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“Dear God!” Her eyes widened with dismay. “I didn’t mean to make you self-conscious.”
“Relax.” He kissed the tip of her nose, laughing when her eyes crossed. “Do you like the way I look?”
“I just said so.”
“Then that’s all I need to know.”
She stepped back, freeing her hands. She took the food basket from him. “I really made a mess of that.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, ambling along beside her. “Depends on what side of the glass you’re looking from.”
“Why?”
“A man likes to know his woman isn’t battling an urge to run screaming when he steps into the light.”
His reward was a shy chuckle. He pulled her up short when she showed every intention of crossing the glade and heading into the woods beyond. “I thought here would be a good place.”
“Oh?” She stopped, blushed a bit, and nodded her head. “Yes, it would.”
She was clearly flustered.
Asa took it as a good sign. Maybe all the restraint he’d been practicing for the last week was coming ‘round to reward him. She was beginning to trust him. He’d been heading home today at lunch. Wanting to see her too much to stay away like he’d planned, then he’d seen her riding toward him with Clint. About made his day. She’d actually sought his company. And managed a compliment in the bargain. Yup. Things were definitely looking up.
She spread the blanket on the mossy ground. Overhead, spruce boughs gave a fragrant canopy. If it weren’t this cool, it’d be a darn sticky place to eat lunch, but this time of year, it provided an intimate haven from the wind and prying eyes. A haven he was intent on using to his advantage. Truth was, he was about starved for a kiss. Not one of those uptight come-around-to-my-way-of-thinking attempts he’d utilized before, but an actual kiss with interest on both sides. That was something he was looking forward to all right.
Before he sat beside her on the blanket, he twitched a stick from beneath it. If dessert went the way he planned, he didn’t want any rude intrusions. “Looks like quite a spread.”
“A man your size needs to eat.”
She looked him up and down and added another piece of golden fried chicken to his plate before passing it over. He placed it on the ground beside him. “Trying to fatten me up?”
“You could use a little weight.”
“You’re welcome to try, but I gotta warn you, I’ve always been lean.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“It is?”
She smiled and daintily made a plate for herself. “That means I won’t have to spend time this winter letting out your pants.”
He laughed, eyed the ladylike amount of food on the plate she put beside her, and shook his head. Couldn’t keep a bird alive with that piddlin’ amount. “Lord, darlin’, there’s hope for you yet.”
“There is?”
“Yup.” He snagged another piece of chicken and added it to her plate. “You made a joke.”
“I wasn’t aware you felt I lacked a sense of humor.” She placed the added chicken back in the basket.
“Oh, I had my suspicions.” He took a leg off his plate and added it to hers. “I was just beginning to doubt you’d loosen up enough around me to let it shine.”
“What a colorful way to put it.” She reached for the piece of chicken.
“That’s me. All color. No refinement.” He let her get the piece halfway back to his plate before he shook his head.
“No?” Her tone went all prissy.
He edged her hand back until it hovered over her plate. “There isn’t enough food on that plate to keep a gnat alive.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah.” If, by fine, she meant ready to drop at the first sign of exertion.
“Mr. MacIntyre, a lady does not bring an appetite to the table.”
He closed his eyes and counted to ten. “What does she bring?”
“Refined conversation, companionship and manners.”
“How about you drop the first and last and bring a healthy appetite instead?”
“That wouldn’t be proper.”
He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Again. He’d never heard such horse hockey in his life as Elizabeth spouted as gospel. “Well, I guess that explains it then.”
Her eyebrows arched quizzically. She took a nibble of her chicken. “Explains what?”
“Why you don’t see too many ladies hereabouts.” He waited until her mouth was full of drink before he continued. “No doubt, they all passed out mid-lecture on a ridiculous rule some poor girl was expected to follow next.”
Lemonade spewed all over the blanket as she laughed and choked at the same time. Only quick reflexes kept him free of the spray. Equally quick reflexes scooped her into his arms and pounded her on the back. The first slap might have been a bit hefty as she flipped half over his arm. Darn. He kept forgetting how slight she was. As soon as she caught her breath, she was back to lecturing him.
