Winning Dixie Read online

  “You want some advice from an old codger who never learned how to mind his own business?”

  “I don’t know about that, but I’d take advice from you any day of the week.”

  Pops chuckled. “I’d say if a man had leanings toward a certain woman, he ought to ask himself, is there anything better than this waiting back home for me? Forget the job, forget all them damn directors and employees. None of them can keep a man warm at night or sit beside him when he’s old. This is a good town. Or, if it came down to it, probably wouldn’t hurt a certain woman and her boys to see a bit of the world, maybe move to New York.”

  Wade closed his eyes briefly. “Are you giving me your blessing, Pops?”

  “I would never do such a thing. I’m just saying, is all.”

  “Thank you, Pops. Thank you. But I’m not sure the woman in question wants what you and I might want. She was none too happy to find out who I really am. It could be that she’s hoping to see the last of me.”

  “Well now, that’s your job, boy. You’re supposed to convince her she can’t live without you.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Mom?”

  Dixie stopped in the bedroom doorway in the act of turning off the light. She’d just put her boys to bed and kissed them good-night, twice. “What is it, Ben?”

  “Do you mind that they cut Dad up and took out his heart to save Wade?”

  “No,” she said softly. “I don’t mind at all, honey, because I know it’s what your dad wanted. He wanted his organs to go to people who needed them after he was through with them.”

  “I guess that ol’ taxicab saw to it that he was through with them, huh?” piped up Tate.

  The resilience of children never ceased to amaze her. She was still shaky on the inside, and they were so matter-of-fact about it all. “It sure did, Tater. Now, you two need to get to sleep.”

  “G’night, Mom.”

  “’Night, Mom.”

  “’Night-’night, sweethearts. I love you.”

  Dixie turned off the light, stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed. She leaned her back against it and closed her eyes, saying a quick but heartfelt prayer of gratitude that the boys seemed to have understood about the transplant and accepted it without a qualm.

  Pops had not only accepted it, he’d celebrated the news. All she had to do now was find her own way through the tangle of feelings inside herself to know how she felt about it.

  But really, she asked herself, what was there to consider? Was she going to think less of Wade because he’d had a heart transplant? Or because the heart happened to be Jimmy Don’s? Thinking less of him for either reason—and neither was his fault—would be incredibly small and mean-spirited of her, and she had never been particularly small or mean-spirited, if she said so herself.

  What, then, was left to consider? What had made her hide in her bedroom rather than return to the living room and their guest while the boys took their bath? What was it that nagged at the back of her mind?

  Ah, yes. Cha-ching. The money. His wealth was harder to accept than Jimmy Don’s heart beating in his chest, because in the end it would be that wealth that took him away from her. He’d only come to see about the boys. He’d told her that. He said he’d stayed because of her, but that, she assumed, was more flattery than fact. He’d stayed until he could decide how to tell them who he was.

  Now he’d told them. He had no more reason to stay. Now, she feared, he would leave. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not the next day but soon. Very soon. All that money would pull him back to New York, to the luxuries, the life he was used to.

  How had she let herself fall for a man who would not stay?

  She didn’t know what to say to him, how to face him with this new self-knowledge. Yet, curling up in a ball on her bed was not a viable option. She’d never been a coward, never feared her own feelings before. She didn’t intend to start now.

  With that little pep talk under her belt, she pushed away from her sons’ bedroom door, squared her shoulders and headed for the living room.

  She rounded the corner and stopped short. “Where’s Wade?”

  Pops stretched back in his recliner and shifted his weight. “Went home. Said to tell you good-night.”

  “Oh.”

  Pops eyed her carefully, correctly interpreting the disappointment hunching her shoulders. “Is that something you’re going to get used to? Him being gone?”

  “I might as well.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “He’s done what he came to town to do. He won’t stick around long now.”

  “Maybe,” he said oh, so casually, “all he needs is a reason to stay. Maybe,” he added, “he needs a little encouragement.”

  “And maybe,” she said direly, “he can’t wait to shake the dust of this two-bit town off his Ferragamos.”

  “His what?”

  “Fancy shoes.”

  “Only shoes I’ve seen him wear since he hit town are sneakers.”

  “It was just an expression.”

  “A telling one,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You. By golly, I think you’re a snob,” he declared.

  Dixie was shocked. “Pops! Why would you say such a thing? I’m not a snob. I’m not in a position to turn my nose up at anybody.”

  “But you just did. What do they call it? Reverse snobbery, that’s it.”

  “Why, because I made a crack about Wade’s shoes? It was just an expression. I didn’t mean anything by it, for heaven’s sake.”

  “Hmph. I think you don’t like him anymore, now that you found out he’s rich.”

  “Don’t be silly, Pops. I’m just trying to be realistic. He didn’t come here to get involved with me or anyone else. He came to see about the boys, and he’s done that. Why are we having this conversation?”

  “Beats the hell outta me. You could be right, anyway.”

  “I’m what?” She cupped a hand to her ear. “I don’t think I heard that. What did you say?”

  Pops chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I said you were right. Maybe.”

  “Eureka! About what?”

  “About Wade maybe leaving.”

  Dixie threw her hands in the air. “I give up. Now you’re arguing my side?”

  He shrugged. “It’s just that you didn’t give him a by-your-leave when you left with the boys. I think you hurt his feelings. Made him feel unwanted.”

  “Oh, come on. It was bath time. He’s got thicker skin than that,” she protested.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said, doubt in his voice.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Dixie jumped up from the sofa and headed for the door. “I’m going out for a breath of air. Will you stay in the house until I get back?”

  Pops smirked. “Only if you promise to stay gone all night.”

  “Pops! I’m shocked. Truly shocked.” And more embarrassed than she remembered being in ages, she thought as she slammed out of the house.

  The air was warm and humid, the sky dark. Here on her street, with the streetlight so near, only a few stars were visible.

  She decided to walk. Not that she was going anyplace in particular. She just wanted to get out for a bit. Still, wherever she ended up would be nobody’s business. Having her car parked somewhere would only create questions, cause talk. No. Walking was the thing.

  As long as no one saw her, she thought. They’d stop and ask if she was all right. Nobody walked in Tribute.

  She took the residential streets.

  Wade didn’t go straight home. He was too wound up. He needed to burn off some of the tension coiling in his gut. He walked to the high school and the track behind it. This time of night, the student athletes were finished with it for the day.

  The track enclosed the high school football field. It sat in a flat bowl, with small hills surrounding it. The houses on those hills had backyards that looked down on the field. The cheap seats for football games. Cheap if you didn’t count the mortgage.


  He stepped onto the track and started walking faster until, by the first turn, he was jogging. By the back stretch, he was running all-out. The dark didn’t bother him. There was enough light from the houses above to guide him. And he’d been running here several times during the past couple of weeks. He felt as if he could run it with his eyes closed, but he decided not to try it.

  He ran until all he thought about was the pounding of his feet, the burning of his calves. The beating of his heart.

  He did four laps, then slowed down and walked a fifth. Jeans and dress shirt, even short-sleeved, were not good running attire. He wasn’t normally sweating this much after four laps. And he wasn’t likely to cool down much, either, in this humidity. He looked forward to hitting the shower.

  But when he turned up his sidewalk and finally looked up at his door, he forgot about the shower. He stopped cold and stared. His heart started racing as if he were back on the track. “Dixie? What are you doing here?”

  Dixie rose from his stoop and brushed off the seat of her jeans. What was she doing here? She had no clue. Probably making a fool out of herself. But, as the saying went, no guts, no glory.

  “I came to talk to you.”

  He glanced around, up and down the street. “Where’s your car?”

  “Worried about your reputation if I stay too late?”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. I took a page from your book and walked. You must have taken the long way, since I beat you.”

  “I went to the track and ran.”

  “Oh, well, it was none of my business, anyway. I shouldn’t have just dropped in on you this way. Shouldn’t have presumed—”

  “Dixie.” His voice was softer than the air around her. His fingers touching her cheek sent a shiver of heat racing down her spine. “You can presume anything you want about me. Or you can just ask. Or drop by and sit on my stoop whenever you want.”

  She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. She stepped back far enough that his hand dropped away from her face. All she could think to say was, “Okay.”

  “Come on in.” He pushed the door open and motioned her inside. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

  She knew she should turn around and go home, but she found herself stepping through the door and into his apartment. “Not much” was an understatement. From what she could see, there were only two rooms, and they were small. There was a water stain on the ceiling. The furniture must have come with the place; she couldn’t imagine Wade purchasing the worn, outdated sofa and chair on purpose.

  “You live here?”

  “I do. Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got soft drinks, orange juice and water.”

  “Wade, you live here? You live here?”

  “Yes, Dixie, I live here.”

  She turned in a slow circle. The walls seemed freshly painted, but that was the best she could say for the place. It was small and dark and depressing. “Why?”

  “Because I got tired of staying at the motel. I needed a place to live. This was available. What’s your problem?”

  He was sounding testy, and she couldn’t blame him. She was insulting his home, as it were. She just couldn’t help it. “With all your money, why are you living in this dump?”

  “Ah, that’s it. I’m rich, so this is beneath me.”

  She grimaced. “When you put it like that it sounds stupid.” Had Pops been right? Was she a snob? “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right. If I’d come here last week, I wouldn’t have thought a thing about it. Now I’ve offended you and that’s the last thing I wanted to do.”

  With a hand to her lower back, he took her farther into the room so he could close the door. That touch felt…intimate. Too intimate. It made her want to turn into him and wrap herself in his arms.

  “If that was the last thing you wanted, what was the first?”

  Dixie turned to face him. She had to get her brain working again. “I’m sorry. What?”

  He peered at her closely. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Oh, and wasn’t that a stupid question. She was acting like a zombie. With attention deficit disorder.

  “Because you don’t seem like yourself. What I said tonight is no more than we talked about last night. Was there something there that bothered you? And you never did say if you wanted anything to drink.”

  “I’ll have a soda. And no, nothing bothered me any more tonight than it did last night. I want to thank you for how you handled things with the boys, thank you for what you gave them of their father.”

  “Dixie.” He trailed his fingers across her cheek, as he’d done outside on the stoop.

  Her knees turned to jelly.

  “You don’t have anything to thank me for.”

  He lowered his hand and moved the eight feet or so from the front door to the refrigerator in his kitchen and took out two cans. “Do you want it in a glass with ice?”

  “No. Thanks. The can is fine.”

  “Okay, then.” He handed her the can, then took her other hand in his. “Come sit down and talk to me.” He led her to the sofa, then sat in the chair across from her.

  When he released her, the heat from his touch stayed in her hand. She was grateful she wasn’t trembling on the outside, the way she was on the inside.

  “Not that I’m not glad you’re here,” he said. “But, why, exactly, are you here, Dix?”

  Dix. That was the second time he’d called her that. She liked it. She found it odd that no one had ever called her that before.

  The smile she gave him felt strained. “I’m not sure. I came either to tell you goodbye or beg you to stay.”

  He gave a slight jerk, or a flinch, maybe. She couldn’t tell. “Am I going somewhere?” he asked.

  She took a sip and leaned back on the sofa. “I don’t see any reason for you to stay now.” When she slowly raised her gaze, she ran smack into his.

  “I do.” He held her gaze, trapped her.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat refused to work. She cleared it, then tried again. “You do what?”

  He took a sip from his can without releasing her gaze. “See a reason to stay. I’m looking at it.”

  She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t swallow. It was becoming a habit around him, she thought inanely. “What’s a woman supposed to say to a line like that?”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “If you think it’s just a line, then you obviously don’t believe me.”

  They stared at each other for a long time, then finally Wade spoke. “All right, I’ll go first. Right now I have no logical reason to stay in town. I can create one. A business opportunity has opened up here that I’d like to get my hands on. It would mean I’d be living here, in Tribute.”

  Dixie’s heart raced. It soared. “What business?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not ready to say, because as legitimate and promising and practical as that business would be, it’s still only business. It wouldn’t be the real reason I’d stay.”

  “It wouldn’t?”

  “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

  Dixie started shaking. “Say what?”

  “That I want to stay for you. I want you to want me to stay. I love you, Dixie. I know this is way too fast. We barely know each other. But for me, that doesn’t seem to matter. If you say there’s no chance for us, I’ll pack up and go. But if you think—”

  Dixie slammed her drink can onto the coffee table, leaped over the table and into Wade’s arms. “Don’t you dare,” she cried, covering his face with kisses. “Don’t you dare leave.”

  Wade squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe. “Thank God.”

  “I love you, I love you, I want you to stay.” She held on tight and kissed him frantically, as if he were fading away in her arms.

  “I didn’t want to leave.” He kissed her cheek, her chin, her neck. “But I didn’t think I could stand to stay if you didn’t want m
e.”

  “Not want you? I’ve been pining away for you for days.”

  He grinned down at her. “We can’t have that. Here. Are you feeling faint?” He swept her up in his arms. His brow raised in question. “Maybe you need to lie down.”

  “Yes,” she told him, her heart and her confidence swelling. “I most definitely need to lie down. But not alone. I’m so tired of alone.”

  He carried her into his small bedroom and stood her beside the bed, then turned on the bedside lamp. “Ah, Dix.” He cupped her face gently in both hands and looked into her eyes. “You don’t ever have to lie down alone again.”

  Something—everything—inside Dixie stilled. “Ever?”

  “Not if you marry me.”

  After she blinked to clear her vision, and swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat, Dixie placed her hand over his heart and felt the beating there. “I need to know that it’s you asking me, you who feels this way, that this isn’t some trick of your cellular memory.”

  “That’s my heart you feel beating, and I’ve got the scar to prove it. What I thought or felt from cellular memory was for the boys. I never had a thought about you until I saw you that day I walked into the diner. This is all me, Dixie. Wade Harrison loves Dixie McCormick, and Wade Harrison loves her sons and Pops. Wade Harrison wants to marry all of you. As long as you’re sure that you love me, and not just that heart you feel pounding away in there.”

  “Oh, it’s you I love,” she assured him. “If I was mixing you up with Jimmy Don, we’d already be divorced.”

  “That was fast. I think I missed our wedding. I know I missed our wedding night.”

  Dixie smiled and pulled him close, bumping her hips against his. “Why don’t we see if we can do something about that?” She stepped back and reached to pull her T-shirt off over her head, but Wade stopped her.

  “Let me.”

  Dixie shivered.

  “Cold?”

  She tried to laugh. “I think I’m nervous. I haven’t done this in a while. A long while.”

  He gently raised her T-shirt and pulled it off. He tossed it to the floor. “Neither have I, but they say you never forget how. Look at you. I knew you’d be beautiful.”