Kiss an Angel(50)

The fact that she hadn’t proved to be as predictable as he’d figured irritated him nearly as much as the painful effect she was having on his body, and he spoke brusquely. “Put your arms up.”

The events of the day had worn her out, and she automatically obeyed. He peeled her T-shirt over her head, leaving her in the frail mint green bra and panty set that stuck to her skin. She was so worn out her head dropped, but he couldn’t trust himself to finish the job, which further annoyed him. Turning away, he adjusted the water in the shower and directed her inside, underwear and all.

“I’ll feed you as soon as you’re done. I got sick of eating from cans, so I’m making chili tonight.”

“I know how to cook,” she mumbled.

“You’ve got enough to do for now.”

She turned into the shower and let the spray splash over her, underwear and all.

When she finally came out of the bathroom, she had combed her wet hair back from her scrubbed face and wrapped herself in his blue terry robe. She didn’t look much older than a teenager as she slid behind the kitchen table.

He set a hot bowl of chili in front of her, then returned to the stove to get his own.

“May I be excused from spec tonight?” she asked.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

He put his own bowl on the table, sat down across from her, and hardened his heart against her quiet dignity. “Then you’re not excused.”

She seemed resigned to his refusal, and that bothered him more than if she’d argued with him. “I’ve never been spit at before.”

“Llamas’ll do that. Don’t take it personally.”

“Frankie hates me, too. He threw a box of animal crackers at me today.”

“It had to be an accident. Frankie’s as gentle as they come. He likes everybody.”

She propped her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand while she listlessly stirred the chili. “Doing nothing more than walking around an arena in a skimpy outfit is female exploitation in its lowest form.”

“It’s also great for the box office.”

He immediately regretted baiting her, especially since he knew she was too tired to fence with him. The truth was, her costume probably bothered him more than it bothered her. She wasn’t as tall as the other showgirls or as busty, but her fresh-faced beauty and sweet smile made her stand out, and he’d had to discourage more than a few randy males in the audience from trying to get to her after the show. To his surprise, she seemed oblivious to the reaction she created.

She crumbled a soda cracker in the chili. “For all your talk about how well the circus takes care of its animals, the menagerie is a disgrace.”

“I agree. I’ve been complaining about it for years, but Owen loved that menagerie and refused to get rid of it.”

“What about Sheba?”

“She feels pretty much the way I do. I keep hoping she’ll close it, but there’s not much of a market for aging circus animals. And they’re better off with us than if she sold them to some backwoods tourist trap.”

She lifted a spoonful of chili toward her mouth but then set it back in the bowl as if the effort to eat were enormous.

He couldn’t stand it any longer. He didn’t care if everyone in the circus criticized him for giving his wife preferential treatment because he couldn’t tolerate those purple shadows under her eyes for one more day. “Go to bed, Daisy. I’ve changed my mind. You can skip spec tonight.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

Her pleasure made him feel even guiltier. “I said you could, didn’t I?”

“Yes! Yes, you did. Oh, thank you, Alex. I won’t forget this.”

Daisy slept through the first show, but to Alex’s surprise, she appeared just as spec began for the second. Her two-hour nap had done wonders for her, and she looked more rested than she had in days. As he circled the arena on Misha, he could see her just ahead of him waving and throwing kisses at the children, oblivious to the effect she and her flame red costume were having on the children’s fathers. Alex had to resist the urge to take out a few John Deere caps with his bullwhip.

When the show ended, he went to the trailer so he could make a quick change from his costume into work clothes. Usually Daisy would already have changed by now, but this time she wasn’t around.

Feeling uneasy, he dressed hurriedly, then made his way back over to the big top. A flash of red sequins near the marquee in the front caught his attention, and he saw his wife surrounded by three good-looking townies. They were all behaving courteously toward her, and she certainly wasn’t in any danger, but he still wanted to smash his fist right through their smug, young faces.

One of them said something and she laughed, the sound a bubble of music floating on the night air. He cursed under his breath.

“What are you so pissed off about?”

As Brady came up behind him, Alex forced himself to relax. “What makes you think I’m pissed off?”

Brady popped a toothpick into the corner of his mouth. “The way you’re looking at those townies.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I can’t figure you, Alex. I didn’t think you cared anything about her.”

“Lay off.”