That Burke Man

by Diana Palmer

  "But, why?" she groaned. "Why didn't he tell the the truth?"

  "I suppose he was afraid that you might fall in love with his bank account," Marie said with a calculating glance. "So many women have, and you

  were a poverty case. Not only that, a crippled poverty case. You might have thought he was the end of the rainbow."

  Jane's face went rigid. She got to her feet slowly. "I make my own way," she said coldly. "I don't need any handouts, or anybody's pity."

  "Well, of course you don't," Marie said. "I'm sure Todd would have told you the truth, eventually."

  Jane's hands clenched by her side. She was white.

  The sound of running footsteps distracted Marie.

  "Meg says she'll bring the— Jane! What is it?" Cherry asked as she entered the room, concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

  "Yes, you are very pale," Marie said. She glanced worriedly

  at her daughter. She hadn't counted the cost until now. Cherry was looking at her with eyes that grew steadily colder. "What did you say,

  Mother?" she asked her parent. Marie got up and clasped her hands in front of her. "I only told her the truth," she said defensively. "She'd have

  found out anyway."

  "About Dad?" Cherry persisted. When Marie nodded, Cherry's face contorted. She looked at Jane and felt the older woman's pain and shock all the

  way to her feet.

  Marie was feeling less confident by the second. Cherry's eyes were hostile and so were Jane's. "I should go, I suppose," Marie began.

  "That might be a very good idea, Mother," Cherry said icily. "Before Dad comes home."

  Another complication Marie hadn't considered. She gnawed her lower lip. "I never meant to..." "Just go," Jane snapped. "And the sooner the

  better," Cherry added. "Don't you talk to the that way! I'm your mother!" Marie reminded her hotly.

  "I'm ashamed of that," Cherry said harshly. "I've never been so ashamed of it in all my life!"

  Marie's indrawn breath was audible. Her pale eyes filled with sudden tears. "I only wanted..." she began plaintively. Cherry turned her back. Marie

  hesitated only for a moment before she scooped up her purse and went quickly to the front door. The tears were raining down her cheeks by the

  time she reached the Mercedes.

  Inside the house, Jane was still trying to subdue her rage. She sat down again, aware of Cherry's worried gaze.

  "Is what she said true? That your father owns a computer company, that he has a Ferrari and a Rolls and he's spending his vacation getting my

  ranch out of debt because he feels sorry for the?'' Jane asked the girl.

  Cherry groaned. "Oh, it's true, but it's not like that!

  Mother's just jealous because I talk about you so much. guess I upset her when I made her realize how little we had in common. It's all my

  fault. Oh, Jane...!"

  Jane took another steadying breath and folded her hand in her lap. "I wondered," she said absently. "I mean, with] a brain like that, why

  would he still be working for somebody else, at his age. I've been a fool! He played the like a radio!' "He didn't do it to hurt you," Cherry

  argued. "Jane, he just wanted to help. And then, after we'd been here for a while, he didn't know how to tell you. I'm sure that's why he

  hasn't said anything. He cares for you."

  Cares. He'd said that he loved her. But you don't keep secrets from people you love, she was thinking. He'd lied by omission. He'd let

  her fall in love with him, and he had to know that there was no future for them. If he'd been a simple accountant, perhaps it would have worked

  out. But he was a multimillionaire, a powerful businessman. What would he want with a little country girl from south Texas who only

  had a high school education and no social skills? She wouldn't know what to do with herself at a society party. | She wouldn't even know

  what utensils to use. And she was a rancher. Her eyes closed as the reality closed in on her.

  "Talk to the," Cherry pleaded.

  Jane couldn't. She gripped her legs hard as she fought with her demons. Todd was coming back today. She'd have to face him. How would

  she be able to face him, with what she knew?

  Then the solution occurred to her. Copper. She could invite Copper over for supper, and play up to him—if she warned Copper first that

  she was going to—and she could put on a good act. It had all been a mistake, she hadn't meant what she said about loving him, she was

  lying...

  "I don't want your father to know that your mother told the the truth," Jane said after a minute. Her blue eyes met Cherry's gray ones

  evenly. "I'll talk to him later."

  "Mother's not vindictive, really," Cherry said in her mother's defense. "She's just shallow, and jealous. It's funny, really, because she

  doesn't even know how to talk to the. Not like you do. Please don't hate the because of this, Jane."

  "Cherry!" Jane was genuinely shocked. "As if I could hate you!"

  The young face softened. Cherry smiled. "We're still friends?"

  "Certainly we are. None Of this has anything to do with you and the."

  "Oh, thank goodness," she said heavily.

  "It's just as well, really," Jane continued without looking directly at Cherry, "because I'd decided that things wouldn't work out with your

  father and the, anyway. He isn't really the rancher type."

  Cherry frowned. "But he comes from ranching people in Wyoming. He grew up around horses and cattle."

  "Still, he doesn't spend much time with them now," Jane insisted. "If he's the president of a company, then he lives in the fast lane. I

  don't. I can't."

  Cherry saw all her dreams coming apart. "You could get to know him better before you decide that you can't."

  Jane smiled and shook her head. "No. You see, Dr. Coltrain and I were talking the other day. Copper's like the, he's from Jacobsville and his

  family has lived here as long as mine has. We're suited to each other. In fact," she lied, "I've invited him for supper tonight."

  "You didn't tell the," Cherry protested.

  "I didn't know you'd be here, did I?" she asked, and sounded so reasonable that Cherry was totally fooled. "For all I knew, your father

  was going to drive up to Victoria to get you tomorrow."

  "Yes, that's so," Cherry admitted.

  "You're welcome to have your supper with us," Jane offered,

  hoping against hope that Cherry would refuse and trying not to look too relieved when she did. She was also hoping that Copper would

  come to supper when she invited him, or she was going to get caught lying to save face.

  "I expect Dad and I will go out and get something, when he gets home, like we do most nights," Cherry said uncomfortably.

  "That will be nice."

  "Jane, don't you care about him at all?" Cherry asked plaintively.

  "I like him very much," Jane said at once. "He's a very nice man, and I owe him a lot."

  Cherry felt sick. She managed a wan smile and made an excuse to go over to the small house where she and her father were staying.

  When she was gone, Jane let go of the tears she'd been holding back and was just mopping herself up when Meg walked in with a tray of

  cookies and cake and tea, smiling.

  The smile faded at once when she saw Jane's ravaged face. "Is she gone already? What in the world happened?"

  Jane wiped savagely at the traces of tears. "Everything!" she raged. "That pirate! That cold-blooded, blond-headed snake!"

  "Todd? Why are you mad at our accountant?"

  "He's no accountant," Jane said viciously. "He's the head of a computer company and he's worth millions!"

  Meg started, and then burst out laughing. "Oh, for heaven's sake, pull the other one!"

  "It's true! He's got a Rolls at home!"

  Meg set the tray
down. "There, there, they were putting you on. Why, Todd's no millionaire!"

  "He is," Jane insisted. "Cherry didn't want to agree with what her mother told the, but she did. Her mother might lie to the. Cherry never

  would."

  Meg was less certain now. She frowned. "If he's a millionaire, why's he down here keeping your books?"

  "Because I'm a poor cripple," Jane said huskily. "And he felt sorry for the. He's spending his vacation getting the out of the hole." She

  put her face in her hands and shook her head. "Now I don't have to wonder why the bank let the have the loan, either. I'm sure he stood good

  for it. I'll owe him my soul!"

  Meg wiped her hands on her apron, hovering nervously. "Jane, you mustn't get upset like this. Wait until Todd gets back and talk to him

  about it."

  "What will I tell him?"

  "That you didn't know..."

  "And now that I do?" she asked openly. "I'll tell him I know he's rich, and then he'll never be sure if I care for him or his wallet, will he? He

  might think I knew all along. His ex-wife said that he's been featured in all the business magazines. I don't read them, but he doesn't know

  that"

  "I see what you mean."

  Jane got up from the sofa. "Well, I'm going to set his mind at ease, with a little help."

  "From whom?"

  "Copper, of course," Jane said. "He's already said that Copper and I seemed to be an item. Why shouldn't we be? Copper said he'd marry

  the in a minute if I was willing."

  "That's no reason to get married! Copper deserves better!"

  Jane stared at her housekeeper. "Of course he does, and it won't be for real. I'm going to ask an old friend for a favor, that's all."

  Meg relaxed. "As long as he doesn't get hurt."

  "He won't." She didn't add that she would. She'd already been hurt. But Todd wasn't going to know. She was going to turn the tables on

  him and save her pride. It was the only thing she had left to protect herself with now.

  As she'd guessed, Copper was willing to help her out by coming over to supper. He was on call, though, so he brought his beeper with him.

  They sat down to an early supper of fried chicken and vegetables. Jane was wearing a white dress and her hair was immaculately brushed back

  and secured with white combs. She looked elegant and very beautiful, except for the hollow expression in her eyes.

  "Does it matter so much that he's got money?" Copper asked her over coffee.

  "It would to him, if he thought it was the reason I was attracted to him," she said.

  "He'll know better."

  "How?"

  "He loves you, you idiot," Copper said curtly. "He'll be furious, and not at you. I don't doubt he'll have some choice words for his ex-wife."

  "Maybe he'll thank her," she returned lightly. "After all, he was in a bit of a muddle here. He'd backed himself into a corner playing the

  part of a working man with no prospects."

  "It probably meant more to him that you loved him in his disguise."

  "How would he know that I hadn't been in on the secret all along?"

  Copper nodded; it was a logical question. But he was smiling when he put down his napkin. "Because Cherry will tell him how shocked you

  were."

  "Maybe I'm a good actress. Cherry's mother said that plenty of women had wanted him for his bank account."

  "And don't you think he'd know the difference between a woman who wanted money and a woman who wanted him?"

  "I don't know," Jane said honestly.

  "Listen..."

  The front door opened without even a knock and Todd stalked into the dining room. He was wearing a gray business suit with a spotless white

  shirt and a silk tie. His boots were hand-tooled leather. He was wearing a Rolex watch on his left wrist and a signet ring with a diamond that

  would have blinded a horse. For the first time, Jane saw him as he really was: an authority figure bristling with money and power.

  He didn't smile as he stared at her, and his gaze didn't waver. "When Miss Emory finally got to the with Marie's message, I canceled a

  meeting. I was waiting for Marie when she got back home. I've had her version of what she said. Let's have yours."

  Copper cleared his throat, to make sure that Todd knew he was sitting mere.

  Todd glanced at him with cold gray eyes. "I haven't missed the cozy supper scenario," he told the doctor. "But I know why it's being

  played out. Do you?"

  "Oh, I have a dandy idea," Copper replied. "Wouldn't it have been easier all around to just tell the truth in the first place? Or were you

  having fun at Jane's expense?"

  Todd laughed without mirth. He stuck his hands into his slacks pockets and stared at Jane from his superior, elegant height. "Fun. I've got

  merger negotiations stacked one on another, international contracts waiting for consideration, stockholders telephoning twice a day... No, I

  haven't been having fun. I've put my life on hold trying to get this horse ranch out of bankruptcy so that Jane would at least have a roof over

  her head. It was an impulse. Once I started the charade, I couldn't find a way to stop it."

  "You could have told the the truth," Jane said stiffly.

  "What truth?" he asked pleasantly. "That I felt sorry for you, because you were hurt and such a fighter despite your injuries? And that you

  stood to lose everything you owned just for lack of an accountant? I couldn't walk away."

  "Well thanks for all you did" Jane replied averting her

  eyes. "But now that you've got the on my feet, I can stay there all by myself."

  "Sure you can," he agreed. "You've got a licensing contract and some decent stock to breed. You'll make it. You would have anyway, if Tim

  had been a little sharper in the math department. This is a first-class operation. All I did was pull the loose ends together. You're a born rancher.

  You've got what it takes to make this place pay, with a little help from Tim and Meg."

  The praise unsettled her, even as it thrilled her. At least he didn't think she was an idiot. That was something. But the distance between

  them was more apparent than ever now that she knew the truth about him.

  She clasped her hands tightly out of sight in her lap. "And you?"

  "I've got a business of my own to run," he said. "Cherry will start back to school soon. We'd have had to leave anyway, a little later than

  this, perhaps. Cherry owes you a lot for what you've taught her. She has a chance in rodeo now."

  "Cherry is my friend. I hope she always will be."

  "Cherry. But not the?"

  She looked up into his eyes. "I'm grateful for what you did. But you must surely see that we live in different worlds." She sighed

  wearily. "I'm not cut out for yours, any more than you're cut out for mine. It's just as well that it worked out this way."

  "You haven't tried," he said angrily.

  "I'm not going to," was the quiet reply. "I like my life as it is. Exactly as it is. I'm very grateful for the help you gave the. I'll repay

  the loan."

  His face hardened. "I never doubted that you would. I backed it. I didn't fund it."

  She nodded. "Thank you."

  His chest rose and fell heavily. He glared at Copper, because

  he could say none of what he wanted to say with the unwanted audience.

  "Shall I leave?" Copper offered.

  "Not on your life," Jane said shortly.

  "Afraid of the?" Todd murmured with a mocking smile.

  "There's nothing more to say," she replied. "Except goodbye."

  "Cherry will be devastated," he said.

  She drew in a breath. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt her. But, it's the only thing to do."

  He looked unapproachable. "Perhaps we see differen
t things. If you'll have Tim phone the Monday morning, I'll explain to him what I've

  done. You need a business manager, unless you want to end up in the same financial tangle you started in."

  "I know that. I'll take care of it."

  "Then I'll say good night."

  "I'm grateful for everything," Jane added stiffly.

  He looked at her for a long moment. "Everything?" he said in a sensuous tone.

  She colored. It seemed to be the reaction he'd wanted, because he laughed coldly, nodded to Coltrain and stalked out, closing the door

  behind him.

  Copper stared at her. "You fool. Is pride worth more than he is to you?"

  "At the moment, yes," she said icily. She was fighting tears and trying not to show it. "He's a pompous, hateful..."

  "You shouldn't have forced this discussion on him before you had a couple of days to think about what you wanted to do," he said gently.

  "Impulses are very often regretted."

  "Is that a professional opinion?" she asked angrily.

  "Personal, professional, there isn't much difference," he replied. "You're going to be sorry that you didn't give him a chance to talk."

  "I did," she said with wide, innocent eyes. "And he did."

  "He defended himself. That's all he had time to do. With the sitting here, he hardly had the opportunity to do any real discussing."

  "It's all for the best," she told him quietly.

  "If you want to spend the rest of your life alone, maybe it is. But money isn't everything."

  "When you don't have any, it is."

  He glowered at her. "Listen to the, this might be the last chance you get. He's proud, too, you know. He won't come crawling back, any

  more than I would in his place. He's not the sort."

  She knew that, too. She put her napkin on the table and stood up. "Thanks for coming over tonight. I don't think I'd have had the nerve to

  face him if you hadn't been here."

  "What are friends for?" he asked. He stood up, too, and took her gently by the shoulders. "There's still time to stop him. You could go over

  to the cabin and have it out."

  "We had it out," she argued.

  "No, you didn't. You sat there like a polite hostess, but you sure as hell didn't do any discussing."

  "I can take care of my own life, thank you."

  "If that's true, what am I doing here?"