Cathy Thacker - The Bride Said, 'I Did?'

Doing her best not to cringe, Dani tilted her head to the side and continued to regard her protégé warily. Behind Billy, Dani could see Beau watching with unveiled interest. Was it her imagination or did he suddenly look a little jealous, as well as disapproving? “Why not Laramie?” Dani asked Billy.

“Because.” Billy shrugged and leaned forward urgently, pushing the flowers back at her. “People would see us together. No offense.” He colored slightly. “I mean you seem really young to me, but—”

“I’m a decade older.”

“Right. And people would, well, you know—”

“Think it inappropriate?” Deciding they’d wrestled with the flowers enough, Dani put the bouquet aside.

“But it wouldn’t be,” Billy rushed to assure her.

Then why was he suggesting they hide whatever they wanted to do?

Dani wondered. She sighed, shoving a hand through her hair. “Billy—”

Billy took her hand eagerly in his. “I just want us to be friends, Dani. I mean, really good friends.”

As gently as possible, Dani extricated her fingers from his clammy palm. In the background she could see Beau unfolding himself from the sofa, frowning and coming toward them.

“We’re going to be working together, starting tomorrow,” she told Billy firmly, then spoke as if underlining every word, letting him know this couldn’t—wouldn’t—happen. “I’m not going to be just a mentor and a friend to you, Billy. I’m going to be your employer.”

“So?” Billy shrugged again, not the least bit upset or discouraged as, unbeknownst to him, Beau was coming up right behind him. “I know plenty of people who work together who also date,” Billy told her practically.

“Not Dani,” Beau said as he swaggered forward and deliberately inserted himself between them.

Billy blinked and pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. He stepped back, nearly tripping over his feet in the process. “I didn’t know you were here,” he stammered nervously.

What you need is a man, her sisters had said. Someone to discourage Billy. And clearly Billy needed to be discouraged. Big time, Dani thought. On the other hand, she didn’t want to encourage Beau in the process. “Beau’s here, all right, but he’s not supposed to be here,” Dani said sweetly, giving Beau a drop-dead look only he could see.

“But I am here,” Beau corrected with a debonair assurance that made Dani grit her teeth.

“Unfortunately,” Dani muttered. She did not like his possessive attitude one bit. Like everything else he’d done in the past few hours, it was a bit too convincing for her liking. Much more of his Academy Award-winning performance, she thought, willing her pounding heart to slow, and Beau’d have her believing he really was staking a permanent claim on her.

“Is he giving you any trouble?” Billy demanded, scowling and stepping between them. “Because if he is…” Billy continued, the threat in his low tone obvious.

The last thing Dani wanted was a fistfight taking place in her hallway. “No, no,” she told Billy hastily as she stepped between the two males. She pushed all romantic thoughts from her mind. “It’s okay.”

Beau, taking advantage of the moment, placed his hands on her shoulders. He tugged her against him, so her spine was against his chest. “Actually,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head with husbandly affection, “it’s very okay, isn’t it, Dani?”

Ignoring the sensual feeling of his palms on her bare skin, Dani turned to face him, intending to let him know to cool it with a look. As their eyes clashed, he smiled and touched her face with the callused roughness of his palm, cupping her chin in his hand, scoring his thumb across her lips. She had the sharp suspicion he was about to kiss her as thoroughly and expertly as he had before, and the even sharper suspicion she’d be lost if he did.

Watching, Billy became even more upset. “I didn’t know the two of you were friends.”

“We’re more than friends,” Beau confirmed, suddenly becoming even more possessive. Maybe because he knew such action was guaranteed to get under her skin. He closed in on her deliberately, not stopping until there was a scant two inches between them. “In fact, I’m her—”

Dani elbowed him. “Very good friend.” No way was she letting him say the word husband. She had enough explaining to do to her three sisters as it was. She was not adding Billy to the list. Beau merely smiled, looking more determined than ever to come out the winner in this battle of wills.

Billy, meanwhile, looked oddly relieved, now that he’d gotten over his disappointment. “So I guess you two have plans for tonight, huh?” he guessed.

Beau nodded. “Big ones. But we trust you to keep that under your hat.”

“Sure. No problem.” Billy looked past her at the clock that was now inching toward seven-thirty. “Look, I don’t have anything else to do this evening, so if you want me to go ahead and start unpacking the boxes of videos tonight, I could.”

“No. Tomorrow morning, nine o’clock, will be soon enough,” Dani said. She took his elbow and escorted Billy to the front door.

Beau swaggered forward and held the door for him. “We’ll see you then,” Beau said.

“I will see you then,” Dani corrected.

“You’re right,” Beau drawled. He gave her a self-assured faintly baiting look. “I’ll probably be sleeping in.” The implication being, Dani thought, that Beau planned to have a very long and tiring night. Doing what, she didn’t even want to imagine. This just gets worse with every second that passes.

“Good night, Billy. Thank you for the flowers.” Dani propelled him out the door. She shut it behind him, then turned and faced Beau. He looked very grim. Disapproving, almost. “What?” Dani demanded impatiently.

Beau pointed to the moving carton with the bouquet on top. “The flowers. You shouldn’t have accepted them. You should have given them back. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s got a giant crush on you,” Beau continued as Billy’s beat-up blue compact with the FILMBUF license plate pulled away from the curb and drove off.

Deciding Billy wasn’t the only one who needed to leave, Dani opened the front door again. She took Beau by the hand and stepped out onto the front porch into the soft breezy heat of early evening. “You think that’s news to me?”

“You should nip this thing with him in the bud,” Beau continued. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the cushioned wicker love seat at the far end of the porch and tugged her down to sit beside him.

For the life of her Dani couldn’t figure out why Beau was so concerned about this. Or why he seemed to think Billy could be a threat to either his or her happiness in any way. “I’ve tried.”

His eyes glimmered with a cynicism that stung. He cocked his head and gave her a thorough once-over. “I saw.”

If there was one thing Dani hated, it was being forced to defend herself when she’d done nothing wrong. And she’d done nothing to make Billy think he was ever going to be anything other than her friend. Or shortterm employee.

Her nerves jangling, Dani jumped up and, irritated, began to pace the length of the porch. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her linen slacks and balled her hands into fists. “I don’t want to hurt his feelings.” And despite Billy’s outward I’m-so-cool persona, he was just as vulnerable as she had been at that age.

Beau leaned back and clamped his arms over his rock-solid chest. “You don’t think leading him on will hurt his feelings?”

Pointedly ignoring that remark, Dani stopped to perch herself on the railing to examine the fragrant magnolia bushes and brilliant crepe myrtle planted all around the front porch. “The only reason Billy is gaga over me is because I work in the film business. Trust me. What he is really feeling—he just doesn’t realize it yet—is gratitude for the encouragement I’ve given him. I think his dreams of becoming the next Stephen Spielberg or George Lucas are possible. From what he’s told me, no one else in Laramie does.”