Page 60 of Spilling the Tea

When the DJ took a break, and everyone returned to the table, he knew it was time to leave. It had not been his intent to stay. Nor had he assumed he would have such fun. He came close to offering to drive Zoey home but knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. Not when every slow dance with her had stoked his desire for her even more. Besides, he would see her tomorrow and was looking forward to doing so.

“Good night, everyone.” He smiled over at Zoey. “And I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner.”

“Dinner?” several voices asked in shock, nearly sounding like an echo. Then Reese, who still seemed stunned, said. “I can’t believe you’re inviting someone to your ranch for dinner.”

Instead of commenting on his brother’s statement, Chance turned and walked away. Although he was tempted to look back at Zoey, he didn’t.

***

“Did you see how Chance held that woman while they slow danced, Ken?”

Ken Cox eased off Ravena while rolling his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling there’s another man in this bed. Namely, Chance Madaris. When will you get it through your head that he doesn’t want you?”

“Just answer the question,” she said, glaring at him.

He let out a frustrated breath. “Not only did I see how he was holding her while they danced, Ravena. I also noticed how taken he was with her when they weren’t dancing. He’s smitten as hell and probably doesn’t even know it. Happy now?”

“No, I am not happy. I’m angry as hell,” she said, exiting the bed to begin pacing the room. “I want to know who she is and where she came from.”

Ken rested his hands behind his head and watched Ravena angrily pace the room naked. “Someone that gorgeous would be known if she was from around here, so she must be new to the area,” he said. Shifting in bed, he then added, “I did find something odd, though.”

She stopped pacing. “What?”

“I arrived a good hour before you. She came with Corbin Madaris and left with him, but Chance, not Corbin, was the one who claimed all of her time tonight. The one thing I do know about those Madaris cousins is that they don’t share women. So, I wondered which of the cousins she’s really interested in.”

“I need your help to find out everything I can about her.”

“You can count me out on that, sweetheart. The Madarises obviously like her, and I don’t intend to get on that family’s bad side. They’re our best customers since the men in that family love buying jewelry for their wives. Especially the expensive pieces.”

Ravena knew that to be true. She hadn’t given Chance back her engagement ring. Instead she had sold it back to Cox Jewelers the day before leaving Houston. That’s when she met Ken. She’d discovered that day just how valuable her engagement ring had been.

“There was something I did find interesting other than the woman’s beauty,” he interrupted her thoughts to say.

“What was that?”

“That necklace she was wearing. I got a good look at it during one of the line dances. It’s one of ours from many yearsago, a good sixty or so. I recall seeing a sketch of it in one of our old binders a while back. Since vintage jewelry pieces are making a comeback, I thought it would be a good one to remake and sell.”

“And?”

“And Dad said since it had been custom-made for someone, with the understanding that it would be the only one of its kind, it couldn’t be duplicated. It’s an heirloom handed down for at least four generations. Pure gold, and that diamond is of the highest quality. I can imagine how much it’s worth now.”

Ravena came back to bed. “That means if she’s not from here, some past family member was. Since your great-­grandfather ran the business when that necklace was made, he probably designed the necklace himself, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“The woman is my competition, and I want to know everything about her.”

“Chance Madaris proved tonight he is definitely over you, Ravena. You need to leave well enough alone and move on.”

“I can’t, and I won’t.”

“Well, count me out of any of your shenanigans. You’re only headed for trouble if you mess with those Madarises. Why are you so obsessed with trying to get him back? You had your chance and blew it. Chance doesn’t like you.”

Ravena refused to answer She didn’t say anything for a moment and then said, “At least your great-grandfather likes me.”

She watched Ken roll his eyes and knew he assumed she was trying to change the subject. “Gramps likes anyone who sneaks anything sweet into his room at that senior living facility,” he said, glancing over her naked body. “I’m tired of talking. Come back to bed and leave Chance Madaris out of it this time.”

Ravena eased back in bed between the sheets, feeling much better now that she’d devised a plan to visit his great-grandfather.

---