Читать книгу The Twin - Jan Hudson - Страница 11

A couple of days later, Ben McKee managed to shake loose from a case he’d been working on by lunchtime. He’d had a hankering for some more chili ever since he and Sam had visited Chili Witches. He’d had a hankering to see Sunny again, as well. She was a good-looking woman with a warm smile, and he’d been thinking about her a good bit. He hadn’t been in Austin long and hadn’t had much time to meet any ladies.

Oh, his sister Tracy had been trying to fix him up with this one and that, but he’d sidestepped her efforts at matchmaking. He wasn’t interested in the type of women she wanted to introduce him to—the picket fence and happily-ever-after kind. He’d tried that, and he was still paying the price for it. Only thing good that had come from his marriage was his son, Jay.

He grinned at the thought of his five-year-old towhead as he pulled into a parking spot by the café. God, he loved that little boy. No way in hell was his ex getting her hands on him again. Marla had never wanted Jay; she was a party girl and having a kid cramped her style. Having a husband had cramped it, too.

Ben spotted Sunny the moment he walked in the door. Her back was to him, but he’d recognize the curve of her jeans anywhere. When she turned and spotted him, she grinned.

“Well, hello, Ranger,” she said, walking toward him. “Ben, isn’t it?”

He felt himself grinning back at her. “Right. And you’re Sunny.”

“That’s me. Where’s your running buddy?”

“Who? Sam?”

She nodded.

“He’s based in San Antonio. He’s only in Austin occasionally.”

She glanced around the restaurant. “I see that same corner table is available. Seat yourself, and I’ll get your drink. Iced tea okay?”

“Tea is fine.” Ben made his way to the table and sat with his back to the wall so that he could watch Sunny.

On her way to the bar, she spoke to several people as she passed, including a group of three Austin police officers. They all laughed at something she said to them. A fourth cop came in before she moved on, looped his arm around her neck and kissed her cheek. She grinned and bumped her hip against his.

Ben watched the interplay. Boyfriend? Lover? Or was she just a flirt? He picked up the menu and studied it.

He didn’t get very far with his studying before Sunny was back with his tea.

“Here you go,” she said. “Your waiter will be right with you.”

“You seem to draw a lot of cops.” He glanced to the table of four.

She laughed. “Yep. It’s because they get a twenty percent discount on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. You get one, too.”

“And why is that?”

“You’re a cop, aren’t you?”

“Well, sure, but I meant why the discount?”

She grinned. “Because I’m civic-minded. And because I used to be one.”

“You? A police officer?”

The surprise must have registered on his face, because she laughed. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“I just can’t picture you with a gun on your belt.”

She sobered. “I wore one for a lot of years. Oh, here’s Pete to take your order. Enjoy your lunch, Ben.” Sunny turned and was gone before he could say another word.

Ben ordered his meal and ate without speaking to Sunny again. The place was busy, and he watched her move around all over the rooms, smiling and talking to this one and that. He lingered a bit after he was done, but she never approached him again. Finally, he rose and started for the door.

“Everything to your liking, Ben?” she asked, suddenly appearing by the hat rack. She handed him his Stetson.

“Yes, ma’am. It was.”

She smiled. “Come back soon, and bring your friends.”

“I’ll do that.” He hesitated a couple of beats, trying to think of something more to say, but he was tongue-tied and nothing came out. He nodded, crammed his hat on and left.

What the hell had gotten into him? He’d never been shy around women. He’d hoped to flirt a little bit with her, maybe ask her out for coffee or something, but he’d felt like a damn teenager all of a sudden. Crazy.

He was still trying to figure it out when his cell phone rang and his thoughts switched to business.

SUNNY STOOD AT THE DOOR and watched Ben talking on his phone. He was one fine-looking man.

“Fine-looking man,” the Senator said.

She glared at the Senator and strode to bar. Grabbing a pitcher of iced tea, she made the rounds refilling glasses. What she didn’t need in her life was a man. Fine-looking or not.

When the lunch-hour crowd died down, she went into the kitchen and started filling a dozen plastic containers with chili, labeling the mild and medium lids. She saved the “hotter than hell” stuff for the café’s few adventurous paying customers. These were for some of Austin’s homeless. By the time the bowls were boxed up with spoons, napkins and crackers, Marge was there to pick them up.

The plump, gray-haired woman was all smiles as usual and wagging the insulated box from the previous day. “Thank you so much, Sunny. This means more than you know.”

“You always say that, Marge, and it is I who should be thanking you for all your work. A few cups of chili is nothing.”

“Oh, but it is. Chili is one of our favorite items. We have to make the guys take turns.”

“Need any salad today?”

Marge shook her head. “We have plenty from the restaurant next door, but thanks anyway.”

Sunny insisted on carrying the box outside to the mission’s vehicle. A myriad of good food smells flowed from the van when Marge opened the door.

“Looks like you hit the jackpot today,” Sunny said. “Reminds me that I haven’t eaten.”

“The restaurants in Austin are very kind to us. I collected all this in only half an hour. If you’re not in the mood for chili, the catfish at Hooks looked very good today,” Marge said, winking.

“Sounds like a winner to me.”

Marge waved as she roared off to serve the hungry folks who would be waiting for what might be their one decent meal of the day.

On cue, Sunny’s stomach growled, reminding her again that she hadn’t eaten anything since the cup of yogurt she had for breakfast many hours ago. She decided to take Marge’s suggestion and headed for Hooks, the seafood restaurant next door to Chili Witches. She and Cass often traded meals with Sid and Foster, the owners who’d also been tenants of the building for years.

Sid, a slightly plump man with thinning rusty hair, bustled over when she opened the door. “Hello, baby doll,” he said, giving her an air kiss. “Where have you been keeping yourself? Your sister just dropped in a few minutes ago. Want to join her or do you have a yen for some privacy?”

Sunny glanced around the room and spotted Cass, who grinned and waved her over. “I’ll join my sister. What’s good today?”

“Oh, my dear, we have some pecan-crusted catfish that’s to die for. Foster has outdone himself.”

“I’ll have that. Tell Foster hi for me.”

“I will,” Sid said as he held out her chair. After she was seated, Sid bustled off to get her drink. Sid bustled everywhere.

“Hey, sis,” Cass said. “How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in a couple of days. Avoiding me?”

She almost laughed off the question, but a funny little hitch in her breath stopped her. Had she been avoiding Cass? Not consciously, of course, but maybe she had. Why?

“You have,” Cass said, leaning forward. “Why? Is it a man?” She grinned. “Give, sis.”

“Don’t do your lawyer bit with me. You know that I don’t respond well to grilling.”

Cass laughed. “Look who’s talking. The grill queen. You’re like a pit bull, but don’t sidestep the question. What’s been going on with you? You know we always tell each other everything.”

Sunny thought for a moment. What was she avoiding? Not wanting to stir up old feelings, she deliberately hadn’t mentioned Sam Outlaw’s visit to the café. “Oh, I had to run a million errands yesterday, and the band practiced last night.”

Cass lifted one eyebrow and waited.

“Something sort of interesting happened Wednesday. A guy, a Texas Ranger to be exact, dropped in for lunch. His name was Sam Outlaw.”

Both of Cass’s brows went up. “Sam Bass Outlaw?”

“Yep.” She took a sip of the iced mint tea that Sid had left for her. “The very one.” Leaving out anything but a general mention of Sam’s being with another Ranger, she related the entire conversation with their relative.

“Interesting,” Cass said.

“I thought so.”

“Do you think he knew about us before he came in?” Cass asked.

“I don’t think he had a clue. It was pure coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Well, whether you believe in them or not, I can assure you that this was,” Sunny said. “He seemed genuinely surprised. How could he have known about us to come looking? And why would he care about his illegitimate cousins? Trust me, it was a coincidence.”

Cass narrowed her eyes and peered into Sunny’s. “Is there something you left out?”

Sunny put on her best innocent face. “I’ve told you everything that I can remember about my conversation with Sam.” No way was she going to mention Ben. Cass would blow it all out of proportion and start to nag her. She was worse than the Senator. Sometimes being a twin with those special connections could be a real pain.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“You must miss being a lawyer. There you go again with the grilling. I feel like I’m in the witness box.”

“Sunny, sweetie, I can’t hold a candle to you when it comes to interrogation. Must be all those years as a detective that honed your skills. You were great at it. Do you miss being a cop?”

Sunny hesitated. A year ago she wouldn’t have hesitated a beat in saying no, but now and again she wondered if she didn’t miss some things—not that she would admit it to Cass. “No. Not at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Cass studied her for a minute; Sunny resisted squirming. “Running Chili Witches isn’t much of a challenge after being one of Austin’s finest.”

“Maybe not, but it suits me fine. Besides, I wouldn’t be much of a cop without a gun, and I never want to pick up one again.”

Cass obviously sensed Sunny’s discomfort and changed the subject. “Tell me about the other Ranger with Sam.”

Sunny squirmed, but only a hair. A hair was enough. Cass let out a hoot of laughter.

“I knew it,” Cass said. “I knew it. Tell me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Cass rolled her eyes. “Come on, sis. This is me. What’s his name? What does he look like?”

“I think his name was Ben.”

“You think?”

“Okay. His name was Ben. I don’t even remember his last name. McSomething, I think. He was tall and kind of nice-looking. I didn’t pay much attention. I doubt that I’ll ever see him again.”

“You’re lying. Did he ask you out?”

“Of course not. I mostly talked to Sam, and we were busy in the café.”

Cass waited, that look on her face that said she wasn’t letting it go.

“And all right, he came back for lunch today.”

“Aha! I’d say that he’s interested. Was Sam with him?”

“No. He was alone.”

“That definitely means he’s interested.”

“It only means that he likes our chili. We barely spoke.”

“And why was that? Did you go hide in the kitchen?”

“Why would I hide in the kitchen?”

“Aha!” Cass said again. “I knew it. Listen to me, sis. It’s past time you put aside that shroud you’ve wrapped yourself in and rejoin the world. You’re too young to molder in widows’ weeds with your plants and cats.”

“Are you nuts? I’m not moldering, and I only have one cat.”

“How long since you’ve gone out with a man? How long since you’ve even considered going out with a man?”

“Would you stop with the goading? I’m simply not interested in dating. Not yet, in any case.”

“How long are you going to wait? Five years? Ten? Twenty?”

Thank goodness Sid appeared with their food, and Sunny was saved from answering Cass’s question. But she couldn’t help asking herself the same question. How long was she going to wait?

The whole subject gave her a headache. And for no reason. Ben might have revved her motor a little bit, but he hadn’t shown any particular interest in asking her out. Anyhow, just because he didn’t wear a wedding ring didn’t mean a thing. He could be very married. Or he could be in a committed relationship of some sort. It was unlikely that a hunk like him was available. Case closed.