“Have you given any thought to where we should stop tonight?” he asked after a fewminutes.
Beside him, Rainey checked her phone. “If you can handle another three or so hours, we could make it toBirmingham.”
Way to go,Floyd.
“I bet we can find a Best Western there that allows pets,” heventured.
“Oh, cool. Did you ever stay in one with yourdog?”
Jacques couldn’t help his grin. “Nah, just something my neighborsaid.”
“Well,” she said, tapping the screen of her phone. “He wasright.”
“He usually is,” Jacquesmuttered.
Chapter 20
“All we have leftfor the night are suites, ma’am,” Ashley the desk clerk told her in a stunning Alabama twang. “But one of them is pet-friendly. I’m afraid we don’t have any standard rooms available for tonight on account of the cheerleadin’competition.”
Ashley hadn’t needed to tell them about the cheerleading competition. The sign on the hotel’s marquee had specifically welcomed all participants in the Alabama High School Sports Association State Cheer Tournament. And a lobby full of toned, chirpy, and gum-popping teenage girls would have been the nextclue.
They’d only stood in line near the check-in counter for all of three minutes, but Rainey was fairly certain no fewer than nineteen girls had already made bedroom eyes over her head at Jacques, so when smiling Ashley mentioned said cheerleaders, Rainey couldn’t bring herself to smileback.
Two of them had even approached Jacques and in almost synchronized harmony asked if Archie was his dog, and those were now pooled at Jacques’s feet, petting herpoodle.
“That’s fine. We’ll take two of those,” she said quietly, trying to ignore Archie’s betrayal as he tipped over onto the hotel lobby floor and let his undercarriageshow.
“Archie, shameless,” Jacques scolded under his breath, and it was enough solidarity to keep Rainey from grinding her teethtogether.
“Awright, ma’am. Each suite is $159 a night plus tax and a $50 petdeposit.”
“Wait, what?” Jacques said, pulling his eyes from Archie and his cheerleadingorgy.
Rainey ignored him, fishing out her credit card, so Alabama Ashley smiled up at him. “Hi, sir, I was just saying that each suite is $159 a night plus tax and that there’ll be a $50 pet deposit on the pet-friendlyroom.”
Jacques turned to Rainey frowning. “What are youdoing?”
“I’m paying for our rooms. What does it look like I’mdoing?”
His frown deepened. “Rainey, with tax that’s four hundred dollars. I can’t let you do that.” She watched him reach into his back pocket and come up with his wallet. He slid a Bank of America card across the counter toAshley.
“Put one of those rooms on this,” he toldher.
“Whoa. Wait a minute.” Rainey snatched up his card before Ashley could lay her fingers on it. “You’re driving me all this way, and you’re not even charging me for it. I can’t let you pay for your room. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t forme.”
Jacques’s dark brows furrowed, shadowing his already dark eyes. If Rainey hadn’t known him to be unfailingly gentle, she might have cowed. Indeed, the giggling cheerleaders at his feet fellsilent.
“I’m here because I want to be here,” he said, his voice hard as flint. “And I can’t let you spend your money on myroom.”
Rainey rolled her eyes. “It’s notmymoney. It’s Doc Dylan Reeve’smoney.”
“Doc Dylan Reeves?! Oh my gosh! Is he here?” Ashley gushed, looking around. “He’s my mama’sfavorite!”
Jacques ignored the girl completely, his eyes locked on Rainey. “I don’t care whose money it is. I’m not letting you pay forme.”
“It’s only fair,” she argued. “Besides, you boughtdinner.”
He glowered down at her. “Dinner. Was. Burgers. And. Fries,” he said, biting off each word. He made to swipe the card from her hands, but for the first time in her life, Rainey proved herself the more agile, jerking her hand out of his reach and promptly stuffing his card down hershirt.