Lady With A Past. Ryanne Corey

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СКАЧАТЬ was wearing a denim jacket with sheepskin lining and had her cowboy hat planted firmly on her head once again.

      “Where did you go?” she asked suspiciously.

      “I thought I’d try opening the lock with a coat hanger,” he explained, holding the bent hanger up like a trophy. “It worked, can you believe it? The rain has stopped, too. I guess my luck is turning.”

      “I’m happy for you,” Maxie said acidly. “Why didn’t you try to open the damn door before now?”

      Connor grinned, his eyes lingering on her beautiful mouth. “Because I didn’t want to open the damn door until now.”

      In the space of a few seconds, the atmosphere between them changed. What had been impersonal suddenly became quite personal. The air in the small living room seemed to change as well, becoming thicker and oxygen-sparse. Maxie was having trouble breathing. She stared at the boyish tangle of damp hair across his forehead and had the inexplicable urge to smooth it back. He looked like a mischievous child standing there with his dancing brown eyes and that stupid hanger in his hand. Her gaze dropped lower, to the snug jeans slung low on his narrow hips. A whisper of pure sensuality reared its dangerous head, sending a prickle of goose bumps over her skin.

      “I want you to go now,” she said hoarsely.

      Connor nodded thoughtfully. “You’re going to make this a struggle, aren’t you?”

      “I’m going to make it impossible. No interview, not now, not ever.”

      “I wasn’t talking about the interview, pretty girl.” He touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “You’re enchanting, Maxie Calhoon. Prickly…but enchanting.”

      Maxie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her brain was stalled in neutral.

      “I’m staying at the motel in Oakley for a couple of days,” Connor said. “If you change your mind about the interview—”

      “I won’t.”

      “Here.” He moved closer to her, then smiled as she nearly jumped out of her boots. “I just wanted to give your hanger back,” he explained, as if talking to a three-year-old. “I’ll leave it on the sofa here, all right?”

      “Fine. Go away.”

      Connor walked to the door, then paused. “You are Glitter Baby, aren’t you?” he said without turning to look at her. “Just admit that much.”

      Strangely, Maxie’s eyes filled with tears. No matter how far she ran, her alter ego still haunted her. She would never be judged for her own merits; she would always be Glitter Baby.

      “I’m no one special,” she said in a choked voice. “No one at all.”

      Connor hesitated, then walked outside, shutting the door quietly behind him.

      Connor called Morris as soon as he returned to his motel room.

      “I found her,” he said without preamble.

      His assistant’s voice was groggy with sleep. “Do you have any idea what time…what did you say?”

      “I found her.”

      “I hope this isn’t a dream,” Morris said fervently. “Texas doesn’t agree with me. They grow mosquitoes here the size of cocker spaniels. I want to go back to Los Angeles. I miss the smog.”

      “Don’t get too excited. She was less than enthusiastic about the interview.”

      “Less than enthusiastic? What does that mean?”

      “It means she told me I was sneaky, opportunistic and underhanded. Oh, yeah…and oily.”

      “Oily? That’s really low. What about the money you offered?”

      “She turned it down. I was surprised, because she obviously needs some quick cash. She was talking about mortgaging her house to get through the winter.”

      “Damn. There’s got to be something else we can do.”

      “I’ll give it another shot tomorrow, but I’m not hopeful.”

      “What’s she like?” Morris ventured. “Was it a letdown meeting her? There’s no way she could be as gorgeous in person as she is in a photograph.”

      “She’s actually quite amazing,” Connor said quietly. “And no photograph could possibly do her justice.”

      Morris whimpered. “You dog. You have all the luck. I mean…you actually met her! Glitter Baby. What I wouldn’t give to spend just one night with—”

      “It’s late and I’m beat,” Connor said abruptly. For whatever reason, he didn’t care to hear Morris fantasize about Maxie Calhoon. “I’ll try my luck tomorrow and let you know what happens.”

      “Try your luck? You mean you’re actually going to make a move on her?”

      “Hell, Morris, get a grip. I meant I would talk to her about the interview. No wonder the woman disappeared. She was probably trying to get away from men like you. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

      Connor hung up, then for reasons he couldn’t fully explain to himself, pulled out his portfolio of Glitter Baby’s photographs. He spread the pictures on his bed like an erotic quilt, studying them with intense new eyes. No man with a pulse could claim immunity to Glitter Baby’s magnetic appeal. But suddenly Connor was seeing someone else, a living, breathing soul with fears and human frailties, who was even more appealing. He knew what her husky velvet voice sounded like, and how it cracked when she got emotional. He knew how her hips moved when she walked and how her violet eyes darkened to blue fire when she lost her temper. Now she was something more than a heartbreakingly beautiful face and elegant body. She was a lady who could dress like a cowboy and look like an angel. She didn’t seek admiration, attention or approval. She loved SpaghettiOs and animals and her independence. She drove a truck, for Pete’s sake. As far as Connor knew, there wasn’t another woman of his acquaintance who drove a truck. Jags, Corvettes, Mercedes…but not a single truck. The more he knew about Maxie, the more intriguing she became. What had made her turn her back on a hugely successful career? Even more fascinating was the quiet new life she had created for herself. Obviously finances were a concern, but she seemed unwilling to lean on her former fame to ease the burden.

      Connor wondered if he would have had the courage to set off alone, leaving everything and everyone he had ever known. Even when he had been forced to quit football, his godfather had been right there for him, handing him a cushy job with a sweet paycheck. Truth be told, Connor had been spoiled rotten from day one, an only child who had always had whatever he wanted almost before he asked for it. He couldn’t think of a time in his life when he’d waited for anything, much less worked for it. Football had been physically taxing, but he’d never considered it work. It had always been a game, and a game he was damn good at playing.

      Connor shook his head, disturbed by the troubling stroll down memory lane. Where had all this damned introspection come from? Just because his life was easy didn’t mean it lacked meaning. He’d done meaningful shows before. He’d interviewed a Nobel Prize winner once, a fellow who had managed to clone a goat. Surely that was worthwhile? Then there was the exposé СКАЧАТЬ