She barely smiled. “I can use the money. Good night.”
Before he could think of anything else to say, she was gone.
He heaved another sigh and put the milk away. Milk wasn’t going to cure his sleeping problem. Only a slender, redheaded angel could do that, and she didn’t appear interested.
He should’ve known he’d mess up on this love business. He’d always been a little different from his brothers, with a proclivity for numbers. Not that he couldn’t ride with the rest of them, because he could. But numbers, computers and calculations had always been something he enjoyed.
Now Pete and Chad had found the perfect women for themselves. When Brett had tried the same thing, he’d chosen Sylvia. At least he’d gotten out of that mess. But Anna, Anna didn’t respond like other women. Even he had no trouble attracting women.
Except for Anna.
And she was the one he wanted.
With all his heart. And several other active parts of him, he admitted ruefully. Well, he wasn’t going to give up. Randalls weren’t quitters. He’d find out which box dinner was hers, and he’d pay whatever it took to have her to himself.
But he’d be restrained. He wouldn’t push her. Not yet. He would persuade her he was a nice guy. Lay the groundwork. Yeah, that was it.
And when she stopped running away, his sleeping problems would be over.
SATURDAY WAS a perfect day. The sun shone, and puffs of clouds drifted lazily by. Anna didn’t even think about the box social until after she’d done some shopping in town and had lunch at the Sandwich Shop.
She’d had a tough week, doing double duty. But she needed the money to pay her car-repair bill. She’d been fortunate. When she’d visited Mike, the mechanic had handed her a small bill and a perfectly running car. She questioned him to be sure Brett hadn’t persuaded him to lower his bill, but Mike assured her he hadn’t.
Which was just as well, because she couldn’t have paid anything much bigger. But the extra duty had helped. And gotten her away from the ranch…and Brett. She hadn’t been able to relax at the Randall ranch. Brett, after that one kiss, had kept his distance, greeting her warmly but treating her like his little sister. Or maybe a distant cousin.
Even Thursday night, when he’d been in the kitchen as she returned late, he’d simply offered her a glass of milk. There’d been no attempt to get close to her.
And she was sure her heart was breaking.
“Silly girl!” she muttered as she paused to make a phone call outside the Sandwich Shop. She’d warned herself over and over again that Brett wasn’t for her. She should be glad he no longer wanted to seduce her. Too bad she wasn’t.
After she dialed the ranch on her cellular phone, she waited for Red to answer. Instead, Megan picked up the receiver.
“Hi, it’s Anna. Is Janie all right?”
“Sure. Where are you?”
“In town. I’m going to go to my apartment to pick up my mail and fix the food for my box dinner. Then I’ll be out to the ranch.” She always tried to let Pete and Janie know where she’d be.
“Don’t bother cooking anything, Anna. Red has fried a lot of chicken and made potato salad and stuff. He says all we need to do is pack the boxes.”
“I can do my own—” Anna began.
“You’ll hurt Red’s feelings. By the way, how are you going to decorate your box?”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to tell,” Anna said. She wouldn’t put it past either Janie or Megan to tell Brett to bid on her box, whether Brett wanted to or not.
“It won’t hurt to tell me. I’m not bidding on the box dinner, silly,” Megan said lightly.
“Tell Red thanks for me,” Anna said, ignoring Megan’s words. The two women had been prodding her all week toward Brett. Who knew what they’d said to him. “I’ll be there in about an hour, then. ’Bye.”
“DID SHE TELL YOU?”
“No, sorry,” Megan replied with a sigh. “I think she suspects I won’t keep it a secret.”
“Do you think she doesn’t want me to buy hers?” Brett asked, his spirits sinking. “She’s been avoiding me.”
“No, Brett, I’m sure that’s not true. But she said the other day she didn’t think she was good enough for you.”
“What?” he roared, unable to believe anyone could think such a silly thing.
“She seems pretty hung up on not being socially on the same level with us,” Megan said. “Does it bother you that she has no family, no connections?”
“Of course it bothers me. I don’t want her to be alone. She needs me to take care of her, to be her family.”
“Whew, you had me worried for a minute,” Megan confessed.
“Damn. First you all think I’m having babies indiscriminately, and now you’re accusing me of being a snob?”
“Sorry, Brett. I’ll try to atone for it by finding out which box is Anna’s. You just bring enough money.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll be calling me Moneybags before tonight is over.”
RED VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE all the ladies’ box dinners into town ahead of time. “Just so no one will know,” he said with a wink. “I’ll leave the kitchen until they’re all ready. You call B.J. and Mildred and tell them to bring theirs over, too.”
Megan had done as Red directed and then carefully filled hers and Janie’s boxes. Provided by the church, the boxes were all the same—large, white and square—though each lady could decorate her own.
When she and Janie came downstairs to check on their boxes, they discovered an unforeseen problem.
Anna was completing a big red bow on one of the boxes that matched the bows on the other two boxes, making all three identical.
“What are you doing?” Megan asked.
“Tying bows. It’s one of my special talents. Shall I tie a big bow on your boxes, too?”
“But how can you tell them apart?” Janie asked, frowning.
“We put the sticker on the bottom with our names on it. Didn’t you?” B.J. asked. “Come on, let Anna tie bows on your boxes, too. That will confuse everyone.”
“It certainly will,” Megan agreed as she surrendered her box to Anna, frantically thinking of what they were going to do now.
“WHAT ARE WE GOING to do now?” Chad demanded, frustration evident in his voice.
“The only thing we can do is make sure one of us bids on every one of those boxes with red bows,” Jake said calmly. “Then we can all sit together. No one’s going to pay any attention if we don’t sit exactly beside the person whose box we won.”
Brett looked at the only other single Randall. “I get Anna, okay? I’ll pay extra.”
“You’re acting like I’m going to try to steal your girl from you,” Jake said with a grin.
“I’ll take Mildred’s box,” Red said abruptly. When the four brothers turned to look at him, he muttered, “She’s too old for the likes of you.”
Brett grinned. Everything seemed to be working out okay. “All right. I’m counting on all of you to win the bid. Who will go first? We don’t want to bid against each other.”
They determined their order for bidding and turned confidently toward the table.
Only to discover that at least half of the boxes were tied with big red bows.
SHE’D BEEN NAUGHTY.
But Anna was determined to save Brett from the scheming of his sisters-in-law. And herself from temptation. When she’d arrived at the church, she’d gone to the room where the box dinners were being stored and offered to help tie big bows on some of the other boxes.
She’d learned the technique of making a huge, decorative bow when she’d worked at a florist while she went to school. The trick came in handy, especially tonight. Now, Brett wouldn’t feel he had to buy her box.
And she wouldn’t have nearly as much fun.
With a sigh, she moved to her seat among the women.
“What did you do?” Megan whispered, her gaze wide-eyed.
“I helped some of the other ladies.
But I fixed yours and Janie’s boxes. I painted a blue butterfly on the side of those two boxes.”
“A blue butterfly? Thanks, Anna.” With relief, she waved to her husband, and he hurried over.
After whispering in his ear, Megan smiled to reassure him. He whispered back, then waited for her answer. All she could do was shrug her shoulders because, Anna guessed, she couldn’t identify the other boxes.
Which was what Anna had intended.
She saw Brett among the men. He was studying the boxes intently. Chad was beside him, saying something to him. Anna wondered whose box Brett wanted. Some of the ladies were gossiping in the storage room. Several single ladies, decked out in their fanciest clothes this evening, were hoping Brett would get theirs.
The mayor picked up the first box, and the bidding began. When Janie’s and Megan’s boxes were shown off, their husbands made short work of the bidding. Several others had clearly discovered the name of the lady beforehand also.
Anna happened to be looking at the Randall men and noticed the look of chagrin on Red’s face when Mildred’s box was sold to a neighboring rancher. Minutes boxes later, B.J.’s box was sold to a cowboy two ranches away from the Randalls’. The next box, held high by the mayor after he peeled off the name, drew several bids, including Jake’s. Everyone chuckled when Jake won the bid and discovered his dinner mate was Janie’s mother, Lavinia Dawson. Her husband, Hank, shouted a warning to Jake about trying to steal his bride and received applause for his teasing.
Brett still hadn’t bid. Anna had surreptitiously watched him, wishing things were different. Wishing he really wanted to bid on her box. Wishing she were one of the Randalls, going home this evening with Brett.
With a sigh, she drew her gaze from Brett and turned back to the bidding. One of the older women discovered a distinguished-looking rancher, a bachelor, had purchased her box, and she smiled with pleasure.
Anna’s eyebrows rose as she smiled, too. It was never too late, she supposed, to discover that special person. At least, she hoped it wasn’t.
She was afraid she’d already found him, but he was too important for her. Which meant that she’d be lonely for a long time. She couldn’t imagine ever having any interest in another man, even when Brett married.
The mayor picked up one of the red-bowed boxes. “Now, this box seems special.” He paused and stared intently at the audience. “What am I bid?”
“Five hundred dollars.”
Everyone gasped. The hundred-dollar bids of the Randall brothers had been the highest bids all evening. Anna stared at the bidder, the one Randall who had remained silent until now. He must know whose box the mayor had.
She steeled herself to hear the name of some beautiful young woman, the daughter of a neighboring rancher. The mayor asked for other bids and received laughs in return. With a beaming smile, he lifted the card in the air.
“A fair price, Brett. You have just purchased dinner with Miss Anna O’Brien.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I’m sorry, Brett.”
He stared down at Anna’s sweet face, barely taking in her words. She held the big white box between them, ensuring a certain distance, but he reached out to stroke back a difficult curl that insisted on falling across her brow.
“Mmm?”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“You spent five hundred dollars. You must’ve had a certain—I mean, you must’ve thought you knew whose box it was. Too bad you got the wrong box.”
“The wrong box?” he repeated, frowning. He had known whose box he had. Once he’d seen all the red bows, he’d hurriedly offered the mayor a deal that would net the church five hundred dollars. Money well spent, as far as Brett was concerned.
“Do you want to invite whoever it was to eat with us?”
He studied the determined look on her face. What the hell was going on? He’d planned on a quiet dinner for two, under one of the nearby trees. But she was acting as if she didn’t want to be alone with him.
Pete’s words about crowding Anna while she was at the ranch haunted him. A look over his shoulder showed his entire family staring at them.
“Nah. Why don’t we just join the family?”
“But, Brett, you paid five hundred dollars.”
She made it sound like a fortune. To her, it probably was. To him, it was a small price to pay to share some time with Anna.
“It’s for a good cause,” he mumbled, and led her over to the large picnic table Jake had commandeered. “Room for us?”
“Sure.” Jake moved down the bench.
One good thing about a big family, Brett discovered, was that there wasn’t much room for latecomers, which meant he and Anna were close together. “Scoot over just a little, sugar. I’m about to fall off the bench.” He wrapped an arm around her small waist and pressed up against her.
“Need some more space?” Jake asked, looking at him over Anna’s head, a sly grin on his face.
“Nah, I think we’ve got enough room. Right, Anna?” He smiled down at her bright red cheeks and pulled her more tightly against him. The feel of her long legs, even through his jeans, made him think of endless nights, her legs wrapped around him, hours of incredible pleasure and mornings of no regrets.
“I—I could sit on the other side of the table. I think there’s more room over there.”
“Now, that wouldn’t be fair. I paid for your company,” Brett reminded her.
She leaned toward him, almost pushing his heart rate into the danger zone. “Yes,” she whispered, “but I’m not the one you wanted.”
“Ah, sugar, you’ll do.” His lips drifted ever closer to hers. She turned her head away, reaching for something on the table, but her breast brushed against his arm.
Instead of being affected, as far as Brett could tell, Anna turned to the picnic box. How could she remain so cool when he was on fire?
“Red made all the food,” she explained brightly, “so I think you’re guaranteed a good meal. What piece of chicken do you want?”
When she turned those big blue eyes in his direction again, Brett couldn’t think about chicken. He sat still, hoping to remain in control, wishing he didn’t have to.
“Brett, tell the lady what chicken you want.” A grin lit up Jake’s face.
Brett wanted to punch him in the nose, a disturbing thought, since he’d always idolized his big brother. But he was daring to taunt Brett when he knew what was on his brother’s mind.
“The drumstick,” he muttered, his voice hoarse.
She put the drumstick on a paper plate, added potato salad and baked beans and handed it to him.
How was he going to concentrate on eating with her pressed up against him, touching him, her scent enveloping him? Many meals like this, and he’d be skin and bones.
“Eat, boy,” Red ordered from across the table. “There’s gonna be dancin’ in a little while. You’ll need your strength.”
“Dancing?” He looked down at Anna. “You like dancing?”
“I haven’t done a lot of dancing. I’m probably not very good. But I don’t think you have to dance with the owner of the box you bought. You can ask anyone.”
“Uh-huh. But you’ll dance with me?”
“Well, of course, but—”
“Good.” He picked up his piece of chicken and attacked it with fervor. He wanted to finish his meal and get to the dancing. A good excuse to hold Anna against him. Lordy, lordy, it was going to be sheer pleasure. And torture.
AFTER DINNER, the ladies retired to freshen up before the dancing began. Anna needed the break. Her role of disinterested lady was wearing thin. She’d been avoiding Brett since that explosive kiss when he’d returned from the city. Tonight she could avoid him no longer.
For self-preservation, she’d played the innocent who didn’t notice him touching her. Didn’t notice? She would’ve laughed hysterically if it weren’t causing her so much pain.
And now she had to spend
the evening dancing with him.
The man was so—so handsome and sexy. And good. He could have his pick of half the women here. And probably would, she reminded herself, hardening her heart again. She mustn’t let those traitorous thoughts in her head. Especially the knowledge that Brett would be a wonderful lover.
But that’s all he would be. And it wouldn’t be enough for her. She sighed, struggling to bring some order to her windblown curls. She pulled out her lipstick and tried to color her lips, but her hand was shaking. In disgust, she recapped the tube and put it back in her purse and went outside.
The sun was setting, the summer dusk falling, and Anna looked at the sky, seeing first one star then another light up the darkening blue. Nearby, the organizers had strung colored lights around a platform, and several fiddlers and a guitar player were warming up on one end. A perfect scene for romance.
After one dance with Brett, maybe she’d find Mildred, sit and talk with her. And then catch a ride back with Megan and Chad. She didn’t think they’d stay very late. That way, maybe Brett would start looking for someone else to take to his bed.
She sighed again. Life offered hard choices. Resisting Brett Randall had to be the hardest.
“I hope that sigh means you missed me,” Brett whispered, his arms coming around her.
She jumped in surprise and managed to put a few inches between them. “Actually I was thinking about how pretty the sunset is. And—and how tired I am. Maybe I should go on home now. If you want to go find someone who—”
Brett gave her a piercing stare and ignored her stumbling words. “Come on. You promised me a dance.” He took her hand and started off for the dance floor.
All she could do was try to keep up. What was wrong with the man? Couldn’t he take a hint? He was only going to cause them both a lot of pain.
Just as they reached the dance floor, the musicians began their first song, a slow, dreamy waltz. Brett turned around and wrapped both arms around her, scarcely giving her room to breathe.
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