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“Oh, yeah.” Jake pressed his lips together in deep thought, then glanced at Wade. “I’ll show you another time.”
“Sounds good,” Wade agreed, smiling.
Cat remained silent, struggling with an odd mixture of disappointment and relief that Wade would be leaving so soon. “Maybe another time.” That’s what he’d told Jake. She suspected that he had been deliberately vague because he knew there wasn’t likely going to be another time. She knew she regretted that and carefully didn’t examine the reason for it too closely.
At lunch’s conclusion, Wade lingered over one cup of coffee, then pushed back from the table. “As much as I would like to stay, it’s time I took my leave of everyone.” Rising, he extended a hand to Chase, negating the need for him to stand. “It was good to meet you at last.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” Chase briefly gripped Wade’s hand, holding his gaze. “Stay in touch.”
“Will do.” Wade nodded, but Cat sensed it was more a perfunctory response than a commitment.
As he began his good-byes to the others, Cat saw her opening and rose from her chair. “I’ll get your coat for you.”
By the time she retrieved his coat from the wall hook, Wade joined her in the entryway. Conscious of the flutterings in the pit of her stomach, Cat waited while he shrugged into his coat and mentally rehearsed the things she wanted to say, barely registering his compliments on the noon meal.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she answered automatically and started to launch into her speech. “Mr. Rogers—”
“I thought we agreed that it was just Wade, not Mr. Rogers.” He smiled, the action carving those attractive male dimples in his cheeks again.
She was momentarily distracted—and a little thrown—by the sight of them. “Wade,” she corrected herself, conscious of the slight quaver in her voice. “I want to apologize for all that talk at lunch today about a husband. I know it had to feel a bit awkward.”
He tipped his head at a thoughtful angle. “I suspect it was more awkward for you than me.”
Ignoring his observation, Cat continued, “Anyway, I want you to know—”
“—that you’re not interested in me in that way,” he finished for her.
She hadn’t planned to put it quite that bluntly. “Something like that, yes,” she admitted, feeling even more uncomfortable.
“Even though I guessed that—actually hearing you admit it—suddenly I’m sorry you feel that wa
y.” At his slightly reluctant admission, Cat found herself at a rare loss for words. As if sensing it, he offered his hand in farewell. “Let me thank you again for your hospitality.”
“Anytime.” Cat struggled to get the word out, her pulse skittering madly at the brief touch of his hand.
He held her gaze a second longer then turned away. Cold air rushed into the entry when he opened the door. It swirled around Cat even after Wade closed the door behind him. The click of the latch snapping into place broke the restraint she had placed on herself.
Hands clenched, Cat swung away from the door. “Why? Why? Why?” she berated herself in a barely audible murmur.
“Why did I react like that?”
Yet the reason was obvious, even to Cat. Pride. She had such an abundance of it. And in her determination to convince him she wasn’t some man-hungry widow, she had been trapped by her own pride, totally incapable of responding in kind when Wade had indicated an interest in her. Cat knew she was attracted to him, sufficiently so that she was curious to know where it might lead.
“Anytime.” The word echoed in her mind, with all its undertones of polite indifference, and total lack of encouragement for Wade to come back.
She told herself it was probably for the best that this had happened. Otherwise she would have lived in hope that he would come back to the ranch. At least now she knew that would never happen. The best thing was to block him from her mind, forget she’d ever met someone named Wade Rogers.
With a determined lift of her head, she retraced her steps to the dining room, entering just as Laredo emptied the contents of the carafe into his coffee cup. Cat immediately seized the excuse to gain a few more moments to herself.
“Here. Let me take that and I’ll fill it back up.” She reached for the insulated carafe before Laredo could set it back on the table.
“Don’t need to fill it for me,” Chase stated. “I’ve had enough.”
“There are others who might want a cup,” Cat reminded him and headed for the kitchen.
Chase watched her leave, then slid a wry look at Laredo. “I get the feeling she hasn’t forgiven me for teasing her about Wade,” he said, without an ounce of remorse in his voice.
“And I have the feeling you’re hoping she gets so mad that she’ll stop talking to you at all,” Laredo replied with a knowing look.
