He popped open the lid of the cooler. Two cans of Dr. Pepper. She cared enough to go out and buy them especially for him. Promising.
He lifted one of the cans. “Thanks, Red, very thoughtful.” Under the table he put his hand on her thigh and squeezed, then silently laughed at the blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Y-you’re welcome,” she stuttered. “I had some in the refrigerator.”
Like hell you did, gorgeous.
He left his palm on her leg. She shoved it away. He put it back.
She stood and said, “I have to check on Skipper.”
Charlene grinned at Dwayne when her sister walked away. “Don’t ever find yourself drowning alongside that dog, because you’d be second in line for Marla to save.”
“I get the picture.”
Grateful for Charlene’s endless chatter, Marla worked to relax, if that was even possible with Dempsey’s big warm hand on her leg. She reached under the table again and lifted it away. He squeezed her fingers and let go. She couldn’t look at him, so she nodded wide-eyed at Charlene, pretending to be interested in what she had to say.
“Then when we got to my apartment, I couldn’t find my keys. It’s not possible to lose keys between turning off the ignition of my car and walking to my front door, which can’t be more than fifteen feet from the curb, but that’s exactly what I did. You should have seen us crawling around the grass in the dark looking for them.” She giggled and gazed into Donovan’s eyes. “Right, Donnie?”
“Right, sugar.” He kissed her again.
Marla cleared her throat. “Should Dwayne and I move to another table? I get the feeling we’re intruding on a very intimate moment here.”
“Oh, lord, Marla. Don’t be a sourpuss.”
She was about to respond to her sister’s insult when Dwayne put his hand back on her leg. The retort got firmly stuck in her throat.
“Hey, why don’t we change the subject?” Dwayne suggested. “Donovan, I’m taking Amber and Miss Emmaline up to Wyoming to spend the summer at Mom’s place. I was thinking you might want to drive up with us if you have enough leave time. I know she’d love to see you.”
“It takes two days to drive each way, so I’ll have to pass. I only have three more days leave. I’ll visit the ranch this summer though. I’ve already talked to Mom about it. It’ll be great with Miss Emmaline and Amber there too. How long are you planning to stay?”
The look of relief on Char’s face when she heard him say he wouldn’t be leaving Spring Grove surprised Marla. Was it possible she cared about Donovan that much? The next few days promised to be interesting.
“That’s good you’re planning to visit this summer. It’s about time you got back on a horse. I’m only staying a couple of days myself. I’ll spend more time at the end of summer when Marla’s construction job is put to bed.”
She swallowed and tried to will the heat of a blush away at the word “bed.” Again, she reached under the table and pushed Dwayne’s hand off her leg and scooted a few inches away from him. “Uh, you’re leaving right away?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, soon as school’s out.” The wry twist on his lips infuriated and unsettled her.
She knew he’d put her on edge deliberately, and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. She threw her leg over the bench and stood. “I’m going to check on Amber and Skip.”
Dwayne got up. “I’ll go with you.”
She walked fast in hopes he’d have trouble keeping up with her. He caught up, darn him. “What did you think you were doing back there, Dempsey?”
“Feeling up your leg, Danaher.” He chuckled. “Felt good too, all that feminine softness and heat.”
She stopped and slammed her hands on her hips. “I asked you not to do that. Did your hearing get damaged in the war too?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact it did, but there’s nothing wrong with my instincts, and I know you enjoyed it.”
“You’re a bonehead. How and why would I enjoy being touched by somebody who’s always teasing me about my weight?”
“I have never once teased you about your weight.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Let me make myself clear. You’re. Not. Fat. Your weight is perfect. In fact, I’d love to get my hands on every single sexy ounce of you, Marla Danaher.” He threw up his arms and stalked away.
Charlene called, “Marla, Donovan and I are leaving.”
She returned to the table. “We just got here twenty minutes ago. What’s your hurry?”
“You and Dwayne are at each other’s throats. You’re putting a damper on our good mood, so we’re going to go back to my place and work on improving it.” She picked up their blanket and handed it to Donovan. “We’ll see you later at Mt. Fuji.”
“What? Mt. Fuji? What are you talking about, Charlene?”
“Did you already forget that we’re meeting Sil and Dadley there for dinner tonight?” She shook her head and sighed. “Yes, I can see you forgot. Be there by seven.” She took Donovan’s hand. “Come on, honey. Let’s see if we can work up an appetite for dinner.”
He grinned and definitely would have panted if he’d been a dog. “Oohrah. You don’t have to ask me twice, sweet thing.”
Marla’s face burned with embarrassment at her sister’s blatant innuendos. They wasted no time getting to Char’s car.
Great, just great! Now she was stuck here with Dwayne. He was her ride home. Five miles was too far to walk in this heat, poor Skip would expire. Face it, Marla, she told herself. Be the grownup in the room. Forget what he said and what he did. Pretend it never happened.
But he said he liked her body. He thought she was sexy.
Dwayne clasped
