Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,54
about it, Sunday.” He paused and turned toward her. “You think you can live with my past. I’m not sure you can. But I’ll leave the decision up to you.”
“You undervalue yourself,” she said, searching his dark eyes. “I said it wouldn’t matter. I meant it.”
He smiled and touched her cheek gently. “You think it wouldn’t,” he said sadly. “That may not be the case.”
“You can tell me Sunday.”
“And there you both are again,” Jessie said from behind them.
“Yeah,” Mikey said, glaring at her.
She made a face and went past them into the office, slamming the door behind her.
“Sore loser,” he muttered after her.
Bernie smiled. It made her feel good that Mikey preferred her to the beautiful woman who’d just gone past them. She felt valued.
“Idiot,” he whispered. “You’re worth ten of a woman like that.” His head jerked toward the office. “She’s anybody’s. She’ll play up to a man for what he’s got, nothing else. Women like that are after hard cash, not love.”
“I don’t care about money,” Bernie said.
“I know that. It’s one of your best traits, and you’ve got a lot of them.”
“Me?” she laughed. “I’m just ordinary.” She drew in a breath. “You know, I have flares in the winter,” she began. “I spend a lot of time in bed...”
He put his forefinger over her lips. “That won’t matter, either. You nursed me through one of the worst headaches I’ve ever had. If you get down, I’ll take care of you,” he added huskily.
Tears stung her eyes. She lowered them to his broad chest.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “People will think I’m being mean to you.”
She laughed. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never really had anybody take care of me, not since my father died.”
“I don’t want to be your dad,” he pointed out. He frowned. “You know, Bernie, I’m a lot older than you.”
“Bosh,” she mused, looking up into his face. “You’ll never be old. Not to me.”
His breath caught in his throat. He looked around. Cars everywhere. People on the sidewalks. Her boss, coming toward them.
“Oh, damn,” he said under his breath.
Her eyebrows arched. “What?”
“Bernie, I want to kiss you so badly that it hurts and we’re surrounded by people. Damned people!”
She grinned up at him. “There’s Sunday,” she teased.
He pursed his lips. His dark eyes twinkled. “Yeah. There’s Sunday.”
“Lunchtime’s almost over, Bernie,” Kemp teased as he came up beside them. “Back to boring routine.”
“It’s never boring, Mr. Kemp,” she said, and meant it. “Tedious and maddening, but never boring!”
He grinned, nodded to Mikey, and went inside the building.
“I’d better go in. When?” she asked. “Sunday, I mean.”
“About eleven suit you?”
She nodded. “That sounds great.”
“I won’t see you for a couple of days,” he said. “I’ve got some people to see up in San Antonio. Santi and I have a room reserved for it. But I’ll be here to pick you up Sunday, okay? And tell Mrs. Brown not to rent out my room while I’m gone!”
“I will, but she never would. She thinks you’re terrific. So do the other boarders.” She lowered her eyes to his chest. “So do I.”
He bent and brushed a kiss over her forehead. “I think you’re terrific, too, kid,” he whispered. “Now go to work before I wrestle you down in the grass over there and do what I’m aching to do!”
Her breath caught. “It’s in public view!”
“So would we be, and they’d be snapping pictures for the local paper, too,” he assured her. “See you Sunday, honey. Be careful. Don’t go out at night for any reason at all. You’re being watched, but don’t take chances. I couldn’t live if anything happened to you.” He touched her cheek and walked away before she could get the words out that she’d wanted to say.
No matter, she told herself. She could recite them on Sunday.
* * *
Jessie was wary of Sari and Glory, so she kept her hot words to herself. But just before quitting time, she stopped by Bernie when the other women were getting their coats and leaned close.
“You think he’s hooked? You just wait,” she threatened softly. “There’s never been a man I couldn’t get!”
And before Bernie could say a word, she was out the door and gone.
* * *
Bernie was agonizing over what she was going to have to tell Mikey on Sunday. She knew that he had a past, and she was sure she could live with whatever it was. But she wasn’t so sure that he could live, not only with her disability issues,