He touched her hair, smoothed it away from her neck. "I knew the kind of questions they had put to you. Personal things about us. Lord, how embarrassing that must have been for you. How do you think I felt, knowing you were making that sacrifice for me?"
He laid his hand over his heart. "And then do you know what the bastards told me to throw me off balance? They said that you claimed I had bragged to you about setting that fire. Can you believe that? Sure, you joked with me about it the other night, but you weren't serious, right?"
"Uh, uh, right."
"Don't worry. I didn't fall for the ploy. I knew they were bluffing, trying to trap me into admitting something. You'd never betray me like that. Not when we were planning to get married. The last thing I ever wanted was for you to be dragged into this mess." He pulled her close and spoke into her hair. Astonishment had made her body limp.
"I appreciate everything you did to try and save me from prosecution, but I can't let you do any more. I can't let you be called into that courtroom to perjure yourself."
"Perjure myself?"
"Sure," he said, angling away from her. "If you testify under oath that I was with you the night of the fire, then the Haines woman says under oath that I was with her, I'll have to testify under oath that she's telling the truth. You'll be caught in your lie, sweetheart," he said gently. "That is, unless you recant your story immediately. The sooner, the better."
She pushed away from him, staring up at him whey-faced, on the verge of panic. "I never thought of that."
"I know you didn't. All you thought about was me, us, our marriage. Which, of course," he added regretfully, "er be."
"Why not?"
He spread his arms at his sides in a gesture of helplessness. "Do you believe your mama and daddy would let you marry me now, a guy who would sleep with a con's wife? Think about it, sweetheart. They wouldn't stand for it. Your daddy would probably cut you out of his will and leave all his money to charity. They'd rather see you dead than married to me. And, frankly, so would I." His voice was laced with so much earnestness that she didn't hear the irony underlying it.
Clasping her against him again, he hugged her tight for several seconds before releasing her abruptly. "Good-bye, Susan. Since all this has come out in the open, I can't ever see you again."
Before she could speak another word, he left her, choosing to take the gravel path around the house rather than going through its sepulchral hallway to reach the front.
At the corner of the house he turned and looked back.
"Save yourself while you can, Susan. Don't even give yourself time to think about it. Call Pat."
"Yes, yes. I'll do that today. Right now."
"I can't tell you how much better that'll make me feel." He blew her a kiss. "Goodbye."
Hanging his head, he walked with the measured gait of a self-sacrificing patriot on his way to the guillotine. But he was laughing up his sleeve and felt like kicking up his heels.
* * *
Chapter 16
Devon was waiting for him the following morning when he arrived at Tyler Drilling headquarters. Sitting in a straight chair as prim and proper as a finishing-school student, she was talking to Chase and cradling one of their chipped, stained coffee mugs between her hands.
They shared a long stare across a shaft of sunlight in which dust motes danced as crazily as Lucky's pulse was racing at the sight of her.
Chase was the first to break the thick silence. "Devon showed up a few minutes ago," he explained awkwardly. He, too, was evidently at a loss as to why she was there.
"We were just having some coffee. Want some, Lucky?"
"No thanks." He hadn't taken his eyes off Devon. Nor had hers strayed from him.
"The, uh, the crew has already left for Louisiana."
"That's good."
Chase's futile attempts at conversation only emphasized the teeming silence. Uneasily he cleared his throat. "Uh, well, I need to be, uh, doing some things outside. See y'all later." As Chase went past Lucky on his way out, he jostled him with his elbow. It was a silent brotherly communiqué that said, "Snap out of it."
Once Chase had closed the door behind himself, Lucky remarked, "I'm surprised to see you here."
Her smile was swift and unsure. "I surprised myself by coming."