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“No, thanks, Ruth. You haven’t seen Lydia recently, have you?”
“Well, you’re in luck. I have. She’s in the kitchen helping Fred with a new dish we’re adding as a special. Go on back,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks.” Blake slipped quietly through the door into the kitchen. He found Lydia with the diner’s cook, Fred. They were discussing some kind of sauce to go with chicken.
Lydia looked up a moment later, her eyes widening with a touch of fear as she realized Blake was in her kitchen. Blake pointed to the back door, leaving no question that they were going to have a chat right now.
“You work on getting that sauce reduced. I’ve got to step out a minute.” Lydia took off her apron and went out the back door with Blake on her heels.
By the time the door shut, Lydia was smiling and looking completely innocent. Blake wasn’t falling for that. “Is there something wr—” she started.
“Don’t even try it,” Blake interrupted with a pointed finger in her face. “I know it was you. If you won’t admit to it then have the good sense to keep your mouth shut and let me talk. You’re damn lucky no one got hurt. Ivy could’ve fallen off the horse. A child could’ve been trampled under the hooves. You were raised around horses; you should know that better than anyone else. A million things could’ve gone wrong, but everyone is okay. If that wasn’t the case, I’d have your ass arrested right now.”
Lydia stood looking quietly solemn but not at all contrite. He didn’t expect her to. She always felt her actions were justified somehow.
“I’m going to assume this was a one time transgression that will never happen again, and as such, I’m not going to tell anyone about it. But if you lay a finger on Ivy ever again, I’ll see to it that the entire town knows what kind of person you really are. I thought you were just a catty, jealous bitch, but you’ve crossed a line. See to it that you don’t cross it again.”
Without waiting for her response, Blake turned on his heel and headed for his truck.
Chapter 13
“You look amazing.”
Ivy barely heard Blake’s compliment over her own snorts of laughter. The stress and drama of the day melted away in an instant. Blake’s tuxedo looked amazingly awful on him. “Where did you find that thing?”
“My dad was the best man in a formal wedding in 1984.” Blake held out his arms and did a little spin on Ivy’s front steps. “What do you think?”
“I think I’ve never seen you look like that before.” And she hadn’t. The tuxedo was a pale gray, almost silver. The jacket was cut high in the front, about at the waist, with tails in the back. It had a dark blue cummerbund and matching bow tie. “You even got matching accessories to go with my dress.”
“I rented that part from the formal wear store in Gadsden. I didn’t even know you could still get a cummerbund, but the lady had some in the back.”
“Nice touch.”
“Just wait until you see Grant, though. His suit makes me look chic.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Ivy looked him up and down, a smile spreading across her face. “Speaking of your brother, thanks for having him take me home this morning. I really just wanted to get out of there. It was so humiliating.”
Blake had a strange expression on his face when she spoke. He seemed almost irate, yet embarrassed at the same time. “It wasn’t your fault, Ivy. Very few people could’ve controlled a horse that was scared that badly.”
“Grant seemed to think someone in the crowd startled her.” Ivy shook her head. “I bet those are the last horses they ever have in the parade,” she said. “And the last time they have me in it, for certain.”
“I doubt that. They’ll invite the horses back,” he said with a chuckle. “This is for you.” He held up the clear box with the corsage. He opened it and pulled out the white roses, bundled with a white elastic band.
Ivy held out her hand and let him slip the corsage onto her wrist. Just looking at it brought back a wave of nostalgia for that night with Blake. It had been an amazing night for her. They were crowned the prom king and queen. They danced for hours to their favorite songs. And when the dance was over, they took a blanket out by Willow Lake and made love for the first time.
Remembering that moment brought a sudden flush to her cheeks. History might very well repeat itself if their heated kiss this morning was any indication. She’d promised him tonight and she meant it. There was nothing quite like a brush with death to reorganize your priorities. In the moments after he saved her, that was all she wanted. His touch, his kiss, his hands on her body. There was no reason to deny what they both wanted any longer.
“That’s very sweet,” she said, hoping he didn’t notice her reaction. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“It’s prom,” Blake said with a shrug. “I don’t care how old we are, there are things that you just have to do. You have to get a cool suit and buy your girl a corsage.” Blake took a step back to show her his blazing orange Corvette parked outside. “You also have to pick your girl up in a hot sports car.”
Ivy’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the car. She’d only seen Blake going around in his truck, but she wasn’t surprised to find he had a Corvette, too. He’d had posters of them on his walls in school. He drove around an old Mustang in high school, but he’d aspired to one day getting his dream car. A couple of years in the NFL made that possible.
“Wow. Auburn orange.”
“Of course,” Blake said, beaming with vehicular pride. “My truck is blue, so my ’Vette had to be orange.”
“Not only am I going with the hottest guy, I’m showing up in the coolest car. That’s got to make up for looking like a fool today.” Ivy pulled the door to the cabin closed behind her and walked with Blake to his car. He opened the door for her to get in and she sank into the plush camel-colored leather seats.
