“A very spicy cake it is, too. I like the flavor.” And he was getting hungrier by the second.
“Mama thought we might get together after the wedding. I told her we weren’t ready then. The timing had to be right.”
“Considering how ready I am right now, I think we might have overshot the mark.” He pulled her closer. “How much longer before we can go home?”
She smiled. “Silly man. We just got here.”
“Then I need to step outside and find me a handful of snow.”
Her smile widened. “That was the funniest?—”
“Hey, you two.” Luis whirled Jordie around only a couple of feet away. “Adam’s ordering food so you need to go find him after this dance.”
“Thanks,” Cole called back. “But we can?—”
“It’s easier if he puts in one order,” Mila said. “You have two choices—beef stew or chili.”
“I like ’em both, but why only two?”
“Easy on the kitchen and affordable for the customers. Clem’s got this down to a science.”
“Then I should just slip Adam some cash later for the bill?”
“The business pays for it. Simpler that way.”
“Ah.” He supposed it was, but while Clem was providing a reasonably priced meal, the Bridger Bunch was sixteen strong at last count. The bill would be sizeable.
Maybe not to them, though. He only had a vague idea of how much money the family had. Yeah, they owned around twenty thousand acres, but ranchers could be land rich and cash poor.
He had a hunch that wasn’t the case with the Bridger Bunch. He wasn’t going to let their wealth intimidate him because that kind of thinking would screw up his relationship with Mila real fast. Still, the contrast between his upbringing and hers was breathtaking.
Silent Night came to a sweet close and he allowed himself to bring Mila in for a hug. “That was nice.”
“More than nice.” She gazed up at him. “Dancing with you is a joy. I knew it would be wonderful, but it’s even better than I imagined.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking we should make a habit of driving in to go dancing.” Then he heard what he’d just said, and the assumption lying beneath it — that they were a couple now and would be spending most of their time together. “I mean, it’s an idea, but?—”
“It’s a terrific idea.” The music started up again. “We should get off the floor before we’re run over.”
“Good point.” He reluctantly let her go and they moved over near the bar.
Turning toward him, she rested her palms on his chest. “I want to be with you, Cole. I want to plan things with you. Dancing, horseback rides, movies, lunch in town. Don’t hold back. Don’t second-guess yourself. This is real.”
Sliding his hands around her waist, he let out a sigh of relief. “It is for me.”
“For me, too. And now we need to find Adam and tell him what we want.”
“If I tell him what I want right now he’ll punch me in the face.”
“What we want for dinner.”
“I know. I’m just messing with you.” Tucking her against his side, he scanned the crowd. “I see him. Let’s go put in our order. Since I can’t have what I really want, guess I’ll have to settle for chili.”
He kept his tone light, but there was nothing light about this moment. Mila wanted to be with him, and not just for sex. That was huge.
Life had never been this good. Jordie was right. He’d spent a lifetime short-changing himself. That habit ended now.
Chapter Sixteen
