Simmer All Night (26 page)

"Yes," Chrissy said, no longer able to hold back her approving grin. "Yes, it is very nice." To Lana, she added, "I never noticed before that this clause problem runs in the family."

But Lana was obviously hung up on the word "nice." She repeated, "Nice, Chrissy? You think this is nice? Really?"

Smiling gently, she knelt before her friend and took her hands in hers. "Very, very nice."

Tears swam in Lana's eyes. "You understand I didn't set out to undermine your feelings for one another?"

"Honey, Lord Welby and I never had feelings for one another. We pretended to have feelings. We tried to have them. They simply weren't there. You were right, Lana. Whether I like it or not, it seems my heart is given elsewhere. A wedding between myself and your viscount would have been a disaster."

"It is Cole, isn't it? You love him."

Chrissy shrugged. "We're not talking about me. We're talking about you."

"He wants me to marry him, Chrissy,"

"I know. It's wonderful."

"But I'm a baker. He's a viscount."

"So he'll gain a little weight around the middle from your kolaches. He can exercise it off by riding his Thoroughbreds."

"He wants a home and a family."

"You can give him that. You're exceptionally good at making a home, and you already have a head start on that family."

A single tear slipped down Lana's cheek. "You really think I should marry him?"

"Yes I do."

Lord Welby sat on the arm of the settee, leaned over, and pressed a gentle kiss against Lana's hair. "So, Miss Delaney, can I take it that I've passed muster? You sanction a betrothal between me and this lovely woman?"

"Hmm..." Chrissy rolled back on her heels. "I have one test left. Lord Welby, are you willing to eat chili once a week?"

He grimaced. "Chili? That is meat and beans and hot spices?"

Chrissy wrinkled her nose. "Only amateurs put beans in their chili."

"Well..." The viscount sucked air through his teeth. "I may have to take a stand on this one. I don't believe I desire chili at my table on a weekly basis."

Chrissy sniffed, then gracefully rose to her feet. With a regal tilt of her head, the Chili Queen said, "Good. Because Lana can't make a good chili worth beans. Stick to the kolaches, Welby. And welcome to my family."

She leaned forward to kiss him just as Cole opened the door and looked inside.

* * *

"Dammit, woman, don't you ever stop?"

Cole slammed the library door shut behind him and shot Welby a lethal look. "I'd have thought you would have learned after our altercation in the garden. Do you really need another lesson? Are you that anxious to get hurt?"

"Wait one moment, Mr. Morgan."

"No, you hold on. To anything except my... except Christina."

The woman, blast her hide, rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, hush, Morgan. You came in late to this party, so shut your mouth and sit down so that Lana can get engaged to Lord Welby."

In the process of crossing the room, Cole pulled up short. "What did you say?"

Christina headed his way, waving a hand. "On second thought, let's give them some privacy. Michael, would you partner me in the next square dance? And Sophie? If you smile pretty and bat your lashes at Mr. Cole, I'll bet you'll get a dance invitation, too."

"I don't want to leave," Michael said. "If he's gonna ask Mama to marry him, then he has to ask me and Sophie, too. We all come together."

"You do at that, Master Michael," Welby said. "And you are right. You and your sister should stay." Then, throwing Cole an icy glare, he added, "Morgan, I prefer you leave immediately."

"You and Lana?" Cole asked, giving his head a little shake as he tried to absorb the news. "But you're betrothed to Christina."

"No he's not," Sophie said. "Miss Chrissy ants-ee-paid him."

Cole's brow furrowed. "She what?"

"I gave him back his betrothal ring."

"But he never gave you a betrothal ring."

"I meant it metaphorically."

Welby fished in his pocket and pulled out the object under discussion. "I was waiting for tonight."

Christina's gaze lighted on the large emerald and half-dozen rubies set in a delicate gold band and she clicked her tongue and teased, "Oh, my. How gorgeous. Maybe I should have fought a little harder to keep you."

"You're too late, Chrissy." Lana gazed dreamily up at the viscount. "He's all mine."

Cole snorted. "Well, I'm lost."

"Of course you are, Morgan." Chrissy took his arm and pulled him along with her toward the door. "Why don't you try telling us something we don't already know?"

For the first time since his arrival at Hartsworth, Cole heard hinges creak as the door swung open. Must have slammed it harder than I thought, he mentally surmised as he gave Lana and the children a wave before following Christina out into the hallway.

She reached around him and pulled the door shut. As soon as the latch clicked she headed away from him.

"Wait a minute. Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to the Great Hall, of course. I need to find my grandfather and tell him so he can make the correct announcement before supper. Then I intend to dance and dance and dance some more. It looks like I'll be reentering the marriage market."

"Over my dead body, you will."

"Whatever it takes, Morgan."

Cole caught her by the arm and stopped her in her tracks. "Stop this, Christina. We have to talk. Whether you like it or not, we have a situation here that needs to be resolved, and constantly running away from me won't get the job done."

She shut her eyes and sighed heavily. "I know. I know we have to talk, that we have some decisions to make, but I honestly don't think I can right now. Today has been quite... eventful, to say the least. My mind is spinning like a dust devil. Could we call a truce, please? Just for tonight? No talk of marriage or fiancés or especially my mother. I'd like to dance for a bit, to relax and enjoy this taste of home my grandfather arranged."

"A truce?" Cole allowed his hand to drop away from her. The idea sounded good, real good. It would be nice to spend a few hours without his gut tied up in knots over worrying about what nonsense she'd pull next. He could play it her way—up to a point. He was determined for the earl to announce his and Christina's engagement at supper.

Because he didn't want to lie to her outright, he answered her with carefully chosen words. "I'd like to dance with you, Christina. I'd like that very much. I promise not to bring up the subject of marriage with you."

"Thank you."

Upon reentering the Marble Hall they found the dancing in full swing and laughter ringing throughout the room as couples attempted to do-si-do. When it was over, the caller congratulated the dancers for trying something new, then stated that out of respect to an audience unfamiliar with cowboy dances, he intended to introduce three round dances for every one square. The announcement was met with both applause and a scattering of protest. Some guests obviously enjoyed this departure from the ordinary.

"I should go find my grandfather and tell him about Welby and Lana before he gets it in his mind to announce the wrong engagement," Christina said.

Cole's eyebrows winged upward. "C'mon, Christina. The truce was your idea. You out to break it already?" Then, as the musicians struck up a waltz, Cole took advantage of it by bowing to Christina and asking, "Join me?"

She offered a sheepish smile. "Yes, thank you."

Cole took her in his arms and a sense of rightness stole over him. How had he been so blind to her all this time? How could he have ignored the love that was right in front of his eyes? Though he was still reeling from Elizabeth's interference, he couldn't deny her instincts. If left to his own devices he might never have recognized his feelings for the woman in his arms.

So what did he intend to do about it? As he glanced down at her, the scornful pronouncement she'd made earlier echoed again through his mind
. I
wouldn't marry Cole Morgan now if he were the last man
on
earth.

"Wrong, Lady Bug," he murmured, as he spun her around.

"Did you say something?" she asked.

"I was trying to remember the last time we waltzed together."

"We've never waltzed together. You've only danced with me once before tonight and it was a square dance."

"Hmm... then I reckon today is a day of many firsts."

A blush stained her cheeks pink as she turned her head away from him.
That's right, honey, remember our lovemaking. It'll make it easier for you to accept what happens next.

Because Cole had decided on his course of action. He wouldn't force her into marriage. He wouldn't bribe her or blackmail her or trick her. Such methods might well be effective, but they weren't right. Not for Christina, and not for him, either.

No, Cole had decided to woo her. He would woo her and he would win her, fair and square. And he knew just how to start.

Cole pulled her toward him, holding her a shade closer than was acceptable in an English ballroom. Tonight she wore an exotic, spicy perfume that seemed to seep through his skin and heat his blood. "I have something I want to say to you, Christina."

She tilted back her head and stared at him suspiciously. "If it has anything to do with weddings, I don't want to hear it."

"You want to hear this. I promise."

She visibly braced herself. "All right."

Cole swallowed a smile and said, "It's a confession, actually. Something I was too proud to say to you, but something I now realize you deserve to know. I'm ashamed I haven't told you before. Christina, I love..."

"Don't say it," she interrupted, shutting her eyes. "I won't believe—"

"...your chili."

She stumbled a step. "My chili? You love my chili?"

"Yes." He offered a solemn nod. "I really love your chili. It's spicy with a brush stroke of sweet. It's bold without being overbearing." He drew a deep breath, then exhaled it on a sigh. "The aroma teases a man's senses, makes his mouth water. One taste makes him burn and leaves him hungry for more."

"Cole," she said suspiciously. "You are talking about my chili, right?"

They danced with right hands clasped, her left resting on his shoulder, his left at her waist. Sneaking his left around to the small of her back, he guided her even closer saying, "Of course I'm talking about your chili. Chrissy, your chili has a flavorful bite to it that's different from any other recipe I've sampled. It heats a man from the inside out. Why, just thinking about it warms my blood. I do believe now that I've had a taste of yours, you've spoiled me for any other woman's fare. After all, you are the Queen of the Chili Queens and I bow to your talent."

Chrissy shifted the position of their clasped hands and gave his index finger a sharp twist.

"Ow," he protested. "What did you do that for?"

"I'm not stupid, Cole Morgan. I recognize innuendo when I hear it."

So much for suave seduction. Maybe he should rethink his approach. Woo and win. How best to go about it? What method was Christina likely to respond to best? He led her twice around one of the alabaster columns before admitting, "You always have been fun to tease."

She wrinkled her nose. "You and Jake made a career of it."

This was a good approach. She wasn't so defensive. "But you always gave as good as you got. Remember how red in the face Jake got that time you told the Sunday school class that Elizabeth used him as a dressmaker's model whenever she sewed herself a new dress?"

A grin twitched at the corners of her mouth, and Cole literally felt her relax in his arms. She laughed softly before saying, "I worked in front of a mirror for a week to come up with just the right expression and tone of voice to make the lie sound like the truth."

"You were an evil child."

"I did what I had to do to defend myself from older brothers."

Brother? The idea didn't sit well at all, especially not in light of this afternoon's activities. Frowning, he asked, "Is that how you thought of me? Your older brother?"

She shrugged. "You were one of the family."

"You don't think that way now, though, of course. I mean, considering this afternoon and everything. Right?"

Her gaze lifted and locked on his. He tried to read the emotions flitting across her eyes, but she successfully shielded her thoughts. Frustration flickered within him and he repeated his demand. "Right, Chrissy?"

Damn her, all she did was smile.

"Chrissy, how do you feel now?"

"Hot" She slowly circled her lips with her tongue. "Dancing always makes me hot."

Fire shot directly to his loins. He seriously considered throwing her over his shoulder and marching from the room. She held his gaze, watching him knowingly, until the twinkle in her eyes gave her away. "You little tease. This is payback, isn't it?"

She grinned, and as he spun her around to the music, she laughed outright. "You did start it, Morgan, with that talk about my chili. So don't get all huffy on me."

"I'd like to get on you, period," he muttered. "Of course, that's not very
brotherly."

She had the good sense, then, to end her teasing. "No, Cole, I haven't thought of you as a brother in a very long time. See, you couldn't be both my brother and the beau of my girlish fantasies. Remember, I was infatuated with you for a long time."

Infatuated. That was a good sign, wasn't it? Infatuation could grow into love. Sure would be easier to woo and win her if somewhere along the way she realized her feelings for him had deepened. Now might be as good a time as any to make a stab at finding out just what Christina did feel for him.

Cole eyed the flags hanging above the entry doors and danced her in that direction. The musicians began the last chorus of the waltz as he led her outside onto the Corinthian portico. They joined two other couples who had escaped the crush in the ballroom to stroll outside, and Cole nodded hello to them both while Christina exchanged comments about the ball decorations with one of the women.

Moments later, the caller raised his voice and directed sets to form for the next square dance. The other couples hurried inside to join a square, leaving Cole and Christina alone.