them.
At the far end of the room, the three of them stood together -Carol, all spitting fury; the sandy-haired Ted Grady looking sullen as he rubbed nervously at the side of his unshaven jaw; and Harris, the calmest one, talking urgently in a low voice to them both.
Carol looked up first, those slanted emerald eyes widening and then growing narrow.
"Webb Carnahan, you-you-what in hell are you doing here?"
"Better watch your language, Care-baby. You don't want to give your old man the wrong impression, do you? And you invited me, love-don't you remember?"
Suddenly, Anne felt caught again in an unpleasant game these two were playing with each other, and she didn't want to be here. Only Webb wouldn't release her fingers.
Ted Grady had given up rubbing at his jaw and was staring nastily at Webb, his pale blue eyes swiveling from him to Carol and back again.
"Damn it, Webb!" Harris said petulantly. "It's a damned late hour to make an appearance at a party, isn't it? You might have-"
But Carol didn't give him a chance to finish. "What are you doing here with Anne?
Where's that Tanya creature?"
Webb grinned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He said softly, "I was wondering why she turned up in my room, Caro, but now I know. It was thoughtful of you to send her along to look for me, but after a few words she trotted off to bed like a good girl.
Disappointed?"
He was deliberately baiting Carol, who seemed to realize it belatedly.
She sucked in a long, vindictive breath that sounded more like a hiss. "Why should I be disappointed? Tanya's always been able to take care of herself-and she does have long nails, doesn't she? You'll have to cover up that scratch for the performance tomorrow, won't you, Webb darling?"
"Hey, what the hell is this? What're you two talking about? And, mister, I'd like to know just how well you know my wife!"
"Mister-you'd better stay out of matters that don't concern you. Why don't you tell him that, Caro? Unless you're planning on a big reconciliation, that is."
"Ted-you keep out of this!"
Harris Phelps sighed. Webb was spoiling for a fight, and so was Grady. And Anne looked white and scared and helpless. He felt sorry for her and coldly furious at Webb. Damn him-why Anne?
"You the guy all the gossip columns keep linking with my wife?" Grady said aggressively, thrusting his jaw out. "What the hell is going on between you two, huh?
That's what I came here to find out. And let me tell you, you damn Yankee, back in Texas we've got ways of dealing with bastards who mess around with other guy's wives!"
"Stop it!" Carol gritted, stamping her foot with rage and exasperation. She glared at Webb. "I might have known you'd do something like this! Deliberately come here to create a scene ..."
"But he came here to find me, and we only meant to tell you thank you for a-a really nice evening." Anne heard her own voice, sounding amazingly calm and clear. Now they were all looking at her, even Webb, with varying degrees of astonishment. She gave his hand a tug. "Webb, darling, hadn't we better be going? And Mr. Grady, I'm really surprised at your Ianguage, considering that you call yourself a Southern gentleman."
She stared unflinchingly at Grady until his eyes dropped and he mumbled some kind of reluctant, shamefaced apology under his breath. She was able, more boldly now, to smile at both Carol and Harris, who was watching her through worried gray eyes.
"Thanks, Carol. I'll talk to you tomorrow, shall I? And Harris, thank you, for being so kind. Webb will take me home, now that he's here at last."
Anne didn't remember what Webb said to them after that, if he said anything, She was so angry that it was all she could do to stop her whole body from shaking. This was one time when all the years of practicing rigid self-control really paid off. She would wait until they were outside the door of Carol's suite, and then she would –she would- she'd let him see very quickly that he couldn't use her
At the far end of the room, the three of them stood together -Carol, all spitting fury; the sandy-haired Ted Grady looking sullen as he rubbed nervously at the side of his unshaven jaw; and Harris, the calmest one, talking urgently in a low voice to them both.
Carol looked up first, those slanted emerald eyes widening and then growing narrow.
"Webb Carnahan, you-you-what in hell are you doing here?"
"Better watch your language, Care-baby. You don't want to give your old man the wrong impression, do you? And you invited me, love-don't you remember?"
Suddenly, Anne felt caught again in an unpleasant game these two were playing with each other, and she didn't want to be here. Only Webb wouldn't release her fingers.
Ted Grady had given up rubbing at his jaw and was staring nastily at Webb, his pale blue eyes swiveling from him to Carol and back again.
"Damn it, Webb!" Harris said petulantly. "It's a damned late hour to make an appearance at a party, isn't it? You might have-"
But Carol didn't give him a chance to finish. "What are you doing here with Anne?
Where's that Tanya creature?"
Webb grinned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He said softly, "I was wondering why she turned up in my room, Caro, but now I know. It was thoughtful of you to send her along to look for me, but after a few words she trotted off to bed like a good girl.
Disappointed?"
He was deliberately baiting Carol, who seemed to realize it belatedly.
She sucked in a long, vindictive breath that sounded more like a hiss. "Why should I be disappointed? Tanya's always been able to take care of herself-and she does have long nails, doesn't she? You'll have to cover up that scratch for the performance tomorrow, won't you, Webb darling?"
"Hey, what the hell is this? What're you two talking about? And, mister, I'd like to know just how well you know my wife!"
"Mister-you'd better stay out of matters that don't concern you. Why don't you tell him that, Caro? Unless you're planning on a big reconciliation, that is."
"Ted-you keep out of this!"
Harris Phelps sighed. Webb was spoiling for a fight, and so was Grady. And Anne looked white and scared and helpless. He felt sorry for her and coldly furious at Webb. Damn him-why Anne?
"You the guy all the gossip columns keep linking with my wife?" Grady said aggressively, thrusting his jaw out. "What the hell is going on between you two, huh?
That's what I came here to find out. And let me tell you, you damn Yankee, back in Texas we've got ways of dealing with bastards who mess around with other guy's wives!"
"Stop it!" Carol gritted, stamping her foot with rage and exasperation. She glared at Webb. "I might have known you'd do something like this! Deliberately come here to create a scene ..."
"But he came here to find me, and we only meant to tell you thank you for a-a really nice evening." Anne heard her own voice, sounding amazingly calm and clear. Now they were all looking at her, even Webb, with varying degrees of astonishment. She gave his hand a tug. "Webb, darling, hadn't we better be going? And Mr. Grady, I'm really surprised at your Ianguage, considering that you call yourself a Southern gentleman."
She stared unflinchingly at Grady until his eyes dropped and he mumbled some kind of reluctant, shamefaced apology under his breath. She was able, more boldly now, to smile at both Carol and Harris, who was watching her through worried gray eyes.
"Thanks, Carol. I'll talk to you tomorrow, shall I? And Harris, thank you, for being so kind. Webb will take me home, now that he's here at last."
Anne didn't remember what Webb said to them after that, if he said anything, She was so angry that it was all she could do to stop her whole body from shaking. This was one time when all the years of practicing rigid self-control really paid off. She would wait until they were outside the door of Carol's suite, and then she would –she would- she'd let him see very quickly that he couldn't use her
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