“Luke, put that thing out,” Sam said. “You know how Rusty feels about you smoking in the house.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at Sam, took another puff and blew it out.
“No, it’s all right,” Rusty said, making herself comfortable beside Sam. “Really. I don’t want to spoil your poker party.” Luke turned and stared at her in disbelief as if he thought she was up to something. His menacing look shook her up, and she started to cough.
“Luke, show some respect for Ms. Paris.” This was from Tyler Richman. “Besides, all that smoke is starting to make my contacts itch.” He squinted his eyes for effect.
Luke turned to Tyler, then back to Rusty as he jabbed the cigar into the ashtray. He gave her a look that said, “Are you happy now?”
She shrugged apologetically. After watching them play a few hands, she asked, “So, is everyone having a good time? How about you, Mr. Garvey? Where’s all your money?” she asked noticing the small stack of coins in front of him. It looked skimpy compared to the huge stacks of bills and coins in front of the other three.
“These thieves stole it. If I lose another hand, I’m out for the night.”
“Quit your belly aching, Garvey,” Luke told him as he gathered the pile of cards and pushed them toward Sam. “You say that every time we play.”
“Yeah, well I mean it tonight. Besides, I’m already tired. I have to get up before dawn. I’m getting too old for these late night poker games.”
Rusty watched as Luke shook his head and Sam dealt the cards.
“It’s up to you, Luke.”
She watched enthusiastically as the game played out and smiled when Sam took the winner’s pile. Although she felt bad that Hank had lost.
“That’s it for me,” Hank said, sliding his chair back and standing.
“You can’t quit now!” Luke barked. “I’ll spot you a twenty. Sit down.”
Hank shook his head. “Nah. I told you, I’m tired.”
“Shit,” Luke swore. “It’s only nine-thirty. I guess the game’s over, boys.”
“Wait,” Sam said. “Rusty, you can take Garvey’s place.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. Really. I barely know how to play.” These guys had played as if their lives depended on winning. They looked too serious. Especially Luke. He’d rubbed his jaw as he contemplated his moves. And she’d noticed that his left eyebrow twitched when he bluffed.
“You can play well enough,” Sam encouraged.
Tyler Richman smiled at her. “It’s only a game, Ms. Paris. Join us. And if you don’t understand something, just ask.”
“Richman, she doesn’t want to play.” This from Luke Galloway.
It was all the challenge she needed. “I’d love to play.” Sliding off the bed, she took the empty chair directly across from Luke Galloway and smiled brightly at him. “Deal ‘em, cowboy.”
It was the third hand in a row she’d won. Sam had spotted her a twenty, and she’d already doubled it. Luke was fit to be tied. He didn’t mind losing once in awhile, but not to a smart-alecky redhead who’d only just learned the game a few days ago. She was Sam Paris’s daughter, all right. Another two-bit hustler.
“So, tell us all about the Greek Isles, Ms. Paris,” Richman said. “Is it really as beautiful as everyone says?”
Rusty smiled at the man, and Luke swore she batted her eyelashes. “Please, call me Rusty, Mr. Richman.”
“Only if you’ll call me Tyler.”
“Okay. Tyler,” she said, flashing her pearly white teeth at him.
Luke was about to be sick. She was flirting with the man. Not that he cared. Hey, if she was serious about finding a husband in two weeks or less, he supposed she could do worse than Tyler Richman. He was an okay guy. If you liked dentists. His wife had died a few years ago, and as far as Luke knew, the man hadn’t dated anyone since her death.
Richman hung on every word that came out of Rusty’s mouth as she told him about the Greek Isles.
“You know Beth and I had always talked about going there someday, but …” He shook his head and smiled sadly, playing on Rusty’s sympathies.
Rusty reached over and patted his forearm. “I’m so sorry you lost her. She must have been a wonderful woman.”
Luke wanted to laugh. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel badly that Beth Richman had died at such a young age, and from something as ugly as breast cancer, but she wasn’t the type of person who deserved to be put on a pedestal. Hell, she’d had more affairs during the first year she and Richman were married than anyone he knew. But it wouldn’t do any good to bring that up now.
He listened as Rusty told Richman about all the other fascinating places she’d been. Big deal. As far as Luke was concerned, there was nowhere as pretty as Kentucky—the horse capital of the world. Rich, lush, sprawling, green lawns and pastures. Plenty of blue sky. And air as fresh as spring.
Of course, he’d never been outside the U. S. with the exception of two fishing trips to Canada. But the places Rusty had bragged about didn’t interest him in the least.
“Mr. Galloway,” she said impatiently, dragging him back to the game. She tapped her manicured fingernail on the table. “How many cards?”
Luke looked into his hand and tried not to show his disappointment. He felt his left eyebrow twitch and tried to hold it steady. “Two,” he said, tossing the rejects across the table. He’d wanted three, but there was no reason to tip his hand. He usually bluffed pretty well.
“Tyler, how about you?” she asked.
“Three for me.”
Luke watched as she dealt Richman three cards and set the deck aside. Sam was about to place his bet, but Luke raised a hand to stop him. Rusty had forgotten to take her cards. “Rusty, what about you? You need to take your cards before Sam places his bet.”
“I’ll just stick with these, but thanks for reminding me, Mr. Galloway.” She looked him in the eye, and he couldn’t keep his eyebrow from twitching again. It irked him that she called him Mr. Galloway, and yet all night she’d been calling Richman by his first name. But what irritated him more was that she hadn’t taken any cards. Was she bluffing? If she was, she was certainly good at hiding it. He’d looked her in the eye, but she gave nothing away. Well, he’d wear her down. And if he didn’t win a hand soon, he’d quit. Simple as that. There was no way in hell he’d let her clean him out. She wasn’t that good. He was having a bad night was all.
Sam placed his bet, and Luke raised it. Richman tossed his hand in. It was up to Rusty. “I’ll see your bet and raise it by …” She turned to Sam. “Is there a limit?”
“No, sweetheart. You go right ahead.” Apparently Sam didn’t mind losing to his daughter.
But Luke objected. “There has to be a limit, Sam. Christ, she’s liable to bet a million dollars, just to be funny.”
“All right,” Sam conceded. “Ten dollars.”
Rusty shot Luke a look, then studied her cards intently. “Okay, I’ll raise you ten.”
Luke didn’t have to look at his cards to decide if he wanted to stay or fold. He was staying. So what if he only had a pair of deuces. She was bluffing. He was sure of it. Damn sure.
Sam checked and tossed a ten dollar bill onto the pile. Luke did the same.
“Read ‘em and weep,” Rusty announced, copying Sam’s favorite phrase. She turned her cards over one at a time, revealing a straight, king high.
Shit! “That’s it for me,” Luke announced. So, she was lucky. What the hell did that prove? He got up and busied himself tidying up Sam’s room.
“I’ll see Tyler to the door,” Rusty said.
Luke’s head shot up. “Don’t bother, Rusty. Why don’t you get Sam some pajamas, and I’ll see Richman to the door.”
Rusty looked angry.
Richman looked disappointed.
Too bad.
“Well, goodnight, Sam,” Richman said. “Goodnight, Rusty. I had a wonderful evening and—”
“Let’s go, Richman. Don’t wear out your welcome.” Luke pushed him toward the bedroom door. The gibbering fool. He had no idea he was dangling from a hook and about to be reeled in.
“She’s really a nice lady,” he said to Luke’s back.
Luke ignored him as he headed toward the kitchen. He grabbed Richman’s coat from a chair and thrust it at him. “Well, see ya.”
“Luke, can I ask you something?”
“What?” Luke barked. He had a pretty good idea of what was coming.
“I really enjoyed Rusty’s company tonight. Do you think she’d go out with me?”
“What about Beth?”
Richman backed up a step, a startled look on his face. “She’s been dead for over two years. And in all that time I haven’t so much as looked at another woman.”
“My point exactly. It’s too soon.”
“How long do you think I should wait? I’m thirty seven years old, and I’m not getting any younger.”
Luke pretended to think it over. “I’m certainly no expert, Richman, but I think at least another two years would be respectful enough. And then you could gradually ease into a relationship without stirring up a lot of gossip. Beth might even approve then if you waited a while longer.”
Richman didn’t look pleased with Luke’s advice, but Luke didn’t care. He wanted the man out of his house and out of Rusty’s life, though he couldn’t say why.
“Well, I’ll have to give it some more thought. Although, I still wouldn’t mind taking Rusty for a cup of coffee or something. You know, just as friends.”
Luke pushed him down the hall toward the front door. “She hates the stuff. You’d be wasting your time.”
“Well, maybe she’d enjoy a movie or a play?”
Was the man dense? Couldn’t he take no for an answer. “Actually, Rusty isn’t much fun to be around. She’s … well, she’s about as much fun as having a root canal, if you catch my drift.” He opened the front door, felt the cold, biting wind.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you didn’t want me to go out with her.”
Laughing, Luke said, “Now, what would make you think a thing like that? I’m just trying to keep you from wasting a perfectly good evening when you could be doing something more enjoyable, like watching T. V., or bathing your dog.”
“I don’t have a dog.”
“Too bad. Rusty loves animals. And the bigger the better. I’d get a dog if I were you. Maybe a Doberman. And besides, a dog would keep you company while you’re still in mourning.”
Richman blew out a frustrated breath. “Are you sure you’re not trying to keep her for yourself, Luke?”
Luke threw his head back and roared. “That’s a good one! You’ve certainly got a sense of humor, Richman. I never noticed that about you. Tell me, honestly now, does Rusty Paris look like my type?”
“No, not at all. She’s much too classy for you. Please don’t take offense, Luke. You’re a decent man, underneath. But Rusty’s special.”
Underneath? Underneath what? “Yeah, she sure is,” he said sarcastically.
“So, if you’re not interested, and please say so if you are—because I certainly don’t want to step on your toes—then I’m going to give Rusty a call in the morning.” He slipped his arms inside his coat sleeves and stepped out onto the porch.
Luke held the man’s gaze. “You do that,” he said, then shut the door in Richman’s face. “Two-timer,” he muttered.
Hell, Rusty had only been flirting with Richman to prove to Luke she could get a man to propose in two weeks or less. Luke had been trying to spare the man. But if the guy was too stupid to take a hint, then let him suffer. If he didn’t care that Rusty planned to use him to make her pregnant, then he deserved to be duped.
And if he laid one hand on her, Luke would kill him.
After Rusty went up to bed, Luke went in to check on Sam. “Need anything? Another beer? A cigar?”
“Nah. I’m going to watch a little television before bed.” Sam punched a feather pillow and placed it behind his neck, making himself comfortable.
“Okay,” Luke said. He rubbed at the knot in his own neck. The knot he blamed on Rusty. The woman was definitely a pain in his neck, among other places.
He started to leave the room, when Sam said, “She’s quite a poker player, isn’t she?”
Luke turned around. “Who?”
Sam gave him a look. “Rusty. Who the hell did you think I was talking about?”
Luke knew he’d meant Rusty, but it certainly wouldn’t do any good to let Sam know she was constantly on his mind. And that right now he was jealous as hell of Tyler Richman. So, he was immensely surprised to hear himself say, “Did you notice the way she was flirting with Richman all night? I think she’s planning on seducing him, which should be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Christ, the man is a saint. He hasn’t been with a woman since Beth died. Not even for a quickie.”
Sam ran a hand over his beard. “Is that right? He must have loved her a hell of a lot to stay loyal all this time. A guy like that would make a good husband for Rusty.”
“The man’s a fool.” Luke had known Beth since high school. If it had been Tyler who had died instead of her, she would have been dating within a month of his death.
“Well, it’s not your problem.” He picked up the remote and aimed it at the television.
“What I’m trying to say is that Rusty isn’t real particular about who fathers her kid. You know what I’m trying to say?”
Sam set the control aside. “No. What are you trying to say?”
Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t you get it? Richman is so goddamned horny, he’ll probably jump on Rusty the first chance he gets.”
“Give my daughter a little credit. Huh, Luke?”
Luke scowled at Sam. What the hell was wrong with him? “Can’t you see what you’ve done? She’s trying to find a husband—fast. She wants to give you a grandchild before you croak. And since Richman is available, it looks like he’s her man.”
Sam nodded. Finally, he was getting through to the man, Luke thought.
“I suppose she could do worse,” Sam said. “Richman’s a decent man. And besides, now maybe we’ll get a discount on our dentist bills.”
It was like talking to a brick wall. “Jesus, you are one sick son- of-a-bitch. You’d actually let your daughter marry that guy just because you want a grandkid and a discount on your dental bills? Couldn’t you buy dental insurance? And maybe you could invite a couple of kids from the orphanage for Christmas?”
“What do you know?” Sam scoffed. “Wait until you get to be my age. I don’t mean to be so stubborn, but I took a good look at my life after Natalie died. I kept thinking she’d come to her senses and come back to me. I finally realized what I’d missed out on all those years, waiting for something to happen that was never going to be. Now, I don’t want to waste another minute.”