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“It is,” she said, nodding toward the open recipe box on the counter. “I talked to Faye this morning, and she told me it was one of your favorites and where to find the recipe. I also made a chocolate cake.”
“Is it the one from my grandma’s recipe box too?”
“Yep.” She set the warm pan of pasta on the trivet in the center of the table. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is. That’s my favorite chocolate cake.”
“I was hoping you’d be excited. I wanted to make up for bringing you a cake with vegetables in it the first day I got here.”
He laughed at the memory as he dried his hands on a towel. “I appreciate the gesture, but you didn’t have to do that. That ‘vegetable cake’ didn’t turn out to be half bad.”
“You mean the part that wasn’t squished against your chest?” She’d already filled the glasses with iced tea, and she leaned back to survey the table.It didn’t look half bad either, she thought, a little pleased with herself at the cheerful table setting.
She’d found some light blue placemats with embroidered daisies on them in a drawer and had put the wildflowers she’d collected on her walk that morning in a jar in the center of the table. Her favorite things were the rosebud-shaped creations in the center of each plate she’d made from some yellow cloth napkins she’d found with the placemats.
“Wow,” Luke said, nodding to the napkin roses as he dropped into the chair. “Did you do those yourself?”
She nodded. “I did. They’re pretty neat, huh?”
“Yeah they are,” he said, tilting his head to view them from the side. “How’d you learn to do that?”
“I’m a writer, which means I’ve had a lot of crazy part-time jobs, including two summers working wedding banquets at the Four Seasons.”
“Cool.” He dropped into a chair across from her and carefully moved the cloth rose to the side of his plate. “So how’s my sister doing?” he asked as they filled their plates and dug in.
“Good. Busy. Same as always. She’s already got a luncheon lined up for me as soon as I get back. She’s really happy with the new chapters I sent. Well, except for…” She paused, fighting a frown.
“Except for what?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “It’s just the horse thing. She thinks I’m still missing this key experience because I haven’t actually ridden a horse on my own. And it bums me out, because I know it’s my own fault and my own fear that’s holding me back. I just really want to figure out a way to overcome this anxiety about getting on a horse.”
Luke scooped up another bite, the macaroni and cheese on his plate quickly disappearing. “Seems to me, the only way you’re going to get over it is to face it. And you’re almost there. You’ve spent time with the horses, you’ve brushed them and helped with their tack. You just have that last step.”
“Yeah, but it’s a pretty big step.”
“I have some time this afternoon. I could help. We could saddle up the horses and go for a ride, if you want.”
She pushed back the panic that bubbled up in her chest. “I’d like that.”
“It’s a date.”
A date?
Had he really meant adate? Or was that just an expression? He’d dropped the words casually enough, so he didn’t seem to be making a big deal out of them. So neither should she.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“Let’s do it.” He eyed the cake on the counter then offered her a grin. “Right after we have some of that cake.”
Luke patted Scarlett’s neck as he walked Kaylee through the steps of saddling her again. This was the second time they’d done it, and he thought she was getting more comfortable with the tack.
“You’re doing great,” he said. “Don’t forget to tighten the cinch. You don’t want the saddle sliding off while you’re riding.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes. “That would be just my luck.” She scratched the horse’s neck next to Luke’s hand. “She’s being really patient with me.”
“She’s a good horse. Although she probably is wondering why we put her saddle on just to take it off then put it back on again.”
“Don’t tell her that I’m trying to procrastinate the part where I actually have to get into the saddle and ride her.” She chewed on her bottom lip, her expression going pensive. “Speaking of procrastination, I know this might not be the best time, but I keep thinking about what you said last night. About wanting me to stay a bit longer. And I’m wondering if you really meant it.”
