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Her date stepped down from his silver pickup. He’d given his ride a bath. Even the tires sparkled in the early evening light, no traces of mud from his latest harvest site. She suspected a chainsaw and a pile of safety gear hid in the bed of his truck, but he’d covered his tools for the night.
And the owner of the shiny silver pickup had cleaned up too. He’d traded his lumberjack uniform—button-down flannel and cargo pants—for a pair of clean blue jeans and a green short-sleeve polo. The bright shirt drew her attention to his red curls. He’d stopped short of running styling gel through his hair, but he’d clearly tried to tame the curls. And then run his fingers through them a time or ten, probably on the drive over here.
They’d both gone to a lot of effort for this date. What if they got to dinner and found they had nothing to talk about? She didn’t exactly have a lot to say about her current career. Most of it he’d heard before. And he’d already explained the finer points of felling trees over pie.
“Evening, Caroline,” he called from the front door.
He stopped in the entryway separating the kitchen from the hall. His shoulder rested against the wooden door frame. His gaze met hers then shifted lower to her pink shirt, down her jean-clad legs to the stupid high-heeled boots. She fought the urge to shift her weight from one foot to the other under his scrutiny.
“You look beautiful.” He spoke in a low rumble as his gaze met hers again.
“I borrowed the clothes from Josie,” she said.
“They look good on you.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled, shoving her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.
His lips curved into a smile. “Ready?”
No.
But if not now, when? She couldn’t go back to the person she’d been before the Marines. She had to take a step forward.
Or stay right here paralyzed by fear. . .
She withdrew her hands and plucked her borrowed clutch from the table. Josie had claimed the worn black leather handbag matched her boots. And Caroline had agreed to carry the purse instead of her battered backpack. Then she drew a deep breath.
“I’m ready,” she confirmed.
He pushed off the door frame. “To go forth and conquer? Or for a first date?”
“One and the same, right?” Caroline marched over to him.
Josh laughed as he led the way down the short entry hall and held the front door open for her. “All right then,” he said.
She hit the gravel before him, but he quickly caught up with her. Stupid boots. The heels sunk into the rocky surface and threatened to throw her off balance. But she fought back.
“Nice shoes,” he said when they reached the passenger side door. “But your combat boots might have been a better choice for tonight.”
Her brow knit together. “Where are you taking me?”
Josh dialed up the charm as his lips formed another megawatt grin. The hint of stubble and the twinkle in his green eyes only added to his allure. He pulled the door open and gestured for her to climb in.
“Where—”
“Tonight I’m taking my dream girl to one of my favorite spots in the Willamette Valley. I’ve always wanted to take a date to this place. But it never felt right before.”
She stared at him. Dream girl? It never felt right? There were so many things wrong with that response. And she still didn’t have a clue why she should have worn combat boots.
“You’ll see when we get there,” he added. “If you climb into the truck.”
She maneuvered into the passenger seat. By the time she’d fastened her seat belt, he’d claimed his place behind the wheel.
“Dream girl?” she said.
“Front and center in my fantasies for the past year.” He put the truck in gear and headed down the drive to the main road. “Hell, I bet I have a better idea about what you look like naked than you do.”
“You’ve never seen me naked.”
