“I had already planned to ring her up once I was back in Heart Falls,” Chance admitted. “I’ll need you to help me plan a picnic spot.”
“Can do.”
“And I need you to tell me why taking Tansy for a trail ride doesn’t make you smile.”
Cody grumbled for a minute. “I’d hoped you’d lost that ability.”
“My mind reading?”
“The habit of being a nosy bastard,” Cody growled.
Chance laughed. “Answer the question.”
His brother shrugged. “She’s a nice woman, and like I said, she can cook like anything. But I like her as a friend, not someone I want to date.”
Interesting. Also probably not the issue his brother considered it to be. “What class of eejit are ya? From the way she acted while you were cleaning up the food, I’d say she thinks the same of you. Don’t assume she plans to jump you while you’re on horseback.”
“Friends is fine, but I don’t want to lead her on, know what I mean?” Cody turned in the drive at the working dude ranch.
An assortment of trucks was parked near the cozy ranch-style home at the west side of the property. Here and there, people wandered the spaces between cabins, but Cody assured him the owners had booked off the July first weekend for family only. “Come on. I’ll officially introduce you to everyone.”
The rest of the day flew past, and the next, when an emergency trip to Calgary arose. Chance had to deal with customs paperwork immediately in person, or his shipment from his previous gallery would be stalled in Ireland for weeks. It meant he virtually signed the buyer’s paperwork for his new studio in Heart Falls without ever physically seeing the space. Thank goodness for technology, or he might have lost the deal.
When he finally made it back to town, Cody spent the rest of the evening grinning the way only an annoying younger brother could. “Chance, you’re like a cat underfoot in a herd of horses. Settle down.”
Impossible to complain that he usually was calm, cool, and collected, because since the auction, his system had gone haywire. He was nervous, excited, and far, far too eager.
The fates had continued to work in his favour, bringing Rose not just back into his life but back in a decisive way. Could anything go wrong when it all felt so right?
Chance fell asleep counting the hours until his date.
6
Sunday dawned bright and clear, the sky so blue that Chance was once again certain their picnic was being catered to by the heavens.
He had to hold himself back from showing up at her door too early.
Rose had given him directions to the back entrance of her shop off the alley behind Main Street. He smiled as he examined the long length of the building, each individual store with its own back entrance and a second door he now knew led up to apartments on the second level.
The door opened, and the most amazing scent wafted out as Rose joined him. Rosemary and tomato and rich, buttery cheese.
His mouth watered even more when he took her in. Jean shorts and a deep-blue top tied over a soft-cream shirt. Her runners were a blue checkerboard pattern, and she’d pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail. The crowning touch was a wide-brimmed straw hat with pale yellow roses tucked on one side.
She looked like a perfect summer day as she met his gaze with solid confidence. “Hi.”
He reached for the blanket draped over her shoulder and the bag in her hand. “Hello. You look pretty.”
She dipped in a curtsy then smiled harder. “You too.”
Ouch. He grimaced as he gestured toward his rental car. “’Tis a cruel thing to say to a man who’s hoping you’re attracted to him. Unless you like pretty, that is.”
Laughter drifted back as she paused beside the passenger door and waited for him to drop her things into the boot. “I think we established the first time we met that I find you attractive.”
Good. She wasn’t going to pretend the sex had never happened. He opened her door then stood back slightly. Just far enough to let her pass and yet close enough to truly enjoy the vision of her smooth brown legs sliding into his passenger seat.
“That bit of history does set a different sort of foundation for our date, and yet, I have a suggestion. If I may?” He crouched beside her open door so their eyes were on the same level.
Rose lifted a brow.
