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His eyebrows arched and the corner of his mouth tugged up. Not for you?
She swallowed hard. I don t like jewelry.
Liar.
She flushed. I don t have to be paid to give a man attention, she said curtly, and then realized how
that sounded, and flushed even more. I mean, I don t want expensive things from Clark.
He cocked his head to one side and watched her like a hawk. In the past few weeks, he s gone through
half the inventory of a jewelry store. I see the receipts, Keely, even if I don t pay the bills. I have an
accountant to do that.
She was in a quandary now. She couldn t admit that Clark hadn t given that expensive jewelry to her,
and if she denied it, she d only get him in trouble.
Your car is a piece of junk, he persisted. His practiced eye swept over the blouse and slacks she was
wearing, the coat hung over the back of the chair beside her. You ve worn that same outfit to the
house half a dozen times. You don t drive unless you have to, so you can save on gas money. And you
won t let Clark give you a pair of earrings?
Her teeth clamped down. She wasn t telling him anything else. She tugged at her hand.
He wouldn t let it go. That waitress he brought to the house, he said softly, was looking around
between every bite, cataloging paintings and silver and furniture and putting mental price tags on the
rugs and the chandelier.
She was horrified that she might react to that statement. Her eyes were almost bulging.
He pursed his lips and his dark eyes twinkled. Clark thinks he s putting one over on me, he said in a
hushed, soft tone. He doesn t realize that Misty s father has a private detective agency that I can hire
when I need to. Apparently, Nellie doesn t realize it, either, or she d be more careful about going with
Clark to motels.
She made a soft exclamation and her horror showed.
You don t use people, he continued. But Clark does. He s using you. And you re letting him.
You don t know that, she protested weakly.
I m only surprised that your boss is so forgiving about it, he added, and his expression hardened.
Isn t he the jealous type?
She sank down into her chair. She felt limp. She d failed Clark. He d never forgive her. Dr. Rydel is
thirty-two, Boone, she said gently, and didn t notice the reaction when she spoke his name. His eyes
had flashed.
Thirty-two. He parroted the words. He d gone blank for an instant.
Thirty-two, she repeated, looking up. I m nineteen. Even if I were a femme fatale, I d have my
work cut out. Dr. Rydel hates women. He only likes me because he thinks of me as a child. Like you
do, she added in a different tone.
His eyes were unreadable. There are times, he said softly, when you seem older than you are. He
frowned slightly. Why don t you date, Keely? he asked suddenly.
She was shocked by the question. I& my job takes up so much time& She d walked right into the
trap. She glared at him. I date Clark, she said doggedly.
Clark loves you, he replied unexpectedly. Like a sister, he added almost at once. He never
touches you. He doesn t light up when you walk into a room. His hands don t shake when you re
close to him. That doesn t add up to a romance.
What he was describing was exactly what happened with Keely when she saw Boone. She didn t dare
admit it, of course. What had he been saying about Clark?
When he brought the waitress home with him, he continued, he spilled coffee all over the linen
tablecloth trying to pour her a second cup. He actually fell out of his chair when he touched her hands
as she passed him the salad bowl.
She grimaced.
And I don t need a declaration to tell me who got that diamond necklace. It sure as hell wasn t you.
You won t tell him? she asked worriedly. He s my friend, he and Winnie. I don t have many. I gave
my word&
His eyes glittered. It bothers me that you didn t mind helping him get around me.
Her eyes were apologetic. He said she was the most important thing in the world to him and that he d
die if he had to give her up. He thought it would make you so angry, seeing me with him, that you
wouldn t think about Nellie.
He looked down at her hand. He caressed the back of it absently with his fingers. He didn t want to
admit how angry it had made him. Uncharacteristically angry. Keely was a child. He couldn t afford
to become involved with her. Just the same, he didn t want Clark taking advantage of her. Odd, how
relieved he felt that she wasn t sleeping with Bentley Rydel. Her mother had been lying to him, trying
to hurt him because he rejected her.
Your mother is a piece of work, he muttered angrily.
She was puzzled, not having been privy to his complicated thoughts. Why do you say that?
He looked up. What do you think of Nellie? he asked, changing the subject.
She hesitated.
Tell me, he prodded.
She sighed and met his eyes. I think she s the worst sort of opportunist, she confessed. She adds up
presents and gives sex in return. Clark thinks that s love, she added cynically.
You don t.
Her eyes were old. Living with my father taught me some things. He was almost broke when he lost
the game park because this woman played up to him and pretended to be awed at the way he handled
the animals. She stroked his vanity and he bought her expensive things. Then there was a lawsuit, and
we had absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, she added, there was this sweet woman who kept the books
for us, who took me to church and dated my father. She was shy and not beautiful, but he dropped her
as soon as the other woman came along.
What happened?
When he went bankrupt, his flashy girlfriend was suddenly interested in a local Realtor who d just
inherited a lot of property from his late father.
I see.
Clark is a sweet man, she said quietly. He deserves better.
He leaned back, finally letting go of her hand. His eyes narrowed on her face. She works for a
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