Читать книгу I Do! I Do! - Pamela Toth - Страница 7

Lizbeth Stanton adjusted the neckline of her low-cut pink top and straightened the waistband of her black leather miniskirt. Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the card room at the upscale Thunder Canyon Resort where her fiancé, Dax Traub, was playing poker with his buddies and his brother, DJ.

“Well, hello, boys,” she drawled, posing dramatically with one hand on her hip as all six men seated around the table stared up at her.

For a moment, the room was silent except for the scrape of chairs as the Cates brothers rose to their feet.

“Evening, Lizbeth,” said Marshall Cates. The doctor’s cocky grin, handsome as that of a soap opera star’s, sent a shiver of feminine appreciation through Liz. She had dated him a few times, but they’d never been serious. His younger brother Mitchell stood silently beside him. If he smiled more often, Mitch might be even better looking than Marshall. Liz had a weakness for black hair and dark eyes.

“Oh, don’t get up on my account,” she exclaimed with a trace of sarcasm as her gaze swept past them to the others, her fiancé included, who were still seated as though their butts were glued to their chairs.

Reluctantly they, too, stood up. Russ Chilton and Liz’s boss, Grant Clifton, wore faintly disapproving expressions. Everyone knew that Russ’s attitude toward women was a century behind the times, but Grant was usually happier to see her.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have come, but she had wanted to remind Dax of just what he was missing by insisting on spending his evening with the guys instead of with her. Especially when she had the night off from her job tending bar here at the resort.

“I had to check my schedule, so I thought I’d just say hi,” she explained, giving each man her most flirtatious smile. If Grant doubted her excuse, he didn’t comment, but both of them knew that she worked a set shift, alternating weekly between days and evenings.

“Well, if it isn’t the second most beautiful woman in Montana,” exclaimed DJ with a pointed glance at his brother. Their sibling rivalry had resulted in a fist fight at the grand opening of DJ’s restaurant a few weeks before. According to Dax, they’d buried the hatchet after that—and not in each other’s skulls. Tonight he ignored DJ’s dig.

“Could you be just a little biased since you finally talked the beautiful Allaire into marrying you?” Marshall asked, peering at DJ.

It was one of those weird coincidences, probably the result of living in a small town, that Dax had proposed to Liz right after DJ and Allaire, Dax’s ex-wife, had announced their engagement. Obviously people who said that Dax was still carrying a torch were wrong.

Liz waited for him to insist that she was prettier, but he remained stubbornly silent, arms folded across his chest and a frown on his handsome face. It was Mitch Cates who finally came to her defense.

“Of course Allaire’s very pretty,” he said with his attention fixed on his pile of chips, “but comparing a blonde to a redhead is like choosing between a delicate flower and a fireworks display. They’re both beautiful, but each in its own way.”

“What a sweet thing to say,” she replied with a reproving glance at Dax. “Thank you, Mitchell.”

His dark eyes flicked up to meet hers for an instant as red color stained his cheeks. How could such a brilliant and successful businessman still be so shy, especially around his former high school buddies? He was one male she found impossible to read.

“Dax, I think someone just compared your lady to a firecracker,” drawled Russ. “Should we congratulate you or send our condolences?”

Just because Liz had dated a few other men in town before accepting Dax’s proposal, Russ had a low opinion of her that he didn’t bother to hide. As far as she was concerned, he needed to loosen up.

“What he’s saying is that I’m hot and Dax is a lucky man,” she replied even though Russ hadn’t been speaking to her. She tossed her head so that her earrings would sparkle and spikes of hair sticking up from her ponytail would dance. “Dax knows that, don’t you, honey?” If he wasn’t going to defend her voluntarily, she’d put him on the spot so he had no choice.

For a moment, he leaned back in his chair and stared steadily back at her, his mouth set in a grim line. Then he shocked her by tossing his cards into the middle of the table.

“I fold,” he growled, scooping up his paltry little pile of chips and shoving back his chair. “I came to play poker, not to sit around jawing about flowers and fireworks.”

Oh, so men didn’t talk while they played? Liz thought. Everyone knew they were worse than women when it came to gossip.

No one breathed a word as Dax grabbed his jacket and stalked out of the room. She would sooner streak naked down Main Street than go running after him, even though her cheeks burned when she caught a couple of sympathetic glances.

“Don’t mind him,” DJ said after Dax had slammed the door behind him. “He’s probably just nervous about getting married again.”

Or Dax was upset that his brother was going to marry Allaire, the woman he was still in love with, after all, Liz thought miserably. She made sure her smile didn’t waver.

Either way, it had obviously been a huge mistake to come here tonight. Now all she had to do was to make a graceful exit without bursting into tears.

“He’ll be fine once he stops pouting.” She made a dismissive gesture that showed off her new manicure. “After all, we firecrackers like a man who can make a few sparks of his own.” She paired a little hip shimmy with a suggestive wink.

A couple of the remaining men chuckled appreciatively at her quip and Marshall gave her two big thumbs up.

“He’s got his hands full with you, that’s for sure,” he said with another charming grin of his own. No wonder every woman in town was crazy about him, even though he was head over heels in love with Mia Smith.

“You’d know about that, old boy,” Russ muttered just loud enough for Liz to hear.

Grant whacked Russ on the arm. “You look great tonight, Liz,” he said firmly.

“Thanks, boss.” She needed to get out of here. “I’m going to let you boys go back to your game. See y’all later.”

Amid a chorus of hearty good-byes, she left the room. “May the best man win,” she called over her shoulder. As she walked down the hallway, she pulled her cell phone from her bag and called Dax, intent on demanding an explanation for his outrageous behavior.