Colette looked at her young roommate and was unable to tell her no. She knew what it was like to have a dream and be surrounded by people who didn’t think you were capable of achieving anything.
“All right, dinner tonight,” she relented. “But then you’re on your own where your brother is concerned.”
“Thank you,” Gina said with obvious relief.
“I’m going to change my clothes,” Colette said, wanting to get into something a little more casual than the power suit she’d worn to work.
As she went into her bedroom, she vowed to herself that she would eat dinner and keep her mouth shut. There was no way she intended to get into a battle between the handsome cowboy and his baby sister.
Tanner sat in the restaurant waiting for his sister and her roommate to arrive. He was irritated that Gina had invited Colette Carson to join them. From all the information he’d gathered about the pretty blonde, he had a feeling she was exactly the wrong kind of influence for his sweet, innocent sister.
Still, he’d been shocked by the instantaneous attraction he’d felt when Colette had opened her door to him and he’d had his first glimpse of her.
Her blond hair had been a short, curly halo, a perfect foil for her delicate features and whiskey-colored eyes. Clad in a two-piece navy suit, she’d looked like the cool, driven professional his sources had told him she was.
He’d wanted to get Gina alone, knew that if he had some time with her he’d be able to convince her that what she’d done by leaving school and moving to Kansas City was not in her best interest. But now it seemed he wouldn’t have time with Gina alone…at least not tonight.
“Would you like a drink while you wait for your party?” The waitress gave him a flirtatious smile.
Tanner would have loved a Scotch on the rocks, but knew he needed to be clearheaded for the confrontation to come. “A glass of iced tea will be just fine,” he said.
As the waitress left his table, he once again thought of his sister. He didn’t understand Gina at all, suspected that this impromptu move to the city was a belated surge of rebellion.
He’d given her three weeks to come to her senses, but that hadn’t happened. Now he needed to deal with the situation quickly and efficiently. And that’s exactly what he intended to do.
He rose as he saw the object of his thoughts and her roommate entering the restaurant. He motioned them over to the secluded table, noting that Colette had changed from her business suit into a pair of slim-legged dark brown slacks and a dark-brown-and-beige tunic top. She looked casual, yet coolly elegant.
A warning buzzer went off in his head as he realized his sister was wearing a very similar outfit. “Good evening.” He greeted them with a smile.
Colette returned his smile. Gina didn’t. She pulled out the chair opposite Tanner, leaving Colette to sit at his side. As Colette slid into a chair at his left, Tanner caught a whiff of her scent, a rich floral fragrance that instantly reminded him of the best of spring on his ranch.
“I hope you like barbecue,” he said to Colette. “I know it’s one of Gina’s favorites.”
“Not anymore,” Gina replied petulantly.
Gina’s childish behavior only confirmed Tanner’s belief that she wasn’t ready for the giant leap she’d made from the ranch to independence and city life.
“Barbecue is fine,” Colette said smoothly and picked up the menu from in front of her. Gina did the same, holding the menu up high so Tanner couldn’t see her face.
Tanner smiled inwardly. He knew his sister very well. She was angry and defensive, and that usually meant she knew she was wrong. It shouldn’t be a problem convincing her to return to the ranch with him.
At that moment the waitress appeared at their table and took their orders. Once she departed, Tanner eyed his sister once again. “Bugsy had puppies a week ago,” he said, then turned to Colette. “Bugsy is Gina’s golden retriever.”
For a moment Gina’s petulance fell away and her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward. “Oh, how many?”
“Four, two males and two females,” he replied.
“And Bugsy is okay?”
“Came through like the champ she is.” He paused a beat. “She misses you.”
“Don’t even go there,” Gina replied and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms in a gesture of defensiveness.
“Gina, I was just stating a fact. I wasn’t trying to manipulate your emotions,” he replied.
He suddenly realized he was going to have to be a lot more subtle than he’d thought. Perhaps what he needed was the aid of somebody else in this…and that somebody else was sitting at his left. Gina might not listen to him, but he had a feeling she would listen to the lovely Colette.
He turned and looked at her, wondering if he could charm her to his side of this issue. She was obviously uncomfortable and would have preferred not being here. Her fingers toyed with the cloth napkin in her lap and she appeared to find a nearby potted plant utterly fascinating.
“Miss Carson, I understand you own a store that sells baby things,” he said.
She smiled and he couldn’t help but notice that she had pretty cupid lips, lips that appeared just perfect for kissing. “Yes, the Little Bit Baby Boutique. I officially opened the doors two years ago.”
Their conversation halted as the waitress appeared with their food. She served them, chatting about the weather and how busy the restaurant had been since the coming of spring, then departed.
“I would assume owning your own business requires a lot of time and energy,” Tanner said as he cut into his thick T-bone steak.
“It does,” Colette agreed. “Which is why I was so pleased to hire Gina. She’s been a real godsend and is a wonderful salesclerk.” She smiled in obvious affection at Gina, who smiled back with the shine of hero worship in her eyes.
“Gina’s very bright,” Tanner replied. Far too bright to work for minimum wage as a clerk in a baby store, he thought.
His biggest fear was that not only would Gina not live up to her intellectual potential, but that a smooth-talking city slicker would take advantage of her, break her heart and leave her not only working in a store for babies, but shopping there, as well. Then she would never fulfill the future Tanner had envisioned for her. All his hard work on her behalf would be for naught.
“Gina tells me you run a big ranch in Kansas, so you must know about long hours and expended energy,” Colette said.
Tanner nodded. “Yes, it definitely requires hard work and long hours…especially this time of year.”
“Then I’m sure you’re eager to get back,” Gina quipped.
Tanner laughed at her lack of subtlety. “You know me, Gina. Family has always been more important than anything else in the world.” Again he turned to Colette. “You have family, Miss Carson?”
“Please, call me Colette,” she replied. “And my family consists of just my mother and me.”
“She lives here in town?”
“Yes, but unfortunately we aren’t very close.” She turned her attention to Gina. “The salad is wonderful, isn’t it.”
Tanner frowned and cut off another bite of his steak. She wasn’t close to her mother. As far as Tanner was concerned, that was just another reason to get Gina away from her influence.
Tanner knew the importance of family. Colette Carson had no idea how lucky she was to have a mother. But Tanner knew all about being without a mother