The Texan's Suite Romance. Judy Christenberry

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      In the store, Tabitha quickly found the manager and introduced herself as Mona’s replacement. “And this is my client, Dr. Alex Myerson.”

      Alex shook the man’s hand.

      “Welcome, Dr. Myerson. Your books are set up over here, near the door. We have a pitcher of water and glasses and black-inked pens, as you requested. Is there anything else we can get you?”

      “No, I don’t think so. However, this is my first signing, so if I think of anything, may I have a rain check?”

      “Absolutely. By the way, I saw your interview on the afternoon show. It was wonderful. We’ve been getting phone calls ever since the interview.”

      “Really?” Alex asked, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

      “Absolutely. We’re expecting a wonderful turnout.”

      Alex looked at Tabitha, and she smiled encouragingly. She wasn’t sure he was happy about a large crowd.

      Fifteen minutes before the signing was to begin, the store began to fill with women who surrounded the table where Alex’s books were piled high. Tabitha and Alex were sitting in the coffee shop that was part of the bookstore.

      “You feel like starting early?” she asked. “You already have a crowd.”

      “Not really. But I guess I could.”

      She went to the manager, offering to start the signing early.

      “That would be wonderful. We’ll get them in line if Dr. Myerson will do that.”

      Tabitha waved Alex on. When he walked toward her, several women saw him and screamed out his name. Alex came to an abrupt halt, staring at the women in shock.

      Tabitha crossed to his side. “Come on, I’ll protect you,” she whispered.

      Careful not to touch him, and not to let any of the crowd touch him either, she ushered him to the table.

      Once he was ensconced behind the wooden barrier, Alex seemed to relax. He greeted each woman and signed a book to her. There were even a few men in the line. He spent more time with them.

      The signing was supposed to last an hour and a half, but Alex continued to sign as long as there were people there. Then the bookstore people asked him to sign a few extra copies for them to put on the shelves with an autographed-copy sticker on them.

      Tabitha had seen Helen come in a while ago and she saw her check her watch every five minutes, seeming to grow impatient.

      Tabitha grinned. Helen thought she was unhappy now, but wait till she heard her evening would include Tabitha as a chaperone.

      Alex saw Helen as soon as she came in the bookstore. He could hardly miss her since she waved to him, calling his name while he was signing a book. Until then, he’d had his doubts about Tabitha’s interpretation of Helen’s intent.

      Dressed in a silver lamé dress that dropped low in front, ensuring that he got a good glimpse of her décolletage, Helen was hunting. No doubt about it. Now he was grateful he’d convinced Tabitha to come along with them. After all it had been awhile since he’d dealt with an aggressive female.

      In fact, it was only since he’d begun to work out, at Mona’s behest, that he’d had the form that attracted women. Jenny had loved him as he’d been.

      He looked to be sure Tabitha saw Helen. Of course, her appearance wouldn’t surprise Tabitha. But he thought the dress Helen was wearing would be a lot more interesting on Tabitha’s svelte body. Thanks to her exercise regimen, she didn’t have an ounce of fat on her.

      When he’d finally finished the signing, Helen appeared at his side.

      “I didn’t think you’d ever get done.” A satisfied smile lit up her made-up eyes.

      “Thanks to your wonderful interview, we had a crowd waiting,” he told her with a grin. “To show our appreciation, Tabitha is going to host our little dinner party tonight. The three of us have a lot to celebrate.” He hadn’t mentioned that to Tabitha, but he’d promise to reimburse her if she’d go along.

      “Oh, but I—”

      “Here’s Tabitha now. Tabitha, I was just telling Helen we owe this wonderful signing to her, so you wanted to take both of us out to dinner to celebrate.” He stared intently at her, hoping to quell any resistance.

      “He’s absolutely right,” Tabitha assured Helen, relieving Alex’s concerns at once. “I made reservations for us at a lovely restaurant in our hotel.” She looked at her watch. “We’re going to have to dash. I’ll go flag down a taxi.”

      Tabitha scooted off before Alex could stop her. He didn’t want to spend any time alone with Helen. Of course, Helen immediately began to complain, but Alex merely led her to the door, stopping only to thank the store manager, who was ecstatic.

      Outside, he discovered Tabitha had already gotten a taxi and was holding open the door to the back seat. Alex assumed she’d follow them into the back, but she shut the door and got in the front seat with the driver.

      Helen snuggled up to him and Alex had the vision of her leaving makeup tracks on his suit. He sought desperately for a subject of conversation, fearing she’d try to kiss him if he didn’t divert her.

      “Uh, Helen, how long have you been a widow?”

      “Several years. It’s hard to get back out there, isn’t it?”

      “Yeah. What did your husband do for a living?”

      “Not much. I was always the breadwinner. But I managed.”

      He was getting no help from Tabitha, who was chatting with the driver as if she had no interest in the back-seat conversation.

      “I love the cable cars,” he said as one passed by. “They’re so interesting.”

      “Yes, they’re one of the perks of living in San Francisco. That and the view. Everywhere you look, you see the blue of the water. It’s magnificent. If you lived here, Alex, you’d be inspired to write all the time.”

      “I think I’d be inspired to play hooky,” he returned.

      “Oh, Alex, I’m sure—”

      She never finished her remark, because as soon as the taxi pulled up in front of their hotel, Alex opened his door and got out. He breathed a sigh of relief…until Helen, now beside him, shot him a fluttery smile telling him he hadn’t discouraged her.

      Tabitha came to his aid.

      “Have you eaten at this restaurant before, Helen?” she asked, trying to distract the woman’s attentions.

      “Of course. It’s part of my job to try the restaurants.”

      Her tone was rather standoffish toward Tabitha, whom she clearly hadn’t forgiven for horning in on their date. But Alex smiled in gratitude.

      “What СКАЧАТЬ