“Not exactly.”Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?Because if you are, I’m afraid it’s working.
The waiter came and took their drink order then left them to peruse the menus.“Everything looks delicious,” Letty said.“I think I’ll have the fish.”
“I’m going to have steak,” Riley said.“And don’t lecture me about broadening my tastes.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, laughing.
The waiter returned with their drinks—a glass of wine for her and a beer for Riley—and took their orders.
“You can talk to me, you know,” Riley said after the waiter left.He picked up her hand and kissed it.
There he went again, being romantic.She wished it didn’t make her long for things she knew she couldn’t have.She started to remind him this was only a fling but she didn’t want to spoil the moment and she knew for certain it would.He knew it, so why couldn’t she simply relax and enjoy herself?
“I know.I was just thinking we should try to do this more often.Getting away from real life is nice.”
*
Riley didn’t remindher that if they stuck to her original plan, they likely wouldn’t have time to take another trip.New Year’s wasn’t all that far away.And he had no idea if he was getting to her enough for her to drop her defenses and allow the two of them to have more time together.
Riley had ordered a steak—beef, not bison—au gratin potatoes, and green beans.So sue him.He was traditional.Letty had the trout with wild rice, and they split the creamed spinach.The homemade bread with butter was delicious and Letty said her wine was perfect for the fish.He liked beer.For one thing, it went with every dish.
He had a tough time not bringing up what he knew would push her away.He wanted more.More than a fling, more than just great sex, more than seeing her every few days and having to squeeze it in when he could manage it and she had time.
Damn it, he wanted to marry her.To have her to himself when he came in after taking care of the animals and handling the problems that always came up.To have Letty come home to him after she finished at the library.To have her waiting in their bed to make love or simply hold each other as they fell asleep.
Who knew he was such a dreamer?
“You look like you’re a thousand miles away,” Letty said.
“I’m right here.Why?”
“I asked if you wanted dessert, and you stared at me like you didn’t understand what I was talking about.”
“I was thinking about something else.”He leaned over and kissed her.“I’ll give you one guess what it was.”
She laughed.“One-track mind.”
“You bet.”
Shortly after that, the waiter brought their check and they left.Since the restaurant hadn’t been far, they’d walked so they walked back too.He held her hand, which was a little difficult since they were both wearing gloves.They walked in companionable silence for a while until Letty broke it.
“There’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
“What?”
“What kind of books do you read?”
He chuckled.“Trust a librarian.What would you say if I told you I don’t read?”
“I’d say you’re a liar.”
“You’re right.I read a lot of nonfiction about ranching, horses, business, crap like that.”
“Do you read fiction?”
“When I have time.”Which wasn’t often but he managed.“I like fantasy, the longer and more complex the better.”
“Really?I thought you might like thrillers or police procedurals.Or maybe historical fiction.”
