“We’ll see.”
“You have until New Year’s.We can date over the holidays but then it’s over.”
“That’s crazy.What if we’re still enjoying being together?”What if they’d both fallen in love?“We’re going to call it quits because of some arbitrary date?”
“It’s a holiday thing.That means it’s over once the holidays are over.Or if that doesn’t work for you, we can just forget about it right now.”
“I don’t want to forget it.Damn, Letty, I had no idea you were so hard-nosed.”
“Clearly you don’t know me very well.”
He decided to change the subject.“Will you go with me to the party?”
“Yes.But Riley, it’s just a date.It’s not a commitment.”
“Understood.I’ll pick you up around seven on Friday.”
Blossom, one of his dogs, nudged his hand, demanding to be petted.He scratched behind her ears, smiling at her blissful expression.Too bad Letty wasn’t that easy.He needed a plan.A plan of how to make Letty fall in love with him.She was adamant about not being serious, but Riley had persistence down to an art.
He had until New Year’s to change her mind.
*
Riley had toadmit when Letty wanted to she could really kill it in the looks department.He’d always thought she was pretty.Lately he’d been thinking of her as beautiful.But damn, he hadn’t realized until he saw her dressed for a party how absolutely stunning she could look.
She wore a sparkly black wraparound dress with a low neckline and a short hemline.Tasteful but sexy as sin.The strappy black sandals she wore made her legs look longer.Her short hair was a messy pixie cut, the same style she always wore it, but tonight she’d added sparkly red streaks.Red beaded earrings hung from her ears, she’d done something to her eyes so they looked extra dark and mysterious, and her mouth was painted fire engine red.He almost swallowed his tongue when she answered the door.
“Let me get my coat,” she said.When Riley stood there dumbfounded, she asked, “Are you okay?”
“You look…you look incredible.”Amazing, gorgeous, sexy, he couldn’t think how to describe her that did her justice.Had she always looked this good, and he’d been too stupid to notice?
“Thanks.”
He helped her on with her coat and they walked to his truck.When he opened the door Letty simply stared without moving.“Damn, I forgot you were—”
“Short?Vertically challenged?It wouldn’t be a problem if I wasn’t wearing a dress and heels.”
“You look beautiful.I’ll help you.”
She lifted an eyebrow.“You just want to get your hands on my ass.”
He laughed.“How about I pick you up and put you in there?”
“Okay.”
He put his hands on her waist, picked her up, and set her on the seat.“I forget how tiny you are.”His hands could span her waist.
“Lucky for you.Although, given what you do for a living, one small female shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You could never be a problem.”
Neither one spoke until they’d left town on the way to the Gallagher ranch.“What?”he asked Letty.She was looking at him like he was an alien species.
“You’ve never been like this before.Not to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re being so nice.Telling me I look beautiful—”
“You do.What’s so strange about that?”
“I haven’t transitioned from old friends to dating.It’s weird.”
“Weird bad?”
“No.I’m not used to it, is all.”
He had to bite his tongue to keep from telling her to get used to it.
What did it say about him that Letty found it weird when he was nice to her?
