AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"She's packin' it up for me right now. Why? What else would I be talkin' to her about if it wasn't you or food?"
"Oh, I don't know. I?—"
"Oh..." A slow grin curves his mouth as his eyes sparkle with delight. "Did you think I was..." He lets out a chuckle as he glances back at the waitress, then at me. "Did you get jealous seein' me talking with another woman?"
I glance away, my face on fire. “Not even a little. You could go over there and kiss her right now for all I care.”
“Not sure her husband and two kids would be especially happy if I did that.” He releases a hearty chuckle, then turns to the waitress, who is now approaching with his order in a big, brown paper bag.
“Here you go, sugar. Two ruebens, two slices of cherry pie, and I threw in a container of ice cream on the house.” The waitress stops abruptly and looks at me, a slow smile curving her pretty features. “Oh, my lord. Is this the girl?”
Clark grins from ear to ear as I shift nervously under the scrutiny. “The very one. I’m real sweet on her, too. But unfortunately, she’s only interested in me for my body.” He places his hand on his heart and gives me a hangdog look.
“I’m standing right here, you know,” I say, my hands going onto my hips.
The waitress looks at me and shrugs. “No shame in that, honey. If the men can do it, us girls can too. About time Clarkhere felt a little of that, don't you think?" She winks at me before walking away, leaving me feeling even more flustered.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask Clark as he chuckles away to himself.
“Nothin’ a little picnic with my girl can’t fix.”
My eyebrows shoot up, but inside, I'm feeling all gooey and warm. “I’m not your girl,” I say to try and cover up my reaction.
He grins and leans in. “But you’re gonna help me with these sandwiches, right?”
“I suppose I could do with something savory after all that cake.”
“Well, color me happy,” he says, offering his arm and leading me right out of that diner with what feels like the entirety of Cedarwood Valley watching after us.
CLARK
After leaving the diner, I drive us out to my favorite lookout point on the ranch. It's a hilltop view overlooking the sprawling pastures where cattle lazily graze. It's not much of a drive, and we make easy conversation about nothing in particular—just the way Mariah likes it. As we pull up to the hilltop, I park the car and we hop out, settling ourselves side-by-side on the hood of my truck. The early afternoon sun beats down, offset by a light breeze. It's tranquil and picturesque. But of course, the only true view I'm interested in is the redhead beside me. It feels like an age since I've been this close to her. And if it wasn't for the fact one of our hands took off and left the rest of us to deal with his workload, I'd have been back to her sooner. I want this girl in my every day.
"I don't have a lot of deal breakers outside the usual. But if you're not a fan of Reuben sandwiches, we may have to call it quits here and now," I say, a half-smile on my face as I unpack the sandwiches and slices of pie from the takeout bag.
Mariah glances down at the food and then back up at me. "I'm always up for a good sandwich." She takes the one I offer her, biting in and letting out a moan as the flavor hits her tongue. My dick pays attention, the memory of those beautifulgasps of moans she made by the water still present in my mind after being in my dreams every night since. "These aren't just good. They're great." She licks her lush lips as she smiles at me. "Almost as good as cake."
I chuckle. "Only thing that's better than cake is pie," I say, biting into my own sandwich.
Mariah looks out at the landscape, and we eat in silence for a bit.
"This is gorgeous," she marvels when half her sandwich is done. "I can see why you'd love it here."
"Just wait until sunset when the sky turns fiery orange and pink," I tell her. "That view'll take your breath away."
Mariah's eyes twinkle as she picks up the other half of the wax-paper-wrapped sandwich and looks back out at the view. We fall quiet again, and as much as I want to poke and prod to find out what this beautiful woman has against forming a relationship, it feels good to simply be present together after the charged intensity of our last encounter. I'm starting to think a few days apart did us some good.
"This was a great place to choose for a picnic," Mariah eventually says as she picks up a napkin and wipes her mouth. "I'm surprised how relaxing it is sitting and eating a sandwich while watching cattle graze."
"Another thing you don't get much of in the city," I say, sneaking a glance at her profile. The soft breeze teases a few fiery strands from her ponytail forward to frame her face, and the sight makes me want to kiss her silly.
"That's true." Mariah giggles lightly. "I imagine grazing cattle would really hold up traffic. But the babies are cute. Look at that one jumping around." Mariah points to a frisky calf trying to get the others to chase it. "So playful."
"You wanna pet one?"
"What?" She crooks an eyebrow, amusement glinting in her eyes. "You're kidding, right?"
"Not at all. Cows are real friendly creatures."
