Anything You Can Do(59)
Of course, he couldn't be one hundred percent positive about Candy Miller. There was no law against having an affair with your opponent. But it would create a lot of doubt in the minds of a jury.
He smiled at his image in the mirror. This could be quite a battle, and he had some great ideas about how they could celebrate when it was all over, how he would light sparks in those cool, green eyes.
Half an hour later he knocked on her door, knowing Bailey well enough to be prepared for anything. She didn't disappoint him. Smiling warmly, she shook his hand and welcomed him as a long-lost friend. She didn't say much on the drive to the track, but that could have been because it took Paula and Gordon most of the trip to make a coherent tale of a purple teddy bear.
However, they had barely settled into their box seats at the track when Bailey stood and took his arm. "Let's go get some cold drinks," she urged. "Paula, Gordon, soda or beer?"
"You stay here, Bailey. I'll go with Austin," Gordon offered, starting to rise, but Bailey gently pushed him back down as her grip on Austin's arm tightened.
"That's okay. Austin and I have something we need to talk about."
At least they were in agreement about that. He gladly accompanied her to the refreshment stand.
As they took their place in line, she turned to him.
"Gordon and Paula need some time alone," she said. "They're having problems."
"So I gathered from the teddy bear tale," he agreed.
"We also need to pretend to get along when we're around them. Do you think you can do that? Just for the day?"
Her tone irritated him. He'd thought they were getting along. As usual, she'd managed to arouse him in one way or another.
"I can if you can," he snapped, then, when she glared at him, he placed an arm around her shoulders and smiled through gritted teeth. "Of course I can." Seeing the concern for their friends so evident on her face and feeling her slim shoulders beneath his arm, he almost believed he could.
After delivering the drinks, they went downstairs together, ostensibly to watch the horses and jockeys when they warmed up.
"Look at the sleek muscles on number five," she said, pointing to the animal he had just been admiring.
Her words brought his attention to the sleek muscles outlined by her tight blue jeans. "The jockey's overweight," he grumbled, irritated at the line his thoughts had so easily taken even though she'd resumed her cool aloofness. Then he remembered his promise of only a few minutes before. "But it is a beautiful animal. What do you think about number two? His trainer's racked up a pretty impressive record of wins."
She looked at him in surprise. "Come here a lot, do you?"
Austin leaned against the rail, enjoying his advantage. He had the edge on her now. Then, with a shrug, he tossed it away. "I have a friend in St. Louis," he said. "He owns a horse and loves to talk."
She nodded slowly, turned back to the horses and studied them for a moment, then moved a few inches closer to him. "I think two looks tired today. Do you think the trainer's record is good enough to compensate for that?"
It wasn't possible. Bailey hadn't really asked for his advice. He looked at the horse, trying to see what she saw. The animal looked fine to him. "Why do you think he looks tired?" he finally asked.
"She just seems a little off her stride. Look at her gait. "
Austin looked. He didn't see anything wrong. "Studied a lot of horses' gaits, have you?" he asked, mimicking her earlier question.
She leaned on the rail, watching the animals. "A few. You're forgetting I grew up in a small town, surrounded by farms. I've seen a few horses in my lifetime. "
He digested the information for a moment. "So which ones look good?"
Bailey couldn't believe it. Austin was actually asking her opinion about something. Not only was that a first for him, but it seemed somehow to negate the foolish image she'd projected the night before. Some of the tension left her shoulders and neck.
She studied the animals intently, looking for sleek muscles, easy gaits, the tilt of a head, the indefinables that said a horse or a human would be a fast runner, a determined competitor.
As they stood together at the rail, Austin casually draped his arm over her shoulders, sending her pulse on a race of its own. She had to admit, he had a way of generating excitement even when they weren't fighting. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to act as unconcerned as he.