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“I am.” She surprised herself with her own honesty. “I’m glad you said yes.”
He smiled in a way that made her toes curl. “You certainly made it easy on me.”
Haylee linked her fingers with his. “You went to school with Bear and Brady. I bet you three got into all kinds of trouble.”
Tyson laughed and squeezed her hand. “My daddy about tanned my hide more than a couple of times thanks to what you might call our little adventures.”
“Oh, really?” She cocked her head. “I’m dying to hear about them.”
“Well, there was the one time we climbed the town’s water tower and painted our high school mascot on it.” Tyson grinned. “I thought I did a pretty damned good job on the bull, and your brothers painted our senior class motto above it.”
Her eyes widened. “You were the ones? I remember seeing that bull on my way to King Creek Middle School from the ranch, wondering who’d done it. You’re talented.”
“I always thought you were a cute kid.” He smiled. “Then holy hell, did you grow up to be one gorgeous woman.”
A flush crept up her neck to her face. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “I was such a tomboy I didn’t notice guys until high school. By then, you were long gone.”
“I was.” He gave a nod. “But we’re here now, and I like that just fine.”
The server arrived with their food, and Haylee reluctantly withdrew her hand from Tyson’s. She loved the strength and the warmth in his touch.
Haylee’s stomach rumbled as she breathed in the delicious smells of burgers and fries. She ate a fry, enjoying the taste of the truffle oil, salt, and pepper on the potato. Tyson took a big bite out of his cowboy burger while she cut her black and bleu in half. He chewed, looking thoughtful, as she bit into hers, and she wondered what he was thinking.
They ate quietly for a few minutes with just background laughter, the clink of glasses and dinnerware filling what would have been comfortable silence. Considering they had both missed dinner, it wasn’t a surprise they were focused on their meals for the moment.
“You’ve asked me questions.” He set down his beer glass. “My turn.”
She finished chewing and swallowing. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
She grinned. “My life has not been exciting to date. You’d be bored.”
“Never.” He picked up a steak fry. “I understand you went to Arizona State. What did you major in?”
“Business with a minor in non-profits, and I took art classes.” She held her half a burger. “My degree has helped me with my event planning business, especially the events for non-profits. I want to explore that aspect of my education, but the opportunity hasn’t arisen yet. The art classes allowed me to further explore that part of my interests.”
She took a bite as he nodded. “What’s it like being the youngest of eight?”
Haylee chewed and swallowed. “Oh, my God, it’s nuts. My five brothers were over-protective, and my sisters and I squabbled constantly. Thank goodness Leeann, Jill, and I became good friends over the years, and we can cohabitate without wanting to kill each other. My brothers are still watching out for me, but they’re all great guys.” She cocked her head. “You have two older brothers, don’t you?”
He swallowed the beer he had just taken a drink of and set the glass on the table. “Yep. They were hell growing up with, but things are better between us now. I felt I had to live up to them in school and sports—to me, they had it all.” He gave a self-deprecating smile. “I was scrawny growing up and more into books than sports.”
Her eyes widened. “You, scrawny and bookish?”
He grinned. “Up until high school, when I grew into my hands and feet. I still enjoyed school, but I also developed an aptitude for basketball and an interest in girls. My grades suffered from that change in my life.”
Tyson made a satisfied sound after eating his entire burger and most of his fries. “I needed that.”
Haylee had finished half of her black and bleu, which was plenty since it had been so big. She wiped her fingers on her napkin and smiled at him. “Me, too. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until our server placed it in front of me.”
“Dessert?” he asked.
“This was more than enough for me.” She smiled at him. “I’ve enjoyed the time with you. Thank you for asking me.”
“Entirely my pleasure.” He gave her a sexy smile before knocking back the last of his beer and thumping the glass on the table. “It’s getting late. I’ll follow you home.”
“I’m fine, Tyson.” She rested her hand on his. “I don’t need you to follow me.”
