Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,25

to learn to be a paralegal. I went to night school at our local community college,” she added.

“I imagine that was hard,” he said. “Working and going to school at the same time.”

“It was,” she confessed. “I wanted to learn the job, but I missed class sometimes. There was a nice woman who was studying it at the same time—Olivia, who works in our office—and she took notes so that I could catch up on what I missed. The professor was very understanding.”

“You’re a sweet kid,” Mikey said softly. “I can imagine that most people bend rules for you.”

She laughed. “Thanks.” She glanced at him as they drove a little out of town to the wooded area that housed the new drive-in. “Did you go to school? I mean, after high school?”

“I got a couple of years of college when I was in the Army,” he said. “Never graduated. I was too flighty to buckle down and do the work.”

“What did you study?”

He chuckled. “Criminal justice. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, considering what I did for a living.”

She just stared at him, curious.

He felt his cheeks heat. He glanced at her. She didn’t understand. “Didn’t Sari talk about me at work?” he said.

“Just that you and her husband are first cousins and that you’re close,” she replied, and her eyes were innocent.

She wasn’t putting on an act. She really didn’t know what he’d been, what he still was. He hesitated to tell her. He loved the way she looked at him as if he had some quality that she’d never found in anyone else. She looked at him with affection, with respect. He couldn’t remember another woman who’d cared about the man instead of the bank account. It made him humble.

He drew in a breath. “Well, Paulie and I are close,” he agreed. His hand tightened around hers. “I meant, didn’t you know about the trouble Isabel and Merrie had three years ago, when they were being stalked by a cleaner?”

“Oh, that,” she said, nodding. “There was a lot of gossip about it,” she added. “I don’t remember much of what I heard, just that a man who was big in organized crime back east called off the hit man. She painted him.” She laughed. “They said he walked her down the aisle when she married Paul. I didn’t know her then, except I knew the family and that they were well-to-do. I never moved in those circles. I’m just ordinary.”

“Honey, ordinary is the last thing you are,” he said huskily as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to a drive-in with a huge white screen and a graveled lot with speakers on poles every few feet. “And we’re here!”

He paid for their tickets and drove them through to a nice parking spot right in front of the screen. He looked at the ticket. “We’ve got a ten-minute wait,” he said.

“What are we going to see?” she asked. “I didn’t pay attention to the marquee.”

He chuckled as he cut off the engine and turned to her. “You didn’t notice?” he teased, black eyes sparkling as they met her pale ones.

“Not really,” she confessed. “I was excited just to be going out with you.” She flushed. “There are some very pretty single girls around Jacobsville, including Jessie, who works with us.”

His fingers tangled softly with hers, caressing, arousing. “Jessie doesn’t do a thing for me,” he told her. “She’s like the women I used to date back east. Brassy and out for everything they can get from a man.”

“I guess so. We’re not really like that here,” she added. “Money is nice, but I have all I need. I’m not frivolous. My biggest expense is the drugstore. And the doctor,” she said sadly.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said solemnly. “You’re not of less value as a woman because you have a disability.”

“Most local men thought I was,” she replied. “I won’t get better unless they come out with a miracle drug,” she said. “There are shots I could take, but they’re really expensive and there’s no guarantee that they’d work. There’s also infusion, where they shoot drugs into you with an IV and they last several weeks.” She lowered her eyes to the big hand holding hers. It was strong and beautiful, as men’s hands went. Long fingered, with perfectly manicured nails.

“I read about those shots,” he replied. “Just before my grandmother died, I was researching new drugs that might help her. The pain