Baby, It's You by Jane Graves Read Free Book Online Page B

Gus said.
    “She couldn’t get out of the damned dress,” Marc snapped. “There was nobody else to help her, so I had to unbutton it. That’s all that happened.”
    Gus waved his hand. “What my guests do is none of my concern, long as they don’t tear up the place.” A smile curled the corner of his mouth. “Though if you’d stayed all night, I’d have had to charge you for a double.”
    “Gus, for God’s sake. I don’t even know that woman!”
    “If I were you,” Gus said, “I’d get to know her.”
    “She ran away from her own wedding not five hours ago. That means she’s got a problem. Maybe a lot of problems. I don’t need a woman with problems.”
    “You’re pretty darned picky for a man who’s got no woman at all.”
    “No woman beats a crazy one.” Marc pulled his other boot on. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Estelle.”
    “Are you saying my wife’s a gossip?”
    “Are you saying she’s not?”
    “Don’t worry,” Gus said. “Your secret is safe with me.”
    “There isn’t any secret!”
    “Yeah? Then should I go ahead and tell Estelle that thing that’s not a secret?”
    “Oh, never mind,” Marc said, standing up. “Tell everybody you can think of. In fact, why don’t you take out an ad in the Rainbow Valley Voice and let the whole town know?”
    “Now, I like gossip as much as the next person,” Gus said. “But I don’t generally spend money to spread it around.”
    “You don’t have to,” Marc said, putting on his raincoat. “You’re married to Estelle. Good night, Gus.”
    Gus smiled. “Good night, Marc.”
    Marc opened the door and went back out into the dark, gloomy night, looking forward to the day when he’d be leaving this town and all its dumb gossip behind. He wanted to go to a place where nobody knew him. Where he was a face in the crowd. Where he could misbehave all he wanted to and nobody was around to care.
    Wherever that place was, it sounded like heaven on earth.
    As for Kari, he had no idea how long she was staying in town, but he vowed to steer clear of her until she left. But just as he was getting into his truck, something occurred to him.
    No. Not your problem. You’re done. Go home.
    He started the truck, but instead of backing out of the parking space, he froze with his hand on the gearshift. A few seconds later he killed the engine again, blowing out a breath of irritation. Finally he got out of the truck and trotted back inside.
    “Gus!”
    Gus stuck his head around the doorway.
    “She hasn’t eaten much in the past couple of days,” Marc said. “Can you feed her tonight? A sandwich or something? She might not ask you herself.”
    “Sure thing. Should I put a rose on the tray and tell her it’s from you?”
    Marc frowned. “Good night , Gus.”
    “Good night, Marc.”
    Marc hopped back into his truck and started for home. There. He was finally free of the whole situation. Kari Worthington had more baggage than a transatlantic airliner, and he wanted nothing more to do with her. He’d call Rick in the morning and get him to haul her car out of that ditch just as he’d told her he would, but that would be the end of it. After tonight, his involvement in other people’s problems was going to be a thing of the past. Then once harvest was over he was leaving Rainbow Valley, and the freedom Nicole had grabbed for herself all those years ago would finally be his, too.
      
    Kari stood in the middle of room 302, her eyes closed and her hand still clutching the bodice of that horrible dress, trying to get her racing heart to slow down. She’d seen that mud on Marc’s shirt. Before she knew it, she was touching it. Then she went from touching it to touching him . And that was when her heart started beating so crazily it took her breath away.
    The trouble was that she’d never been known for her restraint and circumspection when it came to anything in her life, and men were no exception. Once something caught her attention, she had a