Betting Hearts (27 page)

“Is Alice back there?” she asked, once they were free of Luke’s limp limbs. People were talking louder now around them, some sending congratulations to her on their way out, though she wasn’t sure what for. Probably to pass on to Hayne.

Burke nodded in answer to her question. “She thought she had more time.”

“She’s going to be mad she missed this,” Cass smiled, wondering if she’d be able to describe what had happened to Alice’s satisfaction. With any luck, someone had it on tape.

“We’ll make it up to her at our wedding,” he said matter-of-factly, fitting her hand to his.

Cass, startled, looked up at him. “Did you say
our
wedding?”

He pretended to think about it. She shoved at his shoulder, making him laugh. “It sounded like it, didn’t it?”

“You’re supposed to
ask
, Halifax.”

“Why? We both know it’s inevitable.”

Funny how hopes can be dashed so quickly. “The only thing inevitable was me realizing—”

“How much I love you,” he said softly, suddenly more serious than she’d ever seen him in her life. For cutting her off, it wasn’t too bad of an interruption.

“I thought you said you weren’t built that way.”

“I didn’t think I was.” A trembling thumb brushed her cheek. “You’re not the only one who’s changed the last few weeks, Cassie.”

She captured his hand, holding it close to her face. Part of her wanted to close her eyes, to savor this moment. The smart parts kept them open, so she could see it and remember it for the rest of her life.

“I never meant to hurt you. It’s not easy getting your eyes opened. But mine have been.”

“Say it again,” she whispered, closing her eyes to savor it. “So I can believe it.”

“I love you, Cassandra Bishop. Have from the first time I saw you. I just didn’t know it. It wasn’t because you dressed yourself up, either. You have no idea how hard it was not making love to you that day you stood up in my bathtub. Wanting you has nothing to do with Luke, your dresses or anything else you do to yourself. I love you. I want to be with you, however you feel like dressing or acting, for the rest of our lives. I know I didn’t figure it out until you were gone, but that’s when I realized it was always there. Just like you said.”

“Are you saying I was right and you were wrong?”

His eyelid twitched. “Why don’t I just say I can’t wait to marry you?”

She raised her brow. “That’s not asking, Burke.”

“I haven’t changed
that
much.” He tugged on her hands to start her walking down the aisle again. “When do you want to do this thing?”

“Well, I
am
all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

“Elope?” He raised his eyebrows. “Today? What about your family?”

“Hayne’s off with someone else’s bride and Dad’s doing who knows what with Lola Velasquez,” she reminded. “Trust me, no one will mind.”

“What if
I
mind? Don’t you want the whole town at
your
wedding?”

She considered the fallen plaster, the fainted groom, the puddle of whatever that was in the aisle and…yes, that was a baby screaming somewhere back there. She looked at him pointedly.

He pulled her to his side. “I guess we elope.”

“Hey, Burke, you want this now?” Billy, one of Burke’s garage guys, held a bucket full of money, carrying it as if it weighed a ton.

Cass frowned. “What’s this?”

“It’s the bar pool. Used to be the garage pool, but the boss made us move it. Anyways, here’s your winnings.” He handed Burke the bucket while Cass stared at all the money. “There’d be more but after you came in and put the two hundred down, the Panyons and the Butners figured it was okay to bet and joined you.”

“You bet against me?” She pulled her hand from him, stung. Luke hadn’t lied? Oh, that hurt. “
All
of you bet against me?”

“
Against
you?” Billy laughed as if she’d made a joke. “All of them bet you’d have Luke down on his knees apologizing. We figured out on his ass was just as good.”

“Billy?” Burke growled.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Go hand out the other winnings, will you?”

“Sure,” he replied obliviously. “Congrats, CB! By the way, you look great! I was wondering—”

“Billy!”

The young man jumped at Burke’s bark, waving briefly before casually running for his life.

Cass blinked at the money bucket, bewildered. “But I lost!”

“You did? When? When you showed up looking like the sexiest, most untouchable woman on earth? Or when you were the only one to get that poor kid out of her mess with Luke? Maybe when you stood up for yourself in front of everybody and told Luke exactly what he really was?”

“But…but—” Cass tried to come up with the way she’d lost. She knew she had…hadn’t she? “I’m still not much of a lady, Burke. This is all a show.” She rubbed the dress indicatively.

“Yup, it is.” They got to the doors before he smiled down at her. “You’ve always been a lady, Cass. Turns out none of
us
were smart enough to know it.”

“It’s a boy!” Sel yelled from the back of the church, laughing and whooping to the cheers and grumbles of many in the crowd.

Cass watched even more fives and ones exchange hands. “Is this whole town a gambling hall?”

“Right down to the last cowboy boot.” Burke grinned. They finally made it outside, past all the noise and excitement. They walked along the sidewalk leading to the parking lot. .

“Where should we go?” Town Hall didn’t exactly fill her head with hearts and flowers.

Burke thought a minute, slowing his steps to a standstill. “Considering we have a bucket of money and we’re a pair of notorious gamblers, I’d say there’s only one place to go—Vegas, baby.”

She scrunched her face. The land of gaudy lights, plastic Elvises and all night dollar buffets? “
Las
Vegas?”

“Is there another kind?”

“It’s a little glitzy isn’t it?”

“Where else should betting hearts get hitched?”

“Are you getting romantic in your old age, Halifax?” She smiled up at him, getting excited. It didn’t matter where they got married. Their future waited, just a few steps away.

“No,” he replied, matter of fact, “but I bet it happens eventually.”

Cass laughed. “You would.”

He stopped them, stepping forward and carefully offering his hand. “Ready for anything, Cassie?”

His eyes glowed down at her, full of everything she ever dreamed possible and more. So much more. She put her hand in his without a second thought.

“I always am, Burke. I always am.”

About the Author

Dee Tenorio is a sick woman. Really sick. She enjoys tormenting herself by writing romantic comedies (often with sexy, grumpy heroes and smart-mouthed heroines) and sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning dramas with the occasional drop of suspense all the way to erotic romance. But why does that make her sick?

Because she truly seems to enjoy it.

And she has every intention of keeping at it! If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please visit her website at
www.deetenorio.com
or her blog at
www.deetenorio.com/Blog/
.

Look for these titles by Dee Tenorio

Now Available:

Lonnigans

All of You

All or Nothing

Midnight Trilogy

Midnight Sonata

Midnight Temptation

Midnight Legacy

Rancho del Cielo Romance

Betting Hearts

Love Me Tomorrow

Burn for Me

Love Me Knots

Kiss Me Again

Test Me!

Shaken

Coming Soon:

Rancho del Cielo Romance

The Virgin’s Revenge

As their passion catches fire, so does a killer’s vengeance…

Love Me Tomorrow

© 2009 Dee Tenorio

A
Rancho Del Cielo
Romance

In the sleepy town of Rancho Del Cielo, a killer arsonist is targeting firefighter Josh Whittaker’s friends, family and most importantly…the love of his life.

As fires encircle Josh’s life, his troubles mount. His best friend is dead. The woman he’d give his life to protect is pregnant. Secrets he’s held on to for years are spilling free. If he could just find his equilibrium, he could pull himself together. What he doesn’t know is that someone is dead-set on tearing everything he knows apart.

Losing a lifelong friend has finally awakened Miranda McTiernan to how much of
her
life has been spent in limbo. Now that she’s pregnant, a dream she never believed could happen, the reality isn’t quite what she’d expected. Instead of being happy and secure, she’s scared and hiding a secret that could ruin the future she’s worked so hard to create.

Assuming she
has
a future…

Warning: Includes a heroine out to get her man, a hero determined to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, and hormones gone wild. Reading with cookies recommended.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Love Me Tomorrow:

“Oh, hell.” Josh might have stood a chance at avoiding the slim redhead on his front porch if he had seen her hand on the threshold before he slammed the heavy oak door on it.

But he doubted it.

At Miranda McTiernan’s loud yelp of agony, cold sobriety cleared his mind and age-old reflexes sprang him back to the door. She stood there, cradling her hand and swearing for all she was worth. Though he would never admit it, he was impressed with the assortment of curses in her arsenal. It had grown since the last time she’d unleashed it on him.

“Lemme guess.” She winced and stamped her foot, clamping her upper lip with her teeth. “Bad hangover?” Good old Randa. She could be hanging onto a severed limb and still not let an opportunity for sarcasm to slip by.

He scrubbed his hand over his unshaved jaw. “No.”

She raised a brow.

“I wasn’t done being drunk yet.” He reached for her cradled palm, groaning inwardly when she wordlessly allowed him to take it. She had to be in pain. She did nothing without words. Lots and lots of words.

He should have expected her. Everyone else in town—even a place as nosy as Rancho del Cielo—knew to leave him alone in his grief. Not Miranda. She’d never heard of the word
boundaries
.

He pulled her inside, this time closing the door slow. She moved as if she were brittle. Or whole-body sore. Her color wasn’t any good, either. She hadn’t been at her best these last several months, the strain between them taking its toll, but that was nothing compared to now. Her skin looked papery, stretched tight over her cheekbones with stress. Her eyes were swollen, bloodshot, something he could see she’d tried to hide with eyeliner. The shadows under them looked like deep bruises beneath the pale white stuff she’d spread on to camouflage them.

Danny was her friend too
, he reminded himself, the urge to pull her into his arms and let her cry so strong his hands actually lifted.

He was more than her friend
, a darker part of himself interrupted. His hands fell to his sides. Grumbling, he led her toward the back of his home where the kitchen—and his first-aid kit—awaited. They sat at his dinette table, her hand between them.

The damage was worse than he expected. The top of her hand was scraped, leaving only the rolled-up strings of dead skin. It had a raw, angry look to it, spots of blood forming here and there. Guilt knifed in his gut, sharp and unforgiving. One more infraction to add to his long list of wrongs where she was concerned. He pressed gingerly on each finger, checking for any breaks. When he didn’t find one, he began cleaning and salving. They remained silent while he worked. Except for a slight gasp here and there, Miranda didn’t react to his ministrations.

Definitely worrisome.

When he finished, he looked into eyes that usually held challenge in them. Instead, he found concern.

It burned in his belly. “You shouldn’t have come.” To his own ears, his voice rumbled with anger.

She looked away. “I had to.”

She would think that. If they had lost anyone else, he might have been grateful for the company. In ways he didn’t like admitting, Miranda always knew how to make him feel better. Could draw him out and make the worst things seem incidental or at least not as bad as they’d seemed. But this was Danny. She was the last person who could bring him any comfort from this.