On Love's Own Terms (7 page)

Bonnie stood on tiptoes and intensified her search. Even if Luke had decided to avoid her entirely for the rest of the evening, where had Darlene and Dave disappeared to? There was only one sure way to find out.

Plunging into the mob, she marveled at the number of people jammed into the tavern. She dodged a dangerous elbow and skirted a couple wrapped in a passionate embrace. Finally, after her eyes had adjusted to the dimness, she saw Darlene waving her over to a table near the dance floor.

“Wow!” Bonnie exclaimed as she took the chrome and vinyl chair beside her sister. “For a two-cent town, they sure turn out a dollar-bill crowd.”

“It’s because there’s nowhere else to go around here.” Darlene shrugged matter-of-factly. “Practically everybody living in Rebel’s Ridge works in Atlanta.” She took a chip from the basket on their table and dipped it into a bowl of fiery red sauce. “By the time people drive home and clean up, it’s too late and too much trouble to backtrack forty miles for an evening’s entertainment.”

“Forgive me if I’m not impressed that this gin mill profits solely by convenience,” Bonnie replied dryly.

“Where’s Dave?”

“Playing pool with one of the guys from work.” Darlene smiled indulgently and reached for another chip. “When I think he’s lost enough money to last him awhile, I’ll go collar him for a dance.”

Bonnie glanced toward the far corner. Beneath a mushroom cloud of cigarette smoke, a dozen men huddled around the pool table. Judging from the ribald remarks and raucous laughter, Dave was holding his own. She looked away. If Luke had been there, he would have stood head and shoulders above the rest.

A curvaceous waitress wearing skintight jeans and a T-shirt stopped at the table. Darlene ordered a beer. Although she normally drank wine spritzers, Bonnie requested the same.

The rockabilly music rendered ordinary conversation impossible, and Darlene seemed perfectly content to sit and sip. Bonnie surveyed the dance floor where several couples moved in time to the music, and where she half-expected to spot Luke with another woman in tow.

He wasn’t there, and her heart plummeted. Maybe he’d come in the front door and latched onto a willing one-night fling, then ducked out the back door with her. Perhaps... her imagination ran rampant, yet she kept her features pleasantly composed.

What right did she have to be jealous? Thanks to their divorce, Luke was free to indulge himself in any fashion he pleased. If he wanted to ring the chimes of every southern belle he met, he was certainly entitled.
She
didn’t care.

Yes, she did. Damn the quibbling, she cared. But she’d been running scared for so many years, she didn’t know how to stop. Not even for Luke. A haunting ballad on the jukebox echoed her desolation as she sipped her beer, feigning indifference. She’d never felt more alone in her life.

“As I live and breathe, it’s Bonnie!”

Bonnie glanced up into twinkling blue eyes that she instantly recognized, then stood.

“Sueanne!” She embraced her oldest and dearest friend, whom she hadn’t seen in seven years. “I tried to return your call today, but I didn’t get an answer.”

Sueanne, who was obviously pregnant, patted her abdomen and grinned. “It takes me twelve rings to get from our backyard to the telephone these days.”

“I hung up after ten,” Bonnie admitted. She looked down and laughed. “What’s a mother-to-be doing in
this
disreputable place?”

“It beats sitting home watching reruns on the tube.”

“And where’s Tom?” Bonnie glanced around for her friend’s husband. “I’d love to see him while I’m home.”

“He’s in the parking lot showing our new pickup truck to Luke,” the other woman answered.

Bonnie winced and gave herself a swift mental kick for automatically having misjudged the reason for his absence.

Sueanne smiled wryly. “Honestly, Tom is worse than a little boy—he couldn’t stand to have his toy sit unnoticed in the driveway all night.”

“Why don’t you join the hen party?” Bonnie invited, turning her attention back to her friend. She squeezed Sueanne’s shoulders affectionately. “How are you?”

“As comfortable as possible, considering it’s twins.”

“Twins!” Bonnie laughed uncertainly. “Dare I offer my congratulations?”

“In duplicate.” Sueanne smiled serenely, her eyes radiating a contentment that Bonnie envied to the core of her soul. “I grumble some, but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone I know.”

“Sit in my chair, Sueanne,” Darlene insisted. She grabbed another chip, then pushed away from the table. “I’m going to put a headlock on Dave and drag him onto the dance floor before I founder myself on junk food.” She stood, pulled up the bodice of Bonnie’s sundress and turned in the direction of the pool table. “Besides, I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do after all these years.”

Sueanne lowered herself cautiously into the vacated chair, sighing when she was comfortably situated. “I always resemble a beached whale beginning about my seventh month.”

“Nonsense,” Bonnie refuted in a wistful tone. “You look terrific.” The pain of her own long-ago loss wrenched her heart, yet she felt a vicarious joy in her friend’s obvious sense of well-being. “How many will this make?”

“Four. Our oldest starts preschool this fall, and the youngest has been toddling since Christmas.” She winced and pressed a hand to her swollen side. “Judging from their prenatal activities, these two will be born wearing track shoes.”

When the waitress stopped again, Bonnie shook her head, refusing a second beer, and Sueanne ordered a glass of water with a twist of lime. Mercifully, someone lowered the volume on the jukebox and the women were able to talk quietly.

“Life as a northerner sounds hectic,” Sueanne remarked. “It must make Rebel’s Ridge seem awfully dull.”

“Not really.” The words were out before Bonnie realized it She shrugged. “I’ve met lots of famous people through my catering service, which is fun if their egos aren’t overinflated. And while New York presents incomparable cultural opportunities, the quality of life here is much better—at least in my opinion.”

“Give me a for instance,” Sueanne prompted.

“Okay. There’s no feeling of space in New York—no breathing room, so to speak. I have to live in the city because of my business. And when I look out my windows, instead of trees or fields of clover all I see is other buildings.” Bonnie wrinkled her nose. “In a lot of corny ways, I suppose I’m still a country girl at heart.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Sueanne smiled expectantly. “Are you seeing anyone special?”

“I date.” Bonnie didn’t expand on her answer. If she admitted that no other man she’d met could hold a candle to Luke, she’d sound like the original lovesick fool. She changed the subject before Sueanne could pursue it. “How’s Tom?”

“Now that he’s adjusted to the idea he’ll be supporting enough people to start his own basketball team, he’s fine.” Her expression pensive, Sueanne tucked an auburn strand of hair behind her ear. “He works for Luke.”

“So I’ve heard.” Bonnie waved to Darlene, who’d succeeded in luring Dave away from the pool table and onto the dance floor.

An awkward silence punctuated their conversation. In years past, Bonnie would have poured out her heart to Sueanne. But Sueanne’s marriage to one of Luke’s employees effectively precluded such a personal discussion. It wouldn’t be fair to impose on her friend’s loyalties. If push came to shove, it was only natural that she’d consider her family’s welfare first.

“Luke is a good man.” Sueanne’s uncanny intuition proved sharper than ever. She leaned forward as far as her protruding abdomen would permit. “And I’m not saying that just because he’s Tom’s boss, either.”

“I know.” Bonnie sighed distractedly. “This would all be so much easier if he’d only had the decency to grow fat and bald while I was gone.”

“Now who’s spouting nonsense?” Sueanne chided softly. “I’ll agree Luke is a handsome devil—virtually a walking magnet where women are concerned. But that’s not the reason you fell head-over-heels for him, and I seriously doubt that’s why you’re in such a quandary now.”

“I
am
confused,” Bonnie said. “But as desperately as I might need a sounding board, I wouldn’t dream of jeopardizing Tom’s job or throwing a monkey wrench into your marriage.”

“Poppycock.” Sueanne reached over and grasped Bonnie’s hands between her own. “Remember, we graduated from double-Dutch ice cream into double-A bras together. And in spite of the fact we’ve lost contact the past seven years, I still think of you as my best friend. If you need it, my ear is yours for the bending.”

“Thanks, Sueanne.” Bonnie glanced around and grinned. “This is hardly the time or place for true confessions. But if things get any more tangled than they already are, you may well find me bawling like a baby on your doorstep.”

“Anytime.” Sueanne released her hands and reached for her water glass.

 “Say, don’t I know you?” An obviously intoxicated stranger leaned over the table and stared intently at Bonnie.

“I don’t think so.” She averted her face from the sour-mash odor of his breath. “Maybe you’ve confused me with someone else.”

“No.” The brash intruder flattened his palms on the tabletop, struggling to stay upright. “I’ve seen you before —I’m sure of it. What’s your name?”

She shook her head, refusing to oblige him. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sueanne’s shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Tell me your name.” Weaving precariously, he bent closer.

Bonnie slid her chair sideways until she ran into the iron railing that separated the bar area from the dance floor. Gritting her teeth, she muttered a vehement, “Damn!”

“Pam?” He drew back a bit, clearly baffled. “Pam,” he repeated. “Funny, it doesn’t ring a bell.”

Men! she fumed. First, Luke had left her in suspense by pulling a vanishing act that Houdini would have envied. Now this...

“C’mon, Pam.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s dance.”

Bonnie yanked free, accidentally throwing him off balance. Horrified, she watched as he toppled to the floor and dragged an unoccupied chair from the neighboring table over on top of him. Someone unplugged the jukebox, and the roadhouse fell curiously and ominously silent

“What the hell—” Luke shouldered his way through the people. Hot on his heels, Tom rushed to where Sueanne sat laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

Luke glanced at Bonnie. Then, apparently satisfied that she was unharmed, he clenched his fists and glared toward the floor.

Once, twice, the man blinked his bloodshot eyes. Floundering like a fish out of water, he grappled impotently with the heavy metal chair. When Bonnie reached out to help, he cringed.

A crowd gathered, thirsting for a brawl to chase their beers.

“Teach him a lesson, Luke,” someone goaded.

“Knock him into the next county,” another suggested. Bonnie froze, a wave of pity washing through her for the cowering figure on the floor.
Enough!
she wanted to scream. Yet she waited with everyone else, fear churning inside her.

Luke looked at her, his expression an unreadable meld of emotions. He tossed the chair aside, and her heart stopped beating. When he offered the fallen man a hand up, she almost wept with relief.

The rather belligerent crowd dispersed reluctantly. Bonnie wanted to slap some common sense into each and every one of them. Instead she said good-bye to Sueanne and reassured her anxious sister while Luke arranged a ride home for the unfortunate victim of her brush-off.

“Come on, Calamity Jane.” Luke took her hand in his. “They’re playing our song.”

“I don’t hear any music.” But she stood and followed him.

“You will.” He smiled mysteriously.

“Oh?” she challenged.

“I gave Darlene a handful of change and told her to punch a certain slow number.” His dark gaze drifted downward. “Something to soothe her sister’s savage breast.”

Her breath caught in her throat when he focused on the front of her halter top. True to Luke’s prediction,
their
old song flowed softly from the jukebox. He slipped his arms around her slim waist; she raised her hands to his broad shoulders. Their bodies merged, and she felt the strong drum of his heartbeat against hers as they swayed in smooth, sensuous harmony.

“Luke,” she whispered hesitantly, “I
was
jealous that night—insanely so.” Bonnie tipped her head back. Expecting to see triumph in his eyes, she marveled at finding something like pain clouding their depths.

“If it makes you feel any better, I got dead drunk after you threw your ring in my face. I passed out on her sofa before anything happened, and she took her scissors to my clothes.” He grimaced comically. “I woke up the next morning sicker than sin and had to drive home in my birthday suit.”

She looked at him, her lips softly parted, and smiled. “You deserved it.”

“I did,” he agreed softly, nuzzling her ear.

Their steps grew smaller as they drew closer. Bonnie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck while Luke’s hands caressed her bare back, spreading a slow, honeyed heat. She whispered his name when his mouth brushed her temple, and they sealed their exquisite awareness of each other with a kiss that didn’t end with the music.

The sound of shuffling feet and a mild cough broke them apart. Dave’s embarrassment shone bright as a beacon on his freckled face, despite the dim lighting. “I hate to interrupt your, ah, discussion, but Darlene and I are going to a party.”

Luke traced the angle of Bonnie’s cheek with his forefinger. “Sounds like fun.”

Dave reached into his jeans pocket, fished out the keys to his van and handed them over. “You can take my wheels whenever you’re ready to leave here. We’ve already got a ride to and from the party.”

“Fine.” Luke waited until Dave was gone, then dangled the keys in her face. “It’s your decision, babe. Do we hit the road or do we dance till dawn?”

Bonnie’s heart made up her mind. If it was wrong to need him, she didn’t want to be right. Not tonight She leaned against his chest, almost purring with anticipation. “Frankly, my feet are killing me.”

Chapter 5