Heart of Texas Volume One (34 page)

“Neither one,” she announced coolly.

Glen's mouth sagged open. “Fine,” he muttered.

“But, sweetheart…” Richard objected.

Unwilling to listen to either one of them, Ellie turned abruptly and muttered to Dovie and Frank, “I'm going to get a glass of punch.” Glen and Richard were insufferable fools, she told herself, both of them plagued with oversize egos. She refused to allow them to make an idiot out of her, too.

Every eye in the room was focused on Ellie as she marched off the dance floor. She could feel the heat building in her face; she could hear the curious whispers all over the room.

Savannah and Caroline met her at the edge of the dance floor and gathered close around her. “Are you all right?” Savannah asked.

Ellie didn't know how to answer. Glen and Richard had made spectacles of themselves and a laughingstock of her. “I'm so furious I could scream.”

Savannah nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. Sit down and I'll get you a glass of punch. It'll calm your nerves.”

In her present mood it would take a whole lot more than a cold drink to calm her. Thankfully the music had started again, and as people resumed dancing, they seemed to have forgotten the incident. To Ellie's annoyance, Savannah wasn't the one who returned with the punch; Glen brought it to her, instead. She glared up at him before accepting the glass.

He stood beside her for a couple of moments, then wordlessly claimed the empty chair next to hers.

Ellie crossed her legs and turned slightly, granting him a partial view of her back.

“You might have let me know,” he said after several tense minutes.

“Know what?”

“That you'd accepted Richard's invitation to the dance.”

“Oh, that's rich.” She twisted around to face him, struggling to keep her voice under control. “You make a point of asking if I was going to be at the dance and I thought—I
assumed…
I spent a fortune on the dress, and the next thing I hear, you invited Nell.”

“You bought that dress for me?” His face brightened and the beginnings of a smile edged up the corners of his mouth.

“You'd look pretty silly in a dress, Glen Patterson. No, I bought it for me.”

He grinned roguishly at that, but his amusement faded when it became clear that Ellie was about to end the conversation.

“You'll note I'm not here with Nell,” he said softly.

“Nell came with Grady, then.”

“Grady asked her, too?” Glen's mouth snapped shut and he leaned hard against the back of the chair. He focused his attention on the dance floor. “I'd never have invited her if you hadn't agreed to go with Richard. I thought you and I were going to meet here.”

“That's what I thought, too.”

“But you said yes to Richard, anyway.”

Ellie bristled. “I didn't until I heard you'd asked Nell.”

Glen's face went blank, then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why, that slimy…” he muttered. “Richard told me—” Glen stopped abruptly as if he'd already said more than he intended.

“Told you what?” Ellie pressed.

“Nothing. It doesn't matter,” he muttered.

“There's no need to get short-tempered with me.” Ellie crossed her arms and glared straight ahead.

Beside her, Glen crossed his arms, too, and scowled darkly at the other side of the room.

 

I
T WAS NOW OR NEVER
, C
AROLINE
decided. Pete Hadley had just announced that the next dance was ladies' choice. Heart pounding, Caroline slowly approached Grady. He sat next to Cal Patterson, and they were deeply involved in conversation. Her guess was that it had something to do with Glen and Ellie, who were the subject of a great deal of comment tonight. Little wonder, considering the scene they'd created earlier. Both of them now sat at the end of a row of seats, arms crossed and looking about as miserable as any two people could get.

About as miserable as
she'd
been the past few days—since her most recent encounter with Grady.

Couples were already heading toward the dance floor, and if she waited any longer, she'd miss the opportunity entirely. Savannah, on Laredo's arm, cast her an encouraging smile and nodded in Grady's direction. Savannah had been the one to persuade her to clear the air with Grady.

Grady and Cal's conversation halted as she reached them. Grady looked up at her as if he couldn't imagine why she was standing in front of him, blocking his view.

“Would you care to dance?” she asked, gesturing weakly toward the couples already circling the polished floor. Her pulse increased by fifty beats a minute, and she was sure he was going to humiliate her by refusing.

Grady frowned.

“It's ladies' choice,” she elaborated, her voice growing small.

Grady glanced to either side. “You're asking
me?
”

“No,” she snapped, her anger saving her. “I thought I'd start at the front of the row and work my way down. If you refuse, I'll ask Cal next. Come on, Grady, it shouldn't be such a difficult decision.”

It seemed for a moment as if he was about to decline, then, to her enormous relief, he got to his feet. “I'm not much good at this,” he muttered.

He walked stiffly at her side to the dance floor. Then he put his arm around her waist, but maintained a space between them as if he feared she carried something contagious.

“I don't generally bite,” she said, amused more than insulted.

“Really?” he asked and drew her somewhat closer.

The music was soft and mellow, and they shuffled their feet a bit, not really dancing, which was fine with Caroline. Her skill was limited, too. She looked out over the dance floor and recognized quite a few couples. Savannah and Laredo were lost in each other's arms. How she envied the happiness her friend had found. Caroline's heart ached with a sudden loneliness for that kind of love and contentment.

“Why'd you ask me to dance?” Grady asked gruffly.

“I figured I'd have to,” she said. “The last time we spoke, you said
I'd
have to ask
you.
”

She felt some of the stiffness leave his body. “In other words the ball's in my court now.”

Caroline grinned. “Something like that.”

Grady's hold on her tightened and he gave a deep sigh as he eased her closer. For several moments, neither one spoke.

Caroline knew she'd have to bring up the subject of their last argument. This was her opportunity to mend fences with Grady, and she didn't want to waste it. “I felt bad after our conversation the other day.”

“I did, too,” he said. “I'm a bit of a hothead.”

“And I'm too impatient.”

They didn't seem to have much more to say after that, and before long the dance was over.

“I didn't step on your toes, did I?” he said as they walked off the floor.

“I seem to have survived.”

He grinned, and she smiled back. Caroline held her breath, hoping maybe now he'd ask her to dance. He didn't.

“Thanks,” he said when they returned to the sitting area.

“You're welcome.” Caroline turned away, swallowing her disappointment.

 

G
LEN COULDN
'
T SIT STILL
. He'd been home from the dance for an hour and hadn't stayed in any one position for longer than five minutes. He sat down in front of the television, then bolted upright and stalked to the kitchen, thinking feverishly.

He brewed himself a cup of instant coffee and carried it into the living room. Cal was watching the late-night newscast and glanced curiously in his direction.

Glen sat back down, but was squirming a few minutes later.

“What in tarnation is the matter with you?” Cal demanded when Glen bounded out of the recliner for the sixth time in as many minutes.

“Nothing's wrong,” Glen lied.

“You're thinking about Ellie again, aren't you?”

He was, but Glen had no intention of admitting it. “What makes you say that?”

Cal gave a bark of laughter. “Because, little brother, you've got it written all over you.”

“Got what?”

“You've fallen for Ellie.”

Glen opened his mouth to deny it, but changed his mind. After the spectacle he'd made of himself in front of the entire community, he'd look like an even bigger fool claiming otherwise. He did have feelings for Ellie, but he hadn't decided what they were. He was protective of her, like a brother, but his reactions to Richard and his behavior that evening had proved it was more than that. He wasn't sure anymore what he felt.

“Richard drove her home,” he muttered, stating for the first time what had been on his mind since leaving the dance.

“You don't trust him to be a gentleman?”

“Damn right, I don't.” The more Glen thought about Richard alone with Ellie, the more agitated he got. It would be just like that scumbag to try something with her. Ellie knew how to handle herself, but she was vulnerable, and Richard was just the kind of man who'd try to take advantage of that.

“I'm driving into town,” he announced. He wanted to reassure himself that Richard had gone—and he wanted to talk to Ellie.

“Now?” Cal glanced at his watch. “It's nearly midnight.”

“I don't care what time it is.” Decision made, Glen reached for his jacket and hurried to the door. He should have followed Ellie home, that was what he should've done, but they'd barely spoken after their big scene.

“You might phone her first,” Cal suggested.

Glen paused and considered his brother's idea, then shook his head. “I have things to say, and that's best done face-to-face.”

“What are you going to say to her this time of night?” Cal wanted to know.

“I'm not sure yet,” Glen admitted, letting the screen door bang shut. He hadn't worked anything out; maybe the moment would bring some inspiration.

The drive into town was accomplished in record time. He parked on her street, drew a couple of shaky breaths and headed for her house. He rang the bell, and when she didn't immediately appear, he pounded on the door.

The porch light went on and then he heard Ellie moving about on the other side. “Who's there?”

“Glen!” he shouted loud enough to wake half the neighborhood. “Open up, Ellie. I need to talk to you.”

“It's the middle of the night,” she protested, but he heard the lock turn.

She was wearing a flannel robe cinched at the waist. Her hair was mussed and he could see he'd roused her from bed. She didn't invite him inside, which was just as well.

“I'm warning you,” she muttered. “This had better be important.”

“It is.” Then to his acute embarrassment, his mind went blank. Not only that, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Even without makeup, her hair flattened on one side, she was beautiful. It astonished him that he'd spent all that time with her week after week, year after year, and had never really seen her.

“Would you kindly stop staring at me!”

Glen hadn't realized he was. “Is Richard with you?” he asked and knew immediately that this was the worst possible thing he could have said.

In response Ellie slammed the door in his face.

Glen clutched the frame, knocked his forehead against the door and gritted his teeth. Hoping she'd give him the opportunity to redeem himself, he pressed the doorbell again.

“Ellie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that,” he shouted, praying she could hear him.

His apology was met with silence. Then finally, “Go away.”

“I can't,” he said, utterly miserable.

The porch light went out. Feeling completely dejected and the biggest fool who'd ever roamed the earth, he sat on the top step. He propped his elbows on his knees and dangled his hands between his legs, lacking even the energy to get up and walk to his truck.

He must have sat there a good ten minutes before he heard the door open softly behind him. If he hadn't been so thoroughly depressed, he would have leaped to his feet and begged Ellie to forgive him. But in his current frame of mind, he was convinced she'd phoned Sheriff Hennessey. He wouldn't have blamed her.

To his surprise she sat down next to him.

“I'm sorry, Ellie,” he whispered, still not looking at her. “I can't believe I asked you something so stupid.”

“I can't believe you did, either.”

“I kept thinking about him driving you home, and I don't know, something crazy came over me.” Even knowing he'd probably infuriate her further, Glen asked, “Did he kiss you?”