Page 45 of Then You Happened
He bites his lip with his smile still playing at the corners of his mouth. “You will?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
I nod because I have no clue what I am agreeing to but can’t seem to get my brain to work.
“Good thing, then.”
“Yes. Definitely.”
“So, when should we plan it for? Tomorrow night? The day after?”
“Wait—what?” I ask, suddenly wary.
“Dinner.” That damn smile of his causes things to stir in my belly that I haven’t felt in years.
“Dinner?”
“Yep. I said I liked steak and potatoes, and you said you loved to cook and were excited to finally have someone to cook for.”
“You’re insane.” I push against his chest in jest but then realize what I’m doing and yank my hand back. “I did no such thing.”
“Yes, you did,” he says as his eyes sweep down the length of my body. “Here.” I jump as he reaches out and dusts something off my hip. “You had some dirt. My fault.”
“Yes. Sure.”
“See?” He laughs, and it’s such a welcome sound when it isn’t that haughty, know-it-all tone he normally uses. “You just agreed again to dinner later this week.”
“Whatever.” I wave both of my hands at him. My own smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “The box has the breeding lines and blood schedules inside it.”
“You mean bloodlines and breeding schedules?”
“Yes. That.”
“Do I make you nervous, Knox?”
“Of course not,” I say as I almost trip
over my feet in my haste to take a step backward.
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s just been a long day. It’s just been . . . you know how it’s been.”
“I do.” He takes a few steps toward the front porch and bends over to pick up the box. “Should I pick up some steaks when I head into town tonight?”
“Jack.” His name is an exasperated sigh.
“If you’re cooking, it’s the least I can do.”
“Sure.” I roll my eyes. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Cool.” He nudges the handle on his door to bring the box inside as I stare at him, mind spinning.
“So that’s why you go into town every night?”
“What do you mean?”
“Earlier today. In the stable.” I hook my thumb over my shoulder as if he understands it means when we were fighting. “You talked about the rumors about my finances. Is that where you heard them? Do you go to the bar to catch up on the latest gossip about your boss?”
