A Western Christmas Homecoming. Lynna Banning

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       Chapter Eight

      “Lolly? Open up, it’s me, uh... George.”

      Alice removed the chair she’d pushed under the doorknob and slid back the dead bolt as he unlocked the door. “Rand!” She swung the door open. “Did you talk to the sheriff?”

      “I...” The words died on his lips. Standing before him was a stunningly attractive woman in a shiny red satin gown with a neckline so low it would make a shady lady blush.

      “Say something, Rand. Do I look the part? Like a saloon girl?”

      “You do,” he said tersely. “And I want you to take it off.”

      “What? What do you mean, take it off?”

      “I—I’ve changed my mind, Alice. I don’t want you to go anywhere dressed like that.”

      “But it was your idea,” she protested. “This was your plan, you said so yourself.”

      Rand nodded. “Yeah, I did. Now I wish I hadn’t.”

      Alice propped her hands on her hips. “But you can’t have changed your mind! You said I was just what you wanted, an undercover saloon girl. The dressmaker made this gown especially for me.”

      Rand settled himself heavily onto the bed closest to the door. She was right. But he was so shocked at seeing her all dolled up like that, all red sparkles and creamy bosom, that for a minute his mind wasn’t working right. Lolly-Alice had sneaked up on him.

      “Rand?”

      “Give me a minute, Alice.” He tried to calm his racing pulse by reminding himself of the assignment he’d taken on. Pinkerton wanted... Oh, hell, Pinkerton wanted him to use Alice as bait. He’d thought it was a good idea before he saw her in that sparkly red getup. Now he wasn’t so sure.

      She settled on the bed beside him. “Whatever is the matter? Is my dress not daring enough? Don’t you like it?”

      He stifled a groan. Her skirt rustled and he smelled the unmistakable scent of violets. “Yeah, I like it fine, Alice. You look very...fetching.”

       You look so damn beautiful it makes my mouth water.

      “Rand?” she said, a tentative note in her voice. “You are looking at me most oddly. Is something wrong?”

      “No,” he lied. Everything is wrong! “I’m just surprised at your...disguise.”

      She stood up and twirled in place, making her skirt bell out, then sent him a look of pure girlish pride. He almost choked.

      “I find dressing up as Lolly Maguire has made me quite ravenous,” she announced. “Are you hungry?”

      Hungry! He bit back a groan and considered stripping and plunging into the tub of cold bathwater still sitting in the middle of the room. He reached to unbutton his leather vest, then caught himself. He wouldn’t mind taking his clothes off in front of her, but he would mind revealing his engorged groin.

      He swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m hungry, Alice. I think we should go down to the dining room and eat some supper before you go into action at the Golden Nugget.”

      “Oh, good.” She peeked in the mirror over the dresser and pinched her cheeks into a shade of raspberry that made his mouth water.

      “I want a great big thick steak,” she said with obvious relish. “With mashed potatoes and lots of thick gravy. What do you want, Rand?”

      She sent him a definitely un-librarian-like smile, and all his thoughts about librarians and undercover operations and incompetent sheriffs winged their way out of his head. He closed his eyes and clenched both hands into fists.

      “Ice cream,” he answered. “That’s what I want. Something cooling.” Something to erase the image of Alice in that red satin dress.

      Walking into the hotel restaurant caused a minor sensation. The entire room full of diners, almost all of them male, stopped talking and stared at Alice. Embarrassed, she tugged the red wool shawl she wore tighter around her shoulders to cover the revealing neckline and chose a chair facing the wall with her back to the patrons.