Suddenly Texan (8 page)

“Hey, partner,” Leo greeted Christie with a hug. “Having fun yet?”

“My goodness, don't you look handsome!” Christie replied, giving him an air kiss near his cheek.

“Thanks,” Leo said. “It's the tux.”

Cal shook his head at his wife. “You're not making me jealous tonight.”

“I wouldn't even try, darlin',” Christie said.

Amanda didn't know how to take that remark. Had there been something going on between Christie and Leo? How long had she and Cal been married? Their son was about four, so surely they'd been together at least five years.

“We got here right before the betting ended, so I haven't broken the bank yet,” Cal said.

“Oh, like you're such a gambler,” Christie teased.

He shrugged. “A man can dream. I'm definitely not as talented as Leo when it comes to gambling.”

“Amanda is running the roulette table,” Leo said, obviously changing the subject. “You should stop by later and try your luck.”

Leo was a gambler? Was he a professional or did he have a problem? She couldn't tell from Cal's tone.

“I'm sure we will,” Christie said. “I love roulette.”

“I'm looking for the craps table,” Cal stated.

“Odds are better at roulette,” Leo said, “and the house only has a five percent advantage in blackjack.”

“
If
the player makes all the right choices,” Christie added.

“Yes, but it's a lot of fun to roll the dice down the table,” Cal said with a grin. He imitated the motion of pitching the dice with flare.

Cal seemed to have a playful side. Their mother had said he was the serious one. That Troy was quicker to laugh. Maybe Cal had learned to loosen up over the years, or maybe being married to such a nice person as Christie had softened him up.

Amanda wished she could ask him if their father had truly been a tyrant. She wished she could meet Troy and compare her two brothers. She wished she could just blurt out that she was their sister and she wanted them to accept her.

But she couldn't do that. She had to handle this situation right if she were to have any chance of a relationship with them, her closest blood relatives.

“How about you, Amanda?” Christie asked. “Are you having a good time despite working the roulette table?”

“Yes, it's been…fine.” She nearly rolled her eyes at the lame response. She couldn't say, “No, I haven't learned a thing tonight despite eavesdropping,” or “No, I didn't get to bring up the Crawford family at all while spinning the wheel.”

“Amanda donated a genealogy research certificate for the silent auction,” Leo said.

“Oh, Cal, you should bid on that!” Christie said. “You don't know much about your family beyond your
grandparents. Wouldn't it be nice to find out how they all ended up in Texas?”

No! No! You don't want to do that,
Amanda felt like shouting.

“I suppose, but I'm not sure it matters all that much.”

“I love family history,” Christie said to Amanda. “My family in Fort Worth—well, mostly my mother—has researched her family and my father's all the way back to their immigration to America. One of my mother's ancestors even came over on the
Mayflower!
”

“That's great,” Amanda replied, concerned that Cal might bid on the genealogy certificate. It wouldn't be just the Crawfords she'd have to document, but the Allens as well, and that would lead to her family in Arkansas. None of them had liked Luanna's husband.

“Some family history is better left buried in the past,” Cal said with a touch of bitterness.

“Oh, baby, that's just one part of the past,” Christie said, hugging him.

“Yeah, but a big part. I'd rather not know any more about one side of my family. I know about my Crawford grandparents and great-grandparents, and that's enough.”

Christie didn't reply, but looked at him in sympathy.

Cal still felt a lot of pain, Amanda realized. He hadn't gotten over their mother's desertion. “Um, not everyone is interested in their family history,” she said.

He probably wouldn't welcome a sister, either. Especially one raised by the mother he wanted to forget.

“I'd better get back to my table,” she said before she became too sad to concentrate on roulette.

“It was nice to see you again,” Christie said. “I'll make sure to stop by your table later.”

Amanda forced a smile as the couple walked away.

“I'll see you guys around,” Leo called to Cal and Christie.

“Don't leave your friends on my account,” Amanda said. “I'll just grab one of those little sandwiches and finish my soft drink.”

“I'll come with you. Cal and Christie probably want some time alone. Their two children keep them home most nights.”

“Even with a nanny?”

“Darla doesn't live at the Rocking C. She's just there during the day.”

“Oh, that's right.” Leo was offering her an opening to talk about the Crawfords, but she felt emotionally drained at the moment. Even after all these years, Cal was still bitter. Did Troy feel the same way? Probably, since he'd been closer to their mother than his older brother.

Maybe this whole trip had been one stupid idea. Maybe she should have just sent a registered letter and let the attorney handle the bequest next week. She could have stayed away and avoided a Texas-sized heartache.

Cal and Christie had a family of their own. Troy and his wife had family in New Hampshire. Amanda had some cousins in Arkansas who had their own lives that didn't really include her.

And now she was just feeling sorry for herself.

“Hey, what's wrong? You zoned out there for a minute,” Leo said, taking her arm.

She realized she'd almost walked into a tray set up to
collect used cups and plates. “Sorry. I'd better get that sandwich.”

“Here,” Leo said, steering her to an empty table against the wall. “You sit down and I'll get you something to eat.”

“You don't know what I like.”

He gave her a look. “I've been with you for three days. I've got a good idea.”

Yes, he probably did. She sat down and waited for him to return with what would probably be the perfect buffet plate. Leo's powers of observation could be downright scary at times.

She just hoped he hadn't picked up on the real reason she'd been so distracted. Next time she was around the Crawfords, she'd have to make sure she didn't get so rattled. It wouldn't take Leo long to add two and two together.

At nine-thirty Martha Chase announced that all dealers should bring their boxes of chips to the ticket table as soon as possible. Everyone was encouraged to have one last drink or dessert since the community center would close soon. Amanda was glad. Her feet were hurting from standing on the linoleum floor in less-than-comfortable shoes.

By the time the last stragglers wandered out the front doors, Amanda had her emotions under control. She'd relaxed after eating the food Leo brought to her and found that she was much better at coping with difficulties on a full stomach. When Christie Crawford had come over to play roulette, Amanda had been able to make light conversation.

She truly liked Christie, and if circumstances were different, she could see them as sisters-in-laws, sharing common interests. Vintage furniture, garage sale shopping, thrift stores.

But things weren't different. As her mother used say, “things are what they are.”

The lights were bright inside the room as volunteers began taking down the shimmering silver tinsel wall covering and folding the red tablecloths. Leo stood
beneath one of the disco balls, his tuxedo jacket discarded. Reaching up, he worked to unhook the mirrored ball. She watched as his dress shirt pulled across his shoulders and back. The pants accentuated his nicely curved butt and long legs.

Even after hours on her feet and computing odds and payouts in her head, she could take time to admire the view.

“Nice, hmm?” Bobbi Jean Maxwell said. “Of course, I've known him since he was a baby and I don't have any business looking at a young man, but he's sure grown into a fine specimen of manhood.”

“Umm, yes, I suppose,” Amanda said, feeling her face heat up.

Bobbi Jean grabbed some half-empty plastic glasses and plates off a nearby table. “We may have some photos you'd like to see for your research. Why don't you come to lunch Monday and we'll talk about them?”

“That would be great,” Amanda said, suddenly feeling more energized. “I can't stay in town much longer, so I'd love to get any information you have as quickly as possible.”

“We'll see you at noon, then, at the café.”

“I'll be there.”

Great. She had to be finished by Wednesday to meet the attorney's deadline, so that would only give her a couple of days. Now, if she could just get in touch with Myra Hammer, then find a way to break the news to Cal, she'd be ready to leave Brody's Crossing.

She looked again at Leo. She would be leaving him, too. As if he felt her watching him, he turned toward her, flashing a smile that lit up the room.

Walking away from Leo Casale might be as difficult as talking calmly to Cal Crawford about their mother.

Leo placed the disco ball in a cardboard box and carried it to a storage closet. When he came back, he headed to the roulette wheel. “I can move that,” he said. “Are you ready to leave?”

“I can help put away the tables and things,” she offered.

“You don't have to.”

“I know, but it needs to be done.”

“Thanks. After I move the wheel, just fold up the tablecloth and collapse the table legs. I'll put it away. It's kind of heavy.”

“Okay,” she replied with a smile. She could lift the table herself, but she knew that men liked to feel they were the stronger sex so she'd let him do it.

With all the volunteers helping, it took about fifteen minutes to get the tables and chairs put away in the big storage closet, the decorations removed and packed. There wasn't much food left, but Martha said the salvageable leftovers were going to the refrigerator to be served Monday at the seniors lunch.

Nothing seemed to go to waste in Brody's Crossing, which as far as Amanda was concerned was a fine way to live. She picked up the hanger with her clothes.

“Ready to go back to the condo?” Leo asked, walking up behind her.

She spun around. He stood there with his tuxedo jacket hooked on one finger over his shoulder. The top button on his shirt was open and his bow tie hung loose around his neck. “You look like a men's cologne ad,” she said without thinking.

Leo grinned. “I do, hmm?”

“Oh, never mind. You know you look good.” She started walking toward the front doors.

“It never hurts to hear,” he said as he stepped along beside her. “So, did you drive or walk?”

“I drove. I had to go to Cassie's apartment first to get her clothes.”

“Since it's so late, I'll let you give me a ride home,” he said with a bit of cockiness.

“Oh, really? Well, thanks. Since I'm going there anyway, I'll do that.”

“I just want to say good night to Martha.” He touched Amanda's elbow and detoured her toward the ticket table. “Are you okay making the deposit, or should I take it?” Leo asked the director.

“Bobbi Jean and Burl are going with me to the bank tonight. Don't worry, it's safe.” Martha smiled. “This was the best casino night ever. Thanks for getting everyone to bid on those silent auction items.” She turned to Amanda. “And thanks to you for providing the genealogy certificate. That brought in a very nice amount.”

“Really? Who bought it? I forgot all about that!” Actually, she'd put it out of her mind after Leo hinted that Cal should bid on it. The idea of her brother hiring her to find out about their family would be laughable if it weren't so alarming.

“Cal Crawford,” Leo said.

Amanda looked up at him in panic. No. That just wasn't right! Cal had said he didn't want to dig up the past!

“Are you okay?” Leo asked gently.

No! I should never have donated that certificate.
She couldn't tell Leo what she was thinking, especially
since he seemed a bit suspicious of her motives already. “But he said—”

“Actually, he bought it as a gift for his sister-in-law, Raven York, up in New Hampshire,” Martha said. “The certificate did say that all the correspondence could be done via email.”

“Oh, yes.” Amanda felt like sagging in relief, but Leo was still watching her. “I handle most correspondence that way, and I can send them a file if they have genealogy software.”

“I'm sure Raven will appreciate the gift,” Leo said.

“I hope so,” Amanda replied. Anyone but a Crawford or an Allen. “Well, I'm glad that's settled.”

“Thanks again to both of you. Have a nice night.”

Leo leaned down and kissed Martha on the cheek. “Glad to help, as usual.”

They walked to Amanda's car in the darkness, a single streetlight shining through the tree limbs arching over the walkway. “It's pretty here in the springtime,” she said. “It's
hot
here in summer, but you should come back anyway. Spend some time in the area. Lots of good garage sales.”

“I'll see,” she said, unable to commit to anything, especially returning to the Crawfords' hometown.

She unlocked her car, then hung up her clothes in the backseat and put her purse on the floorboard. “So, how do you know so much about casinos and games?”

“I used to be a gambler.”

She frowned. “Like a professional or…”

“I didn't have a gambling addiction, if that's what you're asking,” he replied, settling into the passenger seat. “I was a professional blackjack player.”

She slid behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition. “I've never known anyone who actually made a living playing cards.” A few people she knew wished they could earn enough by gambling to quit their day jobs, mostly playing Texas Hold 'Em poker.

“I'm good at math, remember? I had a knack.”

“Like counting cards?”

“That has such a negative connotation,” he said softly. He reached over and fingered a strand of hair that had pulled free. “I was worried about you when you zoned out during the break. Was it just that you were hungry or was there something else bothering you?”

Well, that was an abrupt shift of topic.

She fastened her seat belt, then looked over at Leo in the pale illumination of the dashboard. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend she could talk to? Someone who would hold her and tell her everything was going to be fine?

But just as he didn't want to talk about his past profession, she didn't want to talk about her problems. “No, I just needed to eat,” she lied.

 

L
EO KNEW
A
MANDA WASN'T
telling him the whole truth about why she'd practically run into a tray of drinks after he'd mentioned Cal and Christie Crawford. And it had happened again just now, when he'd told her that Cal had been the highest bidder on the genealogy certificate. She'd looked shocked, although she'd tried to cover it up quickly.

She did not want Cal to look into his Crawford family history. But why? If Amanda were related to Cal on the wrong side of the blanket, how would he know? She
could simply not include that information in whatever type of report she provided him.

It was all confusing. One thing he did suspect was that whatever her relationship to Cal and Troy, Amanda found it upsetting. Every time she was around Cal, she got flustered.

There was one other explanation, one he didn't want to consider. If she were not related but was trying to pull off some type of scam, she might also become flustered. She didn't seem to be very accomplished at deception, though.

He should provide her with an easy out. Confront her and see if she'd back down from whatever she'd come here to do. She'd leave Brody's Crossing, that was for sure, but Cal and Christie wouldn't be hurt. He really thought a lot of his business partner and friend. And he'd known Cal all his life. He was a good man who didn't deserve his father's indiscretions to come back to bite him.

“I'll be glad to fix you something else to eat,” he said as Amanda pulled into an empty space in the condo's parking lot and turned off the engine. “I make some mean scrambled eggs.”

“Thanks, but I'll take a rain check.”

“Yeah? Well, I think I heard in the forecast that it's supposed to rain tomorrow.”

Amanda laughed, lifting his spirits. She had such a clear, bright laugh that he had to smile in response. When she was like this, he couldn't suspect her of anything.

“You're always trying to feed me. If I stay in town much longer, I'll be too big to fit into my clothes.”

“I don't believe that. Besides, I'd get you to go running
with me or something. I could think of a few good ways to burn off calories.”

She ducked her head and fiddled with the keys. “Well, I'm not much of a runner.”

“Yeah? I guess we'd have to think of something else then,” he said softly in the quiet of the car.

“I should get inside,” she whispered.

“You can sleep late tomorrow. It's Sunday.” He unfastened his seat belt and moved closer, placing his arm around the back of her seat. “Or you could stay in with me. I just love a lazy Sunday morning.”

“Oh, I don't think that's a good idea.”

He paused a moment before asking, “Why? Because we don't know each other well enough?”

“No.” She looked up, so close he could see the wide pupils of her gray-blue eyes even in the dim light of the car. “Because I'm leaving on Wednesday.”

He sighed and looked away, noticing the driver's side window was getting steamed up from their conversation. How long had it been since he'd heated up the inside of a car with a girl in Brody's Crossing? Forever, that's how long. “What's so special about Wednesday that you have to leave then? Why can't you stay awhile?”

“I…I just can't.”

“I know you don't owe me a reason, but I can't stop myself from wondering why.” He rubbed a strand of her silky soft hair between his fingers. “You seem to like it here. Other people like you.
I
like you. A lot.”

“I do like it here. If things were different…but they aren't.”

“What things?”

She drew in a deep breath. “I'm working through some personal issues. This is what I have to do.”

“These personal issues. They don't involve a boyfriend, do they?”

“No.”

He hadn't thought so. “Can't you work through them here?”

She shook her head. “No, that won't be possible.”

Hmm. She'd said “won't be” as if she were expecting something to happen. Something she didn't like. But what? She wasn't going to tell him. “If you have to leave, then we should make the most of every moment.”

“I already told you that I don't think we should—”

“I meant spending time together, having dinner. How about that rain check tomorrow night? I'll fix a family favorite—pasta with my Italian great-grandmother's sauce. You'll love it.”

“I don't know…”

“How about six o'clock? I'm going to my parents' house for lunch after church, but I don't have anything planned all afternoon. I'd really enjoy fixing you a genuine Italian dinner.”

“Just dinner?”

“And a movie?”

She smiled a little. “Okay, dinner and a movie.”

“Good.” He rested his right arm on the steering wheel. “And a kiss good night.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Right now.” He slanted his head and kissed her while she was still slightly surprised, capturing her mouth in an instant. He didn't give her time to think, just to react. For a moment she seemed startled, then responded as if she was hungry for him.

Unlike their previous kisses, this one was messy and hot and wonderful. They were wearing far too many
clothes and this car was way too small to make out for long, though. He needed to get her upstairs in his bed. He needed to get them both naked.

She pulled away, wide-eyed. All around her the windows were steamed up.

“We can't do this,” she said.

“Well, not here, that's for sure.”

“No, really.” She slipped her hand between them.