Anna had been hoping for a respite from Brett’s charm, but she couldn’t refuse his request. “Of course you can join us, if you want. But we’re not— I mean, Lisa and I are just plain folks.”
“Not having met Lisa, I can’t comment on her, but I don’t think anyone would ever call you plain, Anna.”
Fortunately Anna spotted her friend waving from the sidewalk at that moment. “There’s Lisa.”
Brett gave her friend a thorough male once-over. “Nope, she’s not plain, either.”
“You promised to behave yourself.”
“No, I don’t think I did,” he replied, as if carefully considering her words. “But I will buy lunch since you’re so nice to let me join you.”
“You’ll do no such thing. This is my present to Lisa.”
“Well, I should give her a present, too. After all, I’m coming with you.”
She stopped the car in front of Lisa, trying to ignore the man beside her. After getting out of the car, Anna gave Lisa a big hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Me, too. Who’s the hunk?”
“A member of the family I’m staying with. Come on. He’s going to join us for lunch.”
Lisa crawled into the small back seat, and Anna made the introductions, then resumed her place behind the wheel.
“Hope you don’t mind me horning in on your lunch, Lisa,” Brett said, offering one of his charming smiles. “If you like, we can go to the Three Palms.”
“I’d love to,” Lisa exclaimed. “Though why they named a restaurant that here in Wyoming, I don’t know.”
At the mention of the pricey, upscale restaurant, Anna felt immediately uncomfortable. “Are you sure we’re dressed up enough for the Three Palms?”
“You both look great. People wear almost anything there.”
Anna looked down at her denim jumper and white shirt and wished she’d worn her only suit. But it was too late now.
When they arrived, Brett escorted them into the restaurant, where a snooty maitre d’ stood erect when Brett gave his name and requested a table for three.
“Of course, Mr. Randall. Right this way.”
“We’d have been shown the door,” Anna whispered to Lisa, “if we’d arrived without Brett.”
The maitre d’ led them to an elegant table near one of the palm trees.
Anna took one look at the menu and had no doubt Brett could read the horror on her face.
“What?” he asked with a frown.
“There are no prices on the menu,” she whispered, leaning toward him.
“I told you lunch was my treat.”
“But I—”
A waiter interrupted her protest, and Anna gave up. She couldn’t have a fight over money here. But on the way home, she would make it clear to him that she intended to pay him back. And she would.
Brett proved himself to be a wonderful host, making an effort to put Lisa at her ease and asking questions that drew her out. However, Anna began to realize that a lot of his questions included information about her.
“I bet you two must’ve had the busiest phone line in Casper when you were living together,” Brett teased Lisa. “All the bachelors in town must’ve called.”
Lisa giggled and blushed. “Well, we did all right. But no longer. I have news for Anna. Larry and I are getting married.”
Anna, pleased for her friend, demanded more details. As Lisa told her about the wedding she’d planned for the fall, Brett didn’t show any discomfort.
“You like weddings?” Lisa asked, looking at him. “You don’t seem to mind our talking about mine.”
“Weddings are great. We’ve had two already this year in my family, and I just got engaged myself.”
Lisa’s face fell, and Anna realized what her friend must’ve been thinking. She hurriedly said, “That’s why Brett is here. He’s picking up his fiancée to take her to the ranch for a visit.”
Brett leaned over and patted Anna’s hand. “That’s right. And Anna came along to keep me company.” He smiled teasingly.
Anna was distracted by a beautiful woman, a tall, elegant blonde, dressed in a Chanel-like suit, approaching their table. She pulled her hand out from under his. “Uh, Brett—”
“Brett, what are you doing?” came a caustic voice. “And with whom?”
It might be July in Wyoming, but the new arrival’s words were coated in ice. And Anna had a pretty good idea who she was.
Chapter Four
Brett looked up, a smile on his face. Man, his fiancée was a beauty. He stood and hugged her. “Hi, darlin’. You’re looking good.”
Sylvia didn’t receive his compliment with her normal flirtatious smile. Instead, she stared at the two women. “Who are your companions?”
“Let me introduce you. This is Anna O’Brien. She’s the midwife staying with us until Janie has her babies. And Lisa McNabb, Anna’s friend. It’s her birthday.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re here with them,” Sylvia said stiffly, ignoring the greetings the other ladies offered.
Brett frowned. “The ladies said hello, Sylvia.”
He was relieved to see Sylvia take the hint. He didn’t think she’d be rude intentionally. Seeing him unexpectedly probably threw her off.
“Hello. Please excuse me. I was surprised to see my fiancé with someone else.” She smiled, but Brett noted that the smile didn’t emit much warmth.
“Anna kept me company on the drive in so she could take Lisa to lunch for her birthday. Since you were tied up with your father, I’m eating with them. Are you lunching here?”
“Obviously. I didn’t realize you’d be here in time for lunch or I would’ve asked you to join us. Come along. I’ll have the waiter find you a chair.” She turned away without another word, expecting him to follow.
Brett remained where he stood. “Uh, Sylvia…?”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Yes, lover?”
“I’m going to have lunch with Anna and Lisa. We’ll see you back at the house later, like we planned.” He smiled to ease the blow. Sylvia didn’t like having her plans thwarted.
“What?” She stared at him, disbelief on her face.
“You know I don’t like the political scene,” he said with a grin, figuring she’d understand since they’d had several discussions about his aversion to politics.
“But, lover, there are several influential people at the table who’ll do your career a lot of good.” She stepped to his side to put both her hands on his arm.
“Not unless they’re cowpunchers looking for a job, Sylvia. We’re a little shorthanded on the ranch right now.” He chuckled at his humor and noted Anna’s amusement.
Sylvia wasn’t smiling.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m talking about your future.”
An uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach stiffened Brett’s spine. But the restaurant was no place for an argument. “We’ll discuss the future at another time, sweetheart. Go on back to your father, and I’ll see you at three.”
Sylvia glared at him and then directed her anger at his companions before she turned around and flounced toward the back room where private parties dined.
He resumed his seat and smiled first at Anna, then at Lisa. “Sorry about that. Sylvia doesn’t like surprises.”
“That’s all right, Brett,” Anna said quietly. “If you’d like to join her, we understand.”
He liked the way Anna handled herself. She may have come from a poor family, but she was as much a lady as Sylvia. “Thanks, Anna, but I hate political groups. Sylvia knows that. She just forgot.”
LUNCH WAS a drawn-out affair, partly because the service was slow and stately, and partly because they were enjoying themselves. Brett seemed to take Sylvia’s snit perfectly in stride. He chatted and joked with Anna and Lisa as if his fiancee had never appeared.
But Anna couldn’t dismiss Sylvia’s glacial glare as easily. She was reminded of Janie and Megan’s opinion of the blonde. As beautiful as sh
e was, Sylvia didn’t appear to be as close to perfection on the inside.
For Brett’s sake, Anna hoped she was wrong.
“I really have to get back to work,” Lisa finally said. “I’ve been gone longer than I should. But it’s been so much fun. Thanks, Brett, for lunch, and for bringing Anna with you. I haven’t seen her in such a long time.”
“Actually she brought me. And I’ve enjoyed myself, too.”
His smile was warm, and Lisa blushed. Good thing Larry wasn’t here, Anna decided. He might be jealous.
Brett paid the bill, carefully hiding the total from Anna even though she tried to see it without being obvious. When her gaze met his, he was grinning at her, his eyes dancing.
After they dropped Lisa back at the hospital, he gave Anna directions to the Sanders mansion. As she carefully followed them, she asked, “Are you going to tell me how much the bill was?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m going to pay you back.”
“You are a stubborn little wench, aren’t you?”
“Little what?”
“Isn’t that what you’d be called in Ireland?”
“We’re not in Ireland, and this isn’t the eighteenth century. And you’re not going to distract me. How much?”
“Well, if you must know, it was twenty-five dollars,” he said with a big sigh, as if he were suffering.
Anna chuckled. “That may have been the tip, but you know darn well the bill was a lot more.”
“Really?” His brown eyes rounded with childish innocence. “Then I sure must’ve undertipped. We’d better go back!”
“Come on, Brett. Tell me how much so I can pay you back.”
“Sugar, I told you lunch was my treat.”
“But you don’t even know Lisa!”
“Hey, I do now. I’m even invited to her wedding. You heard her.” He grinned in satisfaction.
“Only because you forced her into inviting you,” Anna protested.
He turned a sad expression toward her. “You mean you don’t think she wants me to come to the wedding?”
“Brett Randall, quit acting so silly!”
“Now I really am hurt. I thought you liked me.”
She huffed a big sigh of frustration. “You must’ve driven your teachers crazy.”
“Nah. By the time I came along, they’d already suffered through Jake and Pete. I was a piece of cake compared to those two.”
At his direction, she turned off the main road into an exclusive neighborhood. She forgot their silly discussion as her mind turned to another concern. “Brett, uh, I don’t think Sylvia is going to like riding in my car. It’s a little too old for this neighborhood.”
Brett lifted one eyebrow and grinned at her. “I’m sure some of these houses are older than your car. It’ll be all right.”
“I don’t think so. Sylvia wasn’t too happy about your dining with us. Maybe you should rent a car to drive her back to the ranch.” Anna figured nothing less than a limo would do for Sylvia.
“And leave you to drive back home alone? Don’t be ridiculous. Sylvia won’t mind.”
Anna looked at the relaxed smile on his face and was almost convinced. Brett looked so sure of what he was saying. “Okay, but if she gets mad, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t, Anna. Sometimes Sylvia gets upset, but I can usually talk her out of it. I’m a good talker,” he assured her, his eyebrows wiggling.
She chuckled again. “I hope you’re not overestimating your abilities, cowboy.”
“Hey, we’ll make a bet. If Sylvia refuses to go with us, I lose. But if I persuade her, I win and you lose.”
“What would I win?” Not that she’d hold him to such a ridiculous bet, but she was having fun.
“The best steak dinner in Rawhide.”
“Uh-nuh. I noticed you didn’t offer the Three Palms again. Too rich even for your blood?” she teased.
“The Three Palms it is,” Brett agreed.
“Wait. I was just joking. If I lose, I can’t afford to take you there.”
Brett stretched his arm along the back of the seat. “Tell you what. If I win, you can promise to deliver our first baby free of charge.”
The automatic rejection that popped into her head surprised her…and told her she was in big trouble. She didn’t want to think about Brett having a baby with Sylvia. “O—okay,” she agreed, her voice trembling slightly.
“Hey, are you all right?” Brett asked, leaning toward her.
“Fine. Just fine. How many babies do you and Sylvia want? I might could give you a cut rate.”
Brett chuckled. “We’ll ask Sylvia. Maybe we can have twins, like Pete and Janie. That would save on delivery fees, wouldn’t it? Especially if that was the first baby. After all, we’re getting that one free.”
“Don’t be too confident. You haven’t won the bet yet.” And Anna wasn’t too sure he would. He gestured to a driveway, and she pulled in, parking her rusted-out wagon right behind a silver Rolls-Royce.
“Maybe I should wait in the car,” she suggested.
“Nope. I’m not going in there alone. I’d be too scared.”
He laughed when she stared at him, surprise on her face.
“You’re teasing me.”
“Yeah, sugar, I’m teasing you. Sylvia and her dad are regular people. Come on.” He slid out of her car and stood beside it, waiting for her to join him.
She wished she could lock the doors and refuse to get out, but that would be childish. Instead, she drew a deep breath and prepared for the worst.
Brett took her arm and led her up the wide steps. Punching the doorbell, he leaned against the gray stone wall, staring down at her.
“What are you looking at?”
“All that bright red hair. You’re kind of like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, aren’t you?”
His reply took her by surprise, and the temper he always teased her about flared. “How dare you? My hair—”
The door swung open, and a uniformed maid stared at them. Then she recognized Brett. “Mr. Randall! Come in. Miss Sanders is expecting you.”
Brett smiled at the maid before turning back to Anna. “After you, Miss O’Brien.” He winked at her.
Anna suspected he’d teased her on purpose, to distract her from the nerves building in her stomach. It bothered her that her weakness was so evident to him. Raising her chin, she preceded him into the mansion.
The house on the Randall ranch was huge, but it was a home, warm and welcoming. Anna realized the decor of the Sanders mansion was elegant, but it left her feeling cold and distant. She couldn’t help but wonder whether Brett noticed the difference between the two houses.
The maid was leading them into a sitting room when a tall man came down the stairs. “Brett! Good to see you again, son.”
“Hello, Donald. How are you?” Brett said, extending a hand. After they greeted each other, Brett reached back to bring Anna forward. “Anna, let me introduce Senator Sanders, Sylvia’s father. Donald, this is Anna O’Brien.”
“How do you do, Miss O’Brien,” the senator said, but there was the hint of a question in his greeting.
Anna nodded, but said nothing.
“Anna’s a midwife, and she’s going to deliver Janie’s twins,” Brett added.
“I see.”
Anna felt uncomfortable. It was obvious Senator Sanders still didn’t understand why she was there with Brett. She wasn’t going to explain. In fact, she wasn’t sure why she was there.
“Is Sylvia ready?” Brett asked.
“You know my little girl,” the senator said, smiling at Brett. “She’s prompt to a fault. I wouldn’t stand for any tardiness while she was growing up.”
“Yes, sir, and I appreciate that,” Brett assured him with a grin.
Anna wanted to point out that the lady who was prompt to a fault still hadn’t put in an appearance. But she knew better.
“Come on in and have a drink. I’ve got a smooth bourbon that yo
u’ll enjoy.” Senator Sanders led the way into the sitting room.
Anna again held her tongue. With a father who had been an alcoholic, she abhorred drinking of any kind. But at least Brett wouldn’t be driving.
“No thanks, Donald. I’m still full from lunch.” Brett looked at Anna. “How about you, Anna?”
“No, thank you.”
“Well, I hate to drink alone, but you forced me into it,” their host said jovially, crossing the room to a small bar built into a cabinet.
He invited them to sit down, and they chatted for several minutes. At least, Brett and the senator did. Anna kept quiet and counted the minutes until she could escape the stuffy atmosphere. And if Brett Randall ever asked her to accompany him again, she knew what her answer would be.
“Lover, I’m so sorry,” Sylvia trilled as she rushed through the door. “I had to take a phone call, but I’m packed and ready now.”
“Good. We need to get started,” Brett said, rising. “You remember Anna from the restaurant, don’t you, Sylvia?”
Anna wasn’t sure if Sylvia was genuinely shocked by her presence or wanted Brett to think she was. It didn’t much matter. The real shock would come when Sylvia saw the car. Anna tried to hide her grin. The thought shouldn’t give her so much satisfaction, but it did.
“Anna? Oh, yes, the midwife. Are we dropping you somewhere, dear?”
“No, I’m returning to the ranch with you.”
Whatever niceness Sylvia had been exhibiting disappeared, replaced by a coldness that chilled the room. “Oh?” She turned to Brett. “I don’t understand.”
And she doesn’t sound like she wants to, either. Anna watched Brett for his reaction.
“I told you Anna rode in with me. She’s here for the day, like me. So of course we’ll all go home together.” He offered her a warm smile and slid his arm around Sylvia’s waist.
Anna sighed. The woman didn’t know when she had it good.
“But, lover, I’d planned on us having a long talk while we were driving to the ranch. Aprivate talk.”
“Don’t worry, Sylvia. Anna’s like a part of the family now. You can talk in front of her. She won’t mind, will you, Anna?”
Brett might be handsome, brilliant, warm, and caring, but he knew absolutely nothing about women. Not if he thought that line would work. Anna could only nod and say, “Of course not, Miss Sanders. I’ll be busy driving anyway. In fact, you and Brett can sit in the back together.”
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