Sly figured she was probably fidgeting like she did when something bothered her. Everything hinged on whether the girl showed up. He almost asked for her phone number so he could contact her and make sure she followed through. But it was best to let Lana handle that. Otherwise, she’d just might bust his chops.
“Don’t worry about Sophie,” he assured her. “Trust me, she’ll approve of the nursery and the neighborhood.” Lana’s heavy sigh could mean anything. “Are you still okay with the decision we made the other night?”
“You mean about not seeing each other anymore?” A long pause followed. “Are you?”
She hadn’t answered the question, but if she wanted him to answer first, he would. “To be honest, no. I enjoy being with you.” Dog that he was, he missed kissing her and fooling around.
“Okay, then,” she answered, as if she hadn’t heard what he’d said. “Why don’t you come tomorrow around eleven-thirty.”
Wishing he could read her mind, he agreed and disconnected.
Women. He just didn’t get them.
“Hey,” Sly said when Lana answered the door late Saturday morning.
“Hi.” Without meeting his eyes, she stepped aside and gestured him through the door.
He took in her stiff posture and solemn expression and knew something was wrong. “You okay?” he asked.
“Still shaking off a flu bug.” She waved her hand toward the living room.
“When we talked yesterday, you didn’t mention the flu.”
“I came down with it last Sunday and it didn’t seem important.” Lana took the armchair, leaving him the sofa.
“I’m lucky I didn’t catch it from you,” he said. Instead, she’d given him a healthy dose of lust that was impossible to shake.
She gave a distracted nod. Her face, usually an open book, was drawn and tight, while she traced and retraced a wavy line on the armchair fabric with her finger.
“Did you have to miss work?” Sly asked.
She gave him a puzzled look. “What?”
“Because of the flu.”
“I took Wednesday off. Otherwise, I’ve been feeling so-so.”
She didn’t seem okay now, either, not with the green tinge that suddenly tinted her complexion. She appeared pale, too. More puzzling was the tension emanating from her.
Sly cleared his throat. “We’ve been real busy at the ranch. It seems like no matter how hard my crew and I work at it, there’s always some length of fence to repair or replace. We’ve also been digging ditches, as the old drainpipes aren’t working anymore.” He wasn’t about to mention Tim or the fact that, tired of waiting for her cousin to pay up, he’d stopped by the bank and picked up a dreaded loan application.
With an absent look, Lana attempted a smile that didn’t quite make it. “I can’t imagine.”
Enough was enough. “Is it me being here, or is it waiting for Sophie that has you wound up so tight today?” Sly asked.
“Um...” Her cell made the blip sound that meant she’d received a text message. She glanced at it and frowned. “What a surprise—Sophie won’t be coming today after all.” She flicked a piece of lint from the knee of her jeans, her hair hanging like a curtain around her face, hiding her expression.
He could only imagine what she must be going through. “Let me guess—she wants to postpone for another week.”
“Seems that way. And you drove all the way over here.”
“No worries—I could use the break.” Wanting to lighten the mood, he sniffed the air and licked his lips. “Whatever you’re cooking smells great.”
“It’s a chicken recipe I got from my mother. Sophie ate a lot that day at Big Mama’s, and I made a huge amount of food. What am I going to do with it all?”
“I’ll help you out with that,” he teased.
Instead of smiling, Lana nodded somberly. “It’s just about ready.”
