these charitable gestures for her. Why was she looking up at him with such pain in her eyes? He’d expected her to fling herself into his arms and rain kisses all over his face.
Even now a bottle of champagne was chilling in his trailer. For days he’d been planning. He’d take her to the dance that night, and afterward they’d go back to his trailer and make love. Instead, here she was, eyes flashing fire, her breathing fast and furious, staring at him as if he’d suddenly grown a tail. And he was making hurtful accusations about bartering sex for the springs.
“Let me go, King. I don’t know how to play games. You confuse me.” Kaylyn knew that her anger wasn’t because he was redesigning the town square. What he’d planned was much better than her past efforts. She was bothered by his self-confidence and the easy way he’d taken over and ingratiated himself with the people.
Calling him the outsider who didn’t fit in had suited her purposes. But now he belonged, and she was torn between pride in what he was accomplishing for the celebration and despair at the crumbling of her plans to save the springs. It all came down to motives. She wasn’t at all sure about her own. The man kept getting mixed up with her emotions, and she was very confused.
As they stood there like dolls with magnets inside them, their bodies straining to join, she could feel a current arcing between them like an electrical charge. His expression suddenly changed. He smiled again, and the smile wasn’t forced.
“Don’t be afraid, Kaylyn. We’ve got to learn how to be together. This is all new to me too. We just have to let it happen.” His head was lowering, and she knew he was going to kiss her. In the middle of the town square, with everybody watching, he was going to kiss her.
“Don’t, King. Don’t. This won’t solve anything. You mustn’t kiss me now.”
“Why not, darlin’? I want to kiss you now. My whole body is crying out to kiss you now.” His lips were moving closer.
“Because! Because,” she said wildly, “Minnie Rakestraw will lose her money if you do.”
He blinked and drew back in surprise. “What?”
“Minnie has a kiss at the dance for two dollars.”
“Who’s Minnie, and who’s betting?”
“Minnie is one of my favorite patients,” Kaylyn said rapidly. “She and Luther and the others at the nursing home have a betting pool on our romance. She drew the dance. If you and I go to the dance together and you kiss me, she wins two dollars.”
King shook his head. “And I thought Joker was a gambler. We’ll have to introduce him to Minnie.”
“Who’s Joker?”
“Joker’s my brother. Being a practical joker is what got him his name, but there’s one thing he likes better than playing jokes. Gambling. I’ll introduce him to you when he gets here.”
“I’d like that.” She spoke without even being certain what she was saying. Anything to distract King from kissing her in front of the whole town.
“All right, darlin’,” he said, letting his arms fall to his sides. “I’ll take a rain check on the kiss. We wouldn’t want to disappoint Miss Minnie. What time do I pick you up for the picnic?”
“You really don’t have to pick me up. I just wanted you to get to know the townspeople. I thought you’d probably never been to anything like this before.”
“Well, normally I’d be running in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta on the Fourth of July, but I passed that up for the three-legged race—and you, darlin’. I intend to spend the entire day with you and take you to the dance tonight as well. We’ll have a date, lady. We’ve got to win two dollars for Miss Minnie.”
Kaylyn straightened her shoulders. She couldn’t handle the man. He was like quicksilver, sliding from one outrageous thing to the next. “But why? Ifall this help is to win support for your side, you’ve already accomplished that.”
“My side? Is that what you think I’m doing? All right, I’ll
Even now a bottle of champagne was chilling in his trailer. For days he’d been planning. He’d take her to the dance that night, and afterward they’d go back to his trailer and make love. Instead, here she was, eyes flashing fire, her breathing fast and furious, staring at him as if he’d suddenly grown a tail. And he was making hurtful accusations about bartering sex for the springs.
“Let me go, King. I don’t know how to play games. You confuse me.” Kaylyn knew that her anger wasn’t because he was redesigning the town square. What he’d planned was much better than her past efforts. She was bothered by his self-confidence and the easy way he’d taken over and ingratiated himself with the people.
Calling him the outsider who didn’t fit in had suited her purposes. But now he belonged, and she was torn between pride in what he was accomplishing for the celebration and despair at the crumbling of her plans to save the springs. It all came down to motives. She wasn’t at all sure about her own. The man kept getting mixed up with her emotions, and she was very confused.
As they stood there like dolls with magnets inside them, their bodies straining to join, she could feel a current arcing between them like an electrical charge. His expression suddenly changed. He smiled again, and the smile wasn’t forced.
“Don’t be afraid, Kaylyn. We’ve got to learn how to be together. This is all new to me too. We just have to let it happen.” His head was lowering, and she knew he was going to kiss her. In the middle of the town square, with everybody watching, he was going to kiss her.
“Don’t, King. Don’t. This won’t solve anything. You mustn’t kiss me now.”
“Why not, darlin’? I want to kiss you now. My whole body is crying out to kiss you now.” His lips were moving closer.
“Because! Because,” she said wildly, “Minnie Rakestraw will lose her money if you do.”
He blinked and drew back in surprise. “What?”
“Minnie has a kiss at the dance for two dollars.”
“Who’s Minnie, and who’s betting?”
“Minnie is one of my favorite patients,” Kaylyn said rapidly. “She and Luther and the others at the nursing home have a betting pool on our romance. She drew the dance. If you and I go to the dance together and you kiss me, she wins two dollars.”
King shook his head. “And I thought Joker was a gambler. We’ll have to introduce him to Minnie.”
“Who’s Joker?”
“Joker’s my brother. Being a practical joker is what got him his name, but there’s one thing he likes better than playing jokes. Gambling. I’ll introduce him to you when he gets here.”
“I’d like that.” She spoke without even being certain what she was saying. Anything to distract King from kissing her in front of the whole town.
“All right, darlin’,” he said, letting his arms fall to his sides. “I’ll take a rain check on the kiss. We wouldn’t want to disappoint Miss Minnie. What time do I pick you up for the picnic?”
“You really don’t have to pick me up. I just wanted you to get to know the townspeople. I thought you’d probably never been to anything like this before.”
“Well, normally I’d be running in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta on the Fourth of July, but I passed that up for the three-legged race—and you, darlin’. I intend to spend the entire day with you and take you to the dance tonight as well. We’ll have a date, lady. We’ve got to win two dollars for Miss Minnie.”
Kaylyn straightened her shoulders. She couldn’t handle the man. He was like quicksilver, sliding from one outrageous thing to the next. “But why? Ifall this help is to win support for your side, you’ve already accomplished that.”
“My side? Is that what you think I’m doing? All right, I’ll
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