Page 55 of Love on the Run

Beau’s eyes widened. “Wow. I had no idea.”

“My turn,” Anna said, shifting in the warm water. “What has been your favorite part of this trip so far?”

Silence settled around them as Beau considered his answer. Was it really this difficult to decide? She’d assumed snowmobiling would be the clear winner.

“Pass.”

What? Why would he pass on that one?

“Okay. What’s your favorite food?”

“Steak. Ribeye. Medium.”

Anna chuckled. “So predictable.”

“Who doesn’t like steak?”

“It’s not my favorite. I prefer baked or roasted chicken to any other meat.”

“I mean, I don’t have anything against chicken or really any other food. It’s just hard to beat a good steak.”

A gentle warning floated to the surface of her thoughts. Why had she asked about his favorite food?

Because she’d always been told—mostly by her mother—that a good wife always prepares her husband’s favorite foods. Anna had spent over a year learning and perfecting Dean’s favorite foods.

Was she programmed to repeat her mistakes? The urge to put aside anything she’d done with Dean was strong. Where had she gone wrong? How could she know what exactly drove him away?

“My turn?” Beau asked, interrupting her downward spiral.

Anna nodded, still reeling over her self-revelation.

“How many times has Dean called you since we left?”

Wow. Beau didn’t pull punches. “Um, a lot.”

“How many have you answered?”

Okay, Beau liked to double up on his turn every time. “None.”

His expression didn’t change. She’d been watching closely how the shadows fell over his features.

No reaction at all? It had taken all of her willpower not to answer calls, even if the calls were from Dean.

She brushed stray hairs from her ponytail away from her face. “Do you date?”

“That’s a very general question,” he said.

“I’ll accept a very general answer. I just haven’t seen you with anyone since maybe high school.”

Beau rested his head back, completely relaxed despite the conversation topics. “Not really. It never lasts long.”

“Why not?” If he could ask more than one question, she could too.

“I can tell pretty quickly if it’s real, and then there isn’t any point dragging it out.”

“Are you super picky?” she asked.

“No. I’m just not going to devote my time to a relationship that won’t last.”

---