Texas Lightning. Gerry Bartlett
I’m hungry. Must be lunchtime. Anyway, we just happened to be in the capitol on the same day at the same time.” Pamela was blond and pretty, with a perfect figure and a competent air about her. The cowboy would probably put her number in his phone in a heartbeat.
Pamela raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. He did buy you that tiny tee. That says interested to me. He could be into dark hair and blue eyes; a lot of men are.” She gave her hair a final fluff. “They say blondes have more fun but I certainly have my dry spells. Can’t hurt to take a shot though. Did you smell him? Positively yummy.” She sighed. “Anyway, give me five minutes, then come on out. You have lipstick and a comb in there?” She gestured to the backpack Anna had set on the counter next to the sink.
“Never leave home without it. My mother’s rule. I carry the pack instead of a purse but all the necessities are in there.” Though it would take more than lipstick to make her look presentable. Her hair, always unruly, had gone wild thanks to wet paper towels and sweat.
“My mama too. Guess Yankee mamas aren’t so different from Texas mamas.” Pamela grinned. “So use ’em, Anna. At least one of us should get a date out of you having a fainting fit at the feet of one good-looking guy.” She let loose the top button on the white silk blouse under her suit jacket so a little cleavage showed, then picked up her briefcase before she eased out the door.
Anna studied herself in the mirror, then rooted around for lipstick and a brush. Pamela was right. Self-respect was something her mother had drilled into her from an early age. And then there was that man’s delicious smell. She might have been a little woozy but she’d have to have been unconscious to miss that subtle hint of something he wore that made her want to see him without all those layers, lose the tie and…
So far, her life in Texas had been spent mostly chained to her computer. Once she’d arrived in Austin, it had been drilled into her that it was her program that had made Zenon’s owner spend an obscene amount of money to buy her old company. She’d been under pressure ever since. But coming to Texas had given her an opportunity for a change, an adventure, like she’d told Pamela. She’d worked hard since she got here. Zenon had certainly got its money’s worth. So it was time for her to look up from her keyboard and give Texas a chance.
Maybe almost fainting in the rotunda of the Texas capitol building was a sign. Okay, so she might not see a future with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Too Cute for His Boots, but she wasn’t about to go out there looking like she’d been dragged across that beautiful marble lobby face first either.
* * * *
King waited outside the ladies’ room and wondered what the hell he was thinking. His sister would laugh her ass off at the idea that he’d swooped in and helped a stranger like that. Of course, much as he loved Karen, he knew she’d have stepped over the body and kept walking. Not his style. But, damn it, this had made him late for a meeting. He hated to be late for anything. When his phone chimed he knew exactly what the text was about. Yeah, State Senator Derek Cutler was pissed. There’d be no arm twisting about that agricultural bill over steaks and drinks today. He’d have to let the man cool off before he tried to smooth his ruffled feathers. Now he might as well see how the little gal he’d helped was coming along.
He knew the signs when a woman was about to faint. His twin sister had gone through a spell of fainting fits when they’d been growing up. White face, flop sweat, and boom! she’d hit the deck. This woman had been steps away from him as he was striding across the vast lobby. She’d wobbled and damn if he was going to let her fall and maybe split her head open on that hard marble floor. When the bathroom door swung open, he stuck his phone in his pocket and smiled. It was the little blonde.
“She’ll be out in a minute. She’s fine. Just taking a breather. Believe it or not, she’s from Boston. Our winter warm spell was a shock to her system. She’d obviously dressed for a Yankee winter.” She laughed and pressed a card into his hand. “Pamela Allred, Railroad Commission.”
“Hey, thanks for your help, Ms. Allred.” King took the card and held out his hand. “King Sanders. I have some dealings with your commission from time to time because of the oil wells on my ranch southwest of San Antonio. Maybe I’ll see you in the office while I’m in town.”
“Oh, I hope so.” She smiled and shook his hand, holding on when he would have let go. “And it’s Pam.” She frowned when her phone chimed. “Well, shoot. Duty calls. Nice to meet you. And that was sweet what you did for Anna, buying her a T-shirt and all. She said you’re strangers.”
“Right. I didn’t even know her name until you told me just now.” King tucked Pam’s card into his pocket. “I’ll be seeing you, Pam.” He watched her stride off but his mind was on the woman still behind the restroom door. Anna from Boston. She was different. Interesting. Pam was cute but so much like a dozen other women he knew he could imagine a factory, churning them out. They worked for the state, or maybe they didn’t work at all but lived off Daddy’s money. Nothing at all wrong with them. Nothing quite right about them either. Of course, he’d had his heart bruised recently, so maybe he was just being an asshole about women. Was entirely possible.
The door to the restroom creaked open and Anna peered out. Was she hoping he’d be gone? Probably embarrassed since she’d almost fallen in front of him. He strode forward, determined to make her feel at ease.
“You look better.” He saw she still clutched that backpack like it was a lifeline. It was an expensive leather so he doubted she was down and out and it held all her earthly possessions. Her jeans were faded but he knew that was a style statement, not necessarily a sign of wear. Her tennis shoes were top-of-the-line. He bought that brand himself for when he went running. “T-shirt looks good on you. Bright color. Reminds me of new peas.”
“Um, yes. I want to pay you for the shirt. I’m much cooler now. Thank you for coming to my rescue.” She smiled. “It says ‘Keep Austin Weird.’ Is that really a slogan around here?”
“People around here are proud that Austin is known for strange happenings. Where else would you have an annual bat festival? And I’m not talking about baseball bats.” King liked that she smiled at that nonsense. He reached for her elbow and steered her away from the bathroom entrance when a herd of women came toward them. “We need to move out of the way.”
“Oh, yes.” She flushed. “About the shirt.”
“Have lunch with me. That’s how you can pay for the shirt.” He moved her toward the door to the outside. She wasn’t exactly digging in her heels, but she wasn’t making it easy for him either, trying to put space between them.
“I don’t think so.” She stopped dead and he obviously wasn’t going to move her without dragging her or picking her up. She shrugged into her backpack.
“Let me start over. King Sanders.” He held out his hand, trying not to stare at how the shirt molded to her breasts. Oh, boy. To his relief, she shook hands but was quick to pull free.
“Anna Delaney. Thank you for saving me. Really.” She dug a twenty-dollar bill out of her jeans pocket and thrust it at him. “Here. For the shirt. Now I’d better be going.”
He wasn’t about to take her money. “Look at the time. It’s after noon, and I bet you’re hungry. Hot and hungry. No wonder you were about to faint.” He ignored the bill she waved at him and stayed with her as she headed for the exit at a pretty fast clip for a gal who’d been down for the count just minutes ago.
“I’m okay now. That cold water helped a lot.” She spared him a smile but just kept going.
“Let me at least walk you to your car.” He should give it up. She wasn’t interested. He’d been shot down before. No big deal. So why wasn’t he giving up?
“I don’t have a car. I’m going to catch a bus.” She stopped next to the guard station where tourists had caused a temporary roadblock. Security guards had a protocol, running backpacks and purses through scanners similar to those at an airport before anyone could be allowed inside. They didn’t scan people who were leaving but there