He didn’t bother. “Sorry. You sold me on the manicotti.”
“Me and my big mouth. Fine.”
They each ordered a glass of wine, then Ruby wandered off to attend to the hostess stand while her servers worked the dining room.
“Nice ambience,” Ryan said of the soft illumination from the warm yellow globes on the walls, the votives on the table and the tiny white twinkle lights framing the large picture window.
“Yes, I love it here. I generally skip lunch when I know I’m coming. And you can’t beat the smell.”
“Oh I beg to differ.” He scooted his chair closer to hers. Leaning toward her, he said in an intimate tone, “You smell as enticing as a summer breeze. Warm and sultry, with a hint of something exotic.”
“Jasmine,” she told him in a breathy voice that drove him wild.
He grinned at her. “Okay, I’m no good at pegging floral scents. But it’s damn sexy, whatever it is.”
She studied him a moment, then asked, “Do you always say what’s on your mind? No holding back?”
“Pretty much. Is that a problem?”
Ginger pressed her lips together as Ruby delivered their wine, offering them personalized service instead of sending one of her servers over. When they were alone again, she said, “Absolutely not. I like it.”
His hand covered hers as it rested on the table. “I don’t want to make things more difficult for you with my aunt. I keep telling you not to worry about what she says, yet I understand how you’re affected. But when it comes right down to it, I just want you to take a chance on us. Maybe that’s being selfish, given that I haven’t been here in a long time and I have less to lose.”
She seemed to give this consideration as she sipped her wine with her free hand. Finally, she set aside her glass and said, “My friends and I have had this discussion many times. The best way to deal with Lydia is to stand our ground. I can do that.”
Ryan brought her hand to his lips as he murmured, “Because you want to see what this is too? Whatever it is that’s happening between us?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation, a hopeful look on her face, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
Ryan’s own excitement flared. Above the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he felt a strong emotional pull. Something about this woman did things to his heart and soul he’d never felt before. Plain and simple, he was nuts about her.
He was more than willing to tell her that, but she suddenly ripped her hand from his and shot to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair.
“What is it?” he demanded, thinking she’d gotten a glimpse of Lydia in the window and had freaked out.
“Reese just ran by. Didn’t you see her?”
“Hard to see much of anything else when I’m looking at you,” he told her.
Ginger’s tense expression softened for a moment. “That’s sweet.” The tension quickly returned, though. “That was very odd,” she said as she glanced out the window. “I just want to check on her.”
She left him and rushed out of the restaurant. Ryan wondered if she’d needed an escape to process what he’d said, but his concern about whether he’d overwhelmed her vanished when he saw her in the window, calling out to Reese. A few seconds later, Reese came jogging back, grasping Ginger’s hands and talking rapidly with a distressed look on her face.
Ryan had a bad feeling about the exchange.
Chapter Three
Ginger’s heart sank as Reese said, “I’m on my way to see the sheriff. Two guys cornered me in the parking lot and stole my purse.”
“Oh no,” she muttered. Then asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. When they caught a glimpse of Bill Horton on the way to his car, they just snatched my bag and ran.”
Hating like hell to pose her next question, Ginger ventured, “Was one a tall, dark-haired guy and the other a shorter redheaded one?”
Reese’s big, tawny-colored eyes
lit up under the glow of the lampposts. “Yes. How’d you know?”