For Love of Charley Read online

  She sounded more puzzled than upset, he decided. “Charley, listen to me. I’m coming over there. Don’t leave, okay?”

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  “Promise you won’t move.”

  “I won’t move.” A loud click sounded, and then the dial tone. She’d hung up.

  Damn. Cole struggled into the boots he’d pulled off earlier, praying Charley wouldn’t leave the house. “Kristy! I’m going to Charley’s,” he yelled up the stairs. Without waiting to see if she heard him, he grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

  The drive to Charley’s house was the longest in his life. He’d probably broken every speed limit law in the county. Relief welled inside him as he brought the Jag to a skidding halt. Both vehicles were still in Charley’s driveway. At least the women weren’t attempting to drive.

  As he started up the walk, the silence from Charley’s house was a little unnerving. From what he’d heard on the phone, he’d expected to at least hear laughter. The front door was ajar and he pushed on it, stepping inside.

  Frannie was sprawled on the couch, clutching toilet paper and several bars of soap to her chest, snoring contentedly. Charley was sitting on the floor, the phone next to her, an empty wine bottle in one hand. Another empty sat on the coffee table. She looked up at him in surprise.

  “How did you do that?”

  Cole smiled and squatted in front of her. “How did I do what?”

  “I was just talking to you on the phone.”

  “I know. You hung up on me.”

  “I did? Good. You deserve it, cause you’re a pig and all pigs are men.”

  “If all pigs are men, where do baby pigs come from?”

  “Don’t try to confuse me with all that sex stuff. You used to do that all the time.”

  He resisted the temptation to pull her into his arms, but it was a hard-won battle. Instead he brushed her hair away from her cheek. To think, thirty minutes ago he had been ready to give up. Now he knew the truth. He would never give her up. “You remember that, do you?”

  “I remember everything.” She peered up at him.

  “Is that why you got drunk tonight, Charley?”

  “Frannie made me. I told you, we were celebratin’. And my panties were cutting me in half.”

  Cole laughed. “I’m not even going to ask. Come on, let’s get you up and into bed.”

  “I can’t walk. There’s something wrong with my feet.”

  “I’ll carry you. If I can get you untangled from the phone cord.” He finally had to unplug the phone to get the job done, with Charley hanging on to him for support. When they were finished, he scooped her up, and for a second just held her close. Her arms curled around his neck, and she buried her face against him.

  “Frannie says I need a roll in the hay.”

  Cole almost dropped her. “Oh, really? Did she offer any suggestions as to who with?”

  “You.”

  “Remind me to double her salary,” he mumbled.

  “Not gonna happen, though.” She snuggled up tighter against him as he moved down the hall.

  “Why is that?” He found her room by the process of elimination. One room had been turned into an office. The other was too bare and clean. The third was the only room that looked lived in.

  “Cause I don’t love you anymore. And even if I did, you’d just leave again. Can’t let you do that to me twice. I’m not that stupid.”

  Cole sat her on the bed. At some point in the evening, she’d managed to drape a red lace slip around her neck. He pulled it over her head and tossed it to one side. “What if I told you I wouldn’t leave again, Charley?” His voice was soft, and for a second he didn’t think she had heard him.

  “I wouldn’t believe you. You left before, you will again.” She collapsed backwards across the bed.

  He sighed. “I was afraid you’d feel that way. But sooner or later you’re going to know the truth.” When he bent to pull her shoes off, he grinned. No wonder she’d thought there was something wrong with her feet. She was wearing a three-inch spiked heel on one foot and a canvas sneaker on the other. Carefully, he straightened her out on the bed and pulled a blanket over her.

  “Cole?” She caught his hand and held on.

  He sat down next to her and cupped her cheek with his other hand. “What is it, Charley?”

  “I’ve missed you.”

  Cole squeezed his eyes shut reflexively as pain shot through him. Charley was limp, her breathing regular. “I’ve missed you, too, baby,” he whispered. “You’ll never know how much. And as hard as it will be to wait, I’ll give you all the time you need to trust me again. I won’t push you.” He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. “I love you, Charley.”

  Chapter Five

  Charley’s eyes popped open and then slammed shut again as the bright sunlight hit them. A groan escaped her dry lips. She felt like she’d been in a car wreck. And the dreams she’d had. Her eyelids flew up again. Dreams. Cole. Oh, God. “Frannie!” Panic tinged her voice and she hit the floor running. “Frannie!”

  Her cousin was sprawled on the couch, snoring. “Frannie!” She grabbed her by the shirt and shook.

  “What!” Frannie sat up so rapidly that toilet paper and soap sailed across the room.

  “Was Cole here last night? Oh, God.” She shook her again. “This is all your fault! I never should have listened to you!”

  “Just give me a sec, here, okay?” She swatted Charley’s hands away and screwed her face up in thought. “No, he wasn’t here. But you did talk to him on the phone. At least, I think that’s who you were talking to. I have this vague memory of you telling him he was a pig.”

  “Oh, God.” Charley slid down the side of the couch and landed on the floor with a thump. “That’s bad enough. The rest must have been a dream, thank heavens. I’ll never touch wine again as long as I live. My head is killing me.”

  Frannie swung her legs off the couch. “Take some aspirin, and drink lots of fluids. Man, I’m stiff. I don’t think I moved all night. What time is it?”

  Charley pointed at the clock. “After nine.”

  “Then I’m out of here. I have to run home and take a shower.” Her gaze swept over Charley. “You look like roadkill. Why don’t you go back to bed?”

  “I think I will.” She climbed to her feet. “You’re absolutely sure Cole wasn’t here last night?”

  “Think about it. Why would he have been here?”

  “I guess you’re right. But it sure seemed real.”

  “What time are you coming in to work?”

  “Probably a few hours earlier than normal. Since I didn’t work last night, there are things I need to do.”

  “Okay, take it easy and I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye.” She winced when the door slammed. Time to find those aspirin. With her mind still on the dream, she poured a glass of orange juice and carried it into the bathroom. He had been so gentle, so caring. He had been the Cole she remembered and loved. Which just proved that it really had been a dream. She’d certainly seen no signs of that Cole since he’d returned, and it was a good thing she hadn’t. It was hard enough to be around him now, but it was better than putting up with a caring front when she knew he couldn’t care less. She couldn’t bear that.

  Stripping out of her wrinkled clothing, Charley climbed back into bed and pulled the blankets up. Sleep was long in coming, but just before she drifted off, she raised one hand to her mouth, fingers tracing her lips. The kiss had felt so real.

  * * * * *

  The pickup gave a final hiccup and then died as Charley parked it behind the Red Dog. She really was going to have to do something about the truck. It was getting worse every day. Frannie’s yellow VW Bug was parked beside Cole’s Jaguar. Good. That meant she wouldn’t have to be alone with him. Gathering her nerve, she went through the back door and paused, trying to decide what to do. Frannie saved her the trouble. Her cousin popped out of the room next to her office and motioned.

&
nbsp; “Come look! This is so great!”

  Charley stepped into the room, stopped and gaped. She couldn’t believe it was the same room she’d just left yesterday. A huge “L” shaped desk took up almost two sides of the room, with what looked like every high-tech gadget known to man residing on top of it. On the other wall, below a modern art poster, sat a copy machine the size of a Buick. A plush carpet in pastel pink covered the floor. “Good Lord, Frannie, how much did you spend?”

  “Isn’t it great? You haven’t seen anything yet! Come on, you got new stuff, too.”

  “I did? But I liked my stuff!”

  “You’ll like this even better. Once you get used to it.” Frannie dragged her down the hall and pushed her office door open, standing back so Charley could see. “Voilà!”

  “Oh. My. God.” She took a step into the room. Her office had vanished. In its place was one that made Frannie’s look like a poor relation. The carpet was dove gray, and the scenic painting that spanned most of the wall was done in shades of silver, pink and pastel blues. The desk, a massive thing that took up the center of the room, appeared to be solid oak. “You did this?”

  “Well, I had some help from Cole,” Frannie said modestly. “The color scheme was his idea, too. I was thinking more like red and black.”

  “Look at this!” Charley gestured at the electronic equipment in dismay. “I don’t even know what half of it is! How am I supposed to use it?”

  “I’ll show you.” The voice was deep, male and deadly familiar. Her stomach tightened.

  Cole. Charley spun around to face him. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned casually in the doorway. Instantly, her gaze dropped to his mouth and her cheeks flushed red.

  “Well, back to work!” With a grin, Frannie left them alone.

  “If you don’t like it, we can change it.”

  “No, I love it. It’s just…I don’t know. It must have cost a fortune.”

  “It will pay for itself.” His gaze ran over her. “Feeling better today?”

  Charley felt her face getting hotter. “About that phone call. I usually don’t drink. Did I make a total idiot out of myself?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “Not really, no. Just a kind of blurry impression.”

  “Well, other than telling me I was a pig, you didn’t disgrace yourself. And I actually got the impression that you pretty much thought all men were pigs, not just me.”

  “What were you calling about?”

  “To find out who does your legal work. My lawyer needs to know.”

  “Oh. I use Hilary Payne. She has an office in Canyon Bend.”

  “Okay.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to meet the contractor at the hotel site in a few minutes. I’ll show you how to use the computer Monday. Have a good weekend.”

  “Thanks, you too.”

  As soon as he left, she collapsed into the chair, and immediately had the urge to jump back up. In an office like this, she should be wearing a three-piece, double-breasted suit with pin stripes, not jeans and a T-shirt with the Red Dog logo emblazoned on the front. Her gaze moved around the office in disbelief and settled on the shiny new computer.

  The computer. That he was going to teach her to use. She groaned. Pinned up with him, alone, practically shoulder to shoulder for hours. Or worse, leaning over her, breathing against her neck. That’s all she needed. But at least she had a few days’ grace to get a grip on herself.

  “Frannie!” Her voice echoed down the hall.

  “Yes, ma’am?” Her cousin’s voice came from directly in front of her, and Charley almost jumped out of the chair. What the heck?

  As though she could see her, Frannie’s voice came again. “It’s that black box on your desk. Just hold down the button and you can talk.”

  Tentatively, Charley pushed it down. “This one?”

  “That’s it. What did you want?”

  “I want you to get your butt in here. Now!”

  Two seconds later Frannie came through the door, both hands full. “I forgot to give you this last night.” She handed Charley a black cell phone. “Mine is hot pink, but I didn’t figure you’d go for that. The numbers are in your Rolodex.”

  Charley clutched her head. “I have a Rolodex? Wait. Never mind. You have to help me. You have to teach me how to use this stuff before Monday.”

  “I can’t. I don’t have time, and neither do you. Cole gave me a list four miles long of things to do, and you’ve got two applicants for my old job to interview. They should be here any minute now. What’s the big rush?”

  She glared at her cousin. “Cole is planning on teaching me how to use it Monday. That’s what the rush is. Frannie, I can’t stay in here with him, alone, for hours. And I thought you were my executive assistant, not his.”

  “Right now, you don’t have anything for me to do. He does.” She perched on the edge of the desk. “Charley, you’re going to have to get used to having him around. Either drag the man to bed for however long it takes to get him out of your system, or forget about him. Want me to buy you a box of condoms?”

  “No!” Charley dropped her head into her hands again. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  Frannie shrugged. “You never know when you’ll need them. Better safe than sorry.”

  “I won’t need them,” Charley gritted her teeth. “Ever.”

  Someone knocked on the back door and Frannie stood. “That must be your first appointment. I’ll bring her in. Applications are in the top right drawer.”

  “Fine. Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime.” Frannie grinned over her shoulder as she left.

  * * * * *

  Cole cursed himself soundly as he pushed open the doors of the Red Dog. He had planned to stay away until Monday, yet here he was, drawn back to the flame like a moth with a death wish. It looked like he wasn’t the only one. People were packed in like sardines, the noise level deafening. It made the crowd from Wednesday night look like a slow evening at a gum disease seminar.

  He shouldered his way through the mob, choosing the bar instead of a table, his gaze automatically searching for Charley. It didn’t take him long to spot her. After only two hours of being open, she looked exhausted. “Charley!” He had to yell to make her hear him. She looked up, a frazzled expression on her face, and paused.

  “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you again until after the weekend.”

  “I got bored. I’m not used to having nothing to do on the weekends. Where’s Frank? He should be helping you with this crowd.”

  She shook her head. “His mother was hospitalized this afternoon. He couldn’t leave her.”

  Cole pulled his jacket off and started around the bar.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You can’t keep up this pace by yourself.” He rolled up his sleeves. “I don’t have anything else to do, so I may as well help.”

  She gave him a tired grin. “Do you know how to mix drinks?”

  “I think I can manage most of them.”

  “What are you going to do when someone asks you for a Screaming Orgasm?” She slid a mug of beer down the bar into a customers waiting hand and turned to fill another glass.

  “Faint?” He arched a brow at her in question.

  Charley laughed. “Okay, I really can use the help, but if someone wants a drink you’ve never heard of, call me.”

  “You have my solemn promise.”

  Picking up a towel from behind her, Charley tossed it at him. “Here, you’ll need this.”

  Cole put it over his shoulder, the same way she had hers, just as a waitress stopped in front of him.

  “Three drafts, one Margarita, and a Strawberry Daiquiri.”

  Charley nodded at him. “You get the drafts, I’ll do the blender drinks.”

  “Okay.” The space behind the bar had only been designed for one person at a time, and as he slid past her, her derrière brushed against the front of his jeans. An instant bolt of
electricity ran all the way up his spine, meeting the blood that was racing due south. The resultant collision made every nerve in his body sizzle. Instinctively, he put one hand on her shoulder to brace himself before making it by.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. When she didn’t respond, he glanced up. Seemingly frozen in place, her face was even more flushed than it had been, and her lips were slightly parted. His gaze moved to her eyes and held there. He’d never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in his whole life. He forced himself back to the business at hand, and pushed a mug under the beer spigot. “I see you hired someone to replace Frannie.” In spite of his effort, his voice came out husky.

  She cleared her throat. “Yes. As a matter of fact, I hired both of the women I talked to today. The other one has experience tending bar. She starts Monday. I thought she could take my place here so I’d be able to help with the restaurant when we start building it.”

  “Good idea.” He put the first two mugs on the tray and filled the third. Charley added the mixed drinks and the waitress whisked them away. For the next thirty minutes, Cole spent almost as much time figuring out where everything was as he did helping. There was a rhythm and an art to serving drinks, he decided. So far, the art had escaped him, but he was beginning to pick up the rhythm when a pair of blue eyes, framed by red hair confronted him very directly from across the bar.

  “Hi there.” Her voice was throaty, and her jeans looked as though they had been painted on. The middy blouse she wore barely covered her breasts as she draped herself across the bar.

  “Hello, yourself.” Cole smiled at her, and saw her eyes light with even more interest. “What can I get you?”

  “A light beer. Don’t want to add any more pounds than I have to, you know.”

  His gaze skimmed over her as he slid the beer across the bar. “Doesn’t look to me like you’ve got anything to worry about.”

  “You’re sweet. I don’t remember seeing you here before. Are you new?”

  “Just started tonight.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Charley pause to listen.

  “What’s your name, sweetie?”