For some reason I can’t explain right now, Nora comes to mind and the possibility of this ruining any chance I have with her. Shaking the thought loose, I return my focus to the call. “Sure. Let me know when and where.”
“I’m actually flying over Oklahoma on my way home today and can stop for a quick meeting this evening if you’re free.” That’s when I hear a flight attendant in the background asking him if he wants a drink.
I already plan to be at Stony’s for dinner this evening. “I’ll send you the address where I’ll be.”
“Good, see you then.”
As I slide my phone back in my pocket, I realize I’ve walked to the edge of the wide stream that curves through our property. It was perfect when the ranch was a cattle farm, but my grandfather switched to horses when he was working the land, and now it’s just a part of the landscape.
When we were kids, we spent a lot of time wading into this stream and catching crawdads from behind rocks. I have fuzzy memories of my mom wading into the water with us while my dad was in the barn. The sun is warm on my face as I remember a time when everything was simple. We were all so happy back then.
I’m not sure why old memories have been resurfacing so much lately. I rarely think about my younger days, and to be honest, I don’t want to. No need in wishing for something that will never be.
With a sigh, I shake off the melancholy that usually comes with those memories and turn back to the barn to finish out my day.
When I walk into Stony’s that evening, Callum is already sitting at the bar nursing a beer. Nothing about him has changed since the last time I saw him. His dark hair is still high and tight, and he still looks like he spends half his day in the gym. He lifts his bottle in greeting when I see him, and I tip my chin as I point at the table in the back corner.
“You want your usual, Tuck?” Stony asks from behind the bar.
Turning to Callum, I ask, “You want a chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy dinner?”
His hand goes to his stomach, and he laughs. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Nodding at Stony, I lift my hand with two raised fingers. “Can we get two?”
“Sure, Tuck.” He walks back to the kitchen as we go to my table.
As I sit, the one thing I’ve been looking forward to most is walking toward my table with a large mug of beer in her hand. Her long red hair is in a braid again today and hanging downher front. A small, shy smile is tipping her lips, and I realize I’m smiling right back.
She sets my beer on the table, leaning toward me, and the familiar soft floral smell of her perfume wraps around me as I take a subtle deep breath. “Thank you, sugar.”
Her eyes flick up to mine and then to Callum as her smile slips, and she takes a step back. “You’re welcome.”
As she’s walking away, I watch her curves sway, my fingers itching to touch her.
“Pretty girl.” Callum interrupts my not so nice thoughts, and I look at him with my eyes narrowed.
He almost laughs as he sits back in his chair with his big, beefy hands raised. “Just an observation. I’m happily married. Not only am I faithful to my wife, but she would slit my throat in my sleep if I even thought about another woman.”
Looking back at the vision standing at the bar picking up one pen after another to scribble on her notepad, trying to find one that works, I stand up. “I’ll be right back.” I say it to Callum, but I don’t take my eyes off Nora.
She swivels her head in my direction when I get closer to her, and her eyebrows go up her forehead in surprise when I grab her hand and pull her into the short hallway to the restrooms. It wasn’t my plan to kiss her when I pulled her in here, but I grab her narrow waist and back her against the wall to kiss her like I’m a suffocating man, and she’s my air.
Her small, cool fingers grip my biceps as she melts into me again, and I inhale her sweet scent like a drug. Just being close to her calms all the crackling nerves I deal with every day, but being able to touch her and kiss her sends every anxious thought from my head.
Slim hands cup my cheeks, and she breaks the kiss with a smile. “I’m working.”
Gripping the soft hips that invade my thoughts more than I care to admit, I nod, my eyes glued to her beautiful green orbs. “I know. I didn’t plan to kiss you when I pulled you in here; it was involuntary.”
Her pink tongue slides across her bottom lip as she smiles up at me, her head tipped back. “Oh yeah? Then why did you pull me in here?”
“I want to take you to lunch tomorrow. To spend more than a few minutes with you and without an audience.”
The smile that brightens her face makes my heart soar, and she nods her head as her palms slide down my neck to my chest. “I would like that.”
Needing to touch her smooth skin, I slide the back of my knuckles across her jaw. “Okay, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eleven thirty.” Stealing one more peck, I step away and go back to my table.
Callum is leaning over our table, his fingers clasped around his beer bottle, suppressing a smile. I pretend I didn’t just pull Nora into a hallway like a drug addict to get a fix and sit back down.
