“I’m sorry about that.”
After a sip from her drink, she turned to study him. “I know you don’t want any part of whatever my father has planned. So why areyoustill here? If you run, I doubt my father will come after you.”
He took a drink of his beer, wondering the same thing.
“It’s the woman, isn’t it? The woman who came to your hotel room.”
His feelings for Goldie aside, he knew he should have bolted long before this. He was small potatoes. Maybe Malcolm wouldn’t track him down. Except he had a bad feeling that’s exactly what the crime boss had done here in Dry Gulch. Why else would he buy Arnie a café here?
Donovan feared he’d inadvertently put the target on the town and himself. Either way, the man had him right where he wanted him, literally. “I have a bad feeling about whatever is going down on the day Arnie holds his grand opening at the café. I wish I knew what it was.” If he did know, would he leave Goldie and this town to fend for themselves and make a run for it?
Lolly was silent for a moment. “Only two things interest my father. Making money, which equates to power, and getting even with those he feels are disloyal.” She looked over at him. “Have you been disloyal, Donovan?”
He felt a chill snake the length of his spine. He felt like he was in Malcolm’s crosshairs, but even the man had said he was just a minor player in this. “How about you, Lolly? Have you been disloyal, or maybe someone you know?”
Scarlet burned at her cheeks as she picked up her drink and made a rude dismissive sound. Her bravado slipped though as her hand with the glass wobbled a little.
He looked away to take a long draw on his beer. He couldn’t worry about Lolly. If anyone could take care of herself, it was her. As for Goldie, he had a bad feeling that he’d also put her in danger by taking the job she’d offered him.
“What’s your plan?” he asked Lolly, motioning at her stomach. She wasn’t showing yet, but he’d seen other changes in her slim body. He suspected she was at least three to four months along.
“Are you making me an offer?” she joked.
“You know I had to leave when I did. I knew the baby wasn’t mine, but I wasn’t sure your father would believe me before he had me killed and dumped in a ditch somewhere.” He met her gaze. That flush was still in her cheeks. “I assume you planned to say it was mine. Am I wrong?”
She dragged her gaze away to run a finger along the rim of her drink glass. He hoped it was nonalcoholic. “You aren’t wrong. I was trying to buy myself time.”
He looked at her more intently. “Time for the father of the baby to step up? Or time for something else?” He had a bad feeling it was the latter. “He does know about the baby, right?”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, not looking at him.
“You know, if you had told me…” Donovan looked over at her. “Or just asked me…”
“You would have agreed to pretend to me my baby’s daddy?” She scoffed at that.
“Notpretend.” Their gazes met and held for a long moment. “You’re right. I’d make a lousy father for your baby. You know, if I were you,” Donovan said after they had sat in silence for a few moments, “I’d get out of town as quickly as I could.”
“Yet you are still here,” she said. “Don’t worry, I won’t mess up whatever it is you have going with your blonde.” She eyed him critically for a moment. “You aren’t really serious about her, are you?”
He laughed, but it had a false ring to it. “You should be more worried about your love life than mine.”
“It’s like that, huh?” Lolly asked, but she was smiling.
He returned her smile, thinking how quickly his life had changed. He hadn’t realized how deeply he could get in with the crime family or how fast. Nor could he shake the feeling that whatever was coming to Dry Gulch was some kind of pissing match between Luca and Malcolm. While he’d like to think it had nothing to do with him, he worried that if things went south, he’d be the one taking the fall.
Finishing his beer, he slipped off the stool. “If I don’t see you before you leave—”
“Oh, I suspect you’ll see me since we’re both staying in the same hotel,” she said with a predatory smile. “I plan to stay around for the grand opening of Arnie’s.”
Yes, he thought, she was too much like her father. He didn’t trust either one of them. But he could see that Lolly wasn’tjust curious about what was going to happen at Arnie’s grand opening. She planned to be right in the middle of it. Her father wasn’t going to like it. He just hoped her plan didn’t involve him. Or Goldie.
“Take care of yourself and…” He looked at her slight baby bump before raising his eyes to her again. “Remember, it’s not just you anymore.”
Chapter Sixteen
Max left Josie’s office furious with himself. He couldn’t believe what he’d put Goldie through. All this time she’d been hurting as badly as he had over the breakup. Worse, he’d forced her into doing something desperate and dangerous.
The irony was that he had wanted to protect her from himself and his past, but instead he’d driven her to someone who could prove even more dangerous. The only way it could be worse was if Goldie was falling for Donovan.
