Simmer All Night (3 page)

One stand, however, proved different from the rest. While most of the queens were of Spanish descent, Anglo-Saxon aggressiveness had asserted itself and, this very night, had earned for a certain red-haired, light-eyed woman the acknowledgment of queen of all queens. As announced by the official tabulator a short time ago, on account of her beauty, vivacity, aptitude of repartee, and of course, the superior quality of her chili, Miss Chrissy Delaney had been voted Queen of the Chili Queens of San Antonio, Texas.

Chrissy had started to cry. Acceptance. What a delicious dish.

Then, the band had struck up the music, vaqueros tossed down their sombreros, and Chrissy began to dance. Forty-five minutes later she was still dancing, barefoot now, her eyes alight, her face flushed, and her smile as wide as the West Texas plain. She swished her skirt, showed a little ankle, threw a few kisses, and glanced up to see her brother and his starched-shirt, disapproving, hypocritical sidekick, Cole I'm-perfect-and- you're-not Morgan.

Chrissy stumbled a step as the night's magic evaporated and frustration took its place. She'd known they'd learn of her chili stand eventually. In fact, she'd planned on it.

But she hadn't planned on it being tonight. Her strategy involved sitting down with facts and figures in hand to help her present an unassailable argument why she should be allowed to continue the chili stand. The boys showing up in the midst of a barefooted hat dance wasn't on her agenda anywhere.

Just my luck.
Why did it have to be tonight? Couldn't she have had just this one evening of fun and freedom?

"Apparently not."

"What did you say, sweetheart?" asked the monte dealer with whom she was dancing.

Ignoring the card sharp, she glanced back toward her brother. He had that avenging angel look about him again. The words she'd heard all her life from him and from her parents echoed through her mind.
You're a Delaney, Christina, and Delaneys have a reputation to uphold.

She turned back to her dance partner, smiled, and said, "I must think of my reputation." Then she grabbed him by the flashy satin lapels, yanked him toward her, and planted a kiss right on his lips.

The sound she heard behind her could have been a volcano blowing its top, but since San Antonio didn't have any volcanoes, she thought it might be her brother. Or maybe Cole.

She ended the scandalous public kiss with a flourish and flashed a saucy smile around the catcalling crowd. Then, adopting a regal mein in keeping with her newly crowned status, she glided over to her chili stand and took up her scepter, otherwise known as a ladle, and prepared to meet the enemy.

* * *

She kissed that rogue. In public.

Cole was shocked. Jake was obviously in a similar state because when they reached the chili stand, he simply stood there, his mouth working like a fish out of water. Cole had to take control.

Any tolerance he'd had concerning this situation had evaporated the moment Christina locked her lips on the gambler. He wanted to yell, but thought it best to avoid adding fuel to the gossip fire so he clipped out his words in a low, threatening tone. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Serving up chili con carne, of course," Chrissy replied, accompanying her words with a casual wave of her hand. The one holding the ladle.

A dark, orange-red chili stain blossomed on Cole's favorite white shirt. He rolled his tongue around his mouth to keep from saying something ugly and calmly removed his handkerchief from his jacket pocket, then wiped the spot.

Chrissy picked up a plate, lifted her chin, and said, "Chili, beans, with a tortilla on the side costs a dime. You can pay me later."

"I don't want your chili."

"Then don't stand in my line."

Jake found his voice. "Chrissy, you are supposed to be at the San Antonio Young Ladies' Sewing Circle. This is... this is... awful."

Anger snapped in her eyes as she looked at her brother. "How can you judge what you haven't tasted? My chili is the best on the plaza. My customers voted it so." She ladled a spoonful of the thick, aromatic mixture onto a plate, added a fork and shoved it at Jake. "Here, see for yourself."

"We've seen all we need to see." Cole swept her with a raking gaze. She looked like a strumpet in her Mexican skirt and blouse, her hair loose and flowing and mussed from the dance.

A disturbing thought struck. Surely it was mussed from only the dance. Surely she hadn't taken to serving up more than her chili in Military Plaza.

A sick feeling rolled through his gut at the idea.

Almost against his will, he took a second look, only this time he removed the brotherly blinders he made it his habit to wear and allowed his eyes to feast on the sight of her—the waterfall of burnished copper hair, sparkling green eyes, full red lips. His gaze skimmed her long, graceful neck and the hint of bare shoulder that teased from the edge of her blouse and beckoned a man's kiss. Full breasts, tiny waist, slim, flaring hips draped tonight in scarlet made a man ache to touch.

Cole's mouth went dry. His loins stirred. He snapped the blinders back into place, but not before recognizing that every man in the plaza had undoubtedly made a run at her. "How could you do this to your mother?"

The small gasp betrayed her. He'd struck a blow.

He waited for her to strike back.

Cole saw her eye the plate in her hand, and he prepared to duck. But Miss Christina Elizabeth Delaney wouldn't do anything that predictable. No, this woman was much more subtle.

She smiled sweetly. "I don't know about you, but all this dancing has made me hungry. Y'all sit down and have some chili. I'll join you in a moment and we can talk."

"We don't need to talk," Jake interjected. "We need for you to leave the plaza without making a bigger scene than you already have. I'd like to tan your hide right about now, sister. What were you thinking? You're a Delaney, for heaven's sake. Delaneys have—"

"A reputation to uphold, I know," she snapped, bristling with defensiveness. "Let's compromise. Sit down with me and as we eat, I'll explain why I joined the Chili Queens rather than the Sewing Circle. I'll answer all your questions." She held out the plate expectantly until her brother took it, then she dished up a second one for Cole.

"Miss Chrissy?" a young man's voice asked. "Would you like me to give them one of your special pickled peppers to go along with their meal?"

For the first time Cole noticed the pair of youngsters standing behind Christina. The girl looked to be around six; the boy two or three years older. Obviously sister and brother, they watched Cole and Jake closely, the girl's face glowing with interest, the boy's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as he folded his arms and positioned himself at Chrissy's side.

Another conquest,
Cole thought. Poor kid didn't know that she didn't need a man's protection. Shoot, Chrissy Delaney used a whetstone to file her nails. She could hold her own against just about anyone.

"Yes, Michael," Chrissy answered after a moment's thought. "To get the full culinary experience, they should have one of my pickled peppers."

"I'll get it," said the girl. She speared an apricot-colored pepper Cole couldn't identify with a fork and added it to his plate before repeating the process with Jake's. Chrissy carried the jar along with a plate of her own to a small, cloth-draped wooden table set to one side of her chili stand. As she took her seat, Jake reached across and yanked her blouse back up over her shoulder. "For crying out loud, Chrissy. Can't you at least keep your clothes on?"

The boy and girl took up a position on either side of Chrissy as she gestured for the men to start eating. Warily, Cole tasted the chili. A delicious blend of spices danced across his tongue, and flavor exploded in his mouth. "This is good. Really good. Who made it?"

The boy snorted with disgust. "Miss Chrissy made it, you fool."

Cole set down his fork abruptly. "And just who are you?"

He straightened his spine, squared his shoulders, and lifted his chin proudly. "Michael Christian Frederick Hans Kleberg." He dipped his head in a brief bow. "This is my sister, Sophia Hannah Mary Gertrude Kleberg. We are Miss Chrissy's friends. And you are...?"

"Mr. Morgan to you."

Young Michael wrinkled his nose while the girl beamed and said, "You can call me Sophie. I know who you are. Miss Chrissy talks to my mama about you. You're the lawyer Cole Morgan who only has two flaws."

Jake and Cole shared a quizzical glance. Chrissy looked down at her lap trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

"Everything you say," the girl continued.

"And everything you do," her brother finished. "You don't have to boss around Miss Chrissy anymore, Morgan. She can take care of herself."

Sophie Kleberg nodded. "She's a queen, now. The Queen of the Chili Queens. Mama put her name up for the vote and she won. This very night, she won."

Michael added, "She was proclaimed Queen of the Chili Queens because of us." He laid a hand on Chrissy's shoulder. "We will take care of Miss Chrissy."

His fork full of chili extended halfway to his mouth, Jake gawked in shocked surprise over this exchange. Cole pinned Christina with a look. "So, you are giving up the life of a cosseted society daughter to stand over a hot kettle and flirt with blackguards and rogues?"

She bristled. "Flirt?"

Jake glanced from Cole to his sister, then finally tasted the chili. "This
is
good. How did you learn to make it?"

"A blackguard taught me," Chrissy drawled in answer, her angry gaze never leaving Cole. "A rogue gave me the recipe for the pickled peppers. Try one. My chili is delicious, but my peppers are divine." She reached across the table, lifted one of the orange walnut-sized peppers by its stem and leaned forward, holding it out to Cole.

Her movement caused the front of her shirt to gape, and acting the blackguard himself, Cole took a peek.

Guiltily, he took a bite of the pepper.

At first he thought the fire in his body resulted from the glimpse of Christina Delaney's unrestrained bosom, but then he realized that the fire was mostly limited to his mouth. His eyes started watering and his mouth stung like an invasion of stinging scorpions. He tried to talk, but he couldn't work his tongue.
Maybe it burned off.

He grabbed for the water pitcher sitting on the table and used both hands to tilt it to his mouth. He gulped long swallow after long swallow.

The water only made the burning worse. He needed bread to soak up some of the sting, and he'd have yelled for some had his throat not swollen up. As it was, he choked and coughed. Jake started hitting him on the back in a misguided attempt to help.

Tears running down his cheeks, Cole shot a hot-pepper look at Christina. She batted her eyes innocently and said, "Oops, that wasn't one of my pickled peppers. It was a habenero. I'm always getting those two mixed up."

She stood and carried her plate back to her chili stand. The kids followed, young Romeo shooting a triumphant look over his shoulder.

Cole watched the saucy sway of her scarlet-clad derriere and thought,
I truly am going to kill Christina Delaney.

Before she kills me.

Chapter 2

Two days after swallowing Christina's pepper, Cole stood at the end of the drive leading up to Delaney house and tested the state of his tongue. Still fuzzy. He was beginning to worry it might never heal.

Christina had plenty to answer for. It was her fault he hadn't enjoyed the sweet potato pie Miss Mary Ellen Perkins served for dessert last night at the end of the dinner she'd prepared for him. His lack of sufficient praise had obviously hurt the woman's feelings and likely cost him a good meal or two in the future. Yes, Cole owed Christina, and somehow he'd see that she paid.

So why then was he so hesitant about attending this morning's get-together?

Late last night, Elizabeth had sent him a note that summoned him to a family meeting regarding Christina. Reading the message, Cole's stomach had taken a dive. The strength of his reaction caused him to seriously consider sending his excuses.

That would have been a first. One of the few constants in his life was that he always did whatever Elizabeth asked of him. But something about this morning's meeting unnerved him. The Delaneys were up to some shenanigans—the expression on Jake's face when Cole spoke to him at the office bright and early this morning clued him into that. Jake mumbled his words and wouldn't meet Cole's eyes, which was totally out of character. No, this soiree might well concern Christina, but the Delaneys had a reason for wanting him there, too.

For the first time Cole was truly glad for his upcoming trip to England. He planned to depart in less than a month. How much trouble could the Delaneys deal out in that short length of time?

Plenty.

Jake sighed heavily and started up the drive. Early summer sunshine beamed through the leaves and dappled his path. The fragrance of roses blooming in Elizabeth's garden smelled so sweet he was tempted to take a detour. But Jake must have been watching for him because he opened the front door and waved Cole forward. "Mother is waiting for you in the library. I'll go get my sister."