Free The Backup Plan by Sherryl Woods Page A

with a handful of ice, almost regretting that he couldn’t shove it down the front of his jeans.
    â€œI see,” Dinah said, though she still looked skeptical. “And what was it you needed the ice for?”
    â€œWater,” he said at once, dumping the handful of cubes into a glass, then running tap water over them and drinking every drop of the cold water straight down. It slaked his thirst, but did nothing for the hunger that had been gnawing at him since he’d gotten a good look at Dinah in his shirt.
    He busied himself with getting the rest of their dinner on the table, grateful that Dinah had finally gone silent. Maybe she’d realized just how close he was to hauling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.
    When he finally sat down at the table, she studied him quizzically. It was the kind of curious, penetrating look that he imagined her using on some reluctant interview subject. No wonder she’d won so many awards. All but squirming under that gaze, he’d have told her just about anything she wanted to know.
    â€œWhat have you been doing with yourself all these years?” she asked eventually.
    Cord was a little surprised her mother hadn’t told her, maybe not about the company, but at least about his role in the restoration of Covington Plantation. Then, again, maybe he wasn’t a hot topic for the Davis women.
    â€œThis ’n that,” he said, not sure why he didn’t want to tell her the truth and disprove once and for all theapparently low impression she had of him. In the end he figured he wasn’t the bragging type.
    She frowned at his response. “Don’t you think you should have found steady work by now?”
    â€œOh, I do well enough,” he said.
    â€œYou can’t rely on Bobby to support you,” she said.
    Her assumption that he was dependent on Bobby’s largess stuck in his craw. “Oh? How do you know it’s not the other way around? Maybe I’ve been carrying Bobby all these years.”
    She gave him a look filled with undisguised skepticism. “Please, Cordell. We both know that Bobby would never depend on you. He got an excellent college education, which I’m sure he’s put to good use.”
    Cord could barely suppress a grin at her uppity tone. “Is that so? And just how much do you know about what Bobby’s been doing since you took off? Maybe he’s gotten friendly with Jack Daniels and hasn’t done a lick of work. Wouldn’t be the first time one of the Beaufort men couldn’t hold his liquor.”
    She looked a bit flustered by the question. “Are you telling me that your brother is an alcoholic?”
    â€œNope. Just saying you can’t possibly know one way or the other. You’ve made a lot of assumptions in the last couple of weeks, or am I wrong? Have folks been filling your head with tales, Dinah?”
    â€œNo, I haven’t heard anything specific,” she admitted. “But I do know you.”
    He shook his head at her confident tone. “Oh, sugar, I wouldn’t be too sure of that. The truth is you don’t have a clue about either one of us. Never have. Never will.”
    She regarded him with a huffy expression. “I’ve known you since grade school, Cordell. Bobby was always thoughtful, generous and hardworking. You werean arrogant, smart-alecky kid without a lick of ambition and I don’t see any evidence that you’ve changed a bit.”
    He laughed at that. “Then you must not be half the journalist you’re cracked up to be.”
    â€œMeaning what?” she asked, her cheeks pink with indignation.
    â€œThat you must have missed all those lessons on objectivity and fact-gathering. You’re making assumptions right and left here.”
    â€œThen set me straight,” she retorted at once.
    â€œWhy should I?” he asked. “I think it’s going to be a whole lot more entertaining to let you