“Sure. Here”—I reached for her bags—“let me toss these in the back.”
“Oh, I’ll hold on to this one if you don’t mind.” She let me take the carry-on but clasped the tackle box to her chest. “It’s my makeup case.”
I eyed the box as I slid her suitcase into the bed of the truck. “That’s a lot of makeup.”
She cocked her head and glanced from the case to me. “Comes with the territory.”
“Let me get the door for you.” I moved past her to pull the pickup door open.
She climbed onto the running board and grabbed the handle to hoist herself into the passenger seat. I waited for her to get settled, then closed the door behind her. As I rounded the truck, I checked for a reply from Suzy. Thankfully, she said she’d be okay with having a little company.
“So how long have you lived in Ido?” Delilah had set her makeup box on the seat between us, like a bulky barrier reminding me to stay on my side of the cab.
“All my life. I’ve never lived anywhere else except the years I spent up in College Station.”
“You’re an Aggie?”
“Through and through. How about you?”
“I just finished up my undergrad through an online program at UT Austin.” She leaned an elbow on the window frame. “What did you study?”
I grinned at the question. “Agriculture and business. Seemed like the best course of action. My family operates the largest commercial pecan orchard in Texas.”
“Oh, I love pecan pie.”
“What did you say?”
“Pecan pie.” Her eyebrows squished together.
I shook my head. “It’s pih-kahn, not pee-kahn. At least if you’re a true Texan, that’s how you’d pronounce it.”
“Really?” Her arms crossed. “Says who?”
“Says everybody. At least everybody around these parts. Where are you from?”
She picked something from her shirt and dropped it on the floor mat. Hell, the last one to ride shotgun in my truck was probably Buster, the pit bull I’d adopted from For Pitties’ Sake. The dog not only shed like a beast, he also had some major gastrointestinal issues.
“I’ve lived several places. California, Florida, Alabama to name a few.”
“That explains it.” I navigated my truck onto the road, already counting the seconds until we got to Aunt Suzy’s.
“Explains what?”
“Why you don’t say the word ‘pecan’ right.” My mouth quirked into a sideways grin. The beauty queen seemed a bit flustered. I kind of liked her better that way.
“I say it just fine.”
Not wanting to cross the line between a little good-natured ribbing and totally pissing her off, I eased back on the teasing. “It is kind of cute the way you say it.”
Her head jerked up, and she met my gaze for a hot second before looking away.
“Just don’t let the locals hear you,” I advised. Especially not my dad. Dad would have no problem correcting her and probably wouldn’t mince any words in his approach.
As we neared Aunt Suzy’s place, I tried to think of something else to say to bridge the awkward silence between us. “What made you want to run for Miss Lovin’ Texas?”
She rested her chin in her palm. “My mother. She loves the thrill of a good title run.”
“Oh yeah? Where is she now?”
