Heaven, Texas (Chicago Stars #2)(66)

“Thank you for a most pleasurable encounter. It was highly educational.” The door shut behind her.

For a moment he just stood there, and then he grinned. Every time he thought he had Gracie right where he wanted her, she managed to surprise him. But he had a few surprises of his own left, and as he made his way to his truck, he knew that initiating Gracie Snow was definitely going to be one of life’s finer pleasures.





13




So much for bargains, Gracie thought as she parked the Thunderbird next to Willow’s Trans Am and picked up the Navaho blanket she had been sent to fetch. As she got out of the car, she sighed. Two weeks had passed since Bobby Tom had taken her to the Wagon Wheel, but to her disappointment, the physical side of their relationship hadn’t progressed any farther. It was almost as if he’d changed his mind. On the other hand, the circumstances had hardly been conducive to privacy. He’d had long work days and lots of distractions.

On Sunday, after their evening at the honky-tonk, Bobby Tom and Suzy had golfed, while Gracie had spent the day helping Natalie make the small house she had rented comfortable. That evening, one of his former teammates had shown up at the door and stayed several days, demanding every minute of Bobby Tom’s free time. The following weekend, Bobby Tom had flown to Houston for a scheduled meeting with the American Express people to discuss making a television commercial for them, and afterward, they had been involved in night shooting, filming a chase sequence involving Bobby Tom and the film’s villain. But even though she knew they hadn’t had any real opportunity for intimacy, she still found herself dwelling on the worrisome possibility that Bobby Tom’s offer had merely been another of his private jokes and he had no intention of going through with it. Since the weekend was fast approaching and he’d made no plans to leave town, she should know soon.

For the past week, they’d been shooting a sequence with Bobby Tom and Natalie in a small box canyon north of town. The equipment trucks and motor homes were parked at the mouth of the canyon, far enough away so the noise from the vehicles wouldn’t interfere with the shooting.

“Gracie.”

Gracie looked up to see Connie Cameron calling her from the catering truck. Her lips formed a smug smile as she stepped out from behind the counter.

“Bobby Tom’s looking for you. It’s hard to tell with him, but I’m pretty sure you’ve upset him again.”

“Oh, dear.”

Connie regarded her outfit critically, and Gracie reminded herself that she had no reason to feel intimidated. That morning she’d put on a scoop neck buttercup yellow knit top with a short sarong-style skirt in a jungle print. Amber hoops swung from her ears, and slim, leather thong sandals displayed her toenails, which she had painted a dark coral the night before. She wished she could work up the nerve to buy a discreet gold ankle bracelet, but when she’d asked Bobby Tom for his opinion, he’d started laughing so hard she’d discarded the idea. It was probably just as well. She couldn’t afford it anyway.

Repaying Bobby Tom, even in installments, for the brutally expensive black cocktail dress he’d purchased without her permission at Millie’s Boutique was decimating her meager paycheck, but Gracie had made up her mind to do it anyway. At first, when she’d learned that Millie’s wouldn’t take the dress back, she decided she’d simply return it to Bobby Tom and tell him to wear it himself. Unfortunately, she’d made the mistake of trying the dress on first, and it had looked so exquisite that she hadn’t been able to resist. It was foolish, she knew, to own something so extravagant, but she wanted to see the expression on his face when she finally wore it for him. And the fact that she would have paid him back for every penny by then would make the moment all the sweeter.

Today was payday, and by the time she took out the money she intended to give him for her rent and made an installment on the black dress, there would be almost nothing left for essentials. Still, for someone standing on the precipice of financial disaster, she felt remarkably unburdened. She’d promised herself that her love would be a free offering, and the fact that she was keeping her word filled her with pride and a giddy sense of freedom.

Connie’s breasts strained against her tight-fitting top as she leaned forward to wipe one of the tables set up under a navy canopy near the catering truck. “It’s funny the two of you don’t get along better. I know Bobby Tom never gets mad at me. You’re the only female I’ve ever heard him argue with.”

“We believe in keeping our communication channels open,” Gracie offered with as much sweetness as she could muster.

“There you are! What took you so long?” Mark Wurst, the propmaster, rushed toward her, his graying ponytail flying.

In the past month, everyone on the set had come to regard her as the company’s errand girl. Bobby Tom said people were taking advantage of her and he intended to put a stop to it, but she had asked him not to interfere. Despite the elaborate stories he wove about how much he needed a keeper, it hadn’t taken her long to discover that he was one of the most competent people she’d ever known, and with each passing day, it had become increasingly apparent to her that he didn’t have enough work to keep her busy. Luckily, Windmill did, and since they were officially her employer, she had the satisfaction of knowing she was more than giving them their money’s worth. Even though she would never have a career in Hollywood, she was determined to work hard for as long as she had this job.