As he drove out toward Chance McDaniel’s thriving operation, he contemplated the fact that Chance was about the only person he could think of who might have an ax to grind with Alex Santiago. Both men had shown interest in Cara Windsor, but it was Alex who had managed to put an engagement ring on her finger. Since Alex and Chance were very close friends, Chance might have seen the other man’s actions as a betrayal of their friendship.
Gil wasn’t sure what impact Alex’s disappearance and subsequent memory loss had made on Alex’s relationship with Cara, but it couldn’t be easy for a woman to be with a man who didn’t remember her.
As Gil pulled up in front of the impressive ranch house, Chance waved at him from across the corral. It occurred to him that Bailey must be seeing a lot of the handsome, blond cowboy. The lick of jealousy he felt was disconcerting. Chance was his friend. And since Bailey still had not ruled out Chance as a suspect, Alex was relatively sure that neither Bailey nor Chance would be inclined to get chummy. With Bailey suspicious and Chance on the defensive, they would likely keep their distance.
Gil’s unsettling thoughts were derailed when Bailey stepped out onto the front porch. His first thought was “Hot damn.” She had worn her hair loose, and it rippled around her shoulders in the evening breeze. Her gaze met his directly, but with a hint of reserve. She still wasn’t sure of him.
The knowledge hurt. He’d been so busy with his self-righteous indignation at being questioned, he hadn’t paused to consider how his truculence would affect Bailey.
He met her halfway up the stairs and held out his hand. “You look beautiful,” he said, wishing there was another word for her vibrant appeal. The black knit, V-necked wrap dress she wore emphasized her narrow waist and curvy breasts. Cap sleeves revealed slender arms.
“Thank you.”
Bailey’s skirt ended several inches above her knees. For the first time since they met, Gil got a glimpse of her legs. The vision was enough to hog-tie his voice. He decided then and there that it was a crime for such beauty to be covered up by an ugly pantsuit. But on the other hand, at least her mode of dress meant other men weren’t ogling her.
Gil considered himself an evolved, twenty-first-century kind of guy. Yet when it came to Bailey, he was finding himself strangled by impulses that were decidedly Neanderthal. He had no right to be possessive, no right at all. But he couldn’t deny what he was feeling.
Conversation languished on the ride into town. By the time they were seated at Claire’s and looking over the menu, though, he recovered enough to make small talk. “Have you eaten here before?” he asked.
Bailey shook her head with a grin. “No. These prices are a little bit above my per diem meal allowance. But I can splurge occasionally.”
Gil chuckled. “I can recommend the salmon and the beef bourguignonne.”
He barely noticed what he ate. Bailey was enchanting...sweetly serious about her job, and yet she possessed a dry sense of humor that took him off guard at times. He knew they were being watched by curious diners, most of whom knew him well. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was the most enjoyable evening he had spent in a long, long time.
Over coffee and dessert, he decided he had to come clean about the secret he was holding. “Bailey...”
She smiled at him. “Yes?”
“I have a confession to make.”
Some of the sparkle left her expression. “Oh?”
“I heard what you said to Cade. About your father.”
Color flushed her cheeks and then faded away, leaving her pale. “I see.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to embarrass you yesterday.”
“But it’s okay tonight?” The words had a bite to them.
He shrugged. “I need to have honesty between us. It’s important to me. You don’t have to explain, but I am sorry that your childhood was so difficult. I really appreciate what you said to Cade. It was very generous of you.”
She crossed her arms, the posture unconsciously defensive. “I had food and shelter growing up. Lots of kids don’t have that much.”
“True. But love is important. Perhaps your father didn’t know how to show you what was in his heart.”
“I told myself that when I was a teenager. I took a psychology class in high school. Learned a little bit about how pain can make people turn inward. But it didn’t really help to know the reason why. My father and I barely speak. A couple of awkward meals at the holidays. The obligatory birthday gifts. I tried for years to get him to open up to me, but he’s a stone wall with no apparent desire to change.”