Heaven, Texas (Chicago Stars #2)(113)

Gracie ignored Terry Jo’s encouraging smile. “I’m sorry, Ray, but I’m not feeling too much like dancing tonight.”

“Yeah, I heard you and Bobby Tom broke up. Seems like he’s doing his best to make you jealous.”

“He’s just being himself.”

“You shouldn’t let him manipulate you like that. All the guys on the crew like Bobby Tom, but I guess it’s no secret that some of us have more than a friendly interest in you. We flipped to see who got to dance with you first, and I won.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, but, to be honest, I just don’t have the heart for it.” Before either Ray or Terry Jo could press her, she slipped away from them into the crowd. It was nice to know some of the men found her desirable, but she simply didn’t have the ability to be sociable tonight.

She slumped down in a seat at the wooden picnic table where Natalie and Anton had parked all of Elvis’s gear. Only after she was settled did she realize that her position gave her a clear view of Bobby Tom standing in the middle of a herd of women. He looked as if he were having the time of his life, laughing and carrying on, obviously enjoying the fact that he was now a free man. One of the women hand-fed him taco chips, while another rubbed up against his arm. Almost as if he could feel Gracie watching, he lifted his head and turned, letting his gaze sweep over her. Their eyes locked, and for a moment neither of them moved. Then he smiled at the woman standing beside him. As Gracie watched, he dropped his head and gave her a slow, deliberate kiss.

If he’d wanted to cause her additional pain, he couldn’t have found a better way. He cupped the back of the woman’s head in his hand, and as he deepened the kiss, she remembered exactly the way it felt. I own that mouth! she wanted to cry out.

Several athletes she recognized from the dinner last night approached him, and before long he was entertaining them with what must have been a very funny story, judging by their reactions. At the same time, he kept his arms draped around two of the women. She knew better than anyone how charming he could be, and it wasn’t long before a small crowd gathered to listen to him.

“Toolee Chandler told me if I bought ten raffle tickets, she’d throw in a dance with you.” Her head shot up, and she saw Way Sawyer standing next to her, a fan of raffle tickets in his hand.

She smiled. “I appreciate the support, but I don’t feel much like dancing.”

He extended his hand and drew her to her feet. “Come on, Gracie. You look like a whipped puppy.”

“I’m not very good at hiding my feelings.”

“That’s not exactly big news.” He looped an arm around her shoulders, and, to her shock, planted a kiss square on her mouth. She was so surprised she was speechless.

“That,” he grinned, “is going to drive Bobby Tom Denton right over the edge.”

Firmly taking command, he drew her onto the dance floor. The band was playing a ballad, and he pulled her close to his chest, where she felt so comfortable she wanted to close her eyes and rest her head.

“You’re a nice man,” she said. “I knew it all along.”

“Even before I made the announcement about Rosatech?”

“I never for a minute thought you’d close it. All anyone had to do was look at you and they could have figured that out.”

His chest rumbled with a low chuckle. They danced for a while in silence, and then she felt an almost imperceptible tensing of his muscles. She followed the direction of his gaze and saw Suzy pass by, dancing with Buddy Baines. She gazed up at him and saw how sad he looked.

“Bobby Tom’s not being deliberately cruel, you know,” she said softly. “He’s very protective of her. Sooner or later he’s going to come to his senses.”

“You do have an optimistic view of human nature.” He steered them to another part of the dance floor, changing the subject at the same time. “People are going to be sorry to see you leave. You’ve done more good in this town in a short time than most of them have done in their lives.”

She was genuinely astonished. “I haven’t done anything.”

“Is that so? Let me see if I’ve got this right. You’ve formed a volunteer organization to improve the facilities at Arbor Hill as well as set up a recreational program there. It was your idea to establish a senior citizens center. I also hear that you’ve spent a lot of time at Arbor Hills just visiting with some lonely people. I guess, in my mind, that counts for a lot more than somebody who hasn’t done any more with his life than win football games.”

She started to protest. Bobby Tom gave to others in countless ways, both money and his time. But then she stopped herself. Mr. Sawyer wasn’t talking about Bobby Tom; he was talking about her. And he was right.

When had she gotten into the habit of viewing her own accomplishments as being so much less important than anyone else’s? Was seeing to the comfort of the elderly of less value than being blessed with good looks and natural charm? She felt oddly disoriented. It was as if a door she hadn’t even known existed had swung open, giving her a fresh look at herself, a look that was suddenly uncluttered by the emotional baggage she’d carried around all her life. She had friends, people who cared about her, and she did her best to live her life by the Golden Rule.

But she had grown so used to being satisfied with very little. From the day she’d met Bobby Tom, she’d felt lucky to receive whatever small crumbs of affection he’d deigned to toss her way. But that wasn’t how it should be. She was worthy of something more than another person’s emotional leftovers.