She had her hair loose this evening—long and shimmery-soft with curls tipping just the ends, making it look alive. She was wearing her usual black coat with a red wool scarf, denim leggings that hugged her shape, and knee-high western dress boots that I was sure were left over from her rodeo queening days. But it didn’t matter what she wore. To me, she was always classy and just right. Tonight, though, it looked like she’d spent a little extra time on her looks, and it was a treat to see.
She paused just inside the door, slipping her scarf from around her neck as she glanced around the room. Then her eyes settled on me. And she smiled.
I swallowed. She was walking toward me! My pulse was galloping in my ears, and I had to force myself to breathe before my eyes crossed and my mouth malfunctioned. She must have read my note! I’d been aching to know about it all afternoon, but I hadn’t expected such a quick answer. Was this a yes? Could it really be?
“Hey, guys!” she said brightly as she arrived at our table.
My muscles were frozen for an instant, then jerked to life. “Uh… hi, Jess.” I lurched out of my seat and grabbed my hat off the back of my chair. Austen was slower than I was—I guess no one ever taught him you don’t sit when a lady is standing, but he got the hint.
“Hello,” Austen said. “Good to see you again, Miss Thompkins. Would you like to join us?” I reached for the chair closest to her to pull it out, but Austen beat me to it.
She smiled and eased into the seat, and Austen pushed it in for her. “Thank you. I was hoping I’d run into you this evening.”
Austen and I glanced at each other, and I felt my cheeks getting hot. She wanted to see me! But… but she was looking at him. And he was smiling, too.
“You were?” he asked, his face starting to glow. “Well, that’s nice to hear. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
She wetted her lips and toyed with the spare fork in front of her. “I thought about what you said, and…” she sighed and turned her beautiful eyes to me. And then she stomped on my heart.
“Dusty, would it be okay if I talked to Austen alone?”
I just sat there, blinking stupidly. “A… alone?” I stammered.
She caught her lower lip in her teeth. “I don’t mean to be rude if you guys were in the middle of dinner or something.”
“We just finished,” Austen piped up—a little too quickly. “Dusty was just about to head out, weren’t you, Dusty?”
I couldn’t answer. My mouth just wouldn’t move. She came here to seehim?What about me? Did she get my note, or didn’t she?
“Oh, good,” Jess said, still looking at Austen like he was a sugar cookie. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“Sure, sure. Hey, Dusty, thanks for all your help today. I’ll get the tab, no worries.” He sat down, tugging his chair closer to the corner of the table. Closer toher.
I was still standing there, holding my hat, watching them get cozy around the table. What was I supposed to do? There was only one thing I knew how to do. I closed my eyes, fisted my hand around the keys in my pocket, and turned away.
And I left, alone, while the woman of my heart and my new best friend bent their heads together and laughed.
Chapter 10
Jess
AustenConradwasactuallya pretty funny guy. Who knew? I guess it serves me right for pushing nice guys away before giving them a chance. I found out he didn’t really have any family, had a terrible weakness for sweets, and that underneath his cowboy hat, he was a brainiac with computers. I liked that—there was more to him than met the eye.
He ordered a giant slice of chocolate cake for us to share, and we picked at it and talked for almost an hour. He was open about his struggles with getting started at his ranch, and he kept me laughing at the frustrating things that kept happening to him. How his boots had gotten sucked off his feet in the corrals after the first week of hard rain in October, his first experience chasing loose cows back into their pen, and how every single vehicle and piece of equipment that had come with the ranch had broken down at least once in the last two months. But he told it all in a way that made it sound comical rather than discouraging.
“But thank goodness I’ve had a little turn of luck,” he said as we pried apart the last few bites of cake.
I loaded my fork and slid the chocolate into my mouth. “What kind of luck?”
“Well, the tractor is back, and it seems to be running fine. I finally hired a guy named Danny to live in the bunkhouse and keep things maintained. Oh, and I got a good stock dog. That’s been a big help this week.”
“Oh, great! Did Dusty hook you up?”
Austen nodded and swiped the last bite of cake up with his fork. “Yeah, with pretty near everything. Nice neighbors in these parts.”
I grinned. “You’re starting to talk like them.”
“Am I?” His smile widened. “Is that a compliment?”