“Lovers? Yeah, I know.”
“That’s not good for your reputation, is it? To be linked with someone like me.”
Peyton flung open the door. Late-afternoon sunshine greeted them, a warm breeze swirling around, teasing Tallie’s short black hair.
“Looks like the coast is clear,” he said. “There’s my Jag.”
Tallie noticed the dark blue car parked only a few feet away. “I need to tell Sheila where I’m going, that I won’t be riding home with her.”
“Lowell will take care of that.”
Just as Peyton and Tallie made a mad dash from the courthouse to his car, Cliff Nolan stepped out from behind a row of tall shrubbery alongside the police and sheriff’s parking area.
“Where’s Loretta? What have you done with my wife and my kids?” Cliff shouted. “I know you done talked her into leaving me.”
Tallie froze to the spot beside the Jag, her hand hovering over the door handle. How had Cliff made his way outside so quickly? How had he known where she and Peyton would exit? Then she remembered that Cliff had been a prisoner of the local authorities more than once and probably knew the courthouse like the back of his hand.
“Your wife and children are safe, Nolan. They’re where you can never harm them again.” Peyton glanced from Nolan to Tallie, who seemed incapable of speech or movement.
“This is all your fault, Tallie Bishop.” Cliff took several steps forward, then stopped when he looked at Peyton. “You got her off scot-free today, didn’t you, Mr. Big-Shot Lawyer, but you can’t watch her every minute of every day.”
As suddenly as her voice and motion had failed her, they returned. Tallie bounded around the side of the Jag. “Don’t you try to scare me with your threats, Cliff Nolan. I’m not afraid of you. You don’t scare me the way you did Loretta. I’ve got a dog and I’ve got a gun. Don’t think I’ll ever let you hurt me.”
“Sooner or later, I’ll pay you back. Not just for the birdshot—” he rubbed his backside “—but for taking away my family, for turning them against me.”
“If you ever harm Tallie, I’ll—”
“Like I said, Mr. Rich-and-Famous Rand, you ain’t going to be with her twenty-four hours a day. She’s going to pay for what she’s done to me and mine.”
Before Peyton could respond, a bevy of reporters rounded the side of the courthouse, storming toward Peyton and Tallie with the force of a hurricane.
“Get in the car! Now!” Peyton said.
Tallie obeyed instantly, realizing that their immediate threat wasn’t Cliff Nolan, but the unrelenting press corps with their insinuations and accusations.
Peyton’s Jag roared to life. With the ease of a man who had escaped reporters before, Peyton sped out of the parking area and onto the main street, heading the car away from downtown.
“Will they follow us?” Tallie asked.
“If they had any idea where we’re going, they would. Some of them will probably show up at your house in a little while. Others will stake out my apartment for a few hours.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I only wish I were.” Peyton glanced in his rearview mirror, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t see any cars following.
“All of that—” she nodded back toward the general direction of the courthouse “—was because of who you are. A Rand. A Rand who’s considering running for governor.”
“People want to know all the intimate details of their politicians’ lives. Even potential politicians.”
Hugging herself, Tallie shivered. “I’ve really made a mess for you this time, haven’t I?”
Peyton drove the Jag along several back streets, maneuvering it toward the outskirts of town, toward the main highway leading to Mississippi. He’d made reservations for dinner at a catfish restaurant a good hour’s drive from Crooked Oak. He’d had a pretty good idea what would happen after the trial. He wanted privacy and quiet tonight when he discussed his decision with Tallie...when he told her that he wasn’t going to see her again. “I’ll clear everything up tomorrow.”
“How can you do that?”
“I’ll issue a statement.”
Turning in her seat, Tallie stared at Peyton. So cool and controlled in his navy-blue suit, his gray-, blue- and white-striped tie, his Italian leather shoes and his eighteen-karat-gold Rolex. “What sort of statement?”
“One to the effect that I’ve been a family friend for years, ever since my father and your grandfather became hunting and fishing buddies.”
“In other words, you’re going to tell them the truth and expect them to believe it?” Shaking her head, Tallie grunted. “Those people are out for blood. Your blood. They’re not going to accept the truth.”
“They’ll have no choice but to believe me, since after tonight, you and I won’t be seen together again.”
There it was, she thought. The truth she’d been dreading. Peyton really was going to end things tonight. He was going to say goodbye, walk out of her life and never look back.
Well, what had she expected? She’d known there was no chance for them, that they were as ill suited as any two people could possibly be. Their relationship should have ended long ago. If it had, maybe she would have moved on with her life. Maybe she would have found someone else to love, instead of holding on to hopeless dreams.
“Where are you taking me?” Tallie asked, her gaze riveted to the evening sun making its way downward in the western sky.
“To Tommy Tubbs’s catfish house down in Mississippi. Nobody will know us there, and Tommy’s expecting us. He’ll serve us dinner at a nice secluded table where we can have privacy.”
“Privacy for our little talk?”
Peyton didn’t fool himself. He knew Tallie was well aware of what he wanted to talk to her about tonight. Calling a halt to their relationship was the best thing for her as well as for him. So why was it that he felt like such a heel? Because, he told himself, you’re afraid you’re acting just like the Senator, putting yourself and your career before everyone else.
The one person on earth Peyton didn’t want to emulate was his father, but, try as he might, he could not escape the similarities in their personalities, their physical appearance or their political aspirations. His father had presented a Southern-gentleman facade to the world, but underneath, Marshall Rand had been a ruthless, self-centered, hypocritical bastard. Every day of his life, Peyton had fought against those qualities, ever aware of the disastrous effect his father had on other people’s lives, especially the lives of his own children.
Peyton stole a quick glance at Tallie and his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her in a dress. The one she wore was a simple, inexpensive, off-the-rack little number that most of the women he dated never would have purchased. But it suited Tallie, an unadorned, short-sleeved, scooped-neck dress in a buttercup yellow, with a straight skirt that clung to Tallie’s rounded hips.
“Why don’t you relax? The trial’s over. Loretta and her children are in a safe house. Everything is going to be all right.”
“I can take a hint,” Tallie said. “You changed the subject because you don’t want to give me the brush-off until after we’ve eaten dinner.”
Despite the worry eating away at his insides, Peyton laughed. Tallie Bishop had to be the most honest, straight-to-the-point woman he’d ever known.
“I’m not giving you the brush-off.”
Tallie snorted. Peyton grinned.
“Okay,” she said. “Call it what you will. You’re dumping me tonight, and we both know it.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic. You and I have never been lovers or sweethearts. We’ve never even dated. So how could I give you the brush-off or dump you or whatever you want to call it?”
“Don’t cloud the issue with technicalities. You know damn well what I mean!” Crossing her arms over her chest, Tallie slumped down in the seat.
“Ladies don’t say damn.”
“I’m not a lady, and you damn well kn
ow it.”
“Okay. Okay. Even if you’re ready for a confrontation, I’m not. I went into court today without any sleep. I got a guilty client off practically scot-free, and I had to face a mob of nosy reporters. I’d like a couple of hours to relax before I have to face any more problems.”
“And that’s exactly what I am, aren’t I? I’m a problem. That’s all I am to you. All I’ve ever been.”
Peyton made no response. Tallie noticed the visible tensing in his shoulders, the stern tightening of his facial muscles. All right, she thought, what difference did it make? If they confronted the inevitable now or a few hours from now, the end result would be the same. Peyton Rand was cutting her out of his life.
* * *
Tallie sat down in the porch swing, patted the blue-and-white striped cushion, then nudged the swing into action with a swift push on the wooden floor.
“Sit down beside me,” she said. “I don’t bite.”
With his hands in his pockets, Peyton stood on the edge of the porch, staring out into the darkness. “This isn’t easy for me, Tallie.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is,” she agreed. “If it were easy, you would have already gotten to it instead of putting it off as long as possible.”
He turned sharply, looking directly at her. He could have told her after the trial when they were alone in his car, but he’d waited because he’d planned to tell her in the restaurant. Then after dinner, he’d tried again to tell her. She’d been willing to listen, even insistent that he get it over with, but he’d postponed saying the words. Now, he couldn’t put it off any longer. Before he left her tonight, he had to tell her that their relationship was over, that they were not going to see each other again under any circumstances.
“We’ve known each other a long time.” Why was he having so much difficulty finding the right words? He was a lawyer, an aspiring politician; diplomacy and tact were a part of his everyday life.
“Since I was thirteen,” Tallie said. “That was the first time Grampa Claude let me go hunting with y’all.”
“Hank was something with a rifle, wasn’t he? The surest shot in these parts.”
“Hank was the best sportsman, Caleb the best athlete and Jake the smartest of all of us. So, what does that have to do with what you’ve got to tell me tonight?”
“Nothing,” Peyton admitted. “Except that I promised Caleb that I’d keep an eye on you since none of them were going to be around to do it. Your brothers have counted on me to help keep you out of trouble.”
“Caleb left eight years ago, Peyt. I think you’ve served your time. After all, keeping an eye on me wasn’t supposed to be a life sentence.”
“You know things can’t go on this way.” Reaching inside his coat pocket, Peyton removed a cigar and a lighter. “We’re in a no-win situation here.”
Tallie gave the swing a harder push, then closed her eyes as she breathed in the sweet scent of the country night air and listened to the nocturnal sounds of nature.
“Regardless of what you and my brothers may think, I don’t need a keeper. I’m a grown woman, and under most circumstances I can take care of myself. This trial was an exception, but you didn’t have to be my lawyer. I could have hired someone else.”
Peyton removed the tip from his cigar, lit it and placed it in his mouth. Taking a deep draw, he willed himself to relax. Exhaling, he turned around slowly. “It’s my fault that I’ve allowed things to go on this long. I should have stopped coming to your aid every time you got in a jam.”
Tallie shook her head. “It’s just as much my fault. I didn’t have to call you. I could have handled most of my problems myself. It’s just that...well, I came to depend on your always being there. And...to be honest, I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you.”
Gazing down at the floor, he flicked ashes off into the yard. “Tallie—”
Stopping the swing abruptly, she stared up at Peyton. “Look, let me make this easy for you. You’ve spent the past eight years watching out for me as a favor to my brothers, and for eight years, I’ve been nothing but trouble for you. Now you’ve finally decided to follow in the Senator’s footsteps and run for political office—governor, to be exact. Having someone like me in your life and being in politics will pose a real problem for you. So it’s goodbye, Tallie, hello the governor’s mansion in Nashville.”
She made him feel like a real jerk, especially reminding him that he would be following in his father’s footsteps. “It’s not just the fact that I’m considering running for governor. There are other reasons that it would be best for us to—”
“Like the fact that I’ve had a crush on you since I was sixteen, that my feelings for you are an embarrassment?”
Taking another deep draw on his cigar, Peyton walked over and sat down in the swing beside Tallie. “It’s not just your feelings that pose a problem for me.”
She jerked around toward him, her gaze locked to his. She wasn’t sure she believed what she saw in his eyes. Passion and pain, the exact feelings she knew were reflected in her own eyes.
“Are...are you saying that...”
“I’m attracted to you, Tallie. I have been for years.” After one long draw on the cigar, he dropped it to the floor, crushed the smoldering tip with his foot, then kicked it out into the yard.
She swallowed hard, a distinct ringing in her ears obliterating every other sound. Sucking in a deep breath, Tallie looked down at her trembling hands resting in her lap. “Are you telling me that all these years I’ve been dying inside with unrequited love, you...you’ve felt the same way?”
“No.” Peyton leaned over, resting his elbows on his thighs, locking his fingers in a crisscross when he dropped his hands between his legs. “Love has nothing to do with the way I feel about you.”
Tallie gasped. “I see.”
Peyton stole a quick glance at Tallie’s pale face, the porch light casting shadows on the wall behind her. “Don’t misunderstand. I care about you. I’ve always cared about you. But—”
“But you don’t love me. I’m not the kind of woman a man like Peyton Rand could love, am I? But you can be attracted to me, can’t you? Sexually attracted. You wouldn’t have any problem sleeping with me, you just couldn’t ever bring yourself to marry me.”
“Tallie, stop talking nonsense!” He wanted to reach out, put his hands around that silky-smooth neck and strangle her. Hearing her put into words the way he felt made him sound like a heartless monster. Hell, maybe he was. Maybe he was more like his old man than even he realized.
Tallie glared at him, all the love in her heart suddenly turning into bitterness. When he reached out to touch her shoulder, she slapped his hand away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
“Tallie, listen to reason.”
“If you’ve wanted to have sex with me, why haven’t you? Lord knows I would have done anything you ever asked me to do. I’ve been a real fool, haven’t I?” She jumped out of the swing.
Getting up, Peyton followed her to the front door, catching her hand just as she grabbed the storm-door handle. “You’re not a fool, Tallie, and you’re not a kid anymore, either. You’re old enough to know what’s been going on between us for a while now. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt the tension just as strongly as I have.”
“I thought it was my imagination, wishful thinking on my part.” She couldn’t bear the feel of him so close, his hard chest against her back. Despite everything, she had the overwhelming urge to lean into him, to absorb all his masculine strength. No matter how angry and hurt she was, she still loved Peyton, and discovering that he desired her made it all the more difficult to give up the dream she’d had since she was sixteen. The dream of being Peyton Rand’s woman.
Peyton pulled her hand from the handle, easing her back against him, circling her body with his arms. Tallie opened her mouth on a silent cry. The feeling of being held in his strong arms was almost more than she could bear. She had longed for this moment for years, had dreamed of the day Pe
yt would want her.
This was wrong, he told himself. He shouldn’t be touching Tallie. Touching her was dangerous. But he couldn’t stop himself. She felt so right in his arms. How long had it been since he’d wanted a woman the way he wanted Tallie? Never! He had never wanted anyone the way he wanted her.
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear with his nose. “I can’t live your kind of life, you can’t live my kind of life. You’re not the type of woman who’d settle for an affair.”
“How do you know what type of woman I am?” She leaned into him, snuggling closer, and at the same time trying to turn her body so that she could put her arms around him.
“You’re the kind of woman who deserves more than I could ever offer.” He allowed her to turn into his arms, knowing that if he didn’t put a stop to their actions soon, there would be no turning back. He ached with wanting her.
She slipped her arms up and around his neck, tilted her head back and gazed into his eyes. “You haven’t offered me anything. Yet.”
Reaching deep within himself for his reserved willpower, Peyton took Tallie by the shoulders and shoved her gently away from him, putting enough distance between them so that their bodies didn’t touch. Tallie dropped her hands to her sides.
“And I’m not going to offer you anything. Tonight I’m leaving and I’m not looking back. Don’t call me, don’t try to get in touch with me or see me.”
“Well, you finally said it, didn’t you?” Tears clogged her throat, but she held them in check. She’d be damned before she’d let him see her shed one single tear.
Still holding her by the shoulders, Peyton pulled her toward him, then stopped. “This isn’t just about me, you know. I’m as bad for you as you are for me. Let’s face it, sugar, we’re nothing but trouble for each other.”
“What would you do if I said I’d say yes if you offered me an affair?” She gave him a brave, bold look, but inside she trembled with such force she thought her knees would buckle.
He tightened his hold on her shoulders. “I can’t...I’m not going to make the offer.” How could a man be confronted with such temptation and not give in? How could he refuse to accept the one thing on earth he wanted most?
Nothing but Trouble Page 7
