Page 41 of Soldier Cowboy
“If Bonnie invited you, then yes, it is.”
He chewed and she chewed, and other than chewing the silence was nothing less than profound. She should have left the TV on and at least they’d be able to watch actors in the background having a wonderful time.
“So um, Colton? You haven’t told me anything about your life.”
He set his fork down and sighed. “What do you want to know?”
“So much! Delores said you were never engaged before me.”
“Nope.”
“I never was, either, in case you were wondering. Also, this is my first fake engagement.”
“Mine too.” He almost smiled that time.
“How many girlfriends? Anyone serious?”
“Just once.”
That was a loaded statement if there ever was one. Once. This washuge.
“Teenage sweetheart?”
“Yep.”
Wow, that was just a shot in the dark on her part. A teenage sweetheart. She had to be the girl in the photo albums. Maybe she’d been waiting for him to come back and now here he was, pretend engaged.
“Young love. It’s tough on everyone.”
“I joined the service as I always said I would, so it should have come as no surprise. But Cherisse got tired of waiting for me.”
Cherisse. What a name! Sounded like a cool stripper-name. She sounded blonde, buxom, and beautiful. Jennifer had always wished for a more imaginative name. She blamed her parents and their inability to think outside the box. In addition to choosing ordinary names, they wanted both their children to have the same first letter. Joseph and Jennifer. Yawn.
Why couldn’t she have been a Jasmine, at least?
But back to the sweetheart. “For the love of God, she wasn’t tacky enough to break up with you via email? Please say no.”
He met her eyes and quirked a brow. “As a matter of fact.”
“Oh,Colton.”
She reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it. His eyes jerked to her hand as if he’d just come up on a snake in the woods. Then he noticeably relaxed and she felt the warmth of his hand burning through her own. Solid and hard and…real.
“It was a long time ago and it’s fine, alright? Don’t feelsorryfor me.”
“I don’t.” She took her hand back. “I feel sorry forher.We’re going to make her so jealous. She’s going to rue the day she let you go. Oh, I’ll make sure of it.”
And there it was: Colton’s lips were quirking in a half smile.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s a service I provide to all my bodyguards and fake fiancés. A package deal.”
Later that night, after they’d both gone to their respective beds, Jennifer couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned thinking of young Colton and his first love. Cherisse and Colton. C and C. If he was the forgiving type, there might be a chance for the two of them once Jennifer was out of the picture. It might be unfair to discourage the woman, but it was nothing less than she deserved. She hadn’t even thought to ask if Cherisse had married someone else and/or if they were already divorced. Women in this town had plenty of choices when it came to cowboys, but that kind of abject power might go to a lesser woman’s head.
Just as she neared the utterly relaxing and ethereal moments between twilight and sleep, Jennifer smelled…chocolate. Either she was having a wonderful dream or Colton was cooking again. Turning over, she glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was midnight. And he was cooking? Now? She climbed out of bed and threw on her bathrobe, padding into the hallway.
The ambient light from the kitchen spilled into the hall. She moved closer, peeking around the corner, and saw Colton. Shirtless again, he was stirring into a pan with a wooden spoon. On the counter he’d lined up ingredients: flour, butter, salt, sugar, eggs. He seemed completely caught up in the rhythmic sound of the spoon scraping against the metal of the pan, a little smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He looked…content. There was something so peaceful and calm about this big man bare-chested in the kitchen, finding joy in a small and unspectacular moment. The ordinary.
