The Calamity Janes: Gina and Emma. Sherryl Woods

said defensively.

      He frowned at her. “Did I suggest it was?”

      “No. Never mind. Come on, Caitlyn. Let’s see if they have the doll you want.”

      The little girl gazed up at Rafe. “You can come, too, if you want,” she said politely. “I’ll bet they have lots more trains inside.”

      “Maybe I will take a look,” Rafe said, ignoring the frown Gina directed at him.

      Inside, Nell Henderson rushed out from behind the counter to give Gina a hug. “And this is your family,” she enthused. “How lovely that you’ve brought them in.”

      “Actually, this is Emma’s daughter, Caitlyn. You remember Emma, don’t you?”

      “Well, of course. The two of you were in here often enough, right along with Cassie, Lauren and Karen.” She beamed at Rafe. “They were some of my best customers, at least until they discovered boys. Then I lost them to the cosmetics counter over at the drugstore.”

      “I can’t imagine why,” Rafe said. “They’re all beautiful enough without makeup.”

      Nell chuckled. “Oh, honey, you have found yourself a jewel.”

      “Rafe and I are not married,” Gina said irritably. “We’re not involved. We’re not anything.”

      That threw the older woman for little more than a heartbeat. “Well then, you should work on changing that. A gallant man is a rarity these days. You should hang on to him if you’re lucky enough to find one.”

      “Something to keep in mind,” Rafe said, regarding her with amusement.

      Bored with the adult conversation, Caitlyn wandered over to the dolls. She was back in seconds, clutching a Barbie in a fancy ball gown.

      “This is the one I’ve been wanting and wanting,” she announced to Gina.

      Gina hunkered down beside her. “She is beautiful,” she agreed. “You’re sure this is what you want?”

      Caitlyn’s head bobbed, then she cast a shy look at Rafe. “What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful?”

      But Rafe’s gaze was locked on Gina, not the doll, when he murmured, “Yes, she certainly is.”

      Gina’s cheeks burned. “I thought you wanted to look at the trains,” she grumbled.

      “I’ll come with you,” Caitlyn offered, tucking her hand into Rafe’s. “I’ve been here before. I can show you where they are.”

      Gina watched the two of them disappear at the end of the aisle, then sighed. When she looked up, Nell Henderson was grinning.

      “Can’t say that I blame you for sighing over that one. If I were thirty years younger, I’d give you a run for your money.”

      “There is nothing between Rafe and me,” Gina repeated very firmly.

      Nell shook her head. “Then that’s a real pity, especially since the man looks at you as if you were the most fascinating creature he’s ever come across. I haven’t seen a look like that since the night my Herbie, God rest his soul, swept me off my feet.”

      Gina recalled belatedly that Herb Henderson had died just over a year ago. “You must miss him,” she said sympathetically.

      “Every day of my life,” Nell agreed. “But I have my memories. That’s something you ought to think about. Grab as many memories as you can, Gina. They’re what carry you through during the difficult times. Otherwise, all you’ll have are regrets. You don’t want the last two words you whisper on your deathbed to be if only.”

      Gina heard Caitlyn’s giggle, then Rafe’s lower rumble of laughter. They were sweet sounds. She was already regretting that she had no claim to Rafe or to any family of her own, for that matter. Lately, she’d had no time to think about any future outside of Café Tuscany. With the restaurant’s fate so much in doubt, she was forced to face the fact that without it her life would be unbearably empty.

      She gave Nell’s hand a squeeze, then went after Caitlyn and Rafe. She found them both watching an intricate labyrinth of miniature train tracks as half a dozen tiny engines sped around them on what appeared certain to be a collision course. But of course it wasn’t. At the last second Rafe touched the controls and switched the tracks, sending the various trains safely past each other.

      “Do you collect trains?” Gina asked him.

      He shook his head and shut down those on the display. “Never had one.”

      “Why not? It’s obvious you want one.”

      “As a kid, there were better uses for our money. Now I don’t have the time to fiddle with a hobby.”

      “You know what they say about all work and no play, don’t you?”

      He regarded her seriously. “That it gets the job done?”

      She groaned. “No, that it makes for a very dull guy.”

      A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. “You think I’m boring?”

      She knew exactly how he intended to prove otherwise, and a part of her wanted him to demonstrate, but there was Caitlyn to consider, and Nell. “Not boring, just limited. Under other circumstances, I might be tempted to try to change that.”

      “Oh? How?”

      “Let me think about it,” she said. “Maybe one of these days I’ll give you a list of my recommendations. Will you pay any attention to them?”

      “I might,” he said solemnly. “What would my reward be?”

      “More fun,” she said at once.

      He grinned. “You’ll have to provide more incentive than that.”

      “Such as?”

      “Will I get the girl?”

      Gina shuddered at the penetrating look in his eyes. “I suppose that depends.”

      “On?”

      “How badly you want her.”

      “I’m beginning to wonder about that myself.”

      He said it in a way that made Gina’s breath hitch in her throat. She was thankful Caitlyn chose that moment to reach for her hand and give it a tug.

      “Aunt Gina, since you’re buying me a toy, why don’t you buy one for Mr. O’Donnell, too?”

      “His toys are too expensive,” Gina said.

      “That’s right,” Rafe agreed, his gaze locked with hers. “In fact, something tells me they’re priceless.”

       6

      There had been times in her life—even after enduring Carlo’s possessiveness—when Gina had deeply regretted the lack of a man who’d be there when she woke up and when she went to bed at night, a man who cared more about spending time with her than about his career. Now it seemed she had one.

      It wasn’t nearly as much fun as she’d anticipated.

      Rafe O’Donnell was everywhere she turned, his expression remote, his gaze cool. The nonstop surveillance wasn’t exactly what she’d dreamed of. In fact, it was all too reminiscent of Carlo. The fact that Rafe was so blatant about it grated on her nerves. She hated that everyone in town knew he was there to keep an eye on her for some reason that neither of them had revealed.

      Other than her one conversation with Tony, Gina had refused to discuss Rafe’s presence with her friends or her family. Only Lauren knew part of it—that she had to give a deposition when she got back to New York and that she wasn’t looking forward to it. Cassie, Karen and Emma were studying