Do you take this rebel - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,17
up when the phone rang. She answered distractedly, then froze at the sound of Cole’s voice.
“Cassie?” he repeated when she remained silent.
“What?” she said finally.
“We need to talk.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, I do. I’m coming over.”
She glanced at Jake, who was back in front of the TV. “No, absolutely not,” she said fiercely. “I don’t want you here.”
“Why not, Cassie? What are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything. It’s my mother. She’s not feeling well,” she said, grasping at straws. “The last thing she needs is to have the two of us fussing right under her nose.”
“Then meet me. You pick the place.”
“Didn’t you hear a word I said? My mother’s not feeling well.”
“Of course. You need to stay there for now.”
He had given up too easily. That only made Cassie more suspicious.
“I’ll see you at the party tomorrow night, then,” he said. “We’ll find some time to talk there.”
“You’re coming to the party?” she asked, not even trying to hide her dismay. “You weren’t in our class.”
He chuckled at that. “It’s a small town. The reunion’s a big deal. Everyone will be there, if only to get a glimpse of our big movie star.”
“But…” Why had she never considered that possibility? What had ever made her think she could go to a reunion in Winding River and not bump into Cole everywhere she turned?
“My being there won’t bother you, will it? Ten years is a long time. Whatever was between us is surely dead and buried, right?”
She heard the unmistakable taunt in his voice. “Absolutely,” she responded. “It is definitely dead and buried. Just one question, though.”
“What’s that?”
“If it’s dead and buried, then what could you and I possibly have to talk about?”
“Just putting one last nail in the coffin to make sure it stays that way,” he said dryly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Now there was something to look forward to, she thought dully as she hung up the phone. The prospect should have terrified her, and on one level it did. His taunts should have filled her with outrage, and to a degree they did.
So why was her pulse scampering wildly out of control? Why was she suddenly wondering if there was one sexy outfit packed in her luggage? Why did she feel as if not one of the outrageous, dangerous things she’d done in high school could hold a candle to what might happen tomorrow night back in that same high school gym?
Something told her she didn’t dare spend a whole lot of time considering the answers to those questions. If she did, and if she was smart, she might pack up everything and head for Cheyenne tonight.
Cole couldn’t imagine what had possessed him to call Cassie, much less announce his intention of going to the reunion party. It was the last place he wanted to be. In fact, he’d ignored the invitation, though he doubted anyone would turn him away at the door as long as he showed up with the price of admission.
He blamed his last-minute change of heart on that encounter with Cassie in the street. It wasn’t just the fact that her skin still looked as soft as silk. Nor did it have anything to do with the way her body had added a few lush curves over the years. And it wasn’t because her hair was shot through with fire when the sunlight caught it. No, it was none of that.
It was that damnable lie she’d told him with a perfectly straight face. If he hadn’t known the truth, he would have believed her—she’d been that convincing. Which meant, he concluded, that she’d believed every word she’d spoken.
Somewhere along the way something had gotten all twisted around, and he wanted to know how. Once he knew that, he could put the past to rest, put that last nail in the coffin of their love affair, just as he’d told her. Maybe she didn’t care about what had happened back then, but he did. God help him.
In fact, he was so anxious to get the difficult conversation over with that he got to the gym the next night before seven, while the reunion committee was still setting up its tables outside the doors. Mimi Frances Lawson took one look at him and latched on to his arm with a death grip.
“I need you inside, Cole,” she announced, dragging him along behind her. “The streamers are falling down around us, and I don’t have time to deal with it. The ladder’s over there.” She pointed