She turned around and smiled. “Sure, but just a sec. I need to get to my desk.”
“How about we go out to dinner this week? Maybe make this bad memory go away. Does Wednesday work for you?”
Dallas touched his sleeve. “Oh, thank you for inviting me, Ethan, but Piper was sick all weekend, and she’s still on the mend. I need to stay home.”
Damn and double damn. He forced an understanding smile and nodded. “Children need their moms when they’re not feeling well. Sometime soon, then, okay?” It had been a year since he’d asked her out. Back then, Dallas said that at two years old, her daughter was going through a stage where she got upset when her mother left her. So, he waited all this time to ask her out again. No way would he lose her now to a freaking cowboy.
She nodded. “Sure, Ethan, and thanks again for thinking of me.”
He chewed his lip as she walked out the door. With that handsome cowboy on the horizon, he had to step up his game. He wasn’t sure what it was about Dallas that made him so mad for her. For years, he’d watched her at the firm before deciding to ask her out. At thirty-five, he knew she was younger—in her mid- to late-twenties. It had been a long time since he’d dated anyone that young. In fact, in the past few years, he saw older, wealthy socialites whom he met at the functions he attended through work. Occasionally, his mother introduced him to someone in their social set in Dallas as well.
Though he enjoyed their company, Dallas was different—refreshing. She was honest and open. He loved her laugh and that she’d say just about anything. Dallas was beautiful without using a lot of makeup, and he was sure she was a natural blonde.
She was smart—way too smart to work as a legal assistant for the rest of her life. One of her team’s paralegals had been out on maternity leave recently, and Dallas had shown herself to be so adept at research that her boss had encouraged her to become a paralegal herself. She should return to school. He didn’t like her working in that honky-tonk, though. She told him that the job funded her school savings. Her work here paid for her living expenses.
As a full partner in the firm, he did very well and couldn’t help but think that if it worked between them, he would make Dallas’s life much easier. She wouldn’t have to worry about money, and he would help with her school. He wondered if she ever thought about him in that way. Maybe it was time to drop some hints—to make sure she did. After all, he would offer her so much more than any cowboy could.
THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY night, Cash parked in an empty spot near the back of the lot at The Last Cowboy Standing. He let out a loud gust of air. This was a first for him. Two weekends in a row at a honky-tonk? And by himself?
He took the note out of his shirt pocket, reading it for the tenth time. When he finished, he sighed. It would have to do. Refolding the paper, he shoved it back in his pocket and opened his door. Reaching for his chest, he couldn’t believe the way his heart pounded. How long had it been since he was nervous about a woman? Ages, that was for sure. He clenched his hands to hold them steady. After the huge mistake he made choosing a wife, he had no confidence in his taste in women. I hope I do a better job this time. Beeping the locks on his truck, he squared his shoulders and strode toward the entrance.
It was nine o’clock, and the place was just beginning to roll. The band hammered out the tune of a rowdy North Texas Red Dirt country song, and dancers twirled around the floor. Dallas’s bar was busy. Standing back, he waited his turn.
As he stepped up to order his beer, Dallas looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. “Cash, you’re back.”
He smiled. “Yep, I am. How are you?”
“Fine. Um, thanks again about last Saturday night. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Glad I was there to help.” He nodded. “Bud Light, please.”
When she brought his beer, he handed her a five, along with his note folded inside it. “Keep the change.”
She took the bill and note, a crease between her brows. “Thanks, Cash.”
Finding a seat not far from the bar, he was able to keep an eye on Dallas. Without knowing where she lived or worked, he didn’t know what else he could do. The woman was busy as hell in here. Her break was the only time she could talk to him, but he wondered if she called in about her daughter during that time. He didn’t want to interfere with that. So, the note was his best idea. It had to work.
THE FIRM EDGES OF THE folded paper poked through Dallas’s pocket, reminding her that she couldn’t just forget that handsome Cash had come back to the club again tonight. What could he want? The bar had been too busy for her to take the time to read it yet. She glanced over to his table. He was still there, watching the dancers out on the floor. Before she could turn away, his gaze swung to her and he grinned. Pressing her lips together, she smiled uneasily, though her heart thudded in response.
A short time later, a pause between customers allowed her to pull the paper out of her pocket and scan it. She felt dizzy as the blood left her face. With trembling fingers, she refolded the note and slipped it back into her pocket. Looking up, and without meaning to, her eyes met Cash’s steady gaze. God, he’d watched her read it.
Heat rushed back to her cheeks and she spun around,
