Carly struggled for breath. The innocent notion of kissing it to make it better took on a totally different meaning. Russ was so big, so male, sitting there in an ordinary cotton shirt and faded jeans that suddenly seemed to scream his virility.

  There wasn’t anything different about him, she told herself. He’d always been both gentle and playful with her. He’d always sat that way, feet planted firmly on the ground, legs spread wide. Her gaze fell to the area that gloved his masculinity, and a staggering excitement raced through her.

  Appalled at the direction of her thoughts, Carly jerked her leg away from his touch. She felt like a complete idiot. Inhaling sharply, she admonished herself to speak slowly.

  “I was climbing over one of the fences, and I got scratched.” Was that pitiful, wobbly voice hers? Giving herself a hard mental shake, she continued more forcefully. “You were saying something about a problem.”

  Russ cleared his throat and leaned back. “The Ladies Auxiliary has me targeted for this summer. You know how they find an eligible bachelor and shove every available female under his nose until he either marries one of them or moves away.”

  Carly nodded, remembering how her oldest brother Daniel had actually left town for an entire summer. The older ladies of Beulah County took seriously their duty of making matches for the younger population.

  “I just don’t have time for it this year,” Russ explained. “And there are several community activities I’m expected to attend.”

  Carly frowned, wondering how he wanted her to assist him. “Russ, I wish I could help, but I don’t see how. I have no influence on those ladies. It’s not like I attend their meetings or anything.”

  “Well, I wasn’t asking you to speak on my behalf.” He leaned forward. “I want you to be my escort for the summer. That would keep them off my back,” he told her in his most unromantic voice.

  “Your escort?” Carly stood, trying to comprehend him. “For the entire summer! Then everyone would think we’re involved.” That was only her first objection.

  Russ shrugged. “Yeah.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “This could mess up your, uh, other romantic liaisons.”

  He gave her a direct gaze. “I don’t have any other romantic liaisons. Besides, it’s a small price to pay. The Ladies Auxiliary is relentless.”

  She rubbed her pounding forehead. Something about this just didn’t seem right. “Why didn’t you ask someone else? Someone who appeals to you.”

  “Because,” he said patiently as he stood, “someone else would misunderstand my intentions. You won’t.”

  That sensible explanation should have reassured her, but it didn’t. Her confusion suddenly cleared and in its place came anger. “What you want,” she began in a slow, quiet voice, “is for me to pretend I’m your”—she groped for an adequate term—”your adoring romantic interest for the summer. I would be at your disposal to attend activities, during which time the gossips would have a field day over our affair.”

  Russ’s jaw tightened.

  Carly ignored it. “Come September, we would stop seeing each other, and I’d have to deal with pity from every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street. Have you—”

  “That’s not necessarily true,” Russ interjected. “They might think you dumped me.”

  “Oh sure,” she said with complete disbelief. “Exactly how many women have dumped you, Russ?”

  Russ put his hands on his hips and sighed. “There was probably someone in high school. Hell, I don’t know, Carly. All I know is you need a piano player and I need a female escort. We’ve always been pals, so there’d be no harm in it.”

  He shrugged his powerful shoulders once again.

  “As far as your reputation is concerned, everybody knows your brothers practically keep you under lock and key and that you’re as innocent now as the day you were born. Seeing me won’t change that.”

  With each placating word, she became more insulted. She’d never been particularly confident of her feminine allure. To know that Russ viewed her as a nonwoman hurt. There was no basis for her feelings and that only made her more upset.

  She had only one thing to say to him.

  “G-G-Go t-to hell!”

  For one endless second, she watched shock envelop his face. Then, completely mortified, she turned on her heel and left the room. She instinctively raced for the back door. So caught up in her humiliation, she barely noticed the astonished faces of her brothers in the hall.

  Aunt Bitsy asked her to take a bowl of ice outside. Carly complied, but her final instruction to Russ rang through her mind like a chord played on a poorly tuned piano.

  She winced. It had been six years since she’d stuttered.

  Back in the parlor, Russ was trying to collect his thoughts when Carly’s brothers entered. He had a couple of seconds’ grace before they started in on him in descending order.

  “What was that all about, Russ?” Daniel began.

  “You’ve been playing poker again,” Garth said, pointing at the cards on the cherry table.

  Jarod’s mouth was tight with disapproval. “Carly’s never told anybody to go to hell before.”

  Then finally Troy offered the most telling piece of information. “She stuttered,” he said accusingly.

  Four pairs of violet eyes stared at him, waiting for an explanation. If Ethan, Nathan, and Brick were here, they’d be staring him down too. Another man might have trembled in his boots, but Russ had known the Pendletons a long time. He’d played football with two of them, shared a college dorm room with Garth, and worked alongside all of them after a vicious tornado tore through their daddy’s farm.

  They were the closest thing to brothers he had. They could also be a pain in the ass.

  “We played whiskey poker, and she lost,” Russ said simply.

  Garth’s mouth twisted ruefully. A chuckle escaped from him, then another. Soon, the room was filled with masculine laughter.

  “Carly always did hate to lose,” Daniel said.

  “She was madder than a hornet. You probably should have let her win, Russ,” Troy pointed out.

  Russ shook his head. “No. Carly’s tired of being treated like a child. She’s ready to stand on her own two feet.”

  “Yeah, but she’s a girl,” Troy said.

  “Do you remember how you felt when people kept calling you a boy after you turned twenty?” Russ asked. “Do you remember what you did to prove you weren’t a boy?”

  They all remembered. Russ could read it on their faces. He remembered the struggle for manhood himself, the taking of a woman not out of love, not even out of respect, but out of an empty search for proof.

  The atmosphere in the room grew thoughtful.

  Daniel cleared his throat. “You’re trying to tell us something.”

  “Nothing you don’t already know,” Russ said gently. “Carly’s a woman. She still needs you, but not in the same way she used to.”

  Troy shifted his stance. “But if we don’t look after her, who will?”

  Russ wanted to say that he would, that they needn’t worry. But that wouldn’t solve the problem. She didn’t want to be taken care of. “I think Carly wants to look after herself. If she doesn’t get some space, she might decide she needs to prove herself. And you don’t want that.”

  They all muttered their agreement.

  The men grew uncomfortable with the serious discussion and found excuses to leave the room. Garth, however, hung back and when the others had left, he turned to Russ.

  “You want her,” he said bluntly.

  Russ’s lip curved grimly. “You know me well.” Garth shook his tousled dark head and sighed. “I don’t know if she’s ready for this, Russ.”

  “I'm not waiting any longer. I’ve been planning this for two years.”

  Garth’s eyes widened in surprise. “Two years? I guess this isn’t just one of your flings, then.”

  Russ understood the question. After all, when they had roomed together in college, Garth had seen the number and variety of females that had paraded in and out of his life. “I mean business,” Russ assured him. “Cut me some slack. Between you and your brothers and Carly’s drive for independence, this summer is going to be pure hell.”

  Garth chuckled and gave Russ a commiserating pat on the shoulder. Russ shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. He was determined to remain clearheaded and objective. With painful accuracy, he recalled the one time he’d acted impulsively and the disastrous results. He’d made a complete fool of himself during his brief ill-fated marriage, and it wouldn't happen again. Russ prided himself on his ability to extricate himself from emotionally volatile situations. As a matter of fact, he’d given Carly’s brothers a tip or two on the subject.

  Shaking his head, Russ thought back to Carly’s parting comment. He hadn’t counted on the full scope of her feminine pride. He’d tried to make his request as nonthreatening as possible. In trying to reassure her, he’d obviously botched his plan. Now he had to figure out how to get things back on track.

  The next morning, Carly was late for church. She scooted in the last wooden pew, not wanting to draw attention to her tardiness. It was those crazy erotic dreams. She’d tossed and turned a good part of the night, then overslept this morning. And it was all Russ Bradford’s fault.

  The ushers took the offering, and the choir sang a soothing hymn. The quiet setting had just begun to calm her when Russ appeared beside her pew. Carly tensed, but moved over.

  She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead at the pastor, although she couldn’t hear a word he said.

  Russ leaned over and murmured in her ear, “To err is human.”

  She remained silent.

  “Are you ever going to speak to me again?” he whispered.

  Giving up her pretense of paying attention, Carly sighed. “I haven’t decided. I’m torn between wringing your neck and apologizing for telling you to go to—” She broke off, remembering she was in church. Even though God knew what she’d said to Russ, she didn’t think she needed to refresh His memory.

  “Let me take you to lunch,” Russ murmured.

  She cut her eyes at him and started to shake her head.

  “No strings,” he whispered.

  The older woman in front of them turned around and frowned. Carly pointed at Russ. The woman’s frown turned to a smile. Carly looked at the ceiling.

  “Lunch,” he murmured again.

  “Be quiet,” Carly said.

  “Lunch.”

  Carly was caught in a dilemma. She wanted her easy friendship with Russ back, but she had to get rid of this new awareness first. It was making her do crazy things, think crazy thoughts.

  “It’s not like I’m asking you to go to bed,” Russ whispered.

  Her heart jumped. Shocked, Carly’s head whipped around. He couldn’t possibly know she’d dreamed that very scenario this morning.

  She studied him carefully. His brown eyes held the same lazy humor as always. His body appeared relaxed, with one ankle propped across the opposite knee, and one arm resting behind her on the top of the pew. If she were just a little closer, his big hand might be on her shoulder or back. Her stomach fluttered.

  Something about the set of his mouth told her he wasn’t going to give up.

  “Will you be quiet?” she asked in her softest voice.

  “Lunch.”

  “Yes,” she whispered tersely.

  Two

  * * *

  Carly was relieved Russ didn’t begin a discussion about the pastor’s sermon. Since she’d spent the rest of the service mentally rehearsing all the logical reasons why she couldn’t be his summer escort, she could only guess what the pastor had talked about.

  Russ had suggested the Davy Crockett Diner. She politely agreed. He ordered steak. She ordered chicken.

  She expected him to begin negotiations any minute.

  Russ loosened his burgundy-print tie. “I met your new assistant last night. She told me you’re looking for new entertainment.”

  Carly nodded and relaxed. “For the cruises with meals. I think it would draw more customers, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money.”

  He smiled at the waitress as she served their iced tea and tossed salads.

  “Have you thought about a disc jockey?”

  “Yes, but they’re so loud.” Carly took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know what I want. Just something different.”

  “Why don’t you let your waitstaff pull double duty? Maybe they could serve drinks and dessert, then do some kind of musical comedy act.”

  Carly considered the idea and felt a spark of excitement. “That’s wonderful. I could hire some community college students. Their schedules would be flexible.” She beamed at him. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Carly took a bite of her salad and made a mental note to contact the community college tomorrow. After a moment, she noticed that Russ was still looking at her. She felt a curious tugging in her stomach.

  “So you think the idea will help?”

  “Yes, thanks for sharing it with me.” She had a niggling feeling he expected something besides thanks from her. Then the light dawned.

  “Exactly how much is this idea going to cost me, Russ?”

  Russ raised his hands. “Hey, I’m on your side. Consider it a token of my friendship.”

  Carly nodded and went back to her salad.

  “Of course, if you found it in your heart to return the favor ...”

  Glancing back up at him, she noted the guileless expression on his face. His eyes, however, were pure temptation. She gave up on her salad. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas about how I could return the favor?”

  “Well,” he said, slowly rubbing his chin, “since you brought it up, there is one thing.”

  “Uh-huh,” Carly said.

  He bobbed an ice cube with one of his fingers. “What I need is a beautiful, intelligent woman who will let me take her out to dinner and community functions for the next few months.”

  He glanced back at her. “I find I have a preference for a tall, leggy riverboat owner with short, dark hair and violet eyes. And a smile a man would kill for.”

  His warm gaze fell on her eyes, then her mouth. Despite reason, Carly’s heart fluttered. Her cheeks heated. She felt charmed and flattered. She almost believed the snake. It was on the tip of her tongue to accept. What woman would turn away this delicious, undivided attention from such a sexy man?

  Then she came to her senses. “Have you considered the personal ads?”

  A reluctant grin tugged at his mouth as he shook his head. “Carly, this is no way to treat a buddy.”

  That was the problem. She didn’t see Russ as just a buddy. She saw him as a desirable man. Although his teasing was intended as innocent fun, she could easily envision herself getting hurt under the constant onslaught of his brand of masculine attention. Everybody knew Russ Bradford changed women as often as a college freshman changed majors.

  She risked an assessing glance at him. Since his brief disastrous marriage, no woman had ever touched Russ’s heart. When things got sticky, Russ extricated himself from the situation. He had the ability to hold his emotions aloof. After her childhood, Carly needed a man who wore his heart on his sleeve.

  Just then, the waitress set their steaming entrees on the table, and Russ led the conversation in other, less volatile directions.

  They talked about her new brochure. She asked about his mother who had moved to Florida after Russ’s father’s death.

  One of Carly’s clients, Francine Granger, and her husband stopped by their table. “Carly, you’re just the person I’ve been wanting to talk to. We need to confirm my reservation for our anniversary party on your riverboat.” Francine gave her balding husband an affectionate squeeze. “Norman and I have been married for twenty-five years, and we want a big celebration.”

  Carly smiled at the effervescent Francine and long-suffering Norman. She’d bet money that Norman would be happy with a quiet dinner at home, but she wouldn’t quibble. Francine’s anniversary party promised to be as extravagant as the woman herself.

  “Russ, you will be able to play the piano for us, won’t you?” Franeine continued.

  Carly’s stomach sank. She and Russ still hadn’t resolved the issue, and she didn’t want to lose Francine’s business.

  The middle-aged woman, who happened to be a member of the Ladies Auxiliary, fixed an appraising eye on Russ. “You know, Russ, my daughter Caroline will be visiting from graduate school soon. She’ll need someone to take her around. Do you think you could—”

  Russ cleared his throat and threw a meaningful glance at Carly. “As far as my playing for your party, that’s totally up to Carly.”

  She could have killed him. He'd boxed her in. Francine and Norman were waiting for her reply. If she refused, she might lose the business. If she accepted, she’d be obligated to Russ for the entire summer.

  Slowly, as if the words were squeezed from her, Carly said, “Russ will play for your party.” Then her mind snatched another idea. The corners of her mouth turned up into a bright smile. “As for Caroline, Russ is—”

  “Completely booked,” Russ interjected smoothly. He shot her a grin that somehow mixed triumph and sensual promise. “I’ve got all sorts of plans for this summer.”

  The Grangers murmured good-bye while Carly glared at Russ. “That was dirty,” she hissed after they left.

  Russ shook his head. “That’s negotiation. I give you something you want.” His warm gaze lingered on her lips. “You give me something I want.”

  Her heart jumped into her throat. Carly knew his explanation was pragmatic, but that didn’t explain her dizziness. She cleared her throat. “And what do you want?”

  “I’m attending a banquet next Saturday where I’m supposed to present an award. I need you to go with me.” He shrugged. “Natalie’s been hinting about rings I won’t be buying her.”

  Carly felt a stab of disappointment. Ever practical, Russ sensed when a woman was getting too close and preferred to take care of it in an expedient way. She sighed in defeat. Grudgingly, she asked, “What time?”