“’Zat right? If I were a car thief, I might think this is a pretty good place to practice my profession. The local sheriff is a joke.”
Without more talk, he held the entry door for her to walk through and they settled into one of the pink vinyl-upholstered booths. A larger-than-life black and white portrait of Elvis Presley hung on the wall directly in Sandi’s line of sight. Other ’60s memorabilia decorated the walls. Black and white tiles covered the floor in a checkerboard pattern. Black metal chairs with pink padded seats were parked at white Formica tables.
Sandi took all of it in, amazed. She had eaten Hogg’s food when Aunt Ed had provided it, but she had never been inside the restaurant. “This place looks like a cartoon,” she muttered.
“Food’s good though.”
She diverted her gaze to him. He was looking at her intently with those blue, blue eyes, his forearms resting on the table and showing pronounced veins below his rolled-up sleeves. A little buzz zinged through her system.
He smiled, showing perfect straight teeth. He certainly had a good dentist. “You’re staring at me. What’s wrong? Is my eye makeup smeared all over my face?”
“Only a little.”
She quickly wiped under her eyes with her fingertips. “Better?”
“You look great. We ran into each other yesterday at that beauty parlor for dogs up in Midland. My name’s Nick Conway in case you forgot. But I didn’t catch your name.”
True. With all of the commotion of feisty puppies barking and milling and Prissy swooning, she hadn’t introduced them. A memory of what Fiona had said about him and Sylvia Armbruster burst into Sandi’s head: ...I know absolutely everything about him, and I mean everything. I even know the size of his ding-dong. Why do you think I’m dying to meet him? A guy who brings that much to the party? Well ... what can I say?...
Sandi’s cheeks warmed at awareness of such intimate details about this man who was a virtual stranger. Was what Fiona had said true? Sandi couldn’t keep a visual from forming. Then, there was the encounter on the highway earlier.
...Speaking of plans, is it your plan to stand in the road and get run over? Do I need to get another rope?...
She still smarted over that tacky remark.
After all of that, how could she not feel as if she knew him? But she wasn’t sure she liked him. Why had she agreed to have a meal with a jerk, sexy with a big ding-dong or otherwise? “Did you fix the fence?”
“Nope. I don’t fix fences. But I got somebody else to do it.”
She waited for more information. When none came, she said, “My name’s Sandi. I own LaBarkery a few doors down the mall from the Pampered Pooch.”
“What’s that, a dress store?”
Was he dense or what? “Who would name a dress shop LaBarkery? I sell gourmet food for dogs and cats. And a few other pets.”
“You don’t say.”
She made a mental gasp. He had absolutely no interest in who she was or what she did. “I made up the name myself. Bark as in LaBarkery? Get it? It’s supposed to be clever.”
“I get it. I didn’t know pets needed gourmet food.”
“Gourmet might be the wrong word. What I sell, really, is fresh, healthy food I make myself.”
“Sounds expensive. Speaking of food, what would you like to eat?”
She gave him a squint-eye, then swept her gaze up to the white menu with black letters and numbers hanging over the order counter. Hogg’s was supposed to be a fast-food place, but their menu was widely varied.
When she didn’t answer right away, he said, “Order whatever you like. I’m gonna have the Hogg’s Special.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a burger.” He pointed to the menu. “Look at Number One.”
She read through the description of Number One: Double lean beef patties, three thick slices of bacon, two slices of cheddar cheese, grilled onions and jalapenos. And a fried egg. All of it topped off with a Texas-size helping of Hogg’s homemade chili. It came with a pile of French fries drenched with Hogg’s special sauce.
She turned back to him, her eyes bugged. “Oh, my Lord. If you eat all that, you might need an ambulance. And the last I heard, the nearest hospital is all the way up in Odessa.”
“I like living dangerous. What would you like to eat? Go ahead and order.”
She returned her attention to the menu. “Well, not much, really....Maybe some chicken tenders. Hm. Then again, maybe not. I don’t know if I’m in the mood for eating fowl right now. And they’re deep-fried. Still, they look like the only thing on the menu that isn’t loaded with calories....Oh, wait, I know. I could have a Hogg’s Chili Dog. I haven’t had a chili dog in ages. But that’s probably super fattening and they say hot dogs are so unhealthy. ... Hey, they serve breakfast all day. I could have —”
“Ma’am, please. I’m hungry. Pick something.”
She gave him a glare and a gasp. “Look, you’re the one who asked me in here. I didn’t ask you.”
He shrugged and arched his brow.
“You know what? A small plain hamburger is just fine. A child’s size.”
“Baby hamburger. Coming up.” He scooted out of the booth and walked to the order counter, giving Sandi another excellent view of his very fine butt in his tight Wranglers. But after Fiona’s drunken remarks, that wasn’t the part that drew her.
Thinking of sex, her boyfriend floated into her mind. Had she ever seen Richard in a pair of tight jeans? The answer to that question was a resounding no. If he wore jeans at all, he wore “mom jeans.” His body was a pathetic comparison to the one standing at the counter placing an order for hamburgers.
She pinched herself mentally. Richard might not be a hard body with a big ding-dong, but he was steady, with a good education and a good income. He
