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Before he could come up with a reply, she kissed his cheek, opened the apartment door, and closed it quietly behind her.
Levi felt like shouting in victory, but instead, he hustled back down to his pickup and drove home, feeling lighter in spirit than he had in a long, long time.
“Areyousureyoudon’t want to come along?” Grace asked as she added a pair of silver hoop earrings to her ears, then studied her reflection in the mirror.
Although the weather had been warm and pleasant the past week, this morning had dawned cool and overcast.
Instead of the sleeveless shirt and shorts she’d intended to wear out to Levi’s place for target practice, Grace pulled on a short-sleeved blouse, dark blue jeans, and a long, open cotton sweater with earthy-hued stripes.
Levi had invited her to come any time after one and asked if she’d stay for dinner with his parents. Grace knew meeting his mom and dad was a big step that hinted at commitment. Didn’t it?
In truth, she barely knew Levi.
Granted, he’d joined her for lunch at the hospital cafeteria on Tuesday and taken her and Cindy out for burgers after work on Thursday. Even so, their relationship was new, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to take the enormous step of meeting his family.
“I think you need to meet his parents without a sidekick.” Cindy snapped the piece of gum she was chewing and grinned as she sat sideways in an armchair, feet over one arm, and flipped through the Sears spring catalog. “Besides, you need time alone with Levi to get to know him better.” Cindy glanced up at her. “For the record, I think he’s handsome, funny, and kind.”
“So, you’ve given him your stamp of approval?”
Cindy grinned and popped a bubble. “The official stamp of approval. Now, go have fun.”
Grace slipped on a pair of yellow flats. “I hate to leave you all alone this afternoon and for dinner tonight.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Cindy set aside the catalog and stood, arms crossed over her chest, head tilted to the side, as she studied Grace. “Your outfit needs something.”
Grace turned back to the mirror to critically catalog her reflection. She thought her choices worked together and made her look both fashionable yet traditional. She had a feeling Levi’s parents wouldn’t be wowed by a girl who showed up in skin-tight bell-bottom pants or a skirt so short it barely hid anything, not that Grace owned either of those things.
“I know just the thing!” Cindy hurried across the hall into her bedroom and returned with a fawn-colored felt hat that had cream lace trim around the band that encircled the crown. “You need this to tie it all together.”
Grace started to refuse, but when Cindy settled the hat on her head, she knew her friend was correct. It did finish the outfit and looked nice.
“I’ll do my best not to get it dirty.”
Cindy shrugged. “I hardly ever wear it. You might as well enjoy it.”
Together, they walked into the living room, where Grace picked up the pistol case and her purse, along with an orange Tupperware container she’d filled with cookies for Levi. She wasn’t certain what kind he liked, but she’d tried a new pineapple cookie recipe she’d found in a cookbook her mom had given her when she’d first left home. Cindy had deemed the cookies delicious, and Grace thought the one she’d tried had tasted good, so hopefully, Levi would enjoy them.
Grace gave Cindy one last look as her friend opened the door for her. “Are you sure—”
Cindy gave her a playful shove into the hall. “Go! Have fun! I’ll be waiting to hear all about your adventures on the farm with your potato-growing cowboy when you return.”
“He’s not a cowboy,” Grace reminded Cindy. When she’d realized Levi was a farmer, not a cowboy, she’d felt an acute sense of disappointment. In her mind, she’d envisioned romantic horseback rides and moonlight serenades with the life she’d imagined he’d led. Since she’d never dated a cowboy, it had seemed quite thrilling.
How childish she’d been, sulking when she’d learned the truth. Besides, she was a farm girl, and there wasn’t a single thing wrong with being a farmer. In fact, it was what her father referred to as one of the last honorable professions, tasked with feeding the world.
In retrospect, a farmer was probably more settled and responsible than someone who could perform daring feats aback his trusty steed. Wasn’t he? A vision of Levi riding a horse while doing rope tricks flashed into her mind.
Amused by the direction her thoughts had taken, Grace set her things on the seat beside her in the car, drove away from the apartment complex, and followed the directions Levi had given to her Thursday to find the Gibson & Son property just outside of the small town of Star.
It only took her about twenty minutes to reach the pink mailbox that had Gibson painted on the side of it. Grace turned onto the dirt road and recalled Levi mentioning his mother’s love of pink. Apparently, that carried all the way out to the mailbox.
She turned at the first road she came to and followed it around tidy fields that had already been planted with this year’s potato and beet crops. As nothing but fields continued to surround her, she wondered if she’d read the directions wrong or turned when she should have kept going. Eventually, she rounded a bend and could see a house up ahead.
When she rolled to a stop in front of a two-story Craftsman house painted a soothing shade of green with cream and dark green trim, she knew she’d found Levi’s place. He’d mentioned he’d recently painted it in the original 1920s hues. Grace loved the style of the house and the colors Levi had selected that blended into the landscape. The lawn was green, and several neatly trimmed shrubs surrounded the porch that stretched across the front of the house. Tall maple and oak trees surrounded the yard. She assumed they would be wonderful for providing cooling shade on hot summer days.
She opened the car door and got out, walking around it to retrieve her things. Levi hurried out of the house and down the porch steps. His smile brightened the day even if there wasn’t any sunshine peeking through the clouds overhead.
“Hi, stranger,” he said, taking the gun case from her and motioning toward the house as she slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “I’m glad you made it. Come on in.”
