“Great. You have my business then.”
“Just like that?”
He shrugs. “Just like that. Now we can have dinner.”
“Actually,” I interrupt him, “if that’s all the business we have to discuss, I can go and let you...”
“No way, Millie. I came prepared so we wouldn’t have to talk business. I want to get to know you.”
As soon as he says it, the server appears. “Sorry about that. We’re filling up fast. Have y’all decided what you want to have?”
Austin looks at me and darn it, that look he’s given me is causing me to feel all kinds of things. “I’ll take the Cobb salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side. And a slice of your apple cinnamon Blaze cake.”
Austin’s smile gets even bigger when I order the cake, and I smile back. He orders a steak and potato before the server leaves with the promise to be back as soon as the food is ready.
“Now,” Austin says and leans across the table, “if I go wash my hands, are you going to be here when I get back?”
I nod, and he starts to scoot out of the booth. But he stops as he stands up, and I have to lift my head to look up at him. He leans in real close, and he may be dirty, but damn the man smells good. “Promise me. Promise you’ll be here when I get out, sugar.”
And I answer without even thinking about it. “I promise.”
He looks like he wants to kiss me. It would take each of us moving our faces two inches to make it happen, and I swear I can almost imagine exactly how his lips are going to feel on mine. I hold my breath, waiting. “I want to kiss you, Millie. But our first kiss is not going to happen with half the town watching. I’ll be right back.”
And with that bombshell, he raises up, winks, and walks toward the back of the restaurant. A few minutes later, I remember to breathe.
Austin
Sugar. So far that’s the winner. That’s the one that brings her smile full force and makes her eyes dilate. She liked it when I called her sugar, and I know I’m going to have to stop myself from calling her that twenty more times tonight just because I want to see her reaction.
I wash my hands quickly and go back to the booth. She’s sitting right where I left her, and when I sit down, I can’t resist. I lean over and pick up her hand that’s resting on the table. “I’m back.”
Startled, she tries to pull back, but I don’t let her go. “Can I hold your hand? It was either that or I was going to sit down next to you and put my arm around you. I figure you’d be more comfortable with this.”
She stops pulling, and her hand wraps around mine. Whether she realizes she did it or not, I take advantage and tighten my hold on her. “So how was your day?”
She is staring at our hands. Mine is engulfing her smaller one, and it brings out all kinds of protective thoughts inside my head. She stutters when she looks up at me. “Uh, it was fine. Busy. The store was busy.”
“So, tell me about Mike, the manager. I had the feeling that he liked you. Is there something going on there?”
She starts to snort and catches herself before shaking her head. “We used to date.”
I can feel my chest tighten, but I make sure not to put any more pressure on her hand. “So you must have broken it off because it was pretty obvious he still has feelings for you.”
She frowns. “Actually, I did break it off with him. He was dating me to get the manager’s job while he was sleeping with someone else.”
Surprised and a little pissed off, I grit my teeth before asking her, “Your dad doesn’t seem like the type to be okay with that.”
Guilt shines on her face. “He doesn’t know. My dad is wanting – no needing – to take time off. He wants to retire, and I don’t want to mess that up for him. I can handle Mike.”
I want to ask her more about it. Actually, I want to go to the co-op and punch this Mike in the face, but it’s obvious that Millie is done talking about it. Especially when she asks me about my ranch.
The server brings our food, and I reluctantly let go of Millie’s hand. I tell her about the ranch and that I’d like her to come see it sometime.
We laugh and talk, and I’ve never been as captivated and comfortable with a woman in my life. Maybe it’s the fact that she knows all about ranching. Maybe it’s the fact that with each passing minute, I want her even more. But whatever it is, I wish this night would never end.
When they bring the ticket and we’ve both eaten a piece of cake, I walk to the cashier holding Millie’s hand. I’m just not ready to let her go yet.
I ignore the stares we get from people. I can feel Millie tense beside me, but I hope it’s only because she doesn’t like being the center of attention and not because she doesn’t want to be seen with me. “Are you parked at the co-op?”
She looks up at me. “I am. Thank you for dinner. I had a really good time.”
“Me too, sugar. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”
She tries to stop me. “No, I’m sure you’re parked around back. I can walk by myself. Whiskey Run is pretty safe.”
I give her hand a tug and wrap my arm around
