Laredo's Sassy Sweetheart by Tina Leonard Page A

everybody in town knows.” Laredo cleared his throat. “It’s not a CIA-encoded secret, apparently.”
    Katy leaned back against the headrest. “I see. And so now you’re offering to help me achieve my goals because…”
    “Because he wants to go where no man has gone before,” Hannah intoned.
    “I’m just being a good friend,” Laredo insisted.
    “Shut up,” both women said.
    “What was in it for Cissy Kisserton? Why did she tell you this?” Katy asked. “Just so I can understand why she was discussing my personal business. This couldn’t have had anything to do with riding our bull this weekend.”
    “I think it did,” Laredo said, confused. “Actually, I can’t remember how we got onto the subject. Something about you driving men crazy because you deprived them.”
    “What?”
    “Yep. That’s what she said,” Laredo said with satisfaction. “You had an ex-fiancé who took exception to your, um—”
    “Okay. I’ve heard enough. Take me home,” Katy demanded. “At once.”
    “Hey, I didn’t ask her to tell me any of this. And trust me, I left as soon as I realized nothing good was going to come of the conversation. She just wanted me to know that she’d lied about Bloodthirsty Black’s crank out of the chute, and the chatter went downhill from there.”
    Katy glared at him. “Is that why you asked me out tonight on a poor man’s date? Isn’t that what you called it?”
    “No. I like driving around. I like hanging out. Frankly, you’re not the kind of friend I feel I have to take to a hundred-dollar restaurant to make happy, since we agreed that you’re not the right woman for me, and I don’t want a woman, anyway. But I will take you to a hundred-dollar restaurant, if you’d prefer that. It’s just, then we won’t be friends, we’ll be nuts.”
    She sat back again. “One of these days, Cissy isgoing to open her mouth too wide and find herself in big trouble.”
    “I couldn’t agree more,” Laredo said cheerfully. “But I don’t think you should become a mantrap unless you allow me to be the one to spring your hinge. Practice on me, Katy.”
    She looked back at him. Hannah giggled. “It is so weird being in the middle of this conversation. Katy wants practice, Laredo wants to give it to her, and I’m tagging along as mediator, I think.”
    “Thank heaven,” Katy said.
    “Yeah,” Laredo agreed, “because I don’t think I would have been brave enough to bring this up without a witness to my good intentions. We haven’t gotten along very well up to this point. Have you noticed that?”
    “It’s pent-up sexual attraction,” Hannah said with a nod. “We should have brought your brothers. At least then we could have double-dated. Or would that be a triple date?”
    “This is not a date,” Laredo and Katy said at the same time.
    “It’s not if the definition of date is individuals engaging in simultaneously pleasing activity, but whatever,” Hannah said. “Let’s play strip poker at the creek edge.”
    Katy stared at her. “Strip poker.”
    “It’s my favorite game,” Hannah said, pulling cards out of her duffel-shaped purse. “Remember, I told you that.”
    Laredo put the truck into gear and rolled forwarda few hundred feet to park beside the creek. “It’s gotta be my favorite game, too, but only when I win. And when I’m with beautiful women.” He gave a mock leer at Hannah and Katy. “I should warn you, I cheat.”
    “We know,” Katy said. “It shows in the company you’ve been keeping.”
    “Actually, I don’t admire Cissy at all for lying to me. Even though she was trying to undo what she’d done,” Laredo said self-righteously.
    “I think there’s a difference between cheating and lying,” Hannah said. “Cheating can be honorable if the game rules allow for it. Then it’s creative competition. But a lie is just smarmy.”
    “That’s it,” Laredo agreed. “Cissy must have been covering something up, or she wouldn’t have come