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Ally, Ally, his heart whispered.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “When you get to know me better, you’ll realize how much I enjoy your company, whether we’re having fun or digging for answers.”
By the time they reached Houston, he’d flagged one of the employees: Shan, the young Chinese woman he’d met. She was twenty, unmarried and had been working at the orphanage for the last six months. There were few details on her background. Luckey planned to investigate further when they got back to Austin.
Right now he’d worked up an appetite and drove them to the Chama Gaúcha Brazilian Steakhouse in Uptown, reputed for its great food. Hui’s Silk Shop was located in the nearby shopping center, a place that exuded old-world charm for the upscale locals. Ally and he could walk there after their meal.
They walked into the restaurant and were shown to a table. The place was crowded, but he’d made a reservation. They ordered their food and Luckey applauded the quick service, considering they had to be at their appointment for one.
“Honestly, Luckey, these are the best pork ribs I’ve ever tasted,” Ally exclaimed. “They’ve been dusted in Parmesan. I’ll have to try this at home, but I bet it won’t taste the same.”
To his delight he was able to look at Ally all he wanted now that he wasn’t driving. “Let’s barbecue next week at my house and we’ll experiment. You name the night—I know you have to be back on campus next week.”
“I can’t believe tomorrow is Sunday. This week has gone by way too fast.”
“I was telling Persey earlier that I’ve been having so much fun, I’ve lost track of time.”
A pretty flush stained her cheeks. “Me, too. Now I’ll have to pay the price. I still have a ton of work to do before classes start.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’d be happy to help you, but I don’t read, write or understand Xiang or Mandarin.”
She laughed. “I’m impressed you remember that much.”
“I’m trying. Do you teach any language classes for beginners?”
“No.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’d sign up if you were the teacher.”
“Luckey...”
“You think I’m kidding?”
“But you don’t need to study Chinese.”
“I think I do. It’s a part of who you are. How about I spend evenings with you? While you do your work, I’ll study and you can coach me on the side. I’m a quick learner. Then we’ll have conversations while we go riding.”
Her eyes deepened in color. “Be serious.”
“Are you afraid you’ll never get anything done if I’m with you all the time?”
“No!”
“How about I sign a contract? I won’t touch you unless you ask me to.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“If that’s not the problem, then what is?”
“You’re a Ranger! You don’t have that kind of time.”
“I’m going to make time. If I can learn the basics of the language, it’ll help me on this trafficking case. You learned the language, your father learned the language—so can I. Let’s start tomorrow. You tell me what book to buy and I’ll be over for a first lesson. I promise I won’t bother you while you do your other work.”
Ally shook her head. “You’re impossible.”
