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I smile flirtatiously and put my hand where it was, on his forearm. His sleeves are rolled up; his skin is warm to the touch. "About here?"
He smiles back at me and idly passes the side of his thumb over his bottom lip. "That's exactly right."
Oh. My.
"Ally, would you like to have lunch with me right now?"
It's the "right now" that gets me. Guess I don't have to worry about bringing him out of his shell. He likes me. He is wasting no time. I like this. A lot.
My stupid eyes blink at him quickly several times in a way I can only assume is some kind of evolutionary holdover, because eyelash batting is not my preferred style of flirting. I check the time on my phone. "Isn't it a little early for lunch?"
Again with that mouth curving up on one side. "Girl, I've been up since 4 a.m. Helped birth two calves. Fixed a tractor. Replaced some rotting fence posts. Mucked out horse stalls…"
"Oh my god, now I'm tired and hungry thinking about all that work. Let's go."
Chapter Nine
Smitty
Being called cute is not my first choice, but I'll take it. Especially when it's coming from Ally. If I'm cute, it just means we're a good match, because she's the cutest thing since Pikachu was invented.
Her little white Prius suits her. "Hey, I hardly recognize your chariot when it's not covered in mud. It cleans up nice."
"Thanks," she says, unlocking it with her fob. "Where do you want to eat?"
I'm so relieved she didn't question me on why I was in the party store in the first place, that I'm more than happy to let her choose the restaurant. I couldn't tell a lie if she pressed me on it. Truth is, I saw her car in the parking lot when I was passing by on my way back from delivering eggs to the beekeeper.
She peers around the parking lot and suggests a decent Mexican place that might be open early.
"This way we can walk together instead of driving separately," she says, as we fall in step with each other.
"I like the way you think," I say, making sure to keep my stride a little bit shorter. She's in another one of those tight skirts and high heels. "Plus I'm hungry and we get free chips and salsa."
I hold out my arm for her to hold on to. She grins shyly and slips her little hand through the crook of my arm while we walk. "I like the way you think, too."
Chapter Ten
Ally
When I arrive at the ranch the next morning, there are twelve spools already arranged in the barn, exactly as I had planned.
And, to my astonishment, they are already painted white. "How in the…"
"I hope it's all right, I went ahead and painted them for you."
I spin around to see Smitty standing there, white paint on his hands and jeans. "How? When? More importantly, why?"
Smitty leans one arm against the barn door frame, which makes his torso look extra long and lean and huggable. He tips his hat back and examines something in the wood, then pulls off a jagged splinter with his bare fingers while I wince. "Oh, you know. I had the time."
I know that's a lie, but I'm so grateful. "That's one less thing to take care of. Thank you so much."
"Listen, I uhm… I might have… cleared out my schedule for the day. The rest of the guys have it pretty well handled, so what else do you got for me?"
I have to bite my lip to keep from licking it, and giving away all the dirty ways I could answer that question.
"Well, sure. I have a whole list of things. But you don't have to. I mean, I can't pay you."
"Your company is payment enough, little lady."
