Climbing behind the wheel, he laid his hat on the dash. “Scundered again.” He shut the door, which made the smell more pronounced.
“Which means?”
“I embarrassed myself.”
“Hey, I promise you I’d do the same thing in Ireland.”
He looked at her and grinned. “Thanks for saying that. And you would. One of my mates works at a car rental and the stories he tells are gas.” He latched his seatbelt. “I was just trying to impress you with my cowboy manners. These McLintock fellas could teach me a thing or two. ”
“I happen to think you’re fine the way you are.”
He looked at her, a question lurking in his eyes. “Is that so?”
“Last night you asked whether I’d consider you if the problems magically disappeared.”
His gaze sharpened. “I did ask that, yeah.”
“I would.”
His face relaxed into a beautiful smile. “I knew it!”
“You did not!"
“You gave yourself away, lass, taking all those extra pictures at the cemetery. Even a video.”
Caught. She flushed. “How’d you?—”
“Lethal sharp hearing.” He leaned closer and cupped her cheek. “I’m honored that you feel the same about me as I feel about you.”
His tender gaze created a sweet ache, a longing to be held, to be loved. “It’s hopeless, you know.”
“Let’s not tell ourselves that.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek.
“But realistically?—”
“Let’s be unrealistic.”
“That will only?—”
“Make it worse at the end? Then don’t think about the end. If I could kiss you right now, you’d stop thinking and start feeling, but it’s not the place. And this car stinks.”
That made her smile. “It does.”
“Fancy putting down the windows on the way back?”
“I do.”
“Then let’s get out of here.” Facing forward, he switched on the engine, studied the buttons on the armrest and put down the windows. “Ahhh, better. I was afraid to do that yesterday, when I was up to ninety with massive vehicles on all sides.”
“You were going ninety?”
“Not really. It’s just what we say. I kept the needle around seventy-five.” Checking his mirrors, he put the car in reverse and backed out. “Also I didn’t know which button. I could hit the wrong one while I was tearing down the motorway and make my seat tilt backwards.”
“Sounds like you’ve seenPlanes, Trains and Automobiles.”
“That I have.” He chuckled. “Took off my jacket before I got in because of that film.” He headed down Main Street.
“Do you know the route? Or do you need me to?—”
