That Burke Man by Diana Palmer

Author:Diana Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-03-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Only it didn’t quite work out that way. Micki was a delightful companion, but when Todd held her while they were dancing, he felt nothing beyond a comfortable pleasure. The wild excitement that Jane engendered just by looking at him with her big blue eyes was totally missing.

“It was nice of you to invite me,” Micki said with a smile. “But won’t Jane mind?”

He scowled. “Jane is my employer,” he said stiffly.

“Oh. Sorry. It was just that the way she looked…”

He pounced on that at once. “The way she looked…?” he prompted, and tried not to appear as interested as he was in her answer.

She laughed apologetically. “I thought she was in love with you,” she explained.

His face was shot through with color. He stopped dancing. “That’s absurd,” he said slowly.

“Not really. You’ve obviously been kind to her,” Micki continued, “and she was badly hurt in the wreck, wasn’t she? I suppose it’s inevitable that a woman will feel something for a man who helps her when she’s in trouble. Mr. Kemble, her attorney, said that you’ve literally pulled her out of bankruptcy in a few short weeks and helped her get the ranch back on its feet.”

He looked troubled. “Perhaps. The ranch had plenty of potential. It just needed a few modifications.”

“Which you’ve accomplished. Jane is lovely, isn’t she? Our advertising people are ecstatic about building a television campaign around her because she’s so photogenic.”

“She’s easy enough on the eyes,” he said noncommittally.

“And surprisingly modest about it. I’ve known of her for years, of course, since I grew up in Jacobsville. I’d heard that Dr. Coltrain gave up when you came to the Parker place. He’s been going around with Jane for a long time. He’s not a man I’d find easy to think of romantically, not with his temper, but Jane was fiery enough to stand up to him. Everyone thought they’d make a match of it eventually.”

His face tautened. “Did they? Well, he only comes out to the place once in a while to check on her.”

Micki hid a smile. “Oh, I see.”

His broad shoulders shifted. “I’m certain that she could have gotten married long before this if she’d wanted to.”

“I don’t know. Most men seem to think a woman as lovely as Jane has more admirers than she can sort out, and a lot of pretty women don’t even get asked out because of that perception. Actually I don’t remember Jane dating anyone seriously. Except Dr. Coltrain, of course.”

He was getting tired of hearing about Coltrain. “At her age, she’s bound to have had a serious love affair.”

“Do you think so?” Micki asked with studied carelessness. “If she has, it’s been very discreet. Her reputation is impeccable.”

He swung her around to the music. “What do you think of the band?” he asked with a pleasant smile.

She chuckled to herself. “It’s nice, isn’t it? I do enjoy a good two-step.”

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