“That’s right, I’d forgotten. I still think it’s pretty silly to ‘announce’ a year-old engagement.”
“I’ve seen the guest list,” Leah said carefully. “It’s going to be quite an affair.”
His lips tightened. “Bradford’s up for reelection and I guess he saw an opportunity to slap backs at my expense. But hell, I don’t care.”
Leah wasn’t sure that was entirely true, but she was sure this wasn’t a financial issue. She’d already been given the okay to hire the best caterers in Texas and one of the hottest up-and-coming bands. The decorations alone were no small cost, but the agreement she’d sent him had come back to her desk without a mark on it except his bold signature on the approval line.
“At least attire won’t be a fight,” she said, trying for some levity. “Denim will be de rigueur.”
“You think so?” he said, lifting an eyebrow. “We’ve already had three fights that my brand of denim isn’t good enough. Myra Jo wants to buy me some highfalutin designer jeans and have boots custom-made for the occasion. My Tony Lama’s will be just fine with a little spit and polish.”
Since they were back to square one, Leah decided to let things go for now. She only had a week until the barbecue, but then she would have another two until the rehearsal. Surely she could find a way to make him change his mind in three weeks. After all, she’d gotten the governor to dress up as The Beast so his daughter could be Belle at a costume party, hadn’t she?
The conversation drifted into the mundane for the rest of the meal, and the evening took on a delightful air. It wasn’t until the check arrived that they once again squared off.
Wade reached for it at the same time she did. His face took on that stubborn expression Leah decided she’d better get used to, so she finally let go. The test of wills had only taken a matter of seconds, but the battle had been real.
How foolish of her even to think of picking up the tab, even though the meal was a business deduction for her. He might only be seven years her senior, but feminism seemed to have passed this cowboy by without even ruffling his hair.
Leah noted Wade’s generous tip with absurd pleasure. She might have scratched cowboys off her fantasy list, but selfish men had never even been a consideration.
“Look, Leah, I’ve had about all the arguing I can stand. I clean up real good, so I can promise you I won’t show up at the barbecue, or even the wedding, in overalls. You just take care of Myra Jo and don’t worry about me.”
Oh, sure. That should be a breeze. Just as it had been a breeze to reserve the country club for the reception on such short notice, and book the caterer who was usually scheduled a year in advance, and cajole the baker into guaranteeing a five-tiered bride’s cake, a groom’s cake and the numerous extras required for an affair this size. What had Myra Jo been thinking to send out her invitations without these details planned? Now she could add getting the world’s most stubborn cowboy into a cutaway.
Any more “easy” tasks and she might just scream.
She calmed her wayward thoughts as Wade led her to the car, keeping a solicitous hand on her elbow. The evening sky was filled with a billion twinkling diamonds, and the quiet wrapped around them, incongruously making the parking lot seem intimate after the music-filled evening.
She wasn’t expecting the thrill that raced through her veins when he stopped and turned to give her an inscrutable look.
“Would you like to go for a walk on Town Lake before I take you home?”
Years of practice allowed Leah to keep her astonishment hidden. No, their meeting hadn’t been a date by the usual definition, but she probed her memory and found many real dates which hadn’t been this enjoyable.
Why did she find Wade’s interest in her companionship so hard to believe? Why was she looking for ulterior motives when the man might simply wish to spend some time with her? They’d had a pleasant evening, and all he wanted was to go for a walk by the lake.
Perhaps most surprising of all, she wanted to accept the impromptu invitation.
“That sounds lovely.”
The short drive down Lamar Boulevard was companionable. Leah congratulated herself on being able to put Wade a bit more at ease, and hoped she was building a good foundation to work from when things got dicey. For now, she decided to follow Wade’s example and enjoy the moment.
She matched his slow pace as they strolled along the Town Lake trail. The moon, pregnant with summer promise, reflected off the Colorado River. Pecan and cypress trees held hands over their heads, flirting with the night wind.
The occasional lap of the water against the bank, the crunch of gravel under the wheels of a passing bicycle, and the muted sound of traffic from the street only made the solitude seem safer, more comfortable. When they reached the rock overlook departing from the trail, it seemed entirely natural to lean her arms on the railing beside Wade’s and watch the lights from the power plant dance on the water. If it were earlier in the day, they’d be visited by the ducks and swans in search of a handout, but they had all found their nests, leaving the humans to enjoy the evening in relative peace and quiet.
Leah shivered when a gust of wind chased down her spine.
“Are you cold?” Wade asked, concern coloring his voice.
“No, just goose bumps. I’ve lived in Texas all my life, so you’d think I’d be used to the scorching hot days and cool nights of early summer in these parts.”
“Or maybe a rabbit hopped over your grave.”
She tilted her head. “Now there’s a pleasant colloquialism!”
Leah looked back out over the water. On the surface, Wade seemed content to stand in companionable silence, but she sensed a controlled hunger in him. It was her business to read people, and her instincts said his confident bearing was hiding something. Maybe she simply recognized a kindred spirit, a soul not yet fulfilled, a yearning for something ineffable.
Those thoughts making her want to reach out to him also awakened the little voice that had served her well over the years. And the voice reminded her to tread carefully. Wade had not invited an intimacy with her, and in fact, the very idea was illogical to contemplate. If anything, Leah knew better than to mix business with...anything else.
“Wade, it’s been a nice evening and all—”
“But...”
“But I’ve had a long day and my nap is wearing off.”
One side of his mouth tipped upward. “That’s an awfully roundabout way of saying you want to go home.”
“In my business, you learn subtlety.”
“Meaning you have to fib to get what you want?”
“Not fibbing, exactly. More like...redirecting.”
“So instead of telling the groom’s mother she looks like a purple sausage in the outfit she’s wearing, you’d do what? Give her a gift certificate to a dress shop?”
