Free For Love of Charley by Katherine Allred Page A

exactly, she had
done that was illegal. When Frannie appeared in her door, Charley grinned at
her.
    Her cousin took a slow step inside,
stopped, and stared at her. “Okay, woman. Spit that canary out and wipe those
feathers off your chin. What the heck happened to you? Last night you were
crying over a laxative commercial on TV.”
    “It was a really sad one,” Charley said,
laughing.
    “They’re all pretty sad, if you ask me. Now
what gives?”
    “Can’t I feel good without you giving me
the third degree?”
    “Well, you have to admit, it’s a rare
occurrence lately. Right up there with Halley’s Comet.” Her glance moved around
the room. “Where’s Cole? I thought he was going to teach you how to use the
equipment today.”
    “Something came up.” Charley almost spit
the words as she convulsed with giggles again.
    Frannie leaned forward suspiciously and
sniffed. “Have you been hitting the wine again?”
    “Not a drop, I swear.” Charley finally got
herself under control. “What did you want?”
    Frannie lowered herself gracefully into a
chair. “Your birthday.”
    “Okay, you can have it.”
    “Will you cut it out? You’re scaring me.”
Frannie glared at her. “What I meant was, you have one coming up. Now, I know
you don’t like parties, but I thought maybe just this once it might be nice.”
    “Okay.”
    “Don’t say no yet,” Frannie held up a
finger and plowed on with determination. “The Red Dog is going to be closed
Thursday, anyway, so they can work on the new parking lot. And we can invite
all the staff. They really work hard. They deserve a night of fun.”
    “Okay.”
    “Not to mention it would be great public
relations what with the improvements to the saloon and the restaurant that will
be opening. And I’ll handle everything. I swear.” She ground to an abrupt halt
and tilted her head. “Did you just say yes or is my hearing going?”
    “I said yes, and you’ve already volunteered
to do everything. No taking it back now. Just be sure to tell everyone—‘no
presents’.”
    “You got it.” She jumped up. “I already
have most of it done, but I need to call everyone and let them know.”
    Charley arched an eyebrow. “What if I had
said no?”
    Frannie grinned. “Then it would have been a
surprise party.”
    * * * * *
    Charley stood on tiptoe and put a quick
kiss on the cheek of the man in front of her. “Thanks again, Uncle Vic. If you
hadn’t loaned me the down payment on the Blazer I’d have been walking.” She
smiled briefly at Douglas, her uncle’s personal assistant and constant shadow.
    At the age of sixty, Victor Channing was
even more distinguished-looking than he had been at forty. Still sporting a
head full of dark hair only lightly touched by gray, he had the bearing of a
man who was used to getting what he wanted. At the moment, he was smiling down
at his niece in amused tolerance. “Now, darlin’. I told you, you don’t have to
pay me back. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. Let me have the
pleasure of spending a little on you. Besides, you’ll get it all when I die,
anyway.”
    Charley shook her head. “No, Uncle Vic. I’m
going to pay you back, every cent. I want to do things on my own.”
    He chucked her under the chin. “You’re too
much like your daddy. Charles Hart never knew when to accept help, either.”
    Before Charley could answer, her attention
was drawn by a commotion in the small group that had gathered at the entrance
of city hall. Cole had arrived, loaded down with equipment, the largest of
which seemed to be a slide projector. He was dressed in a dark suit that fit
him so well there was no doubt in her mind it had been made for him. Her
stomach roiled in reaction. It should be a sin for a man to look that good, she
thought. But then, he always did. In jeans and boots, he looked like an outlaw,
just a little too dangerous. He still looked dangerous, but in a more refined
way.
    Several of the people standing