Free Luck Be A Lady (Destiny Bay Romances-The Ranchers Book 5) by Helen Conrad Page B

matter. Even after Sugar’s whirl wind embrace she was enjoying herself. The food was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and Cody was being the perfect host. The evening was taking on a special glow. She knew she would never forget it.
    There were drawbacks, of course. For one, she was dressed inappropriately. Her simple checkered sun dress and sandals were much too casual, like a country cousin to the elegant finery being displayed all around the room. That had embarrassed her at first, but now it hardly mattered.  
    Cody wasn’t bothered by it. In fact, he was looking at her as though he thought she was beautiful. How could she resist? She smiled into his eyes and he smiled back. She felt her cheeks flush, but this time it wasn’t with embarrassment. Her breath came faster and she pulled her gaze away, suddenly nervous. She had to be careful. He’d begin to think she was making promises she had no intention of keep ing.
    Cody saw her withdrawal and recognized what it was, but he was a man used to waiting for the right moment. Timing was everything in gambling—and in matters of the heart, as well.
    His gaze traveled up and down the slender length of her bare arm and rested on her smooth shoulder.
    “Where do you go to get that tan?” he asked, his voice low.
    It was an opening for embarking on a journey to ward intimacy. She could say something teasing back. He would move his chair a little closer and say some thing risque. She would flush, laugh, lean closer to him.
    It was a pleasant picture, tantalizingly seductive. But Kelly shook it off.  
    “I work in the yard,” she said bluntly.
    He could read her mind, she thought, watching his reaction. And nothing really seemed to make him angry. Always there was a flash of humor in his gaze.
    “No kidding.”  
    He made a face.  
    “Right out there un der the burning sun?”
    “Of course. Don’t you take advantage of the cli mate?”
    “What climate?” Cody looked around the room. “You mean the air-conditioning?” He grinned at her. “The thing is, neon becomes me. Sunshine makes me break out.”
    She glanced curiously at his dark skin and he followed her gaze. “I come by this shade honestly,” he said, holding up his arm and pulling back the sleeve. The color was creamy bronze. “My mother’s a Paiute .”
    She’d been pretty sure it was something like that. “Really?”
    He nodded, the ghost of a smile hovering on his lips. “You’d like her, I think. She’s an artist, lives in Arizona these days. In an art colony in Sedona.”
    She looked at his hands, remembering how she’d thought he had the hands of an artist. “Did you in herit any of her talent?” she asked.
    He stretched out his fingers and looked at them, too. “My talent lies solely in the cards,” he said softly.
    Kelly frowned, hating the way he kept rubbing her nose in it. It wouldn’t take much for her to forget what he did for a living, if he would only give her a chance.  
    “How does your mother like having a gambler for a son?” she asked, her annoyance making her blunt. The minute the words were out of her mouth, she re gretted them.
    He stared at her, and for once his gaze was cold as tinted glass. But he turned away without saying anything and she closed her eyes, wishing to heaven she’d kept her mouth shut. He didn’t deserve scorn. He was what he was, and it was certainly none of her busi ness.
    “I met Ivy Blake,” she said quickly, to make up for her rudeness. “She told me what you’ve done for her and her husband.”
    Cody frowned and twisted restlessly in his chair, avoiding her gaze. “I haven’t done anything,” he muttered. “Eat your dinner. It’s getting cold.”
    She tried to do that, but the lump in her throat was making it impossible. She’d hurt him for no reason. She hated herself for that. He was being nothing but nice to her. He couldn’t help it if he threatened her peace of mind.
    “Well, well.” A booming male voice broke into her