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"I don't really remember." Clark's eyes shutter, then drop to the mouth of his coffee cup. "She passed when I was real small."
"That must have been hard on you."
"It was," Clark admits, his voice breaking a little. "But I've learned to make my own way in this world, and I think fate led me exactly where I needed to be."
"Where's that?"
He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. "Right here."
His meaningful look makes my cheeks warm. I glance down shyly.God, this man has a way of sucking me right in.
"What about you, Miss Mariah?" Clark asks. "There must be some interesting stories behind those fancy city boots of yours."
"I'm really not that interesting."
"Sure you are," he says, his thumb rubbing over the back of my hand as he grins. "I happen to find you fascinatin'. How about we start with something simple? Where did you grow up?"
I take a deep breath, realizing this charming cowboy has already knocked down some of my walls without even trying. "That's probably themostboring part. I grew up in the suburbs and lived in the same house until I left to go to college."
"The suburbs, huh? Bet you had some fun times there," Clark muses, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"If you want to call watching the rotating door of my mom's boyfriends come and go fun, then yeah, it was a blast."
"Ahhh, so now we're getting somewhere. Guess that's why you don't much like relationships?"
I bounce a shoulder. "Well, I can't say I've ever met a man who knows how to stick around until breakfast before now. So, would you want to get your hopes up if that's all you ever knew?"
He shrugs, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Maybe I'd feel that way. But I'd like to think I'd be the type to search for something more. Something real and different. And I'd hope that I'd fight real hard to keep it once I found it."
"Is that what you think I should do?" I ask, feeling a strange mixture of vulnerability and awe directed toward this man who's opened up a piece of my past so effortlessly. "You want me to fight to keep you?"
"Hell yeah. I want us to fight foreach other, darlin'. 'Cause I already know you're worth fighting for." He squeezes my hand, his earnest gaze never leaving mine.
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. I'm not sure what to say, how to respond to this man who just casually tossed out the fact that he thinks I'm worth fighting for. I blink rapidly to clear the sudden blur in my vision, then manage a shaky laugh. "You're quite the smooth talker, cowboy."
"I aim to please," he replies, giving me a wink and a smile in that infuriatingly charming way of his.
We sit in silence for a bit, and I try to conjure up the memory of my childhood home, but it's a blur of linoleum floors, plasticchairs, and the constant chatter of unwanted company. It's a stark contrast to the serene beauty of Cedarwood Valley and the little cottage I'm staying in. I take a sip of my coffee and let out a contented sigh. "I think this is going to be one of those core memories for me. This moment. Right here, eating pancakes with you," I say, my voice barely a whisper.
Clark's eyes shine with warmth and understanding. "I reckon it'll be one of mine too," he says, reaching over the table to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingers for a moment, rough but gentle against my cheek, and I feel myself lean into his touch instinctively.
"Now, you'd better finish up," he says, withdrawing his hand and picking up his cutlery again. "You'll need your energy today on account of this bein' Friday."
"Friday?" I ask, still in a slight daze since his touch seems to rob me of brain cells.
He nods. "It's date day."
"I thought you were just taking me to dinner?"
"Dinner. An entire day of three meals and some snacks in between fucking you senseless. I don't think we need to put rules on this. Do you?"
My heart does a backflip in my chest, and my cheeks at his words. This man, this handsome, charming cowboy, not only stayed and cooked me breakfast, but he wants to spend an entire day with me too. An entire day of meals and... other things. This is far more than I'd ever hoped for, but I've come this far. Maybe it's time I gave this thing with Clark a real chance...
CLARK
"So, what's the plan?" Mariah asks when she comes out of the shower wearing a flowy sundress and cowboy boots, fiery hair tumbling over her shoulders. She looks so beautiful it makes my chest ache.
We've spent the morning in bed together, tangled in the sheets and each other. And after a shower—that took up almost all the hot water because I couldn't keep my hands off her—the rest of the day stretches ahead of us, and I plan to show her a little more of what this amazing little town of ours has to offer.
