Scarlet Lady Read Online Free Page A

business, so I try not to disappoint them.”
    There was a long-drawn-out silence before the woman who’d almost gone into the river finally stopped her anxious movements and looked him full in the face.
    “I guess we all wear uniforms of one kind or another, Mr. Montana. And I doubt you ever disappointanyone you set out to please. I just don’t happen to be interested in anything other than a gambling relationship.”
    “Too bad. I thought both relationships showed promise.”
    “No, I don’t think so.” She tucked a damp strand of hair back into the intricate coil at the base of her neck. “Gambling is the only thing I’m interested in. That’s where I’m most experienced.
    “And the kiss?”
    He was toying with her, and she couldn’t let it continue. Assuming her best business manner, she said, “I hope you understand that I don’t normally fall into a stranger’s arms. It was”—she attempted to justify herself—“just the storm and the excitement over winning so much of your money.”
    He didn’t miss her emphasis on the word
your
. “As opposed to someone else’s money? That sounds promising.”
    He cut off her protest. “Okay, forget personal for a moment. We’ll have our coffee and maybe play a couple of hands of high-stake poker. It’s always the sporting thing to do, give a man a chance to get even.”
    She glanced at the bed again. “No, I really ought to leave.”
    “We’ve already established that you can’t leave until we get back to the dock. In the meantime, let’s get you some dry clothes.”
    “That won’t be necessary. The only thing wet about me is my feet. Just let me borrow a pair of your socks and a towel.”
    The picture of her wearing nothing but a towel and his socks made Montana swallow his words for a moment. He was saved by a timely knock on his door.
    While the steward set up the coffee and cups, Montana pulled a pair of socks from his dresser and handed them to his mysterious lady in red who, taking them, quickly disappeared into the bathroom. He glanced uneasily at his watch. They’d be docking far too soon.
    Inside the bathroom, Katie placed her palms flat on the mahogany vanity and dropped her head. She’d planned her strategy carefully. Her winnings were significant, more than she’d expected. Still, she knew she didn’t have enough. And though she’d been warned, she hadn’t planned on facing an opponent like Montana. It was his charm and her attraction to him that was the problem.
    The only real competition she’d ever faced had been with her college study partner in accounting. He was the one who’d said that with her memory and special talent with numbers, she’d be a whiz at cards. He’d taught her to play poker. Once she learned to count the cards, winning had been easy. By the time she graduated, he’d moved on and she’d put her talent with numbers to work earning a living as an accountant, always expecting to help her father in the business.
    Nothing had worked out as she’d planned. She’d gone to work at the hospital and Carson had gone into the business. She’d given up playing poker and Carson became a college student who gambled and partied. A gambler who lost.
    The thing that hurt was that she’d been the one whotaught him how to play. How could she know that it would ruin their lives?
    She heard Montana call out to her. How long had she been in here? She looked up and caught sight of herself in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was a stranger. It wasn’t just that she wore a dress belonging to her best friend and secretary, Cat Boulineau. It was the glamorous upswept style and the feathers in her hair now glistening with mist from the storm. The woman in the mirror wasn’t her. She was too sophisticated; the dress far too revealing. There was a wicked glint in her eyes and her skin glowed.
    It couldn’t be the kiss, though she still tingled. Sensory contact, that’s all it was. It gave Montana a roguish, go-to-hell