Page 79 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
She didn’t answer until they were on the road heading north. Dandelion was curled up in Finn’s lap, a small warm puddle of fur. “Steak would be good. We can drive to Calgary if you want some good Italian or something other than East Indian.” She glanced at him, a wry smile twisting her lips. “I’m sure you caught that bit. About Dad being in town.”
“Josiah told me.”
She stared at the road for a minute and then blew long and hard. “I actually practiced that one this morning while I was working because I figured it would happen sooner than later. I thought of what it would feel like the next time I got an invite to dinner. That knot in my stomach got tight again, and instead of feeling happy about getting to spend time with my family, I was dreading it. So, for right now, my answer was no. ButthenI figured out what I wanted to do instead.”
She reached across the space between them and caught his fingers in hers. Smiling shyly. “Imagining a nice dinner with you made the knot go away.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good for you.”
“Imagining coming home with you afterwards made fireflies dance in my belly, so there’s that as well.”
The image made him laugh. “Is that a good thing? Fireflies in your belly?”
She hummed. “A very good thing. You interested?”
He lifted her fingers and pressed them to his lips. “Let me wine and dine you, and we’ll see about finding some fireflies later.”
Karen staredat the clothes hanging in her closet and hesitated. It wasn’t as if the wedding was a highfalutin affair. For their mid-July vows, Hanna Lane and Brad Ford had decided to get married up at his family ranch, outdoors, with a potluck dinner. The number of people invited was probably under fifty, and they were either Hanna’s friends or the people Brad worked with, which meant the guest list was made up of farmers, ranchers, firefighters, and other blue-collar workers.
People would dress up nice, but it wouldn’t be fancy.
She still didn’t see anything in her closet that made her happy. Definitely nothing that sparked joy, not for this event.
If she was brutally honest, part of the reason why she wanted a special outfit was to keep in line with thatlooking for things she lovedattitude.
It hadn’t been easy, but over the last week, Karen had practiced pausing before making a choice and before responding to a comment or question. She was pretty sure sometimes it looked as if she’d been frozen.
But it was getting easier to make a quick decision aboutyesornoon the path to what she truly wanted.
That morning, she had finally taken the step to deal with the biggest source of stress in her world. She still alternated between being absolutely sick to her stomach that she’d done it and being ecstatic she’d been brave enough to take charge in a decisive way.
Surely after all that she could find an outfit for tonight.
“Is there something hiding in your closet?” Finn stepped through the doorway and swung his way to her side.
“Looking for an outfit that’s dressy without dressing up.” She patted him on the arm. “Even those of us who are content to spend our lives in jeans have these moments.”
“Sounds as if you have the same problem as me,” Finn told her.
“Closet full of clothes and nothing to wear?”
He tapped his leg. Lips twisting at the corners. “Pretty much. Don’t think I should show up in sweatpants.”
She snickered. “You could set a new fashion trend. I’m pretty sure as long as they’re made out of flannel, it’ll go over big time.”
He glanced at his watch. “What about we go into town and see what we can come up with?”
“Really?”
His nod was slow and teasing. “I know it’s a small town, but they do have a few things. Let’s check out that new consignment shop.”
“You’re taking me on a shopping date? Cool.”
Finn made a face. “Let’s just say I’m taking you on a date, and we’ll see what happens.”
Which is how they ended up on Main Street not even half an hour later, strolling, such as Finn’s crutches would allow, side by side down the old-fashioned boardwalk. They peeked in windows, discussed the merits of the fishing and tackle shop’s location, and made a pit stop at the candy store.
That meant they had to stop and sit for a moment at one of the tiny tables against the building wall.
