Her Secret Texas Valentine. Helen Lacey

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ no money. She couldn’t be certain, but surely ranch hands weren’t paid extravagant salaries. She was disappointed through to her core.

      But what harm could a single date do?

      It wasn’t a marriage proposal. Or a lifelong commitment. And she didn’t have anyone else knocking on her door asking for her time and attention. She thought about it, looking at his handsome face again. And decided she’d live a little.

      “Sure,” she said as casually as she could manage. “Why not.”

      “Friday night?”

      She nodded. “Where?”

      He named a small Italian restaurant a few streets away. “Shall I pick you up?”

      “I’ll meet you there,” she replied. “Um...that’s a popular place. I’m not sure we could get a reservation this late. Perhaps somewhere else would be easier.”

      He looked amused by her caution. “I’ll text you a time once I make a reservation.”

      She wasn’t convinced he’d get a table, but she agreed. “Ah...great.”

      “Would you like more coffee?”

      She smiled a little. The man certainly wasn’t short on manners, and she realized he was an intriguing mix of rough and smooth. There was no denying his earthy roots. His clothes were clean and tidy, but the closer she looked, the more she noticed how the shirt was frayed a little around the cuffs, and how the Stetson sitting on the seat beside him was clearly well used. And despite the air of civility oozing from him, there was nothing urban about Jake Brockton. He was country through and through. Not what she wanted. Not anything like what she wanted. Except...his blue eyes were unbelievably mesmerizing. And his clean-shaven jaw made her fingertips itch with the urge to trace a pattern along his cheek and chin.

      Awareness and attraction mingled through her blood and she managed a tight smile, conscious that he was watching her intently. She tried to recall the last time she’d been as interested in a man, and the lingering memory of her first real boyfriend flittered along the edges of her mind. But Diego hadn’t hung around. And it turned out he was only ambitious and interested in her family’s money and connections rather than her. He wanted a career in real estate and thought she was his meal ticket, and he showed little shame in making it clear he deserved it after putting up with being her boyfriend for a year. After that, a little older and wiser, she’d dated Hugh. He was handsome and polite and from a nice family—his father was a friend of her father’s, and they’d been set up with the expectation that they would be perfect for one another. Yes, Hugh was perfect—he had perfect looks and manners and a career in the finance sector, and for five months she’d been convinced they would have a predictable happily-ever-after. But there was very little spark between them. Actually, no spark. Zilch. So it was an easy decision to end things between them. He was disappointed. She was wife material, he said. She shouldn’t have high expectations. After that, she’d begun to believe that maybe the spark thing was a myth. But then, over the course of the past year, both her sisters and two of her brothers had fallen madly in love and it got Val thinking that maybe that big love really did exist.

      “Why are you single, Jake?” she asked bluntly.

      “I’ve been too busy,” he said vaguely.

      She gave him a disbelieving look. “Really?”

      “That’s the truth, but I guess I’m still looking for my perfect match.”

      She chuckled. “Do you think there’s such a thing?”

      He shrugged lightly. “I’d like to think so. I’m not so sure anymore.”

      “Do you want kids?”

      His expression altered for a nanosecond, as though he was lost in thought. Finally, he spoke again. “Yes, one day. You?”

      “I’m pretty sure I want kids...one day.”

      “You’re only twenty-four,” he reminded her. “You have plenty of time to think about kids.”

      Her belly did an odd kind of dive. “I know. But I think it’s more about being with the right person, rather than being the right age.”

      He nodded. “I think you’re right. So, tell me about your two disastrous dates.”

      She laughed lightly. “Oh, my God, they were unbelievably bad. The first guy collected license plates from every state and talked nonstop about his mother. And the second one—he wore a baseball cap backward. But,” she said and flashed him a smile, “third time’s the charm.”

      He met her gaze. “I’m really glad your first two dates were duds.”

      Valene kept the visual contact. “Me too. Anyhow, I should probably get going. I have an open house at noon and need to get back to the office beforehand. But it was nice to meet you.”

      “You too,” he said and waited for her to stand before he got to his feet.

      He excused himself for a moment and headed for the counter to pay the check before Valene had a chance to offer to pay her share. When he returned to her, she was halfway to the entrance. He opened the door and let her pass, and they stepped out into the sunlight.

      “My car’s right here,” she said and used the beeper to unlock her silver Lexus, which was parked directly outside the coffeehouse. “Yours?”

      He jerked a thumb in the direction of a beaten-up blue Ranger parked on the other side of the road. There was faded writing on the side of the truck that she couldn’t make out. Okay...so he had a crappy car. The fact that he was utterly gorgeous made up for that shortcoming. Valene tried to drag her gaze away but couldn’t help looking him up and down. It should be illegal, she thought to herself as her skin prickled all over, for a man to look that good in chambray and denim.

      “Well, thanks for meeting me, Jake,” she said easily and held out her hand. “I had a nice time.”

      He took her hand, and electricity shot up her arm. “Likewise, Valene. I’ll see you Friday.”

      For a moment, she could have sworn he swayed a little closer. Of course, he wouldn’t try to kiss her. That would be outrageous, presumptuous and completely out of line. But still, her lips tingled foolishly and she let out a long and disappointed sigh.

       Don’t get ahead of yourself, Val. It was just coffee and conversation.

      He released her hand and she quickly got into her car. When she pulled away from the curb and caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror, her thought surprised her. She’d suddenly developed a thing for cowboys.

       Chapter Two

      “So,” Schuyler asked over brunch the following day. “How did it go?”

      They were eating at the office, chowing down on gourmet chicken salads and freshly squeezed juice that their other sister, Maddie, had supplied. Her oldest sister commuted between Austin and Houston most weeks, and Schuyler had driven in from Austin the day before and was staying for a couple of days. They had ditched the break room and were seated СКАЧАТЬ