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“There are a lot of dangerous people in the world.”
“That may be, but you’re stronger than she is.”
“She’s a better shot. Gracie’s pure magic with an Uzi.”
Gracie stifled a smile. He was shameless, but incredibly inventive. She shifted her weight a bit closer to the center of the seat. The lack of interior room in the antique Thunderbird hadn’t been as much of a problem as she’d feared. Although she and Cheryl Lynn were supposed to be sharing the space, the former beauty queen was practically sitting on Bobby Tom’s lap. She had somehow managed to straddle the gearbox and still look graceful.
Gracie glanced at Cheryl Lynn’s softly draped off-the-shoulder coral lace dress with envy. Her own voluminous black wraparound skirt and red-and-white-striped knit top made her look like a barber’s pole.
Cheryl settled her hand over Bobby Tom’s thigh. “Explain to me again exactly who’s after you. I thought you only had problems with paternity suits, not the CIA.”
“Some of those paternity suits can get kinda nasty. In this case, the young lady in question didn’t mention her father’s close connection with organized crime until it was too late. Isn’t that so, Gracie?”
Gracie pretended not to hear. Although she was secretly entranced with the image of herself as an Uzi-toting CIA agent, she knew it probably wasn’t good for his character to encourage him in falsehoods.
Once again Bobby Tom glanced at her over the top of Cheryl Lynn’s fluffy blond curls. “How was that spaghetti you ordered?”
“It was excellent.”
“I’m not much for the green stuff they poured over it.”
“Are you referring to the pesto?”
“Whatever. I like a nice meat sauce.”
“Of course you do. With a double rack of greasy ribs on the side, I’ll bet.”
“You’re making my mouth water just thinking about it.”
Cheryl Lynn lifted her head from his shoulder. “You’re doin’ it again, B.T.”
“Doing what, sweetheart?”
“Talkin’ to her.”
“Oh, I don’t think so, darlin’. Not when I’ve got you on my mind.”
Grace gave a small cough, letting Bobby Tom know that Miss Lone Star Cowgirl Roundup Queen might buy his particular line of horse pucky, but she saw right through him.
Although the evening had been somewhat embarrassing, it had also been enlightening. It wasn’t every day that a mere mortal like herself got to observe pure genius at work. She had never imagined any man could be such a skillful manipulator of women. Bobby Tom was eternally agreeable, perpetually charming, incessantly indulgent. He was so relentlessly accommodating that none of the women who orbited around him seemed to realize he only did exactly as he pleased.
They pulled to a stop in front of a row of mission style condominiums. Cheryl Lynn leaned closer and whispered something in Bobby Tom’s ear.
He scratched the side of his neck. “I don’t know, honey. That might be kind of embarrassing with Gracie lookin’ on, but if you don’t mind, I guess it’s all right with me.”
This was too much, even for Cheryl Lynn, and the beauty queen reluctantly agreed that they should call it a night. Gracie watched as he popped her umbrella and held it over her head while he escorted her to the door. In her opinion, Bobby Tom was showing good sense in dumping Cheryl Lynn, although she couldn’t imagine why he’d agreed to go out with her in the first place. The beauty queen was opinionated, self-centered, and considerably less intelligent than the source of those crab legs she’d ordered for dinner. Even so, Bobby Tom had treated her as if she were a paragon of womanhood. He was the perfect gentleman with everybody but her.
At the doorway to the condo, she saw that Cheryl Lynn had wound herself around him like a snake around the Tree of Knowledge. Not that he seemed to mind. She pushed her hips against his as if they’d been there before. Although Gracie considered herself a mild-tempered person, quick to make allowances and slow to anger, the longer he took with his good-night kiss, the more she could feel her indignation growing. Did he have to do major oral surgery on every woman he met? He had so many female scalps hanging from his belt he could walk around without his pants and nobody would know he was naked. Instead of wasting time coming up with a new diet pill, the pharmaceutical companies in this country would better serve the female population by producing an antidote to Bobby Tom Denton.
Her anger simmered as she watched Miss Bluebonnet Rodeo Saddle Queen attempt to climb his legs, and by the time he returned to the car, she had worked herself into a stew. “We’re going right to the emergency room so you can get a tetanus shot!” she snapped.
Bobby Tom lifted one eyebrow. “I take it you didn’t like Cheryl Lynn.”
“She spent more time looking around to make sure everybody noticed who she was with than she did looking at you. And she didn’t have to order the most expensive items on the menu just because you’re rich.” Gracie was building up a good head of steam as she combined four days worth of frustration into one outburst. “You didn’t even like her; that’s what made it even more disgusting. You could not stand that woman, Bobby Tom Denton, and don’t you try to deny it because I can see right through you. I’ve been able to see through you from the beginning. You’ve got more lines than a fisherman. All that malarkey about the CIA and Uzis. And I’ll tell you another thing. I, for one, don’t happen to believe a word about these alleged paternity suits.”
He looked slightly amazed. “You don’t.”
“No, I do not. You’re full of balderdash!”
