Page 9 of Rancher's Heart
CHAPTER 6
ELLE
Staring in the mirror, I watched my pulse thrum in my neck as I applied one last coat of mascara. I couldn’t even think of the last time I’d worn make-up. It wasn’t something I really worried about anymore, but it felt nice to actually get ready to go somewhere. Taking one last look at myself, I smiled.
Every nice article of clothing I owned lay scattered across my room. I think I tried every combination I could think of, and I settled on my favorite dress. Hopefully, I wasn’t overdressed, but what did people wear on dates? My hands shook as I put my necklace on and it took a few times for me to get the clasp hooked properly, but I ran my hand over the turquoise pendant and smiled. It was one of the few things I’d splurged on when I had been in Arizona while my ex-husband had been training horses on a ranch there.
A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I reached up and smoothed my straightened hair once more and took a deep breath. “You got this,” I said to myself as I turned the light out in the bathroom.
Pulling open the door, I looked up at the man who’d been in my yard earlier today. Now he was in black wranglers, a blue plaid pearl snap shirt, and a brand new cowboy hat. “Evening, you look stunning,” he said, his low voice scratching an itch that I never knew existed.
I ran my hands over my hips as I smoothed out my dress. When I’d put it on I thought the mustard yellow, flowing skirt with a lace top had been too much, but I was glad I’d dressed up a bit more when I saw him. “You clean up pretty good yourself.” I smiled as we stared at one another. What was the plan here? Did I ask him to come in? Did we just leave?
“Come in,” I heard myself say as I stepped out of the way.
“These are for you.” He pulled a bouquet of pink roses from behind his back and held them out to me.
“They’re gorgeous,” I said as I buried my nose in the blooms. “Thank you. I’ll just put them in some water, and then we can go. He followed me further into the kitchen, and I inwardly winced at the scene before us.
The tap dripped non-stop, there was more than one door missing from the lower cupboards, and the linoleum was peeling in the high-traffic paths of the small kitchen. Squatting down, I reached to the back of the cupboard under the sink and landed on the one vase I possessed. It was dusty, so I rinsed it before filling it with water.
Gently, I pulled the brown paper off the flowers and set them in the water. Turning I couldn’t avoid his gaze. He was leaning up against the doorway into the living room, one thumb hooked in the pocket of his pants and the other down at his side. God, he looked good enough to miss dinner for and fall straight into bed with.
I tried to shake the thought from my head as I placed the flowers on the table and took a step back to admire them. How had a dozen pink roses made the entire kitchen look morebeautiful? “I guess we should go.” He pushed off the wall and moved toward the door.
The sun was just beginning to set, and the pinks and purples filled the sky as we pulled out of my yard. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as I folded my hands in my lap so I didn’t fidget as much.
“Nope, it’s a surprise.” He smirked when he looked over at me.
We drove in silence and the lights of Bozeman glimmered on the horizon. Weaving through the traffic downtown, Griff pulled into a spot in front of The Cattle Club Restaurant and Lounge. “Griff, this takes months to get into,” I said as he climbed out of the truck.
He walked around the front of the vehicle and opened my door. “Well when you supply the beef, you’ve got a little pull at the place.” He winked and helped me out of the truck. Without missing a beat, he closed the door and moved his hand to the small of my back. With the gentlest pressure, he guided me to the door of the restaurant and led me in.
“Mr. Harp, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” The hostess smiled up at Griff, as we walked in. “If you’ll both follow me.” She grabbed two menus, and we followed behind her.
“You didn’t even have to say your name. You must be popular around here,” I whispered as I wrapped my hand around his arm.
“Usually, I’m alone, and I’m here making business deals. I’ve never brought a woman here for dinner.” He looked down and grinned. We walked to the back of the seating area and were guided to a corner booth, secluded from anyone else. Candles illuminated the area, and there was wine already waiting for us.
“Your server will be with you shortly.” She smiled at Griff and popped her hip as she turned.
“The hostess has the hots for you, Mr. Harp,” I said in my sweetest voice, arching my brow.
“I didn’t even notice her; the most beautiful woman I know is sitting across from me.” His eyes were locked on mine. Neither of us saw the waitress come to the table.
She cleared her throat and we both turned. “Have you had a chance to look at your menus?”
“We’ll both have prime rib, rare for me.”
“Medium for mine please.” I smiled at the poor girl, whose face was bright red.
“Baked potatoes, and mixed veggies for sides.” He handed the menus to the girl and she nodded before walking away.
“Are you in the habit of ordering for your dates?” I asked as I picked up the white wine in front of me.
“Not usually, but I wanted you to have the best so I hope you’re not offended.”
“Well, I probably should be but there was something kind of sweet about it.” That was a bald-face lie; there was nothing sweet about it; it was dominating and hot.
