She smoothed her hands down the front of her outfit. “I have a date. He’ll be here any minute.”
Zach’s eyes widened, and he put the bucket on the floor. “You have a date? Why do youhave a date?”
Well, outrage wasn’t exactly the response she’d expected. He was acting as if she’d decided to skydive or join the Peace Corps—which would be fun if she didn’t already love her jobs.
“If I ever want to have a relationship with a man, I have to get to know him first.”
Zach rubbed a hand over his head. His movements were fast and erratic as he sputtered. “No. No way. Dating is dangerous.”
Her mouth fell open. “Datingis dangerous? You’re joking.”
“I’m not. Haven’t you seen those true crime documentaries?”
She squinted as she studied him. If he’d been abducted by extraterrestrials and body swapped, she’d know it. Right?
“I’m familiar with the genre, but I don’t think a cowboy from Wyoming is going to chop me up and bury me in the wilderness.”
Zach’s arms flew out to his sides. “Oh, so he’s a cowboy!”
What was happening here? Did he have something against cowboys? “Um, last I checked, you were a cowboy too.”
Zach jerked back as if she’d hit him. “I’m not a cowboy. I’ve been working at a ranch for three weeks.” He held up three stiff fingers, emphasizing his point. “That does not make me a cowboy.”
Lauren folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one side. This should be fun. “So,what’s so dangerous about dating other than docudramas?”
Ticking off the list on his fingers, Zach went on. “You don’t know him. You don’t know where he’s taking you. You haven’t run a background check on him.”
“Excuse me, but I think it would be rude to ask for his government ID before he’s treated me to dinner.” She shook her head. What in the world had crawled up his pants today? “I’m the straitlaced one here. Of all the things you’ve done, you think dating is dangerous.”
He rubbed a hand over his forehead. “If a guy is your age and not married, then there’s something wrong with him.”
Now it was Lauren’s turn to be blindsided. “Are you saying there’s something wrong withme?”
“No. You’re putting words in my mouth.”
Headlights panned past the window. Now was not the time for Wes to show up.
With a deep breath and a forced smile, Lauren channeled every ounce of calm she could muster and focused all of her attention on Zach. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Anyone could take advantage of you.” Zach’s shoulders rose and fell in quick, even waves, and a splotchy shade of red crept up over the collar of his T-shirt.
Warning bells rang in her head, and any hope of calming her rage died. Her fingernailsdug into the palms of her hands as she fisted them at her side. When she spoke, her words held a serene tone she didn’t feel. “Thanks for the reminder. I’m aware of how weak and helpless I am, but I’ll take it from here.”
The engine roar outside changed to idle, and the metallic shutting of a door was her cue to abandon the sinking ship. She pushed past Zach and grabbed the strap of her purse on the way out. He didn’t say anything as she closed the door behind her with all the force she wished she could aim at his head.
Her date walked toward her with a single red rose in his hand. Even in the dark she could make out his friendly smile.
He reached out a hand as he approached. “Hi, I’m Wes.”
Wow. His hand was big. And rough. A strong work ethic was something she admired, and Hadley said he was great with the horses and the people at the ranch.
“I’m Lauren. It’s nice to meet you.”
Wes held up the rose between them. “This is for you.”
A rose. He’d brought her a beautiful rose on their first date. Could he be any sweeter?
“Do you want to take it inside before we head out?” he asked.
