“Can’t you find some way to help him get a break in Nashville?”
“Katie, you heard us singing. Did those lyrics sound as if they stand a chance of climbing the country music charts?”
“How long did it take him to write them?”
“About ten seconds, but that’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” she corrected. “If he can do that in ten seconds, just think what he could do if he actually worked at it. Besides, he has an incredible voice and the kind of bad-boy looks that could make him a star.”
Luke stared at her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious. If you think I’m wrong, get him a gig closer to home and check it out. He could probably work some club in Myrtle Beach. Country music is everywhere up there.”
She gazed into blue eyes that were suddenly thoughtful and added, “Besides, if Tommy finds a place for himself, if he’s doing something he loves, I don’t think he’ll press for custody of Robby. You can end this before it ever gets to court.”
Luke cupped her face in his hands. “Have I mentioned that I love you, Katie Cassidy?”
The impulsive statement sent shock waves rebounding through her. Of course, she knew he didn’t mean it. Not in any way that counted. He was just grateful for the mediating she’d done that had eased tensions between him and his brother. That was all it was, she told herself sternly right before Luke’s mouth settled against hers in the sweetest, gentlest kiss she’d ever experienced.
On the surface there was nothing provocative or even remotely dangerous about that kiss, but Katie’s body apparently didn’t know that. She responded as if it were the darkest, most sensual, most seductive invitation ever delivered. And she knew without a doubt, as her pulse scrambled and her heart thundered, that she was within seconds of losing the last fragile thread of her resolve.
It took her only one of those scant remaining seconds to bolt from the hammock, practically toppling Luke onto the ground with her.
“What the...?” Luke demanded, looking dazed.
“I’m going to bed,” Katie announced with as much dignity as she could muster.
“Good. I’ll—” Luke began, apparently taking her words as an invitation.
She frowned at him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He halted where he was. “I see.”
He looked so taken aback, so thoroughly confused by her sudden change that Katie almost took pity on him...and herself. Only a reminder that Luke had chosen her not as a wife, but as a means to an end kept her from throwing herself back into his arms.
“I’ll be at the diner by the time you get up,” she said in a tone designed to put as much emotional distance back between them as possible. “Peg will probably have Robby there by then, too. If you come by...” she gazed into stormy eyes “...I’ll take a break and we can all have breakfast together.”
Luke looked as if he were about to protest, but finally he shook his head and turned away.
“We had a deal,” Katie reminded him softly.
“I don’t want to hear another word about the damned deal,” he said. “Just go to bed, Katie. Go now, unless you want me to prove that you want to tear up that blasted paper even more than I do.”
He was right, she thought. If she stayed, there would be no turning back, and she wasn’t ready to risk it yet. She cast one last tormented look in Luke’s direction, then turned and went inside. One irony did not escape her. She had smoothed over Luke’s relationship with his brother, but his relationship with her was in more turmoil than ever.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Luke didn’t show up at the diner. Katie watched for him all morning long, delaying her break until she was practically faint with hunger. Robby had long since protested the delay and demanded pancakes with an egg on top “the way Daddy likes.” Once he’d eaten, he couldn’t wait to go off with Mrs. Jeffers, who was beginning to look a little frazzled, but who swore she was having more fun than she’d had in years.
At the door to the diner, Mrs. Jeffers turned and came back. “Dear, I don’t want you worrying about what happened yesterday,” she said, squeezing Katie’s hand reassuringly. “Luke is absolutely right about the rent. We’ve all been taking advantage of your good nature. I’m sure we’ll manage to get on the proper schedule somehow.”
Katie stared at her, feeling her temper start to rise all over again. Everyone was just assuming again that Luke was in charge. “The schedule you were on was just fine,” she said tightly. “There is no need for any of you to be upset. I’ll handle Luke.”
Mrs. Jeffers looked alarmed by her anger. “Now, Katie, don’t you dare start fighting with your new husband over this. This should be a time of joy for the two of you. Like I said, we’ll manage.”
“And like I said, there’s no need for anyone to manage anything. You’ll pay me just as you always have and that’s the end of it.”
“If you say so, dear,” Mrs. Jeffers said doubtfully. She started toward the door, then turned back again. “One last thing, should I bring Robby back to the boarding house after our outing or take him to Peg’s?”
“Bring him to the boarding house,” Katie said, suddenly reaching a decision she should have made the moment she and Luke returned from Atlanta. If they were ever going to have anything resembling a normal marriage or even a decent business partnership, then they needed to get everyone back under one roof so they could all adjust together. “I think it’s time everyone came home where they belonged. I’ll expect to see you and Ginger and Mr. O’Reilly there tonight, as well.”
The pleased expression on Mrs. Jeffers’s face indicated to Katie that the woman had no idea she was part of a gauntlet being thrown down in front of Luke.
Katie was still formulating her
