SEVEN

Montana slept for a short time, then lay in the darkness with his arm around Katie. He felt extraordinarily happy, almost euphoric. But this feeling of fulfillment was different. It was more than simply sexual pleasure, it was a kind of contentment that was new.

He could hear the slowing of the paddles as the boat headed toward the shore. The lights of the wharf peeked beneath the door to the deck and through a small cut-glass half circle at the top, creating a kaleidoscope of color across the bed and the woman he held. He’d known she was beautiful and stubborn that first night. He’d known she had a good mind. But beyond that, her loyalty and commitment to her brother stunned him. His stepfather had paid lip service to family and tradition, but what he’d really been concerned about was appearances. It was all surface, and when it came down to a choice between loyalty and reputation, family lost.

Katie really cared. She was a forgiving, loving person.

Even so, she was like two people living in the same body. The forgiving, loving sister and the conniving, relentless gambler with an uncanny ability to win at blackjack and poker. If she couldn’t do it honestly, she’d been prepared to cheat. But had she? He was beginning to question his own conclusions. Was he ready to forgive her, to excuse her actions? Looking at her face, innocent in sleep, he still found it hard to believe the marked cards. Even in the worst of his own miserable past, he’d never stooped to dishonesty.

Or had he? His loving Laura had been a secret thing. He’d known that it wouldn’t be permitted. Was what he’d done any more honest than what Katie had done?

“Katie.” Even as he whispered her name she moved, smiling as if she were dreaming. Having a brother like Carson, she certainly deserved good dreams. But he couldn’t see those in her future. If he called in Carson’s IOUs, she’d lose her home, or, and he smiled at this thought, at the very least she’d have a new roommate.

Roommate? That idea sent a ripple of pleasure down his backbone. Having a roommate like Katie was a fate Montana could consider. But if he didn’t get busy and find Carson, she’d probably challenge him to another hand of poker with the IOUs as the stakes. Seeing how smooth she’d been in their last game, he wasn’t sure he wanted to play with her again.

At least not poker.

First he’d find her brother, then he’d force him to work off those IOUs on the boat.

No, giving Carson a job in his casino would be like putting the fox in the henhouse. Carson needed to stay as far away as possible from any kind of game of chance. Besides, he had no intention of calling in Carson’s bad debts. He’d rather hold on to the IOUs. Maybe that would act as a deterrent.

But that wouldn’t stop Katie. Carson was family. And a family debt was her debt. She’d go out gambling again, if not at his place, somewhere else. His mind went round and round with that thought. If she cheated on another boat, she might get caught. Still, there’d be no stopping her. Unless …

It had been staring him in the face from the moment Mac called. Carson’s IOUs were the motivation for Katie, and Katie had become Montana’s primary concern. If they were satisfied, all this would end. She’d relinquish her claim on the Lady and go back to the hospital to do the kind of work she ought to be doing. Of course he’d keep Carson’s marker for the plantation for now. He wanted to be a landowner for a little while longer.

He felt the boat touch the dock and the engines die. The laughter of passengers leaving the boat drifted through the night air. He waited until all was quiet. Carefully, he untangled himself from Katie and reluctantly slid out of bed. Quietly, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and poked his feet into his running shoes. Fifteen minutes later he’d retrieved Carson’s IOUs from his office safe.

Katie thought he’d encouraged her brother to gamble. He hadn’t. But he was about to do the dumbest thing he’d ever done in his adult life. He couldn’t even explain to himself why he was doing it. He didn’t want to think he was making some kind of grand gesture. Instead, he chose to think of it as helping someone the way Mac had helped him. Except, it was Katie he was helping, not Carson.

With a bold slash of his pen, he marked the vouchers Paid in Full, negating over twenty thousand dollars in bad debts while he’d repaid his own debt to Mac. Once done, he headed back to his quarters. Holding his breath so that he wouldn’t wake Katie, he carefully opened the door and padded inside. He placed the IOUs on the cover where Katie had to see them, then backed out again.

He’d stopped fighting the way he felt about Katherine Carithers. He’d become her protector, reluctantly, but inevitably. Now he’d become her lover. Never before had the two things merged. Even so, he wasn’t fooling himself. As a gambler, he was out of her league socially, if not financially. And that was just as well. His experience with society was bad—all bad—and it was too late to go back home and change things in his life, even if he should ever want to reconcile with his family.

Katie had wanted him for one night. But one night, no matter how magical, wasn’t forever. Forever was that elusive thing on which songwriters built great hits, and novelists painfully dismissed as unrealistic dreams. And he wasn’t certain how she’d really feel come morning when she realized what she’d done the night before. But he thought she’d probably regret her decision. Montana didn’t have to be told that Katie didn’t sleep around. Everything about her said she was a one-man woman. Once she found her man, she’d be loyal and trusting—rare qualities in today’s woman.

Yes, Katie was special.

Except for her cheating. He kept coming back to that. How could a woman he was beginning to care so much about be a cardsharp? Could he ever trust her? Could he have been wrong?

Then he remembered Carson and knew she’d be whatever was needed to save her brother. If Katie were ever to have a life of her own, Carson’s addiction had to end. In order for that to happen, he had to be found.

Montana closed the door to his suite and left the boat, all his logical conclusions intermingled with the fantasy he’d just shared, still swimming around in his head. Someone along the river had to know where Carson Carithers was. Montana just had to find him.

But first he had to call Mac. He glanced at his watch again. It was after two o’clock, just about right to catch Mac. Sliding behind the wheel of his convertible, he picked up his car phone and punched in the number for Shangri-la.

The phone rang once. “Lincoln McAllister.”

“Mac, Montana here. I still haven’t found Carson Carithers. He seems to have disappeared. Any news on your end?”

“None. And I’ve run a quiet check on Vegas and Atlantic City.”

“Damn. I’m worried.”

“What about Miss Carithers? Where’s she?”

“Katie? Katie is on the Scarlet Lady.”

Mac’s “hmm” was followed by, “What do you think, Montana? You think the boy’s done something foolish?”

“Too early to tell. The bad news is that he left home with eighteen thousand dollars to redeem his IOUs and went straight to the casino instead.”

“And the good news?”

“He quit before he lost it all.”

“How do you know that?” Mac asked.

“He sent Katie the rest of the money and a note.”

“What kind of note?”

“Typical runaway stuff,” Montana said. “Basically said he was sorry, that he was no good and was leaving.”

“Keep looking,” Mac ordered.

“Any information about a man named Leon who drives a gray limo?” Montana asked.

“No. What’s the connection?”

“He’s been seen along the river, talking to gamblers, including Carson. Nobody can get a handle on him.”

“I’ll look into it,” was Mac’s reply. “And, Montana, Miss Carithers is a working girl. It’s time she was in bed, her own bed—alone. Do you understand?”

Montana laughed tightly. “Yes, sir. I’m receiving you loud and clear.”

“Unless,” Mac added with a chuckle, “you’re planning to make an honest woman out of her.”

An honest woman? Montana muttered good-bye and hung up the phone. Before he lost all his senses, he’d do some more checking along the river. The sooner he found Carson, the sooner his own life would be back to normal.

It was full morning when Katie finally stirred. At first she simply stretched, relishing the quiet luxury of soft sheets and a body that felt completely relaxed. If she could just stay like this, remain in a cocoon of warm nothingness where there were no worries or fears.

Allowing herself to drift, she lay content, absurdly happy with no conscious thought of why. She dozed and woke again, unwilling to open her eyes and destroy the warm afterglow.

Rhett Butler Montana.

His name and image suddenly shattered her peaceful state. She sat straight up, the sheet falling away, exposing her nude body, still flushed with warmth.

She glanced quickly around, reached out, exploring the empty bed and drawing in the musky smell of lovemaking. “Ohhhhh,” she moaned. It hadn’t been a dream. She was where she feared she was, on the Scarlet Lady in Montana’s big red-velvet-covered bed.

Alone.

Where was he? Did he always spend most of the night making glorious love to a woman, then vanish the next morning, leaving his lady of the night to dress and slink away without any further encounter?

His disappearance left her furious. Then common sense swept over her. Good. She was glad he was gone. The last thing she wanted was to open her eyes to the sight of Montana’s powerful body next to hers, wasn’t it? Why then did she feel so … so rejected? She stretched out her fingertips, smoothing out the rumpled sheet. It didn’t surprise her that Montana was gone. Leaving probably made the next morning less painful for both of them.

When her fingers touched the squares of paper, she didn’t know what to think. Refusing to look, she gathered them in by touch, her throat tight and her heart racing. Surely he hadn’t … The low-down gambler. He’d actually paid her.

How dare he?

Then she opened her eyes and looked at the sheets of paper she was holding, looked and felt her heart stop.

Carson’s IOUs.

Marked Paid in Full.

Carson had paid off his debts. Montana had used her. He’d lied to her. The scoundrel. How dare he lie to her?

Then reality set in. It didn’t make sense. Carson hadn’t paid off any debts. He didn’t have enough money to do that. And she still had the money he hadn’t lost gambling, along with a note that he was going away. Beside’s, where was Carson’s marker for the plantation?

What was Montana up to? There was no point in setting up such an elaborate charade. He couldn’t have simply wanted to keep her near, make her depend on him. He was a smooth-talking devil with enough experience that she probably wouldn’t have been able to resist him if he’d set his mind into seducing her. Why go to all this trouble? No, the IOUs were marked paid for some other reason.

Then she remembered their original bet. He’d said if she lost he wanted her for the night. She’d said she was worth more than just one night. Her face burned. Her worth—her pay for the evening was in her hand. Not only had her brother’s gambling debts been settled, Montana really had paid her off.

If Montana had been there, she would have scratched his eyes out. If thoughts could kill, he’d be a dead man. What did he think she was, some cheap—no make that expensive—hooker sleeping with him as payment for a debt? Her stomach churning, she made a decision.

She wouldn’t take this insult lying down. Cursing, she glanced at her watch. She was late for work. As she punched in her office number she hoped that Cat was on time.

“Miss Carithers’s office,” her friend’s voice responded.

“Cat, come and get me.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m on the Scarlet Lady.”

Katie didn’t have to see Cat to know she was smiling as she sang out, “And why are you there?”

“Don’t ask. Just get over here.” Katie slammed down the phone, gathered up her cocktail-waitress costume, and pulled it on. She started out of the door, changed her mind, and moved back to the bathroom mirror, where she scrawled a second message to her absent host.

THE BET WAS DOUBLE OR NOTHING. YOU STILL OWE ME!

Moments later she was charging through the nearly empty casino and onto the dock, Carson’s IOUs clutched in her hand.

Montana’s sports car wasn’t in the space where he’d left it. Good. He was gone. She had a lovely vision of nails, roofing nails, scattered across the asphalt roadway. Elegant long nails piercing the tires on Montana’s sports car. The idea of him careening off the highway and into a mosquito-infested swamp was delicious. For good measure, she conjured up a couple of snakes as well. The power of positive thinking had gotten her through some very rough spots in her life. But never before today had she deliberately used it for revenge. What the hell, even if it didn’t work, it made her feel better.

“Well, you certainly look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” Cat commented as Katie got into her car. “Did vou have an interesting night?”

“Don’t ask.”

Cat put her car in reverse. “Too late. I already have.”

“Please understand. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Cat hit the gas pedal and smiled. “When a person starts talking about understanding, they’re usually trying to justify an action.”

Katie leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. Cat was right. She couldn’t blame Montana. She’d asked for an “I understand” kiss. What she’d really been asking for was a “make everything all right” kiss. No, what she’d wanted was the kiss. All the other was rationalization. She hadn’t even been honest about that.

“Don’t look so striken, Katie. Once in every lifetime, if she’s lucky, a woman meets a man she can’t resist, a man worth throwing caution to the winds for and going after. Stop beating yourself up and take a risk. Enjoy your gambler.”

Katie let out a frustrated sigh. While Carson was going God only knew where, she was giving herself to the man who pushed him into leaving. Not only was she giving herself, she’d been the instigator. Her body still tingled not from anger, as she’d told herself, but from some physical response that she still couldn’t explain. In an odd way, she could accept Cat’s supposition. It was inevitable that one day she’d do something totally wild, something totally personal. She wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t appreciate good—no, make that incredible sex.

If he’d left it there, she could have accepted the night for what it was. But the one thing she’d never accept was being paid off for it.

“You don’t understand, Cat.”

“Then explain.”

“I can’t. First I have to get home and change clothes. Forget going home first. Take me to buy a new dress.”

Cat couldn’t hide her look of surprise. “You’re going shopping? Now?”

“Oh, yes. You were right about one thing. A woman on a mission has to catch her victim off guard. Can you turn me into the lady in red again?”

“Katherine, my love, you’ve always been the lady in red. It just took a man to make you believe it. When are you going to see him again?”

Katie fingered the IOUs in her pocket. “When I’ve won ten thousand dollars.”

There was silence. Gold-and-brown leaves blew off the tree-lined road ahead of their car as it sped along. Off to their left, beyond the high grass-covered levee, came the slow, labored sound of a barge engine. From the limb of a tree near the road, two ghosts, made from sheets, danced in the morning air, reminding Katie that Halloween was only days away—Halloween and the hospital’s charity fund-raiser.

Cat slowed the car and looked at Katie. “You want to explain what all this is about?”

“I don’t think so. Just hit the gas pedal, Cat. I’m in a hurry.”

“You want me to speed?”

“Absolutely.”

“What about the hospital? If neither of us shows up, they’ll think something dreadful has happened.”

“Tell them I’m taking a few days’ vacation.”

Cat laughed skeptically. “Sure. Then they’ll send the paramedics. The last time you took any vacation was when your parents died, and that was only three days. If you’re not there, who’s going to hold up the corner of Angel Memorial Hospital?”

“For the next few days? You, Cat. You’ve just been promoted to assistant director of finance.”

“And I’m immediately going shopping? Won’t that look a little odd?”

“I’m the boss. I’ll explain.”

The car shot forward. “Yes, ma’am. Does my promotion mean that I get a raise?”

“Depends on how much of my job you do.”

“Consider yourself replaced,” Cat said enthusiastically. “Now, where do you want to shop?”

“Surprise me,” was all Katie said.

The salesclerk looked surprised when Katie marched in, still wearing the satin shorts and cutaway jacket. Katie herself was surprised a half hour later when she left wearing a sassy black miniskirt and a leather jacket adorned with silver studs and fringe.

The shoe store next door produced a pair of shiny black boots with silver toes. But when Cat picked up the black felt Stetson, Katie drew the line.

Their arms full of packages, they headed back to Cat’s car. “Where to now, boss?”

“Take me home.”

Wisely, Cat didn’t ask any more questions. Now that she’d set her course of action, Katie was beginning to feel very shaky. Could she do this? Was she really good enough to duplicate her previous success? Did she even want to?

Then she remembered the IOUs burning a hole in her jacket pocket and knew that she had no choice. She couldn’t get past them. When she’d given herself to Montana, she hadn’t considered that he might think she was selling her body. In the world she knew, making love meant something. One-night stands had always been beyond her comprehension, as was sex for pay. She’d just done both. Her skin burned as she considered how he’d interpreted her actions.

She shook her head. That kind of concern had to wait. Her reputation was unimportant. She’d worry about it later. For now, she had to clear Carson’s name. He might be weak, but he wasn’t a bad person. Throwing him into the job of running a company that was already going down was enough to push anybody over the rational edge. If she could square his gambling debts, he could go back to teaching, to a life free of business pressures and family responsibilities.

As for squaring herself with Montana, she didn’t know how she’d accomplish that yet. The more she thought about it, the more blame she took for their spending the night together. No matter how he interpreted their lovemaking, it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t let it.

And one thing she did know. Everything had gone too far. If she could play poker and win, she’d forget their bet. She’d never had any intention of claiming his boat—even if it meant losing Carithers’ Chance. Still, Montana was a gambler and she had won. Maybe she’d better rethink her position on saving the plantation. Too much pain had come as a result of tradition. Maybe it was time to give it up and move on.

Katie’s faithful old Chevy—the blue goose—was now parked in the drive, the keys in the switch. The tank was full of gas, and if she wasn’t mistaken, it had been washed.

“Carson?” she called out, rushing into the house. He’d come home.

But there was no one there.

She couldn’t decide if he’d even been there.

“What’s going on?” Cat asked, entering the house behind her.

“Oh, Cat. Carson’s still missing. He didn’t pay off his debts. In fact, he lost almost half of the money I won.”

“You didn’t tell me you gave him the money. Did you really think he could be trusted?”

Katie sighed. “I know. I believed him when he said he wouldn’t gamble. I was wrong. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things, Cat. But not anymore. Little Miss Innocent is getting a firsthand education in ‘me first.’ ”

“And what is me going to do with the new duds?”

“I’m going to make some money. I’m going to pay Carson’s debts myself and get Rhett Butler Montana out of my life once and for all.”

“Not if he sees you in that outfit,” Cat observed.

“He won’t. I’m taking my business somewhere else. I’ve probably been banned from gambling on the Scarlet Lady. Mr. Butler seems to think I cheat at cards.”

“Do you?”

“No! At least I haven’t yet. After tonight? Who knows? The lady in black is on the prowl.”

“I don’t know about this, Katie. I think you’d better make another plan.”

“Go to work, Cat. You have to do the job of the financial director in addition to your own. I’ll call you.”

Cat hesitated. “Maybe I’d better go with you?”

“You’ve already taken your vacations through the year two thousand.”

“But I’m part of management now,” she protested. “Don’t I get something more?”

“You don’t.”

“What do I tell Montana when he comes to pick you up this afternoon? I assume, since you’ve been out Carson-hunting every night, that he’ll be there.”

Katie hadn’t thought about that. If she canceled their plans now, he’d be ringing her doorbell. No, she’d just leave things alone. “Tell him that I’m discouraged. I left early to think about things. I’ll call him.”

“I don’t think he’s going to like that,” Cat observed dryly. “Sure you don’t want me to hang out with him?”

Katie made her way up the stairs, her arms still full of packages. “I’m sure. If you don’t follow orders, you’ll get fired. Go.”

Reluctantly, the red-haired woman backed down the foyer and out the door. Only when Katie heard Cat’s car drive away did she let out a deep breath and sink down to the steps. Everybody thought she was invincible. But she’d been strong as long as she could. Now she was fully deflated and shaking like a leaf.

She thought about what she was going to do. The only difference between her and Carson was that her gamble had become personal.

Katie forced herself to take a two-hour nap and eat a light lunch. Afterward she showered and dried her hair. Pinning it up like Cat had that first night was impossible, so she settled for curling it to frame her face, letting it touch the top of her shoulders. Bright red lipstick and velvet-black mascara gave her a sensual look that she hoped would accomplish her purpose.

Distraction and defeat.

Because of the touch of autumn in the cool October air, and the memory of her recent midnight swim, Katie chose the newly opened Casino Louisian, a land-based pavilion, as her destination. The sun was already low in the sky when she left the freeway and followed the signs.

The casino looked like a mirage of pink neon and white lace rising from the river. In the fading daylight, the neon sign rippled and a trio of slot machines shot coins into a sparkling bucket. Katie drove up the tree-lined semicircle, coming to a stop at the pavilion entrance, where two eager young men wearing straw hats and pink suspenders appeared at her side.

The first young man eyed her old car skeptically. The second one opened her car door, took one look, and smiled. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Casino Louisian.”

He gave her a ticket for her car and the other led her to the door, ignoring another arrival to watch her walk inside.

Cat had done it again, selected an outfit that had made Katie’s first two male contacts fall over themselves to help her. So far, so good. She patted her pocket, checking to make certain the zipper was closed. If she lost the money Carson had returned, it had better be at a gambling table. Studying the lobby signs, she said a small prayer that she’d have an even bigger bulge when she left and headed for the change counter to swap her bills for chips. This time she was playing with ten hundred-dollar bills instead of just two.

The clerk behind the ornate white enclosure handed her a sparkly bucket filled with chips. Blackjack hadn’t been her original game of choice, but it had served her well the first time and it would give her time to study her surroundings tonight.

Two hours later she’d won and lost. Still she’d managed to more than double her stake and make her presence known. She left the table and wandered into one of the restaurants offering drinks and a buffet of snacks.

Too nervous to choose something to eat, Katie filled her glass with diet cola and took a seat.

“Wouldn’t you like something to eat?” one of the waiters asked. “Compliments of the house?”

“I could use a sandwich, but I don’t have enough hands to handle that.”

Moments later she’d been served a small plate overflowing with food. Since she couldn’t be certain how the evening would go, she worked her way through half the plate. If anybody had asked, she wouldn’t have been able to tell them what she’d eaten.

The helpful waiter appeared once more. “May I refill your glass?”

“No thanks,” she said. “But I think I’d like to try my hand at some poker. Could you direct me to a high-stakes table, a private one, perhaps?”

He looked at her dubiously. “Ah, maybe you’d rather try some of our regular tables, ma’am. I’d hate for you to lose your—shirt.”

Katie smiled sweetly. “Oh, that’s all right. My daddy gave me a check for my birthday and told me to spend it any way I want. Since my daddy thinks it’s so much fun, I thought I’d find out.”

Moments later she was led through the tables and up a curved stairway to the balcony above. At one of the doors her escort stopped, knocked, and went inside.

There was a large mahogany gaming table in a circle of light. In the shadows beyond, six men looked up. One of them, a giant with long hair caught in a rubber band, stood. “Welcome, ma’am. I’m Big Jonah. I understand you have some birthday money you’d like to share with us. Sit down.”

“Who said I was going to lose?” she asked, and slid into a vacant seat.

“I’m Little Willie, ma’am,” the player beside her said. Do you have a name?”

She placed her chips in front of her and smiled. “Just call me Red.”

“That’s obviously not because of the color of your hair,” a third player said.

“You’re right,” she replied with a mysterious smile.

An hour later, when she took the pot, the first man left the game. “I guess we know now why you’re called Red.”

“Yeah,” another player snapped. “I figured that out. It’s because you’re red-hot.”

During a quick break for more food and drinks, Katie found the ladies’ room, repaired her makeup, and felt the swell in her pocket. She’d been careful not to be too obvious, but figuring out what the gamblers held had been far easier than she’d expected. It was time to turn up the heat.

She glanced at her watch. Almost midnight. She ought to be tired, but she wasn’t. Playing with these men wasn’t as nerve-racking as playing with Montana. Still, her nerves were drawn tight and her pulse was racing. Forcing herself to remain calm, she took her seat. “I’ve still got most of my birthday money, gentlemen. I’m feeling very lucky. Suppose we change the game and raise our stakes a bit.”

The four remaining players glanced at each other and grinned. “Sure,” one of the men agreed, “what’ll it be? Strip poker?”

“I was thinking more about five-card draw, maybe aces and one-eyed jacks wild.”

“That sounds pretty complicated,” the dealer said. “Are you sure you know how to play?”

“No,” she said, unbuttoning and removing her jacket to reveal the skintight T-shirt beneath. “But I’m a very quick study.”

She let them take the first hand. Then settled down to do some serious card playing. By the time an hour had passed, the table was down to three players, with an equal number of chips stacked before each player.

Leaning back, Katie took a deep breath and said the words that had, a week ago, literally changed her life for the second time.

“What about it, gentlemen? Double or nothing?”