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Chapter One

Kelly Hampton looked up, a smile on her face when the bell over the door of Oklahoma Chic jangled. It had been a slow day and she was delighted to welcome a customer.

Her delight disappeared when she saw the customer. Pete Crawford. Lindsay’s brother. As macho a cowboy as ever lived. Sinfully handsome. His broad shoulders, slim hips and cocky grin drew women like bears to honey. And, like most cowboys, utterly resistant to settling down.

“Good morning, Pete,” she said, keeping her voice cool.

“Uh, hi, Kelly. Where’s Lindsay?”

“She’s not coming in until one o’clock.” Lindsay lived on her husband’s ranch outside of Lawton, OK, where their shop was located. Kelly hesitated but finally asked, “May I help you?” She knew he would refuse, but she didn’t want to be accused of being rude. Just because she was allergic to cowboys.

He looked over his shoulder as if he thought he was being followed. Then he faced her again. “Uh, yeah, you can,” he replied, much to Kelly’s surprise.

Her surprise turned to panic when he grabbed her by the shoulders, yanked her against him and planted a desperate kiss on her lips.

A kiss that lost its desperation as it became passionate, warm, even hot. And completely distracting.

It had been several years since Kelly had been kissed, or even held by a man. Her dead husband, a cowboy too, had cheated on her. She’d vowed never to let a man, in particular a cowboy, get that close again. With that thought, she shoved her way out of his arms and slapped him…hard.

“Whoa!” he protested, grabbing her hand as she drew back to unload on him again. “What’s wrong with you, woman?”

“What’s wrong with me? What kind of store do you think this is? Get out of here before I have you arrested!”

“It was just a friendly kiss! No big deal. You don’t have to get all upset.”

“We’ve never been friends, Pete Crawford, so don’t hand me that line. And this is a business, not a—a place where you attack women.”

“Dammit, I didn’t attack you!” he roared, obviously upset by her reaction. Again he looked over his shoulder. He moved a step closer and urgently whispered, “Play along!”

She had no idea what he meant and would have demanded an explanation had the bell over the door not jangled again, hopefully indicating a real customer.

She pasted on a smile and walked around Pete. “Good morning,” she greeted the young woman. “May I help you with anything?”

She and Lindsay, her partner, had enjoyed the praise they’d received for the up-to-date quality of their merchandise and the frequent repeat business they’d done. She didn’t recognize this young lady.

The customer gave her a bored, superior stare before saying, “No, thank you. I don’t see anything to tempt me…except maybe your other customer.” By the time she’d finished, her voice had turned syrupy sweet. “Hi, lover.”

It didn’t take much brainpower on Kelly’s part to figure out she was talking to Pete.

Pete’s well-muscled arm suddenly draped itself over Kelly’s shoulders. She jumped, but he held her in place with all that muscle. “Hi, Sheila. Have you met Kelly?”

Kelly had intended to protest his behavior, but the woman had insulted her merchandise. She waited to see what would happen.

“No, I haven’t,” Sheila said, and she didn’t sound as if she wanted to.

Pete performed the introductions. “This is Sheila Hooten, a friend. Kelly Hampton, my sister’s partner, and an old friend I’m getting to know a lot better.” He squeezed Kelly’s shoulders, pulling her a little closer.

“Kind of like a sister?” Sheila asked, staring at Kelly.

“Not hardly,” Pete returned, grinning.

Kelly looked up to see him leer down at her as if she were one of those women on a pinup calendar.

“What are you up to, Pete?” she demanded. She didn’t care what kind of game he was playing. She wasn’t going to be treated like some bimbo.

“Nothing, darlin’. I just hadn’t seen you the past twenty-four hours. I was starving for a look at you.”

She opened her mouth to protest, and he kissed her again.

As she broke away, Sheila stomped out of the shop.

“Who was that poor woman?” she demanded. Whatever Pete had been doing, the object of it was Sheila Hooten.

“Poor woman?” he repeated, followed by a laugh with no humor in it. “She’s more a—” he paused and stared at Kelly before he continued “—a witch than she is a ‘poor woman.”’

“I don’t care what she is. Just don’t use me to play your little games ever again!” She turned her back on him and took refuge behind the counter located at the center of the side wall. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

Pete Crawford didn’t like being ignored by anyone. He’d always thought of Kelly as his sister’s scrawny playmate from the first grade. When he’d dashed into the store to plead for his sister’s help, he’d found only Kelly. And suddenly he realized she was all grown up.

Why hadn’t he noticed it before? But the only time he’d seen her in the past ten years had been at Lindsay’s wedding and all his attention had been focused on his sister.

The instantaneous recognition that Kelly was the solution to his problem hadn’t allowed too much preparation time. And Kelly hadn’t cooperated very well. Fortunately Sheila had gone by the front window while he was kissing Kelly and returned to confront him after the slapped-cheek incident.

“Fine!” he exclaimed in response to her withdrawal, still standing in the middle of the store where Kelly had left him. “I’m driving out to Gil’s place to talk to Lindsay!”

“Fine,” she returned coldly, not bothering to look up. He stalked out of the store, wanting to show his displeasure, but he had a lowering feeling she didn’t even notice, much less care.

All the way to his brother-in-law’s ranch, he muttered to himself about Kelly’s lack of cooperation, alternated with thoughts of the slap…and the kiss. He didn’t want to think about the kiss, but it had been something special. That old chestnut about kissing a lot of frogs before finding a prince—or princess—flashed through his brain, but he dismissed it. After all, he wasn’t looking for a princess. At least not permanently.

When he arrived at Lindsay’s house, he found her and her husband, Gil Daniels, along with Rafe Hernandez, Gil’s manager and best friend, sitting down to lunch. He was immediately invited to join them.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he agreed with a grin. He seldom turned down food. “I need to talk to you,” he said, staring at Lindsay. “I can kill two birds with one stone.”

“Gee,” Lindsay said, sarcasm in her voice, “I love being called a bird.”

“You know what I mean. Too bad your partner doesn’t,” he muttered as he constructed a Dagwood sandwich.

Lindsay stared at him. “What does Kelly have to do with your problem?”

“I, uh, well, I needed her to help to make Sheila believe—well, she wouldn’t cooperate.” He knew how protective Lindsay was of her friend and partner. Suddenly he decided honesty wasn’t the best policy on this particular occasion.

Lindsay stared at him, clearly still curious about his meaning.

Gil, who had become a good friend since he’d married Lindsay, said, “Maybe you should tell Lindsay your problem first, Pete.”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve gone out with Sheila Hooten a few times,” he began. Then he held up a hand, anticipating Lindsay’s response. “I know you told me she was bad news, but we had fun. And I made it clear that’s all I wanted. But she started pressing me.”

“For what?” Rafe asked.

“Man, you don’t know nothing about women,” Pete announced. “She wanted me to marry her!”

“I never said I understood women,” Rafe said, glaring at Pete. “I’m a bachelor.”

“So am I, and hoping to stay that way.”

“Come on, Pete,” Gil said with a grin. “Marriage is great.” He smiled at his wife and reached out to touch her. Pete had noticed that Gil constantly touched Lindsay.

“You’re still a newlywed, Gil. How would you know? Most women don’t start bossing you around until after the first year, usually just after you’ve had a kid and know you can’t leave.”

Gil laughed, but Lindsay protested and her cheeks turned red.

“Sorry, sis. I’m sure that won’t happen to you, but you remember Brad at Christmastime?” he asked, naming Gil’s brother-in-law. “Cathy had him tied in knots, leading him around by the nose. It was pitiful. All because she was pregnant.”

Rafe leaned toward him. “Eat your sandwich, boy. You’re not scoring any points with either Gil or Lindsay.”

After checking their expressions, Pete decided Rafe’s advice was sound and bit off a big bite of his sandwich.

As he chewed determinedly, Gil sighed, then spoke. “If you made your intentions clear, then what’s the problem?”

Lindsay gave her husband a disgusted look. “None of you know anything about women. Really, Gil, no woman would believe his warning. It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull and expecting him to ignore it. That’s ridiculous!”

“Hey, I was trying to be honest!” Pete swore, his voice rising.

“So stop seeing her,” Gil suggested.

“I haven’t asked her out for a couple of weeks, but she keeps showing up wherever I go. And she hangs all over me.” Pete sent a disgusted look in his sister’s direction. “What can I do?”

Lindsay sighed. “Well, you could pay attention to another lady, but then you’d end up with her expecting marriage. Though why these women think you’d be good marriage material, I’ll never know. You need a woman who feels the same way you do about mar—” She broke off midword, staring into space.

Pete glowered at her. “There isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t want to catch a man,” Pete muttered. Gil reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“You’re wrong. I know a lady who feels that way.” Pete looked doubtful. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Kelly. She won’t even consider marriage. All we have to do is talk her into helping.”

Pete remembered Kelly’s attitude when he’d involved her earlier. “Uh, Lindsay, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

When Lindsay arrived at the store at one o’clock, Kelly didn’t mention her problem with Pete. She figured the least said, the soonest mended. She felt sure she’d gotten her point across to Pete Crawford. She didn’t think he’d try that “stuff” again.

Which was good because the “stuff” was bothersome. She couldn’t get that kiss—those kisses to be technically correct—out of her head. But she would. She was determined.

“I’m going upstairs to have lunch with Mom and Drew,” she said. “If you need help, just call.”

When they’d agreed to be partners, Lindsay had no intention of marrying. She’d returned home after a year in Chicago. She’d bought the entire building and converted the second floor above the shop into a roomy three-bedroom apartment she intended to share with Kelly and Kelly’s son, Drew. But by then, Gil, who’d met Kelly in Chicago, had convinced her to marry him.

Lindsay had moved to Gil’s ranch. She’d offered Kelly the apartment at a ridiculously low rate, and Kelly had convinced her mother to move in with her and give up her waitressing jobs to take care of her grandson, sometimes also helping out in the store.

“I’ll come down again when Drew takes his nap,” Kelly added, hurrying away before Lindsay could say anything.

When Kelly entered the apartment, she heard her two-year-old son chattering to his grandmother. He didn’t always get the words right, but he was happy. And she adored him.

“Hey, little guy, how are you?” she asked as she moved into the kitchen.

He beamed at her and held out his arms. “Mama!”

Kelly gave him a hug but didn’t take him out of his high chair. Her mother was filling a plate for him full of chopped-up bites of hamburger, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Kelly wanted him to eat properly. “Mmm, mmm, good. Look at what Grandma has fixed for you.”

Mary Wildenthal grinned at her daughter. “I hope your enthusiasm works.”

“Maybe if we bribe him with cookies,” Kelly returned.

Drew squealed in excitement. “Cookie!” It was one of his favorite words.

“Oops,” Kelly acknowledged her mistake. “After you eat your lunch.”

“You’d better eat your lunch, too. I heard the high school was letting out early for parent conferences. I bet you’re busy this afternoon.”

“I hope so,” Kelly said, sitting down at the table. She felt spoiled letting her mother serve her, but Mary insisted. After holding down two waitressing jobs for twenty-five years, she said she felt lazy.

Kelly followed her mother’s advice. It meant her mother wouldn’t expect conversation, and Kelly was afraid she might let slip her difficulty with Pete. Like Lindsay, her mother thought Kelly should date.

Kelly thought the one dating should be Mary. She was only forty-one, having had Kelly when she was sixteen. Kelly’s father ran away to avoid responsibility and Mary’s strict parents had kicked Mary out of the house.

“Kelly?” Lindsay’s voice sounded on the intercom between the apartment and the dress shop. “We’re filling up.”

Kelly punched the button to respond. “I’ll be right down.” She’d barely eaten half of her lunch, and she wasn’t scheduled to work the afternoon, but a new business needed flexibility. After six months of operation their efforts were really beginning to pay off.

“But you haven’t finished your meal,” Mary protested.

“I know, but we need the customers. Come down after Drew goes to sleep,” she added. They’d gotten a baby monitor so as long as Drew couldn’t get out of his bed, they were okay. But Kelly was getting worried about his prowess these days.

“Okay,” Mary agreed.

When Kelly got downstairs, she discovered they were having a run on the prom gowns. She and Lindsay had spent more than they’d intended because they’d found a new supplier with great designs when they’d come to market in Dallas. Today, it looked like their investment was paying off.

When Mary came down, she took over the counter, ringing up customers, leaving Kelly and Lindsay to the actual selling.

The store closed officially at 6:00 p.m., but it was almost six-thirty when Lindsay locked the door behind the last customer. Since Mary had gone back upstairs a couple of hours ago to care for Drew, Lindsay and Kelly were on their own.

“We did over three thousand in sales today,” Kelly exclaimed from behind the counter tallying sales. “I bet we’re even busier on Saturday. We’re getting a lot of good word of mouth.”

Lindsay agreed. “Those gowns you found at market are almost gone. I think we should call the supplier in the morning and have them overnight some more. Today’s Wednesday. We could have them on the racks Saturday.”

Kelly beamed at her partner. “Brilliant idea! I’ll call first thing in the morning. And I’m calling Addie McCracken. She wanted that plum dress and it was too small. I can order a bigger size if she wants it.”

“Great! You have such a memory. I’d forgotten about Addie.” Lindsay paused and then added, “With that great memory of yours, it’s amazing that you forgot to mention Pete’s visit today.”

Kelly froze. That was a subject she had hoped to avoid. She attempted a casual shrug. “What’s to mention? He was looking for you, and I told him where to find you. I hope that was okay?”

“Of course it was okay. So he didn’t upset you?”

Kelly noted how closely Lindsay was watching her. “No, of course not.”

Lindsay heaved a big sigh. “Oh, good, ’cause he needs your help.”

Kelly drew a deep breath. “I don’t think I’d be very good as a cowboy. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, ’cause he doesn’t need you to round up cows. He needs you to go to the movies with him.” Lindsay smiled at her as if she’d already agreed to help Pete.

“Oh, come on, Lindsay. Pete can get a date in a minute’s time. You know how popular he is. The women in town just flock to him.” She was not going to the movies with Pete. Of that she was sure.

“You’re right,” Lindsay agreed.

Kelly released a deep sigh. “Of course I am.”

“But none of them have what you have,” Lindsay added.

“What’s that?” Kelly asked sharply.

“You don’t want to get married,” she replied, her grin triumphant.

Kelly had told her friend her feelings too many times to argue with her now. “True, but I’m not going out with him. He’s not going to use me to break some woman’s heart. He can do that by himself.”

“I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but he can’t. He warned Sheila he just wanted fun, no commitment, but she considered his words a challenge.”

“Of course,” Kelly replied matter-of-factly, understanding at once what Lindsay had had to explain to the men.

“Well, she’s been bragging about how she plans to trap him. If he doesn’t marry her, it will harm his reputation. If he does marry her, he’ll be miserable the rest of his life. The answer is to start dating a woman who doesn’t want marriage. You.”

“I don’t date.” Kelly didn’t bother to protest Lind-say’s plan. Her determined tone, she thought, would do the trick. After all, Lindsay knew her history. She understood why Kelly wanted nothing to do with a man.

“It wouldn’t really be a date,” Lindsay said. “Mostly you’d just appear in public with him. The rest of the time, you’d be watching a movie you’ve been wanting to see—and Pete would have to pay! Wouldn’t that be great? It’d only be a few times. And our entire family would be grateful.” Lindsay shuddered. “Imagine having Sheila as part of your family. How awful!”

“I don’t even know her!” Kelly exclaimed. “Do you want to come have a soda before you go home?”

“Great, but before we go upstairs, will you please help Pete—and me—out?”

Kelly glared at her best friend in the world, angry with her that she was backing Kelly into a corner. How could she refuse? Because of Lindsay, her shop was flourishing, and she and Drew no longer lived in the small trailer home. Her mother was with her and enjoying life, finally. All because of Lindsay.

But she just couldn’t say yes.

“Lindsay, I just can’t. I—it’s—”

Lindsay moved closer to Kelly. “I figured, so I worked out some incentive.”

“Lindsay—” Kelly began to protest, but Lindsay stopped her.

“It’s only fair. And it’s something you’ll love because it helps your mother, too.”

For the first time, Lindsay really had Kelly’s attention. “What are you talking about? How could Pete do something that would help my mother?”

Lindsay smiled. “Well, I thought you might refuse, so I decided you’d be more agreeable if the two of you weren’t alone. So I suggested you double-date.”

“It would certainly make it easier, but I don’t see how that would help my mother.”

Lindsay said nothing.

Kelly stared at her. “Well?”

“The other couple would be Mary…and Rafe.”

“Mother and Rafe?”

“You said you wanted her to date, to have fun. And remember those shy looks between them, when you both came to the ranch for dinner? I thought they would be perfect together. I suggested it to Rafe, without mentioning that I thought he was interested in Mary. It was so cute, Kelly. He ducked his head and said he guessed he could help Pete out, if Mary wouldn’t object.” Lindsay chuckled, pleasure on her face.

Kelly closed her eyes and swallowed.

Looks like she was wrong.

She was going to the movies with Pete Crawford.