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He, on the other hand, looked magnificent. His deep tan only accented the strong lines of his face, the deep dimples of his smile.
“Are we set, then?”
“Absolutely,” he murmured, his eyes twinkling.
Jolie grabbed her cell phone from the counter and glanced at its screen. The digital symbols indicated it was half-charged, but that much should last the next few hours. She slipped it into her purse.
At the truck, Matt opened her door and gave her a hand up, then shut the door and rounded the front bumper.
Once behind the wheel, he turned on the ignition and slid her an easy grin. “It’s been so many years now, that I feel as if I’m on my first date ever.”
The reminder of his late wife helped calm Jolie’s rapid pulse.Just friends, just neighbors.“It’s been a long while for me, too.”
He threw the truck into gear, then shifted it back into Park. “There’s no room in here for this, but...”
He slid over a few inches. He smelled of soap and crisp mountain air, a beguiling scent that teased her senses and warmed her heart.
Slipping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her closer. “That is,” he murmured, “one amazing dress.”
The golden highlights in his eyes seemed to flicker when he stared intently into her eyes as if trying to read her thoughts.
His mouth settled on hers for a brief kiss.
Then he rested his forehead against hers. “Guess we’d better go, right?”
She nodded. Somewhere between the cabin and his truck, she’d lost her ability to speak. Whatever her reservations had been before, she couldn’t even guess at them now.
If she wasn’t careful, she might just fall for this guy.
And then she’d soon have to deal with a broken heart.
IF IT HADN’T BEENsuch a crazy thought, Matt would have guessed that Jolie was actuallynervous.But how could that be?
She’d caught her hair up into some sort of elegant knot on her head, with wavy tendrils framing her face. The candlelight changed it to deep amber, shot with sparks of gold.
Her eyes sparkled too, dark and mysterious in the dim light. She was absolutely perfect.
Over the salad course he finally set his fork aside and eyed her with concern. “Is anything wrong?”
She looked up from her Caesar salad, her fork poised in midair. “It’s allwonderful.Have you been to Four Pines before?”
He almost smiled at that, imagining Charlie fidgeting in his chair and Annie dropping her nose in a book if he tried to bring them to a place like this. “No. One of my clients mentioned it.”
“Tell him that he has very, very good taste.” She savored the next bite of her salad. “This is almost too delicious for words.”
“Would you like to dance?”
He stood and held out his hand, not wanting to wait another minute to hold her in his arms.
She laughed softly. “Just tell me how much value you place on your feet. I haven’t done this in a long while.”
The string quartet in the corner eased into “Unforgettable” as she followed him onto the empty dance floor and moved into his arms.
She must have been made just for him. She fit perfectly in his embrace, soft, and sweet, and warm. He reached up and cupped her head, holding it against his chest, and closed his eyes.
The faint scent of her perfume teased at his senses. And that dress...
It wasn’t revealing.
