“Really?” His face reminded her of a little boy who’d just been told for the first time that the tooth fairy would come and leave him money under his pillow. “And here I was worried I’d find you up here repacking and ready to catch the first flight back to Las Vegas.”
“Not on your life. I’m yours for the year.” Her words registered a moment too late and she felt heat creep up her neck. “I mean…”
He chuckled and pushing away from the frame, held up his hand. “I know what you meant.” Stepping into the room, he stopped a few feet away from her. “If we’re going to do this for months, you can’t keep worrying I’m going to misconstrue whatever you say.”
She bobbed her head.
“You’re going to have to trust me a little bit.”
“But I do.” How could he think she’d have come if she didn’t?
“Then we’re off to do the town.” A smile spread across his face and put every unsettled nerve at ease.
The ride into Honeysuckle didn’t take near as long as she thought. In town, the evening air was warm and fragrant withthe scent of cut grass and popcorn and other savory smells she couldn’t quite pinpoint.
Hyper-aware of Kade’s hand resting lightly on the small of her back as he guided her through the sea of blankets and lawn chairs, she reminded herself to breathe.
“Relax,” he murmured against her ear. “Just be yourself.”
“Myself. Got it.”
“This is going to be easy. Operation Convince the Town is officially underway.” His designating their foray into town with a mission name made her smile now the same as it had when he’d first mentioned it.
The band started—country with a rock edge, fiddle and guitar mixing in a way that was distinctly Texas. She found herself swaying slightly, Kade’s arm a warm, steady comforting presence at her waist. Suddenly, the light pressure against her back shifted, his whole body went stiff.
“Deep breath, soldier, you look like you’re about to breach a hostile compound.”
He let out a short, surprised laugh, the sound of a low rumble that vibrated through her, then whispered into her ear, “Threats acquired.”
Her gaze followed his, landing on two women holding court on a picnic blanket. One of them glittered from head to toe, a human disco ball catching the last rays of the setting sun. “Let me guess. The bling queen?”
“Mildred McEntire in the flesh.” He gave the woman a friendly wave and redirected Cassidy toward a spot near the back, under the sprawling branches of live oak trees. “The woman she’s with is Iris Hathaway. Telegraph, telephone, and tell Iris. Between her and Mildred, if anyone in town didn’t know we’re an item, they will in a few minutes.”
That had Cassidy giggling. “Got it. So small-town stories are true.”
“Every word.”
The local band on the gazebo stage was surprisingly good, their music a comfortable, easy rhythm that seemed to settle over the crowd. For a moment, watching families and couples relax in the twilight, she let herself forget they were on display.
“You weren’t kidding.” She lifted her chin toward well-lit corn hole courts at the edge of the park, where a game was still in full swing.
Smiling, he shook his head. “It’s a requirement for residency.”
She laughed, a bright, clear sound that did wonders to finish unraveling the nervous knots that had been tightening in her gut all day. “I’m sensing you’re not entirely joking.”
“Only a little.” He turned to her, his blue eyes sparkling with a challenge. “Want to give it a try?”
Staring into the distance at the group playing, she shrugged. “How hard can it be?”
He led her over to an empty court and explained the rules with a mock seriousness that made her smile. She listened, her mind not just hearing the words but seeing the angles, calculating the trajectory, absorbing the simple, elegant geometry of the game. Her first few throws were decent, landing solidly on the board. His were better. Next turn she took a breath, adjusted her stance, and pictured the arc in her mind. She tossed the bag. It sailed through the air in a perfect, smooth curve, landing dead center and sliding directly into the hole. “And that,” she dusted her hands off with a triumphant grin, “is what we call a comeback.”
It pleased her more than she could say that his smile was genuine. So many men in her life had been intimidated by the way her mind worked, and the things she could do because of it. This was… nice.
The game and the concert wound down at just about the same time. She wouldn’t have minded if they’d both lasted a little longer.
His hand found hers, his fingers lacing through hers in a way that felt surprisingly natural. “How about a beer at the Whiskey Moon?”
The suggestion came as if he’d read her mind. For reasons she couldn’t explain, that made her truly happy. “I think I’d like that.”
