quietly, he yanked off his boots and pulled on the new ones. Standing, he checked the result in the mirror. “What do you think?”
“They look great, but how do they feel?”
“Like new boots.” He grinned, but only for a moment. With his eyes narrowed on her, he said in a tone too low to reach Betty and the other woman in the store, “You sure are a pretty little thing.”
Lola cleared her throat. “Thank you. About the boots…”
“I’d much rather talk about you. How about going next door to the diner with me for a cup of coffee?”
Startled at his unexpected invitation, Lola felt another blush sneaking into her cheeks. “Thanks, but I really can’t leave.”
“Aw, sure you can. You’re the owner, aren’t you? You can do anything you want.” Duke resumed his seat and pulled off the lizard boots. “I’ll take these.”
He hadn’t asked for the price. “They’re $375,” Lola said.
He shrugged. “How about that coffee?”
Lola gathered up the boots and fit them back in their box, while Duke pulled on his old boots.
“Sorry,” she said. “I really can’t leave the store.” She heard the phone ringing then, and since the boot department was close to her office, she called to Betty, “I’ll get it. Please excuse me, Mr. Sheridan. I won’t be long.”
“Take your time, sweetheart. I’m in no hurry.”
His sassy response caused Lola’s pulse to flutter. She had met some intriguing men during college and her years of travel, but none to compare with Duke Sheridan. Leaving the office door ajar, she picked up the phone. “Men’s Western Wear, Lola speaking.”
“Miss Fanon? This is Naomi Pritchard, the principal of the Lewis and Clark Elementary School. May I speak to Betty, please? I’m afraid we have a bit of an emergency. Her son, Brian, was hurt in a fall. The school nurse thinks he may have broken his arm.”
“I’ll get her immediately.” Dropping the phone, Lola went to the door, then decided against calling clear across the store for Betty. Winding through the merchandise, she approached her instead. “Betty, the school principal is on the phone for you.”
Betty’s eyes registered alarm, but she spoke calmly to her customer. “Please excuse me, Mrs. Callahan.”
“Well, certainly, Betty. I’m through anyway. Lola can ring this up for me.”
Mrs. Callahan had picked out a striking silver belt buckle with turquoise insets. As Betty sped away, Lola put the buckle in a little box.
“It’s a birthday present for my husband. I’m sure he’ll love it,” Mrs. Callahan said. “You gift wrap, don’t you?”
“Yes, we do,” Lola replied. Duke was wandering, she saw with a quick glance in his direction. She rang up the sale on the cash register. Betty came out of the office carrying her purse.
“I have to leave, Lola.”
Lola nodded. “I know. Mrs. Pritchard explained. Don’t worry about anything here.”
Betty was on her way to the door. “See you tomorrow morning.”
“Only if everything’s all right,” Lola called. “And let me know how Brian is.”
“Will do.” Betty went through the door.
A few minutes later, while wrapping Mrs. Callahan’s purchase in pretty green-and-silver paper, Lola heard the bell over the door jangle again. Looking up, she saw Duke leaving. And he was still wearing the Stetson! Frowning, she tried to concentrate on what she was doing. But why would he leave with the hat before paying for it? Had he forgotten he was wearing it?
Lola was still thinking about it, worrying a little, after Mrs. Callahan had gone, when Duke returned with two large disposable cups. He walked up to the counter and handed her one.
“If the mountain won’t go to Mohammed, then another plan has to be devised,” he said, taking small packets of creamer, sugar and a small stirring stick from his shirt pocket. “I didn’t know how you liked it, so I brought a little of everything.”
“I like it with cream, thank you.” Lola set the cup on the counter, removed the lid and emptied a packet of the creamer into it. Raising the cup to her lips, she looked at Duke, who was looking back with an admiring gleam in his eyes. He would not be easily discouraged, she realized, wondering at the same time if she really wanted to discour- age him. Okay, so he came on strong. But wasn’t she more flattered than put off by his flagrant interest?
“Betty left in a hurry,” he said.
“The school principal called. One of her children took a fall, and the nurse thinks he may have broken his arm.”
“It happens with active youngsters. I got a few broken bones growing up.” He sipped from his cup. “Did you?”
“No, I never broke anything.”
“Except for a few hearts, I’ll bet.” He grinned.
“Except for a few hearts,” she confirmed with a straight face. It wasn’t true. She’d never broken any hearts that she knew of, but Duke had apparently placed her in the femme fatale category, and why burst his bubble? Flip that coin, she thought with a sudden wariness. If there was a heartbreaker in this store, it was him. A man with a smile like his and an outrageous flirt, to boot? Oh, yes, definitely a heart breaker.
The “best catch in the county,” as Betty had referred to him, was a description usually reserved for a man who had eluding commitment down to a fine art. He would play—oh, yes, he would play—but he would never stay.’As attractive as Duke was, as much as she enjoyed his audacity, she must watch her step.
And then, right before her eyes, he became a completely different person. Sipping his coffee, he asked in a voice conveying normal curiosity tinged with concern, “What happened to your parents?”
Lola blinked in surprise. How could he change personalities so quickly?
Though confusion was suddenly rampant in her system, she managed to speak evenly. “They died in a car accident.”
“And Charlie brought you home with him?”
“My father was Charlie’s only brother. They were very close.”
“Tragic. My mother died when I was five, so I barely remember her. Then Dad went about three years ago.”
“I’m sorry. After you told me your name, I remembered some vague references to the Sheridan men, father and son.”
“Then you know I live on a ranch.”
Lola nodded. “Yes, you’re a cattle rancher.”
His gaze seemed to bore into her. “And you’re a store owner. How do you like it?”
“I
