She Drives Me Crazy. Leslie Kelly

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СКАЧАТЬ did it,” Johnny muttered as he pulled away from the curb, leaving a slack-jawed Daneen behind them.

      “What’d I do?”

      He shot her a frankly disbelieving look out the corner of his eye. “Wild prom night? Did you really have to remind her about what happened between you and me?”

      It took her a second to process the accusation. He thought she’d intentionally set out to bait Daneen by making her jealous of her and Johnny? “Back up, big guy,” she said with a frown. “For your information, I was trying to blow off what happened between your jerk of a brother and that—person—back in high school. Why would she care…” Then she remembered the whole Daddy nonsense and groaned. “Oh, God, don’t tell me you’re following in Nick’s footsteps. You’re involved with Daneen?” She shuddered, not feigning her complete dismay. “Ewww. Two brothers. I didn’t think bad taste ran in families.”

      He glanced over and raised a brow. “As opposed to what…good taste?”

      She had to think for a moment before she caught his meaning. Then she got it. He and Nick had both gotten involved with her, hadn’t they? She almost punched his arm for putting her in the same category with Daneen, who’d been about as big a bitch as Emma had ever encountered during their high school days. But she didn’t want to cause an accident.

      “Anyway,” he continued, “no, we’re not involved. Never have been, never will be.”

      Emma blew out an impatient breath. Men. Such simple creatures. “Have you told her that?”

      He gave her a pointed look as they stopped at a red light. “Yeah, I have. Nine years ago, right after she came back to Joyful, she made a play. I shot her down.”

      The thought of Daneen trying anything with Johnny made Emma feel a sudden stab of annoyance she had no business feeling. She swallowed it away, asking, “Is she in love with you?”

      Johnny shook his head. “Hell, no. She knows me too well.”

      That was an interesting comment, considering how loveable he was. Correction. Had once been. “Oh?”

      “She knows it’d be a waste of time since I don’t want anything to do with love, marriage or any of that garbage. Walker men just aren’t cut out for it. At least not the ones from my branch of the family tree.” He shrugged, probably realizing how heavy that had sounded. “Daneen and I are friends, that’s all.”

      Emma remained silent for a moment, hearing a hint of resignation—though not bitterness—in Johnny’s voice. He obviously believed what he said about commitment. Little wonder, considering his background…his father. And apparently Nick. The only surprising thing was how his words had affected her—with a sudden flare of something almost painful in her belly.

      “If you say so. But Daneen sure looked territorial.”

      “There’s nothing else between us, and there never will be,” he added. “Daneen knows it as well as I do.”

      He apparently believed that. Gullible as well as simple. “So what’s with the Daddy stuff?”

      Turning the car onto Peach Grove Lane, he headed toward her grandmother’s neighborhood. “Jack doesn’t really have one. Nick bailed on her and joined the Marines before Jack was even born.” Johnny frowned, looking disgusted.

      “Why?”

      “I don’t know. I’ve only seen him once since.”

      That surprised her, knowing how close Johnny and Nick had been. But the tightness in his jaw warned her not to push.

      He continued. “Daneen moved back here when Jack was a month old. My mom and I do what we can to help.” Rolling his eyes, he added, “Daneen has realized I’m never going to get married and have kids, so she pictures Jack as my heir or something—as if I’ve got a ton of money. Which I don’t.”

      Never marry. Never have kids. Again that stab of something hit her in the stomach. Hunger. It’s just hunger from a long day of driving with no food. But deep in her heart, she knew she was lying to herself.

      “She seems to think her status as my ‘sister’ gives her the right to interfere in my personal life,” he said. “Look, can we talk about something else?”

      “Like?”

      “How about we discuss how wild prom night was?”

      The louse. She really couldn’t believe he wanted to have this conversation while she was trapped, practically crippled, and at his mercy. “Let’s not. Ever.”

      “Still feeling sorry for yourself?”

      “Still mad at the world?” she snapped right back.

      “Nope.” He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Just you.”

      She sagged back into the seat. He was mad at her? What a laugh, considering he was the one who’d gotten into his truck and taken off after they’d been caught at the gazebo.

      The mention of their prom night brought up lots of emotions. Humiliation, of course. Embarrassment. Sadness at the white-hot anger that had made them both say some pretty ugly things.

      Enough.

      “Let’s not talk at all,” she said, fighting for emotional distance from Johnny, in spite of their close proximity.

      “Suits me fine,” he muttered as he fell silent.

      Closing her eyes, she battled to think of something else. But the thought of their final confrontation reminded her of everything else that happened that night.

      Prom. Ten years ago. It should have been a disaster. The town had spent the day whispering about Nick and Daneen’s elopement. Emma had spent the day crying about having no date for the most important event in high school.

      Then Johnny had been there. He’d knocked on her grandma’s door, wearing the tux Nick had rented. It was a little tight across the shoulders and the sleeves were a bit short, but he’d still been heart-stoppingly handsome. Smiling that wicked Walker smile of his, he’d handed her a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers. Ordering her to dry her tears and put on her dress, he’d informed her he was taking her to the dance. Whether she liked it or not.

      She’d liked it. As a matter of fact, considering she was already crazy for him—and had been since the day the previous summer when he’d kissed her in her car—she’d loved it.

      And for a few hours, she’d truly loved him.

      “You’re thinking of that night,” he said softly.

      His whisper didn’t startle her out of her reverie, and she could only nod, her wisp of a smile probably telling him she was recalling the early part of the evening. The nice part. “Remember the look on their faces when we walked in?”

      He chuckled, obviously picturing—as she was—the gaping upperclassmen gathered beneath the twinkling lights and clumps of fresh magnolias decorating the VFW hall. “They expected you to stay home crying and instead you came in on the arm of the wickedest of the Walker boys.”

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