“Hey, the girls will love going out for a nice meal. I mean, they seemed happy. And of course, I’ll spring for dessert.”
“Yes, but strawberry pie isn’t the something extra they’re going to want.”
He ignored that, since he had a suspicion she might be right. In fact, he was going to have to figure out a way around kissing all those girls. “Hey, Cissy, I need to talk to you.”
“We’re talking, Tex.”
Glancing around, he said, “In private.”
“Not my room. You exit like a bad stuntman.”
“You noticed?” He perked up instantly.
“Yeah. I could have heard the crash a mile away.”
“Oh.” He deflated again.
“And besides, I don’t want anyone to get any wrong ideas about you and me.”
“Meaning what?”
“That you…that we—”
“That I might be a customer?”
She stared at him. “A customer? I don’t do hair, Tex. I’m not a stylist.”
“That’s not what I meant, exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
He was getting annoyed because he didn’t want to be indelicate with her. “Come on, Cissy. You know very well what the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon has a reputation for. Taking real good care of their men.”
“I hope so. It is a service industry.”
“And a little more on the service side than your average Joe’s Barber Shop.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Are you insinuating that I’m a good-time girl?”
That puzzled him. “Well, aren’t you? Sort of? To make ends meet?”
She slapped him. “Ow! Cissy, what the hell!”
“Just slapping a little sense into you, cowboy.”
“Hang on a minute.” He grabbed her by her wrists and pulled her to him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a straight answer. Marvella’s salon has a rep for being a whorehouse. True or false?”
She struggled against him. “I’m not friends with the other girls. I barely talk to them. They think I’m mean, and they hate me because Marvella wants me there so much. They assume I’m getting special treatment. I’m not. Marvella likes my look. She thinks I give her salon the appearance she wants it to have. I’m a hostess, you dork.”
He released her. “Dork?”
“All right. I’m sorry. But you shouldn’t have implied that I was…wait a minute. Never mind. You are a dork. And a typical guy.”
“Obviously, I was wrong about everything. I apologize.”
“I don’t know. I don’t ask the other girls what they do with their customers. My job is to look attractive, chat sweetly and take the customers to a lady who cuts their hair, manicures them, shaves them, pedicures them, waxes them—”
“Thank you. That will do just fine.”
They stared at each other.
“I think you know it doesn’t matter to me. You’re still someone I want to hang around with. I do apologize,” Tex said. “It was none of my business.”
“I bet you are sorry. Sorry that you got won by ten nice girls. If we’d thought about pooling together at Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls, you could have been bought by a trashy bunch. And that would have been your dream come true.”
“Actually, I don’t know what my dream is anymore.” He took a deep breath. “Let me buy you lunch.”
“No, thanks.”
Damn, but she was prickly. “Here’s my best and final offer, because I can tell you’re really hungry.”
“I’m—”
He held up a hand to interrupt her denial. “Let me buy us some fried chicken. Then I’ll drive us out to Barmaid’s Creek. It’s too cold to swim, but we can sit and look at the water. And I can talk to you. I promise, no hanky-panky.”
She sighed. “That’s not exactly an offer a girl can’t refuse. So…no.”
Defeated, he knew he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be with him. She’d rescued him from Marvella, and he’d repaid her by insulting her. “So. I guess we’ll just talk right here. Where anybody can hear us.”
“Guess so.”
He nodded. “All right. I was discussing your contract with Brian, Mimi’s lawyer husband because Ranger asked me to, and Brian was wondering if you had a copy of it.”
She shook her head.
“Dead-end there, for the moment. Question two, about your brother and sisters, I think I know someone who would go see what can be found out about them. Someone experienced with tough conditions. Someone who knows a lot about—”
A gasp escaped her. Carefully, he watched her, wondering what her next move would be. Another slap? Ire?
He was totally unprepared when Cissy threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight. It was good, it was real good. He liked it, but he had a feeling it was about to get taken away from him. “Uh, Cissy, I meant Hawk.”
She gazed up at him. “Hawk?”
“Yeah. He’s experienced in tracking.”
Slowly, she detached herself from him. “Oh.” And then she looked delightfully embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I should have listened before I leaped.”
“It’s fine,” he said hurriedly. “Leap anytime you like.”
“Hawk,” she repeated slowly. “He found me when I tried to leave town and get away from Marvella. Maybe he could find my family. Or at least find out what happened to them.” She looked back up at him. “You know, that’s a good idea, if you think he would.”
“Why not? He’s a hired tracker. Money talks.”
She sighed. “Of course, I don’t have the kind of money.”
Tex nodded. “Well, it’s something for us to look into. We could ask about the cost.”
“The cost of flying to South America alone would be prohibitive. Not to mention the bribes you’d need to get information out of the locals.”
“I thought about all that.” He tapped her nose. “Don’t give up. We can think of something.”
She looked at him. “We? That’s the second time you said ‘we.”’
“Well, hell. You rescue me, I’ll rescue you.” He grinned at her. “I bet you couldn’t resist sleeping with that cake under your pillow last night, could you?”
Her expression was coy. “None of your business, cowboy.”
“You did. And you dreamed about someone, didn’t you?”
She shook her head. “I slept like a log.”
“Sleep on it again tonight. I bet you dream of me. I’m starting to get under your skin.”
She laughed at him, and he was glad to hear the sound. “Remind me to spray myself with repellant the next time you fly around.”
And then she walked away. Her hips switched tantalizingly, and he had to admit, that was a well-packaged woman. There were moments when he wanted to unwrap that package again.
“She’s a good girl,” he reminded