Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,45

turned out to be a woman she’d always thought of as her sister, and her father turned out to be her mother’s husband. She saved Mr. Carrera’s life in the Bahamas, but she lost her baby. She came home and she was so miserable. It hurt me to see her when I had to go to the dry cleaner’s.” She sighed. “But then Mr. Carrera showed up with some sort of quilt he’d made for her, and the next thing we knew, they were getting married.”

“Yeah, he quilts,” he said with a soft laugh. “The guy looks like a wise guy. He’s big and rough and he intimidates most people. The quilting habit gave him a lot of heat until he started throwing punches. Now nobody laughs at it. He wins international competitions with his designs, too.”

She nodded. “They have one of his quilts in our library, on permanent display. It’s a Bow Tie quilt. They say he has one just like it in a casino he owns. Gosh, imagine owning a casino! Those are the richest, flashiest places on earth!”

He hadn’t told her that his hotel in Vegas was also a casino. “You ever been in one?” he asked.

“When I was small, my parents took me to the Bahamas on a cruise one year, on summer vacation. I wasn’t allowed inside, but they drove me by one over on Paradise Island. It was fascinating to me, even as a child.”

His fingers contracted. “Suppose I told you that the hotel I own is actually a casino,” he said slowly, “and it’s in Las Vegas?”

Her eyes widened. “You own a casino in Las Vegas?” she exclaimed. “Wow!”

He laughed, surprised at her easy acceptance. “I run it legit, too,” he added. “No fixes, no hidden switches, no cheating. Drives the feds nuts, because they can’t find anything to pin on me there.”

“The feds?” she asked.

He drew in a breath. “I told you, I’m a bad man.” He felt guilty about it, dirty. His fingers caressed hers as they neared Graylings, the huge mansion where his cousin lived with the heir to the Grayling racehorse stables.

Her fingers curled trustingly around his. “And I told you that the past doesn’t matter,” she said stubbornly. Her heart was running wild. “Not at all. I don’t care how bad you’ve been.”

His own heart stopped and then ran away. His teeth clenched. “I don’t even think you’re real, Bernie,” he whispered. “I think I dreamed you.”

She flushed and smiled. “Thanks.”

He glanced in the rearview mirror. “What I’d give for just five minutes alone with you right now,” he said tautly. “Fat chance,” he added as he noticed the sedan tailing casually behind them.

She felt all aglow inside. She wanted that, too. Maybe they could find a quiet place to be alone, even for just a few minutes. She wanted to kiss him until her mouth hurt.

He pulled into the long driveway and up to the house, which was all aglow with light. It was a huge two-story mansion with exquisite woodwork and a long, wide porch. The front door opened as Mikey helped her out of the car, retaining her hand in his as they approached the house.

“Paisano,” Paul greeted him in Italian.

“Salve! Come stai?” Mikey replied, and let go of Bernie’s hand long enough to hug his cousin.

“Sto bene, grazie, e tu?” Paul replied.

“Va bene,” Mikey responded with a grin. “Cosi, cosi. Non mi posso lamentare.”

“Benissimo!”

“English, English,” Sari Fiore chided. “Bernie doesn’t understand Italian,” she laughed.

“Just greetings, honey,” Mikey told her, and brought her hand to his lips. “I’ll teach you some nice Italian words the minute we get some time together.”

She grinned. “Okay.”

“Come on in,” Paul added as two feds got out of the sedan that had trailed Mikey’s car. “McLeod, do you and Agent Murdock want coffee?”

“I’d love some,” McLeod said, and glanced at Murdock. “As long as that guy doesn’t offer to make it,” he added firmly.

Murdock, a good-natured man, just chuckled. “I get stuck with making it at our office. People pour it in the ficus tree.”

“Yeah, the poor damned thing shivers all the time,” Paul commented on the way to the kitchen. “I think it’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Hey, Mandy, can you make us a pot of coffee?” he called to the woman working to clean up the kitchen counters.

“Of course I can!” she exclaimed, and grinned. “Hey, Mikey! Hello, Bernie. Nice to see you both.”

“Nice to see you, too, Mandy,” Mikey replied, and kissed her cheek.