Sizzle All Day (44 page)
The small gasp betrayed her. He'd struck a blow.
He waited for her to strike back.
Cole saw her eye the plate in her hand, and he prepared to duck. But Miss Christina Elizabeth Delaney wouldn't do anything that predictable. No, this woman was much more subtle.
She smiled sweetly. "I don't know about you, but all this dancing has made me hungry. Y'all sit down and have some chili. I'll join you in a moment and we can talk."
"We don't need to talk," Jake interjected. "We need for you to leave the plaza without making a bigger scene than you already have. I'd like to tan your hide right about now, sister. What were you thinking? You're a Delaney, for heaven's sake. Delaneys have—"
"A reputation to uphold, I know," she snapped, bristling with defensiveness. "Let's compromise. Sit down with me and as we eat, I'll explain why I joined the Chili Queens rather than the Sewing Circle. I'll answer all your questions." She held out the plate expectantly until her brother took it, then she dished up a second one for Cole.
"Miss Chrissy?" a young man's voice asked. "Would you like me to give them one of your special pickled peppers to go along with their meal?"
For the first time Cole noticed the pair of youngsters standing behind Christina. The girl looked to be around six; the boy two or three years older. Obviously sister and brother, they watched Cole and Jake closely, the girl's face glowing with interest, the boy's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion as he folded his arms and positioned himself at Chrissy's side.
Another conquest,
Cole thought. Poor kid didn't know that she didn't need a man's protection. Shoot, Chrissy Delaney used a whetstone to file her nails. She could hold her own against just about anyone.
"Yes, Michael," Chrissy answered after a moment's thought. "To get the full culinary experience, they should have one of my pickled peppers."
"I'll get it," said the girl. She speared an apricot-colored pepper Cole couldn't identify with a fork and added it to his plate before repeating the process with Jake's. Chrissy carried the jar along with a plate of her own to a small, cloth-draped wooden table set to one side of her chili stand. As she took her seat, Jake reached across and yanked her blouse back up over her shoulder. "For crying out loud, Chrissy. Can't you at least keep your clothes on?"
The boy and girl took up a position on either side of Chrissy as she gestured for the men to start eating. Warily, Cole tasted the chili. A delicious blend of spices danced across his tongue, and flavor exploded in his mouth. "This is good. Really good. Who made it?"
The boy snorted with disgust. "Miss Chrissy made it, you fool."
Cole set down his fork abruptly. "And just who are you?"
He straightened his spine, squared his shoulders, and lifted his chin proudly. "Michael Christian Frederick Hans Kleberg." He dipped his head in a brief bow. "This is my sister, Sophia Hannah Mary Gertrude Kleberg. We are Miss Chrissy's friends. And you are...?"
"Mr. Morgan to you."
Young Michael wrinkled his nose while the girl beamed and said, "You can call me Sophie. I know who you are. Miss Chrissy talks to my mama about you. You're the lawyer Cole Morgan who only has two flaws."
Jake and Cole shared a quizzical glance. Chrissy looked down at her lap trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.
"Everything you say," the girl continued.
"And everything you do," her brother finished. "You don't have to boss around Miss Chrissy anymore, Morgan. She can take care of herself."
Sophie Kleberg nodded. "She's a queen, now. The Queen of the Chili Queens. Mama put her name up for the vote and she won. This very night, she won."
Michael added, "She was proclaimed Queen of the Chili Queens because of us." He laid a hand on Chrissy's shoulder. "We will take care of Miss Chrissy."
His fork full of chili extended halfway to his mouth, Jake gawked in shocked surprise over this exchange. Cole pinned Christina with a look. "So, you are giving up the life of a cosseted society daughter to stand over a hot kettle and flirt with blackguards and rogues?"
She bristled. "Flirt?"
Jake glanced from Cole to his sister, then finally tasted the chili. "This
is
good. How did you learn to make it?"
"A blackguard taught me," Chrissy drawled in answer, her angry gaze never leaving Cole. "A rogue gave me the recipe for the pickled peppers. Try one. My chili is delicious, but my peppers are divine." She reached across the table, lifted one of the orange walnut-sized peppers by its stem and leaned forward, holding it out to Cole.
Her movement caused the front of her shirt to gape, and acting the blackguard himself, Cole took a peek.
Guiltily, he took a bite of the pepper.
At first he thought the fire in his body resulted from the glimpse of Christina Delaney's unrestrained bosom, but then he realized that the fire was mostly limited to his mouth. His eyes started watering and his mouth stung like an invasion of stinging scorpions. He tried to talk, but he couldn't work his tongue.
Maybe it burned off.
He grabbed for the water pitcher sitting on the table and used both hands to tilt it to his mouth. He gulped long swallow after long swallow.
The water only made the burning worse. He needed bread to soak up some of the sting, and he'd have yelled for some had his throat not swollen up. As it was, he choked and coughed. Jake started hitting him on the back in a misguided attempt to help.
Tears running down his cheeks, Cole shot a hot-pepper look at Christina. She batted her eyes innocently and said, "Oops, that wasn't one of my pickled peppers. It was a habenero. I'm always getting those two mixed up."
She stood and carried her plate back to her chili stand. The kids followed, young Romeo shooting a triumphant look over his shoulder.
Cole watched the saucy sway of her scarlet-clad derriere and thought,
I truly am going to kill Christina Delaney.
Before she kills me.
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Geralyn Dawson is a
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of over twenty-five novels written in a variety of sub-genre's including historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and women's fiction. She is a three-time Finalist for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award and a recipient of
Romantic Times
magazine's Career Achievement Award. Her novel THE WEDDING RANSOM was named one of Romance Writers of America's Top Ten Favorite Novels of the Year. The
Detroit Free Press
named her THE WEDDING RAFFLE as one of the best romances of the year.
Geralyn is currently writing romantic women's fiction for Ballantine Books under the pseudonym Emily March. The first three novels of Emily March's Eternity Springs series, ANGEL'S REST, HUMMINGBIRD LAKE, and HEARTACHE FALLS each earned coveted starred reviews from
Publisher's Weekly
magazine. The fourth book of the series, LOVER'S LEAP will be published December 27th, 2011 with NIGHTINGALE WAY to follow in Fall 2012.
Geralyn invites you to visit her website at
www.emilymarch.com
and register for her e-newsletter, which includes contests, news about her upcoming releases, and other fun stuff. You can follow her on Twitter at both @geralyndawson and @emilymarchbooks. Geralyn is also active on her Facebook page,
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Table of Contents
Excerpt from THE BAD LUCK WEDDING NIGHT – Bad Luck Abroad – Book 3
Excerpt from SIMMER ALL NIGHT – Bad Luck Abroad – Book 1
Table of Contents
Excerpt from THE BAD LUCK WEDDING NIGHT – Bad Luck Abroad – Book 3