“You know already?”
“Yep. He told me those were the nights he’s usually free. Monday night is his book club and Tuesday he goes bowling.”
“My gosh, you know more about Gus than I do, and I work with him every day.”
“See. That’s what I want to avoid with us. I want to know what your favorite color is. What movies you like to see. Do you read?”
“Yellow. What is your favorite color?”
“Green.”
“I like comedies and I love to read when I can find the time.”
He pushed away from the wall. “This is good. It’s a start. But there is so much more, and since we’re sharing living space, I figure we should get to know each other.”
“Okay. How about Thursday night? My riding lessons are over with by five that evening.”
“Then it’s a date. I’ll tell Gus to stay late on Thursday. Where would you like to go?”
“To tell you the truth I haven’t been to too many places in Cimarron City. I’ll let you pick.”
“Surprise you?”
“So long as I know what to wear. I’ll let Gus know for you.”
“Great. I need to get back to work before my secretary files a missing-person report.” As he strode away, he whistled some tune he’d heard earlier on the radio, a lightness in his heart.
* * *
Humming a song she’d heard at church last Sunday, Tory appraised her outfit in the full-length mirror on her closet door. The soft pastel-blue rayon dress emphasized her narrow waist with a wide belt of the same material adorned in sequins and beadwork in flower designs. Along the scooped neckline and hem were the same flower decorations. She drew the white shawl about her shoulders and turned one final time to make sure she looked all right, the full skirt billowing out, then falling to below her knees when she stopped and faced the mirror again. Fortifying herself with a deep gulp of oxygen, she checked her hair, styled in a French braid that hung down her back. A few wisps framed her face, devoid of most makeup except pink lipstick and dark mascara.
A knock sounded at her door. She jumped. “Yes?”
“Are you ready?” Slade asked without opening the door.
“Yes, I’ll be out in a sec.” Tory glanced back at herself. Was she ready to go out on her first date in over four years? Even though Slade was her husband, she felt as though this was their first date. Her nerves were jittery, her mouth dry—just as if she’d never shared a house with the man.
When she entered the living room, Gus whistled and Mindy clapped, bouncing up and down on the couch.
Tory scanned the room. “Where’s Slade?”
“Right here.”
She whirled toward the sound of his deep voice. He stood in the doorway into the kitchen, his gaze traveling slowly up the length of her.
He let out his own whistle. “You look great. Ready?”
The male appreciation she saw in his eyes robbed her of the ability to speak. She swallowed several times and finally managed, “Yes.”
“I left the information of where we’re going, by the phone, Gus.”
“You two go out and have fun. Miss Mindy and I are going to have our own fun. I’ve got some movies we’re gonna watch, and some popcorn.”
“Bedtime is nine, Mindy. Don’t give Gus any trouble about going to bed.”
Mindy beamed, her hands folded in her lap. “I won’t.”
Slade gave Mindy a kiss, then Tory did.
As she and Slade walked toward the front door, she heard Mindy ask Gus, “Can—I have—a soda?”
Slade paused, said, “Just a minute,” and went back to the living room. “No caffeine, Mindy, or you’ll never get to sleep.”
“But—Dad-dy—”
Slade held up his hand. “Fruit juice, young lady.”
“Oo-kay.”
Tory could imagine the pout on Mindy’s mouth as she agreed. If they let the little girl, Mindy would drink sodas all day long. She definitely had a sweet tooth. The thought of Mindy settled her nerves. When Slade returned to her side, Tory sent him a smile, grateful for his laid-back ways and his innate understanding.
When she slid into the passenger’s side of Slade’s car, she followed his progress around to the driver’s side, admiring his self-confidence conveyed in how he carried himself, the pride he took in his appearance. He looked dynamite tonight, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a white shirt and a red tie.
“I’m guessing from the way we’re dressed that we’re going to a nice restaurant tonight,” Tory said as Slade pulled out onto the main highway into town.
“It’s the new one out on Old Baker’s Road.”
“The restaurant they made out of the Whitney’s Flour Mill?”
He nodded. “I hear the food is delicious. I thought we could check it out before your parents and sister’s family come back to town during the Fourth of July weekend.”
“You don’t have to take them out to dinner. They don’t expect that.”
“I want to get to know them, too. Gus has already agreed to baby-sit one of those evenings so just the adults can go out.”
“I know my sister will be thrilled.”
“It’s good for a couple to go out by themselves every once in a while. I want us to at least once a month.”
A couple! Once a month! Oh, my. She knew that what Slade thought was right. Each day she was married to him made it seem more real than the day before. Sometimes she found herself wanting to pinch herself to see if she would wake up from a dream. Just a month ago she wouldn’t have thought of herself as someone’s wife or mother and certainly not half of a couple.
At the new restaurant the sound of the stream behind the old mill lent a tranquil quality to the evening. The sun dipped behind the tall maples and oaks along the west side, creating shadows as night grew closer. The fresh scent of earth and forest saturated the warm air and the coolness of the surrounding towering trees chased away some of the heat of a June day.
The atmosphere was romantic and further
