Simmer All Night (6 page)

"I don't believe you're going away for good, Miss Chrissy," Michael said, folding his arms across his chest. "I've decided you'll find a rich husband over there and you'll sweet talk him into moving you home to Texas."

Chrissy delighted when a muscle twitch betrayed Cole's clenched jaw. If he didn't like that idea, then she loved it. "That's a good idea, Michael. I'll keep it in mind. You know I'll miss you all desperately."

Sophie sniffed. "I'll probably cry my eyes out every single day. You at least have to promise to come back on your wedding trip."

"That's a good idea," agreed Michael. "That way you'll be back in at least six months. It won't take any longer than that for an Englishman to fall in love with you."

"Six months?" Lana shook her head. "It won't take her three."

Michael spoke to Cole. "You'd best arrange for plenty of transportation for Miss Chrissy's things. She'll want to take most of her belongings with her."

"Unless her new husband wants to buy her all new things," Lana mused, tapping a contemplative finger against her lips. "But she'd better take everything with her just in case. In fact, Chrissy, you should really buy an entire new wardrobe in the latest styles so you will dazzle all those Englishmen. You don't want them to think that Texans are backward."

"You have a point," Chrissy said with a grin. "Perhaps I should make a trip up to Fort Worth and visit my favorite dressmaker, Jenny McBride."

Lana smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, Chrissy. She could make you a wedding dress. Aren't her gowns supposed to bring a bride good luck?"

With a winter's chill in his tone, Cole stated flatly, "You'll have room for two trunks and a satchel, Christina. Anything more you'll have to ship under separate arrangements."

"I'll take care of that for you," the boy volunteered. "Don't worry, Miss Chrissy. I'll make sure everything arrives in time for your wedding."

Frustration roughened Cole's voice. "She's visiting her grandfather, not getting married."

The Kleberg family shared a look, then shrugged. "You want some chili, Mr. Morgan?" Michael asked. "If not, would you mind moving along? Our hungry customers need a place to line up."

Cole glanced over his shoulder at the near empty square. Chrissy could tell by the set of his jaw that they'd pushed him far enough. She quickly dished up two bowls of chili and placed them on a tray with a plate of cornbread muffins. "I haven't had supper yet. Will you join me, Cole? No peppers this time."

Grudgingly, he accepted and after excusing herself to the Klebergs, Chrissy led him to a small, isolated table on the far side of the Plaza de Las Armas.

Taking his seat, Cole glanced back toward where the Kleberg family stood scowling in his direction. "The boy's a cocky little sonofagun, isn't he?"

Chrissy didn't bother with a reply. Having left the comforting and distracting presence of her friends, the energy drained from her body, and she wanted simply to sit down and cry. She'd battled this swing of emotions all day, the high fueled by anger and righteousness, the low a morass of depression, despair, and bone-deep weariness.

"Christina, you can't keep this up."

"Eat your supper, Morgan. Then go away."

"Not until you go home. I swear, woman, your head is harder than Texas red granite. I don't understand what drives you."

"You don't need to understand me. Understanding is not a requirement for the position of delivery boy."

He folded his arms. "Delivery boy?"

She shut her eyes and sighed heavily. "Listen. You and my brother and my mother have nothing to worry about. I've decided not to fight my mother's wishes. I'll go to England. You need not play nanny to me in the meantime."

"Then quit acting like a child!" He gestured across the square. "Close that chili stand and go home where you belong."

"Home?" Her brows winged up. "And where is that, precisely? It starts with a
D,
I remember. Devonshire... Dairyshire... something like that."

"It's Derbyshire, but I'm talking about Delaney House and you know it. You're only making matters worse by continuing this Chili Queen nonsense. You will destroy what's left of your reputation. Your mother is worried sick about you."

Chrissy's laugh was dry and humorless. "You can come up with something more believable than that."

He waited a beat and said, "I don't know which is more unattractive, self-pity or self-delusion. Be honest, Christina. In your heart you know it's wrong to doubt your mother's love. It hurts her, and I won't stand for it."

Narrowing her eyes, Chrissy leaned toward him and spoke in a cold, calm voice. "Listen carefully, Cole Morgan. You have no say-so over me. Neither does my brother, nor after this morning, my mother. They washed their hands of me, and they can't have it both ways. They've sent me away for the last time. Delaney House is no longer my home. This town is no longer my home. I don't care what San Antonio society thinks of me, and that includes my family. If I want to be a scandal between now and the moment we board the train to the coast, I will. If I want to have a hot and steamy and very public love affair, I'll do that too. For a little while, until I settle down into my new life in England, I'm free. I'm independent."

"You're crazy!"

The man's tanned complexion had literally turned red. Laughter bubbled up inside Chrissy and she gave it free reign. "Yes, maybe I am. But you know what? Being crazy feels so darn... delicious."

As Cole's jaw dropped, another man's voice interrupted the conversation. "Ah, my beautiful sunflower. The minutes have crawled by like days since last we danced. Come to me,
querida.
The music awaits us." Ramon Montoya stood near the middle of the plaza, one arm outstretched.

The flare of anger in Cole's eyes goaded Chrissy into action. Flashing Ramon a winsome smile, she stood and made her way toward the vaquero. She melted into the man's arms, offering up a quick kiss as their feet glided into the music.
Annoying
Cole
Morgan is so much fun.

Chrissy expected him to react, but she thought he'd stop short of anything physical. She thought wrong. She heard his growl first, then felt herself being jerked away from Ramon and spun around.

"Hey," protested the vaquero.

"Go away," threatened Cole, his gaze locked on hers.

"
Querida?
"

"It's all right, Ramon. He's family, of a sort. Excuse us, please?"

Cole waited until the vaquero had walked away, then he took Chrissy by both shoulders and gave her a little shake. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Quit cursing at me. That's the second time you've done it."

"Fine, then." He shook her again, a little harder this time. "What in blazes do you think you are doing?"

"I was kissing him. That's what I do. I kiss men." Then, acting on instinct alone, she threw her arms around Cole Morgan and proved it.

At the touch of his mouth against hers, lightning struck. The earth quaked. The world as Chrissy knew it shifted on its axis. He tasted of spices and sunshine and he fed that cold, empty spot in her soul. The warmth flashed through her, seeping into every hidden place within her, making her ache with need. Frightening her.

Chrissy wrenched herself away.

For a long moment, they stared at one another, shock a living, breathing entity vibrating between them.
He must have shaken the good sense right out of my head.

He muttered a particularly crude curse. "That's it. You've gone too far. I forbid you to set foot in this plaza again."

Chrissy sputtered, then shrieked as he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. "What in the world...?"

The rogue actually swatted her behind, then bit off his words. "Shut your mouth, Bug."

Bug. He'd called her by her old nickname, something he hadn't done in years. He must really be upset.

As he marched from the plaza she wiggled and kicked and tried to free herself, to no avail. "Put me down, Cole! Don't you dare—"

"I mean it. Shut your mouth or I swear I'll get mean."

"Mean?" She beat on his back. "You cart me off in public like a sack of flour and you say you'll get mean? Excuse me, but what's this? What are you going to do that's worse?"

She hit him again for good measure just as he opened his mouth and said, "I'll kiss you back."

She froze, going stiff and still in his arms.

I'll kiss you back,
he'd said.

I wish you would,
her heart answered.

Chrissy groaned. What in the world had gotten into her?

She'd never thought about kissing Cole Morgan. Well, almost never. Not for years anyway. She had thought about it when they were children because Cole and Jake used to threaten her with kisses all the time. Back then it had been a way for the boys to exert their will over her. Childish voices
rang in her mind.
Go away, Bug, or we'll kiss you. If you don't climb up in the tree and get our ball down, Cole and I will kiss you. Leave us alone, Bug. Otherwise we'll kiss you.

It had been a highly effective threat. And an idle one—they never once came near her—but one that worked. For a good many years, Chrissy would rather have eaten rolly-pollies than kissed her brother or his best friend. Nowadays she often gave Jake a peck on the cheek, but the thought of kissing had never occurred to her. Well, almost never.

It sure occurred to her today.

Chrissy grimaced. She hadn't meant to kiss him. He'd goaded her into it. Besides, that hadn't been a real kiss. That had been more of a fight.

Uh-huh. And fights like that led a girl into trouble.

Well, I'm not going to get into any trouble. I won't have the chance. I'm going
to
live with my grandfather, the strict disciplinarian.

Of course, she was traveling to England with Cole. He was handsome as sin, tall and dark and a little bit dangerous. Women had swooned over his broad shoulders and muscular form and that fallen angel's face for years. What made her think she'd be immune? She was only the Chili Queen.

Cole Morgan was the King of Temptation.

Chapter 3

Cole hardly noticed that the spitting hellcat over his shoulder had gone still. He was too busy trying to figure out what had happened back there.

Christina had kissed him. She'd wrapped her arms around him and laid on a real man-to-woman kiss. And, damn him to the lowest region of hell, he'd gone hard as a fence post because of it.

That's why he'd thrown her over his shoulder. The last thing he'd needed at that point was for her to notice his condition. And if stirring up his body wasn't bad enough, the woman also scrambled his brain.
Had he really threatened to kiss her?

He cleared his throat. "Kill. I meant kill. That was a slip of the tongue."

In self-defense, he then launched into a harangue hot enough to scorch her chili, but he could tell she wasn't listening to him. That didn't matter. He wasn't listening either. Instead he was gathering up every last thought about that... that... exchange and locking it permanently away in what little bit of brain he had left.

Once they were beyond the plaza Cole set her on her feet. He took two deep calming breaths and tried to decide what to say to her.

Before he reached any conclusions, Christina raised her chin regally and said, "I'll be going to my mother's house now. Please find the Klebergs and ask them to tend my chili."

Something in her manner bothered him, caused him to give her a second glance, looking past the queenly facade she presented. She looked almost... heartbroken. Cole's stomach dipped. She wasn't all upset because of him. No, he understood that this sadness now and the recklessness earlier resulted from Elizabeth's decision to send her away. He fumbled for words. "Christina, I don't... I didn't... you can't—"

"Never mind. I'll speak with Lana myself. Excuse me, Cole, but it's been a very long day and I'm tired. I'm headed for Delaney House and sleep."

When she turned to leave, he fell into step beside her. "Me, too. Tired, I mean. We're both tired. I guess we're not thinking straight, right? Let's get your chili taken care of, then I'll see you home. Do you have a buggy?"

"I walked."

For once she didn't argue with his plan. After a quick exchange with the Klebergs, they walked the fair distance to Delaney House. Neither spoke until they approached the house, at which point he heard her murmur softly, "Home? Not anymore."

The bleakness in her eyes had Cole wanting to hit something. Instead, after seeing her safely inside, he went looking for Jake. He found him at the office studying papers at his desk. "I thought you left for the day," Jake observed.

"I did but now I'm back." Cole sauntered into his partner's office and slumped into a chair. "I want to talk to you."

Jake pushed away the papers and leaned back in his seat. "This is about my sister, isn't it?"

Cole tensed. Had someone told him about the kiss?

No, that wasn't it. Jake hadn't met him with a right hook, so obviously he didn't know about that bit of foolishness.