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He lifted his sweet tea to his lips and grimaced after he’d taken a sip. “We both like Granny’s tea better than whatever this is,” he said, putting the glass back down.
Jill giggled and reached for it. “Let me try.” She took a small sip too and shook her head. “You’re right. We can agree that Granny’s sweet tea is far superior to that.”
He chuckled, and before she knew it, they were both laughing. She told herself that not everything had to be worked out on the first date, and the conversation moved to easier things. The construction around the ranch. If Slate could take a horseback riding lesson or two. What he did in the equipment shed in the mornings with his friends.
On the way back to the ranch, Jill reminded herself that she’d never set an end date on her boyfriends before. She’d never been in a rush for that first kiss, and she’d never worried too much about when she’d see them again. Slate lived next door, for crying out loud. She was definitely going to see him again.
“I’m wondering if you can help me with a problem,” Slate said as he went over the bridge to the ranch.
“A problem?”
“Yeah,” Slate said. “It’s Luke. I’m pretty sure he likes someone here on the ranch, but he won’t say who. I need more eyes and ears on the situation…” He grinned as he went under the gate marking the entrance to the ranch. “What do you say?”
“I love a good P.I. situation,” she said, giddiness filling her. “I don’t see Luke much, though.”
“No, but you have access to the women,” Slate said.
“Oh, I see where this is going. You want me to find out if any of them have been chatting it up with Luke when you weren’t watching.”
“I knew you’d get it.” He laughed again and came to a stop on the gravel pad in front of the homestead. He sobered and looked at Jill. “Thanks for going to lunch with me today. I had a real nice time.”
“I did too,” Jill said, even though not every question had been comfortable.
He grinned at her, and Jill really wanted to lean toward him and kiss him. In fact, she started to do that. He shook his head almost imperceptibly. “I can read your cues, Jill, but we have an audience.” He smashed his cowboy hat lower onto his head and reached to open his door.
Jill looked out the windshield and found Ted, Nate, and Dallas all coming across the lawn toward the truck. “Men,” she muttered as she too got out of the truck. Didn’t they know they shouldn’t converge at the end of a date? Did they see any women out here, clamoring for her attention?
No. No, they did not. Because women knew to give privacy at the end of a date, just in case someone wanted to kiss someone else. Luckily, Jill knew who to talk to in order to make sure Slate’s friends would leave him alone next time they went out.
And if Dallas was here, that meant Jess was back, and Jill couldn’t wait to see her.
