Free Texas Hold Him by Lisa Cooke

tournament. Of course, that was nine hundred eighty three
     dollars less than she needed, but it was enough to start her at the lower ante tables. Tomorrow she would get Dyer to teach
     her the rest of what she needed to know to win her money.
    “Oh no,” Sally muttered. “I was afraid she’d show up.”
    Lottie followed Sally’s gaze and frowned. “Who?”
    Sally nodded toward Dyer’s table, where a woman in a royal blue satin gown stood patiently waiting. Lottie clamped her teeth
     shut to keep her jaw from dropping. She had to be one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen. Her thick dark hair was
     piled artfully on top her head, with one long curl spilling over her shoulder to lie against her breast. The gown she wore
     was of the finest material and was tailored to fit her remarkable figure with perfection. A matching lace fan fluttered under
     her nose, drawing attention to her heart-shaped face and oval eyes.
    Lottie suddenly felt tawdry in comparison. “Who is she?”
    Sally snorted. “Mrs. Mimi Anderson,” she said, not even attempting to hide her contempt.
    “A friend of Dyer’s?”
    “Every chance she gets.”
    Lottie tried to ignore the knot settling in her stomach. “Is she a widow?”
    “No. But her rich husband is an old dolt who lets her get away with anything she wants.”
    “And she wants Dyer?”
    Sally shrugged. “Always has. But luckily he’s too smart to fall completely into her trap.”
    “What Dyer does is no concern of mine as long as he keeps teaching me poker.”
    “Of course.”
    Lottie chose to ignore Sally’s sarcastic response. “Why does Mrs. Anderson’s husband allow her on the riverboat without him?”
    “I think he’s just tickled to have a young wife, even if she does cuckold him.” Sally picked up a tray of drinks and started
     back to the tables. “At least it mustn’t bother him too much. She rides the boats on a regular basis, and he obviously hasn’t
     cut off her funds.”
    Lottie intentionally kept her eyes averted from Dyer’s table, even when he quit his game and escorted the stunning Mrs. Anderson
     from the room.
    Lottie should be relieved. With that woman redirecting his amorous thoughts, perhaps now he could concentrate on teaching
     her the game. A man like Dyer needed to satisfy his baser needs to stay focused on more important things. How he chose to
     do that was no concern of hers, as long as he didn’t think she was going to be the next one in his bed.
    Lottie picked up a tray of drinks and carried it back to one of the tables, absently wondering how Mrs. MimiAnderson would look with a whiskey dumped over her head.
    “Dyer, honey,” Mimi cooed, gliding her hand inside his jacket. “It’s been a long time.”
    He gazed down at the lovely face of the woman who had shown him more good times than he could count and thought it odd he
     felt nothing.
    She tugged him into the shadows of the deck outside her room and tipped her face up to him. “I’m going to be on the
Belle
for the rest of this trip.” She paused long enough to slide her hand down his chest and belly to rest on the front of his
     trousers before she leaned even closer and whispered, “There’s no reason we can’t renew our acquaintance.”
    His body reacted to her blatant invitation, but even though her soft figure was still beautiful and her smile still beguiling,
     something in her eyes left him empty.
    He was getting tired of empty.
    He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the palm. “Perhaps we will, sweetheart. But for now, I have to earn my entry into
     the tournament.”
    It was a boldfaced lie. He had enough money saved to pay everyone’s entry to the tournament, but it was as good an excuse
     as any for staying out of her bed.
    He leaned down and kissed her full lips, wondering how many other men had done the same, before he tipped his hat and walked
     away, convinced that now he
was
officially insane. He no longer toyed with the condition. He had