Betting Hearts (8 page)

“And acting!” Luke interjected, setting Burke’s teeth to gritting. “She has to be a real lady or it don’t mean diddly. Slapping some stripes on an old car don’t make it fast.”

Burke felt like slapping something all right. “—and
acting
, lady there.”

Luke laughed, inspiring his buddies to join in, even though not a single one of them seemed to have a clue what the joke was. “Not that it’ll matter, but what happens if you pull this miracle off?”

“You stay out of my town. But before you go, you apologize to CB for using her, hurting her and being the most pitiful excuse for dog crap ever spawned. There at the wedding, on bended knee, until she accepts your apology.”

Luke considered it. “That’s it? No cash?”

Burke worked not to roll his eyes. It wasn’t any fun using veiled insults on the clinically moronic. “Why bother?” he asked, mimicking Luke. “My reward will be watching you grovel.” He offered his hand, letting CB stand on her own.

Luke grinned as if someone had given him the winning lottery ticket. He slid his hand into Burke’s and shook for all he was worth. “Hell, this is gonna be more fun than I thought.”

Yeah
. Burke grimaced as reality took a nibble out of his grim satisfaction,
fun
.

Chapter Four

For someone who’d gotten her way, CB sure threw a big snit. Of the two of them, Burke figured as he drove them to his house,
he
was the one who should have an attitude. He was the one doing the last thing on earth he should be, but there she was, scrunching herself as close to the door as she could, practically on her side and facing away from him. A furtive glance her way gave him one more reason to be upset.

Her position gave him an excellent view of her backside.

Burke rubbed his face with a tired hand. It was bad enough that eyeing her butt was the only way he’d recognized her in the bar, he didn’t have to have it facing him and taunting him because it was on the wrong woman. He gripped the steering wheel until he heard the leather creak beneath his palms.

“I’m sorry I bet your car, okay?” He wasn’t, but if she didn’t turn over he wasn’t going to be responsible for his actions. His thoughts were already in bad places.

She said nothing.

Okay, not mad about the car. She was mad about something else. It didn’t take deep thought to figure out what it was.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

She turned her head toward him a little bit. More toward the windshield, but he’d take what he could get. “About what?”

He swallowed the guilt that tried to lodge in his throat. “About Luke.”

She leaned forward more, her skin squeaking on the glass.

“Cheating on you,” he added, well aware there were a few other things she may have put together on her own to worry about.

She turned back to the side window, making another squeak. “Oh…that.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Do you hear me talking about it?”

“You should, you know. It’ll help.”

“How would
you
know?”

Good question. No woman had ever cheated on him. Of course, he was never committed to a woman long enough for her to cheat on him. He dated and he’d had girlfriends for a few weeks, but no one lasted long. It was the thing CB ribbed him about most.

All his friends had long since moved away or married. Even Sel, the one no one thought would settle down, had a wife and family. Of course, Sel claimed the only woman he ever wanted was Alice. Burke didn’t have such a convenient cop out. He realized long ago he wasn’t made like everyone else. Love came easy to some people. For Cass, love came hard. For him, it never came at all. “It’s what I’ve heard.”

“Been watching Oprah again?”

“No, I have not, thank you very much.” Not this week, anyway. It wasn’t his fault. His shift manager, Rafael, was hooked on the show. He claimed his wife insisted they watch it so they could have something to talk about at home, but the truth was Rafael liked it. Burke allowed it because ‘Fael’s wife bought the television and installed it herself. Unfortunately, the only place quiet enough to watch it was in his office. It made the paperwork go a little faster, if only to escape.

“Luke’s cheating doesn’t matter.”

Well, that was heartening. “Good. It was a long time ago anyway.”

She went back to being silent, turned away from him, her hip curving upward only a few inches from the stick shift he gripped like a lifeline. The second he had to go into reverse he was going to be rubbing his hand against the Promised Land. He bit off a groan, too damn aware of every shadow and curve of her ass. It took work to keep his eyes on the road, especially when she bounced slowly in the seat, forward to the glass, backward toward his hand. If she shifted another inch he’d be feeling it even sooner. He fought the urge to tap his foot because he didn’t want to turn a simple drive home into a carnival ride. With two minutes left until they got to his house, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Will you please sit up?”

“Why?”

“Because you look like the puppy left in the pet store. Why the hell are you rocking like that?”

“The glass is cool. I’m rubbing the bumps.”

If she didn’t quit, he’d be rubbing something too, dammit. “Stop acting like a spoiled brat and sit up.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Leave me alone and drive, Burke.”

Great. She did care about Hanson’s cheating. At least her problem drenched his over-eager libido in cold water. “Cassie, Luke isn’t worth sulking over. If the conversation back there didn’t prove that to you, I don’t know what will.”

“All I picked up was that there was something going on between you and Luke I didn’t know about before.” She finally shifted at the red light, sitting up and crossing her arms under her breasts. Sweet God, where was her bra? The criss-crossing flaps forming the top of her dress flopped open, showing enough curved mounds to make his throat constrict. He could see the whole of her sternum; right down to the little mole he used to tickle when she was six years old. A horn honked, reminding him time didn’t stop for everyone.

Cass raised her eyebrows and he gunned the engine. It should have been easy not to look at her, he was driving for Pete’s sake, but she didn’t seem to notice the loose dress and he couldn’t mention it. Or stop sneaking glances at it.

“Hello? You going to fill me in or not?”

Not. He might want to, thoroughly and no holds barred, but filling her was not an option.

“Burke?”

Though there were only the passing streetlights to intermittently shine over her, he wondered if he were better off staring at the curve of her ass. Anything had to be better than trying to decide if he was seeing shadow or nipple.

“Burke!”

“What?”

“What was Luke talking about?”

The view—and the conversation—was definitely safer.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

He snorted. “The possible answers are endless.” And he’d tell her every single one of those possibilities before he coughed up the truth she wanted.

“About you and Luke,” she clarified.

“Don’t say our names like that. Makes us sound like a couple or something.” He shuddered. In this town, one couldn’t be too careful.

“Aren’t you?”
Return of the snit.
Which was a good thing. The more she annoyed him, the less she’d arouse him. He hoped.

“Sorry, kid, the only one of us dumb enough to date Luke Hanson was you.”

“So why are you lying for him?”

I’m lying for you
. But he couldn’t say that, no matter how hurt she sounded.

“What did you have to do with Luke leaving RDC?”

“Nothing.” He wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d let him get away without details. “I held the door open and the weasel ran through.”

“What did you
do
, Burke?”

Nothing you’ll ever find out about.
“We talked. I said if he wasn’t ready to marry you, he should go.”

“Why did he say you knew he wasn’t gay?”

Damn, that part always made him smile but CB wasn’t in the mood to see him happy. “I have no idea.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

He grinned despite her anger. Anger he could deal with. “Because you’re an untrusting soul?”

She expelled her breath with an irritated noise. “You’re as annoying as Luke. The both of you act like I need you to do my thinking.”

“Hey, at least I never talk to you or about you the way he does.”

“No, you talk
for
me like I’m a non-entity incapable of making rational decisions for myself.” Now
she’s mad about the car.
“I can’t believe you bet my Z!”

“It’s the only bet he would take and you know it.” Luke’s passion for CB’s car was a thing of legend. First he’d begrudged her the time she spent with Burke putting it together. He broke up with her over it and she hadn’t cared much, surprising the hell out of Burke and the town. Once the car was running, newly painted and roaring like a mountain lion, Luke came calling again. As usual, Cass took him back, but she never let him drive it. It stayed a sticking point between them that even the best of the local bookies couldn’t give odds on.

Blessedly, she stayed quiet until he pulled up in front of his house.

“Do you really think we can pull this off?” she asked finally, the twinge of worry in her voice threatening to become full on pangs and twangs.

“Sure we can.”
Or we’ll die trying.
“You’re a good person under all those bad habits. All we have to do is dig you out and shape you up.”

“Great!” she complained, smacking her leg with loud frustration. “Even
you
do it!”

Burke frowned. “Do what?”

“Call me a person. It’s annoying.”

She was off her nut. There wasn’t any other thing to call it. “Since when was being a good person a bad thing?”

“Since it means you don’t see a woman. I’m a
woman
. In most cultures I’m an old maid.”

“Twenty-eight isn’t—”

“It’s
old
. Do you realize my ovaries are—”

He almost covered his ears, but instead he cut the engine and opened his door. “I don’t want to hear about your ovaries, CB. We’ll figure a way to save the car, I swear, but mention your ovaries again and you’re on your own.”

“Well, at least you admit I have some,” she grumbled.

When she made no move to get out, he shrugged. “Fine, you have some. Is this conversation done, I’m hungry.”

“Why didn’t you drop me off at home?”

Perfect, now she was suspicious. “Because we’ve only got two weeks to make
you
into a lady. In my book, that isn’t a lot of time and in this situation…”

Even in the dark he could see her eyes narrow on him. “In this situation, what?”

Maybe it was time to admit they were both in over their heads. “In this situation, we’re going to need all the time we can get.”

“You want me to
what
?” Cass knew she heard him, but she had to be wrong.

“Undo it. All of it. Put yourself back the way you were. The hair, the dress, the shoes. Whatever you did with May Belle, make it stop.” He paced his living room, blue work shirt wrinkled, hair standing on end. If he kept this up, someone might think he was the one who’d spent the afternoon in a torture chamber.

“Do you know what I had to go through to get like this? I’ve had hair ripped out, Burke. From everywhere! I’ve been plucked, waxed, soaked, painted, teased, dried and bleached. I’m not doing it in reverse!

He waved his hand, dismissing her agony with a wiggle of his blunt fingers. “You aren’t a redhead, CB.”

“Yes, I am.”
Sorta
. “The hair stays.” She crossed her arms and set her feet apart so he’d know she meant business.

“The only way I’m going to help you is if you do things my way. This isn’t my way. This is—” His gaze spanned her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, intense enough to start a weird tingly feeling where ever it touched. “I don’t know that the hell that is but it’s wrong.”

The tingly feeling died. She rolled her eyes.
The control freak and his issues.
“I’m not dyeing it back. I can’t anyway. It’ll fry up and frizz or something if I do it too soon. Work with the red.”

He made a noise she likened to growling. Half-grunt, half-grumble, all Burke. “Why are you always making everything difficult?”

Why does he always ask that?
“I’m not betting cars, am I? You’re the one who put us both on the line.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He looked like a bear with a sore paw, walking his living room as if it were a cage. “Stop it, you’re standing like a man.”

Cass dropped her arms in shock. Okay, it’s true she’d never seen any of the ladies in town stand as if they were preparing to imitate the rock of Gibraltar. None of them argued with Burke Halifax on a regular basis, either. Come to think of it, Burke was the
reason
she stood like this. He was the one who taught her all those boxing techniques. In fact, if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be in this mess at all!