carrying her purse.

“I have to leave, Lola.”

Lola nodded. “I know. Mrs. Pritchard explained. Don’t worry about anything here.”

Betty was on her way to the door. “See you tomorrow morning.”

“Only if everything’s all right,” Lola called. “And let me know how Brian is.”

“Will do.” Betty went through the door.

A few minutes later, while wrapping Mrs. Callahan’s purchase in pretty green-and-silver paper, Lola heard the bell over the door jangle again. Looking up, she saw Duke leaving. And he was still wearing the Stetson! Frowning, she tried to concentrate on what she was doing. But why would he leave with the hat before paying for it? Had he forgotten he was wearing it?

Lola was still thinking about it, worrying a little, after Mrs. Callahan had gone, when Duke returned with two large disposable cups. He walked up to the counter and handed her one.

“If the mountain won’t go to Mohammed, then another plan has to be devised,” he said, taking small packets of creamer, sugar and a small stirring stick from his shirt pocket. “I didn’t know how you liked it, so I brought a little of everything.”

“I like it with cream, thank you.” Lola set the cup on the counter, removed the lid and emptied a packet of the creamer into it. Raising the cup to her lips, she looked at Duke, who was looking back with an admiring gleam in his eyes. He would not be easily discouraged, she realized, wondering at the same time if she really wanted to discour- age him. Okay, so he came on strong. But wasn’t she more flattered than put off by his flagrant interest?

“Betty left in a hurry,” he said.

“The school principal called. One of her children took a fall, and the nurse thinks he may have broken his arm.”

“It happens with active youngsters. I got a few broken bones growing up.” He sipped from his cup. “Did you?”

“No, I never broke anything.”

“Except for a few hearts, I’ll bet.” He grinned.

“Except for a few hearts,” she confirmed with a straight face. It wasn’t true. She’d never broken any hearts that she knew of, but Duke had apparently placed her in the femme fatale category, and why burst his bubble? Flip that coin, she thought with a sudden wariness. If there was a heartbreaker in this store, it was him. A man with a smile like his and an outrageous flirt, to boot? Oh, yes, definitely a heart breaker.

The “best catch in the county,” as Betty had referred to him, was a description usually reserved for a man who had eluding commitment down to a fine art. He would play—oh, yes, he would play—but he would never stay.’As attractive as Duke was, as much as she enjoyed his audacity, she must watch her step.

And then, right before her eyes, he became a completely different person. Sipping his coffee, he asked in a voice conveying normal curiosity tinged with concern, “What happened to your parents?”

Lola blinked in surprise. How could he change personalities so quickly?

Though confusion was suddenly rampant in her system, she managed to speak evenly. “They died in a car accident.”

“And Charlie brought you home with him?”

“My father was Charlie’s only brother. They were very close.”

“Tragic. My mother died when I was five, so I barely remember her. Then Dad went about three years ago.”

“I’m sorry. After you told me your name, I remembered some vague references to the Sheridan men, father and son.”

“Then you know I live on a ranch.”

Lola nodded. “Yes, you’re a cattle rancher.”

His gaze seemed to bore into her. “And you’re a store owner. How do you like it?”

“I like it very much.”

“But before this, you weren’t in Rocky Ford for a long time. Where were you?”

“In college, then too many places to list. I traveled.”

“For years?” There was puzzlement in his expression.

“Yes, for years.” She had to laugh because he looked so befuddled. “I wasn’t on the go every day. I took jobs here and there. I worked in a Paris boutique for eight months, and in a little pastry shop in London for about a year.”

“A world traveler. I thought you were only talking about the U.S.”

“Oh, I saw the U.S., too. Then, about a year ago, I started getting lonesome for home.”

“What are you, independently wealthy?” He’d never thought of Charlie Fanon as wealthy, but Lola could have inherited from her parents.

Lola laughed again. “Not anymore. Actually, I was never what you’d call wealthy, but my parents’ estate provided enough for my education and some to spare. I grew up dreaming of seeing something of the world, so I did it.” She glanced around her store, feeling pride in her decor and good taste. “I had enough money left to open this store.”

“But why a men’s store? I would think a woman would rather sell pretty clothes to other women.” He noticed her amused little half smile. “Wrong assumption, huh?”

“Very wrong.” She looked him in the eye. “I like men much better than women, Mr. Sheridan.”

He chuckled softly. “I sure do admire your honesty, sweetheart.”

“Do you?”

“Absolutely.” His outlaw grin returned at full throttle. “Of course, there are a whole passel of other things I admire about you, as well.” She felt his gaze linger on her bosom for a few seconds, then slowly travel up to her face. “You are one beautiful lady,” he said huskily.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Sheridan,” she said, an automatic response that denied the truth, noticing that her own voice had gotten a bit husky, too.

“It’s not flattery, Miss Fanon. I’m as honest as you are.”

“Is that a fact?”

They were staring into each other’s eyes. It took Lola a minute to shake the feeling that they were all alone in the world. Even the store had seemed to disappear for a time.

Abruptly, she tore her gaze from his and finished the last of her coffee. “Well, I really must get back to work,” she said briskly, dropping her cup into the small trash can next to the counter. “Let’s see. You wanted that hat, those shirts and the jeans.”

“And the boots,” Duke reminded her. “Lola, will you have dinner with me tonight?”

Her eyes jerked to his. “Tonight? Uh, no…not tonight.”

“Too fast, huh? How about tomorrow night?” When she didn’t answer, he added, “Let me warn you. I’m going to camp on your doorstep until you say yes.”

She tried to laugh. “Really, Mr. Sheridan…”

“Duke.”

“All right…Duke. But let me warn you that I don’t take kindly to pressure.”

“Then say yes right now and we’ll avoid all that. You name the time and place.”

“Thanks for the leeway,” she drawled with some sarcasm.

He grinned. “You’re welcome. I’m a very fair fellow.”

“You know, for some reason I can’t quite bring myself to believe that. I think when you see something you want, you don’t stop until you get it.”

Laughing, he walked a small circle then leaned on the counter. “Guess you understand me.”

“Does my understanding present a problem for you?”

“Nope. You see, I understand you, too.”

“You only think you do,” Lola retorted.

He reached across the counter and flicked the collar of her blouse. “Name the time and place, Lola,” he said, his voice low and sensual.

She sucked in a quick breath. Two men were walking through the door. She couldn’t stand around and bandy words with Duke Sheridan any longer.

“I can see you’re not going to give up,” she said quietly. “Make it Friday night. A movie, not dinner. I’m living with Charlie, so you can pick me up at his place at eight.”

Duke straightened from the counter with a satisfied expression on his face. “I’ll be there. Now, ring up those sales, Lola, my sweet. I’ve got to get back to the ranch.”