From City Girl to Rancher's Wife. Ami Weaver

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СКАЧАТЬ but this is the list of toppings.”

      Josie took it from him. So this would be an adventure, then. She was game. “All right.”

      The waitress came back over with tall glasses of water. “What can I get you to drink today?”

      Josie chose a diet soda and Luke an iced tea. Then they placed their burger orders. She went with honey mustard, brie and Granny Smith apples on a burger cooked medium. Luke got so many things on his she couldn’t keep track.

      The waitress left and came back with their drinks.

      “So you closed your restaurant?”

      His words jarred her. Luke probably thought he was making polite conversation. He had no idea what a minefield that question was. She took a sip of her soda and traced a finger on the laminate tabletop. “It’s not quite that easy,” she said, settling on a version of the truth. “I had a partner. He has it now.”

      If he picked up on the bitterness in her tone, he didn’t show it. “What made you leave?”

      She managed a smile. “It was time to move on. That’s why this was perfect timing.”

      * * *

      Luke studied her for a second. There was something there she wasn’t telling him, but he wasn’t going to press. He knew all about keeping things private, and he wasn’t going to make her uncomfortable, especially when he didn’t know her very well. “Fortunate for us.”

      Her smile was more real that time and reached her eyes. “I hope so.”

      She asked some questions about the ranch, and he was more than happy to talk about it, especially since she seemed truly interested in his answers. The waitress delivered two steaming plates of food, and he saw Josie’s eyes widen almost comically. “I guess I forgot to mention it’s enough to feed a couple people.”

      She folded her napkin in her lap with a small laugh. “I guess so.”

      He took a bite of his fully loaded bacon cheeseburger and chewed reverently. There wasn’t another place in the world like this. If there was, he hadn’t found it. And he’d looked in all the cities he’d played over the years he’d been touring with his band.

      “This is amazing,” she said, and her tongue slipped out to catch a dab of ketchup. His gaze snagged on the motion and heat flared inside him, deep and hot. He picked up his tea and took several swallows, hoping the cold liquid would cool him down. He hadn’t expected to react to another woman like that—and definitely not another city girl with no plans to stay.

      She looked up then, and he was pretty sure she caught him looking at her like something he’d like to eat. She patted her face self-consciously with her napkin. “Did I get ketchup all over?”

      “No,” he said, and his voice was a little rough in his throat. “No, you’re fine.”

      She gave him a little frown, and he turned his plate and offered her an onion ring to cover the awkward moment. “Want to try one?”

      She picked a small one off his plate and took a bite. She closed her eyes as she chewed. “Mmm. Wow. Amazing.”

      “Not haute cuisine, I guess.” It had mattered to Mandy that there was no place, at the time, to get things like sushi in the area. To find a five-star restaurant that wasn’t a steak house.

      She opened her eyes and frowned at him. “Good food is good food, Luke. It doesn’t all have to be fancy and complicated.”

      He hid a smile. “Sorry. You’re right.”

      She moved her plate out of the way and leaned forward. It was enough to push her breasts up, and he managed to keep his eyes on her face. With great effort. “I’m trained as a chef, but I’m a cook, period. I love to hang out in the kitchen, experiment with recipes and create new ones. Really, the whole idea of haute cuisine doesn’t appeal to me. It was part of what led to my split with my partner. Different visions for a lot of things, the very least of which was the menu.”

      “I understand.” He did. She looked at it as an expression of herself, like he had with music. Still did, even if he didn’t perform anymore. He wondered if the split had been personal as well as professional, but it wasn’t any of his business.

      She picked up another fry and nibbled on it. “Do you think I can get a box? I can’t take the fries home, but I’d hate to waste the burger.”

      He’d managed to demolish his. In fact he’d all but licked the plate clean. “I don’t know. I’m sure you can. I’ve never needed one.”

      She laughed and the sound flowed over him, almost made him smile. “I’m not surprised.”

      She did get a to-go box and he paid the bill, after she insisted on leaving the tip. They walked through the Montana sunshine to his truck. She made him feel—lighter. She hadn’t once referred to his history as a country star. He allowed so few new people into his world it was always a surprise when that happened, because so many over the years had wanted something from him. Or they hadn’t wanted him—they’d wanted the country star.

      So while it was refreshing to be with someone who didn’t have demands or expectations, it was dangerous, too. He didn’t want to let down his guard only to learn he’d trusted the wrong person. Again.

       Chapter Four

      Two days later, Josie couldn’t get the trip they’d made to town out of her mind. Or how easy it had been to be with Luke. When he let down the gruff exterior, he was a charming, funny man. Between the laugh lines around those incredible blue eyes and the small dimple in his cheek—

       Sexy.

      She shook her head to clear the unwelcome thought. She wasn’t even going to go there.

      “You up for a little walk?”

      Josie started and looked up at Alice, who was standing there with a smile. A little thread of embarrassment ran through her. Thank goodness the other woman couldn’t read her thoughts.

      “Sure. Where to?” She wanted to ask if it was okay for Alice to do that, but she didn’t know the other woman well enough to do so.

      As if she’d read Josie’s mind, Alice smiled a little wider. “It’s okay. We’re just going to my house, which is the one down the lane a little way. It’s a nice, even path. I need a couple of things. If you don’t mind.”

      “I don’t mind at all.” She followed Alice out the back door, Hank on her heels. She turned to shoo him back in, but Alice shook her head.

      “Let him come. He’ll be fine, even if he wanders off.”

      “Okay.” Josie held the door for both Alice and the dog, and watched carefully as the older woman navigated the steps. Hank was very courteous as well, waiting for her to be on the ground before trotting after her and looking back at Josie as if to say, What are you waiting for? This late in the afternoon it was comfortably warm out, but not hot. She was still trying to adjust to this weather. Cold enough at night for a fire and a quilt, hot enough during the day for short СКАЧАТЬ