For Love of Charley (6 page)

“I’ll think about it.” He winked at her,
and watched as she turned and wiggled away into the crowd.

He almost jumped when Charley slammed an
order down next to him. “If you’re done socializing,” she snapped, “I need four
drafts.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said mildly. “Coming right
up.” As soon as her back was turned, he grinned.

* * * * *

At two in the morning, as the last of the
staff straggled out the door, Charley was totally disgusted with herself but
still fuming. Cole, now whistling cheerfully as he helped her clean up, had
apparently felt no qualms about flirting with every female in sight. Every
female except her, she amended. All she got was that cool indifference. And why
did she even care? It certainly wasn’t as if she had any plans where he was
concerned. He was perfectly free to see anyone he wanted. Savagely, she rubbed
the countertop down.

“You know, tending bar isn’t what I
expected it to be,” Cole mused. “I actually had fun tonight. If Frank can’t
make it tomorrow night, call me. I’ll be glad to help again.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” She practically
spit the words. “If I need any more help I’ll call the new bartender and see if
she can start early.” Doing her best to ignore him, she stomped to the front
doors and locked them, then grabbed her purse. “Goodnight.”

“I’ll walk out with you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It is unless you expect me to spend the
night in here. My car is out front and you locked the door.”

“Fine.” She locked the door behind them and
climbed into her truck, well aware that he had stopped and was watching her.
With a silent prayer, she put the key in and turned it. Nothing. Not so much as
a click resulted. “Please don’t do this to me now,” she begged.

Still nothing.

Charley pounded her head on the steering
wheel. “If you don’t start,” she threatened, “I am personally taking you to the
junk yard tomorrow and inserting you in a car masher.”

“It would probably be the merciful thing to
do. Come on and I’ll give you a ride home.” His voice came from right beside
her.

“I’ll call a cab,” she gritted, climbing
out of the truck.

“Don’t be silly. There’s no reason to wait
on a cab when I have a car here.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your plans.”
Sarcasm oozed from her.

“Plans? What plans?”

“With Marcie.” She turned and headed for
the door.

“Marcie?”

She stopped to glare at him. “Red hair,
skin-tight clothes?”

“Oh, yeah. Marcie.” A smug grin spread
across his face and Charley had to restrain herself from knocking it clear into
the next county.

“Why would you think I had plans with her?
She’s not my type.” He took her arm and began guiding her around the building.

“You sure seemed to enjoy looking. Not to
mention flirting with her.”

Cole shrugged. “I’m only human. Flirting is
fun, and looking is pleasurable. That doesn’t mean I want a sample of the
goods.” She saw his eyes glint in the moonlight as he glanced at her. “If I
didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”

She came to an abrupt halt, her anger
rapidly hitting the boiling point. “Why, you conceited, arrogant bastard!”
Without thinking, she swung at him.

He caught her hand effortlessly and used it
to pull her against him. “You’re starting to repeat yourself, Charley. You
really should expand your vocabulary.”

In spite of their intimate position, his
voice was cool again, and a new surge of rage hit her. She wanted to rattle
him, wipe that indifference away. She wanted him to feel at least a little of
what she felt.

Her hands locked at his nape before burying
themselves in his hair, pulling his head down, her lips meeting his. Liquid
heat ignited in her veins as Cole’s arms tightened around her convulsively.
Suddenly, he went still as she continued to kiss him, his mouth warm, and firm,
and unmoving under hers. Desperate for a response, she bit gently on his lips
and then teased them with her tongue. Was that a tremor she felt run though
him? In triumph, she started to redouble her efforts, but before she could, he
gently pulled her hands loose and lifted her away.

“It’s late and we’re both tired. I think
it’s time to get you home.” Without another word, he turned and headed for his
car.

Charley stared at his retreating back in
shock. Oh, God. What had she done?

Cole sat in the breakfast nook, right ankle
crossed over left knee, and stared out the window at the surrounding mountains.
He’d alternately been kicking and congratulating himself the entire weekend on
how he’d handled Charley’s kiss. At the moment, he was back to kicking, even
though he knew she had only kissed him out of anger. That wasn’t what he
wanted. When Charley came to him, it had to be because she loved him, because
she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He would settle for nothing less.

It had been so hard, though, to push her
away, when all he’d wanted to do was bury himself in her scent, in the taste of
her lips, the feel of her body against his. He had waited so damn long. And he
had come so awfully close to losing control.

There was no one to blame but himself. He
had known exactly what he was doing flirting with all those women, even though
he hadn’t been interested in any of them. Some part of him had wanted to make
Charley jealous, wanted a reaction. He’d just gotten more of one than he’d
bargained for, and it had almost been his undoing. What little sleep he’d
gotten since then had been riddled with dreams of her, and each time, he’d
wakened in agony, his body throbbing with need.

He picked up his now cold coffee, took a sip,
then rubbed his eyes tiredly. The trip to her house had been made in total
silence, the tension so thick it would have taken an arc welder to cut through
it. As soon as he’d stopped the car, she had jumped out and run, hitting her
front door as though she planned on going right through without opening it
first.

“Are you still brooding?”

Cole glanced at Kristy as she stopped at
the coffee pot and poured a cup. “I’m not brooding. I’m thinking.”

“You’re brooding. You have been all
weekend.” She took a sip of the hot coffee. “I thought you’d be gone by now.
It’s after nine. You’re usually out of here by seven.”

“I decided to go in late today.” The truth
was, he was still trying to decide how to act when he got there.

She nodded. “Want me to pick Mrs. Paulson
up from the airport?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I don’t have to be at Duncan
Mills until this afternoon. Besides, I’d drive to hell and back if it meant I
didn’t have to eat my own cooking anymore.” With a cheery wave, she headed out
of the room, taking her cup with her.

Immediately, his thoughts turned back to
Charley. He had to make a decision instead of spending the day brooding at
home. There was really only one thing he could do. Just go on like he had been
and take his cue from Charley’s manner today. If she wanted to talk about it,
she’d let him know. Mentally bracing himself, he headed for the Red Dog.

Charley’s truck was nowhere in sight when
he got there. Instead, parked in the place it normally sat was an almost new,
silver Blazer. So, Uncle Victor had come to the rescue again. He eyed it for a
second and then went in, going straight to his office. The door to Charley’s,
he noticed, was tightly shut.

He picked up the phone and made one quick
call to finalize the plans for the City Council meeting later that night, then
took a deep breath and stood. Only silence came from Frannie’s office as he
crossed the hall and knocked on Charley’s door.

“Come in.” Her voice sounded so resolute
and determined that Cole had to fight the urge to grin. She was sitting behind
the desk, so stiff and straight it looked like someone had strapped a board to
her back.

“Ready to go to work? I can show you the
basics today before I have to leave.”

“Leave?” She hesitated. “Are you going
somewhere?”

“The City Council meeting. I believe I
mentioned it? I still have some things to take care of before tonight.”

“Oh, that’s right.” She looked like she’d
had even less sleep than he’d gotten. And her eyes were red-rimmed as though
she’d been crying. The thought made guilt shoot through him again. He wanted to
pull her into his arms and hold her, make sure nothing ever hurt her again.

She picked up a pen and toyed with it,
refusing to meet his eyes. “Cole, I think we need to talk.”

He pulled a chair out across from her and
sat down. “About what?”

She licked her lips, but kept her eyes
down, her hands twisting the pen so hard he was afraid it was going to snap. “I
don’t think this is going to work.”

“What isn’t going to work?”

“Us.” Her face reddened instantly. “I mean,
us working together.”

Fear replaced the guilt he’d been feeling.
If Charley refused to work with him, all of his dreams and hopes would crash
down around him like dust. He tried to keep his voice steady even though his
heart was pounding against his ribs like a kettle drum. He’d made a mistake in
not responding to her kiss. A big one. There was no longer any doubt in his
mind. “Oh? Why not?”

Charley stood up and began to pace. “Why
not? Because there’s been too much that has happened in the past where you and
I are concerned. I’ve tried, I really have, but it just isn’t working. There’s
too much stress. I know you can’t leave, so from now on, you can handle
anything concerning the new restaurant. The office will be yours during the
day. I’ll only be here at night. I think it’s fair that I continue to manage
the Red Dog.”

Suddenly, inspiration hit Cole. He leaned
back in the chair and linked his hands behind his head, studying her. “Fine.”

Charley spun to stare at him, her eyes
wide. “You don’t mind?”

He shrugged slightly. “Why should I? I must
say, I’m a little disappointed in you, Charley. I really thought you were more
of a businesswoman. But I do understand. You simply can’t keep your emotions
under control. I suppose it’s a woman thing,” he mused. His gaze came back to
hers. “I just overestimated you.” Cole stood.

“Why, you…you…” she sputtered. Charley
swallowed her words, and forced herself into an icy calm. Slowly, she stalked
forward to face him. “I was so right about you,” she gritted. “Not only are you
a pig, you’re a male chauvinist pig. You want to know why you don’t have a
problem keeping your emotions under control? Because you don’t have any!” The
last words were screamed right in his face.

Before she could draw another breath, she
was wrapped in Cole’s arms, his mouth covering hers, moist and firm and hot.
Oh, God. So hot. Her fist balled in his shirt to push him away, fight him.
Instead, she pulled him closer, her lips parting involuntarily. He took
advantage of the opening, deepening the kiss, his tongue meeting hers. Charley
went weak all over at the touch, and a moan whispered deep in her throat. He
captured it, held it, and gave it back to her, doubled. For an eternity, he
tortured her, slanting his head to reach her better. His hands slid down her back
and cupped her bottom, pulling her tightly against his hips, against the
arousal that pressed into her stomach, heavy and hard. Only then did his mouth
relinquish possession of hers.

“Does that feel to you like I don’t have
any emotions, Charley?” His voice was a husky whisper. “I’ve never stopped
wanting you, and seeing you again has only made it worse. I’ve fought it every
day, and I’ll keep on fighting it. It’s a battle I don’t intend to lose.” He
released her abruptly and walked out of the office, leaving Charley stunned
into silence.

As soon as the door swung shut her legs
began to shake. Steadying herself with one hand on the edge of the desk, she
sank weakly into the chair he had vacated. He wanted her. Oh, God, he really
wanted her. A hot shiver ran down her back. Slowly, the corners of her mouth
curved up in a smile. He wanted her as badly as she did him. All that cool
indifference had been nothing but an act.

A heady mixture of joy and elation surged
through her and burst from her throat. “Yee-haw!” The shout echoed off the
office walls, and Charley clapped her hands over her mouth. In a fit of
giggles, she slid limply out of the chair and landed with a thump on her
behind. He wasn’t planning on losing the battle, huh? Well, maybe she’d just
have something to say about that. For the first time since she’d seen Cole
sitting in the bar last Wednesday night, Charley felt completely in control.

In the hall outside her office, Cole threw
his head back in silent laughter as the sound of her yell died away, his whole
body shaking with mirth. He highly suspected that the gauntlet he had flung
down in her office had been picked up with a vengeance. And God, he felt good.
Stifling his urge to whistle, he slipped into his office, closing the door
gently after him.

* * * * *

Two hours later Charley was still having
trouble sitting in place. Bubbles of laughter kept sneaking up on her when she
least expected them. Even the computer couldn’t bother her. She stared
blissfully at the error message on her screen, wondering what, exactly, she had
done that was illegal. When Frannie appeared in her door, Charley grinned at
her.

Her cousin took a slow step inside,
stopped, and stared at her. “Okay, woman. Spit that canary out and wipe those
feathers off your chin. What the heck happened to you? Last night you were
crying over a laxative commercial on TV.”

“It was a really sad one,” Charley said,
laughing.

“They’re all pretty sad, if you ask me. Now
what gives?”

“Can’t I feel good without you giving me
the third degree?”

“Well, you have to admit, it’s a rare
occurrence lately. Right up there with Halley’s Comet.” Her glance moved around
the room. “Where’s Cole? I thought he was going to teach you how to use the
equipment today.”

“Something came up.” Charley almost spit
the words as she convulsed with giggles again.

Frannie leaned forward suspiciously and
sniffed. “Have you been hitting the wine again?”

“Not a drop, I swear.” Charley finally got
herself under control. “What did you want?”

Frannie lowered herself gracefully into a
chair. “Your birthday.”

“Okay, you can have it.”

“Will you cut it out? You’re scaring me.”
Frannie glared at her. “What I meant was, you have one coming up. Now, I know
you don’t like parties, but I thought maybe just this once it might be nice.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t say no yet,” Frannie held up a
finger and plowed on with determination. “The Red Dog is going to be closed
Thursday, anyway, so they can work on the new parking lot. And we can invite
all the staff. They really work hard. They deserve a night of fun.”

“Okay.”

“Not to mention it would be great public
relations what with the improvements to the saloon and the restaurant that will
be opening. And I’ll handle everything. I swear.” She ground to an abrupt halt
and tilted her head. “Did you just say yes or is my hearing going?”

“I said yes, and you’ve already volunteered
to do everything. No taking it back now. Just be sure to tell everyone—‘no
presents’.”

“You got it.” She jumped up. “I already
have most of it done, but I need to call everyone and let them know.”

Charley arched an eyebrow. “What if I had
said no?”

Frannie grinned. “Then it would have been a
surprise party.”

* * * * *

Charley stood on tiptoe and put a quick
kiss on the cheek of the man in front of her. “Thanks again, Uncle Vic. If you
hadn’t loaned me the down payment on the Blazer I’d have been walking.” She
smiled briefly at Douglas, her uncle’s personal assistant and constant shadow.

At the age of sixty, Victor Channing was
even more distinguished-looking than he had been at forty. Still sporting a
head full of dark hair only lightly touched by gray, he had the bearing of a
man who was used to getting what he wanted. At the moment, he was smiling down
at his niece in amused tolerance. “Now, darlin’. I told you, you don’t have to
pay me back. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. Let me have the
pleasure of spending a little on you. Besides, you’ll get it all when I die,
anyway.”

Charley shook her head. “No, Uncle Vic. I’m
going to pay you back, every cent. I want to do things on my own.”

He chucked her under the chin. “You’re too
much like your daddy. Charles Hart never knew when to accept help, either.”

Before Charley could answer, her attention
was drawn by a commotion in the small group that had gathered at the entrance
of city hall. Cole had arrived, loaded down with equipment, the largest of
which seemed to be a slide projector. He was dressed in a dark suit that fit
him so well there was no doubt in her mind it had been made for him. Her
stomach roiled in reaction. It should be a sin for a man to look that good, she
thought. But then, he always did. In jeans and boots, he looked like an outlaw,
just a little too dangerous. He still looked dangerous, but in a more refined
way.

Several of the people standing around
relieved him of his burden, and Charley recognized them as members of the
Merchants Association. As they moved toward the front of the room, she turned
back to her uncle. “Listen, Uncle Vic. I wanted to talk you before the meeting
started.” She glanced at Douglas and lowered her voice. “I know you didn’t much
care for Cole when he was younger, but please give him a chance. Not only is he
my partner, he’s going to do a lot for this town if you’ll let him.”

“Why, sweetie, I don’t know where you got
the idea that I didn’t like the boy. It wasn’t his fault that his family didn’t
have any money. You don’t really think I’d hold something like that against
him, now do you?”

Charley smiled at him. “Of course not.
You’re one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.”

“Thanks, darlin’. But I have to tell you,
as a member of the City Council, it’s my duty to do what I think is best for
the city. I don’t know if what Cole Jordan has planned will help us or hurt us,
yet. If I think it will hurt us, I can’t, in good conscience, go along with
it.”