Stella Bagwell – The Maverick's Bride-To-Order (страница 8)

It was all Lydia could do to keep from squirming. “Well, to be honest, it rather looks that way. But from the little time we’ve spent together, I get the impression you won’t marry a woman unless you’re wildly in love with her. And that’s all that matters.”

His lips spread in a wry smile and Lydia found her gaze focusing on the dimple carving his cheek and the way his white teeth glinted against his tanned skin.

He started to make some sort of reply, when the waitress returned with their drinks. As Lydia watched her write down their orders, she wondered how the young woman could possibly know what she was scrawling across the pad. Not with her ogling gaze never leaving Zach’s face.

“We’ll have these orders right out, Mr. Dalton.” Playfully wrinkling her nose, she let out a nervous giggle. “And if there’s anything else you need, I’ll be happy to get it for you.”

As the waitress walked away, Lydia had to stop herself from groaning and laughing. As for Zach, he seemed unaffected by the flirtatious behavior of the waitress, which made her wonder if she’d underestimated this man. Maybe he wasn’t nearly as gullible to the wiles of women as she’d first believed.

He looked across the table at Lydia and smiled. “Now, where were we?” he asked. “I believe you were saying something about me needing to be wildly in love before I picked a wife. Tell me, Lydia, have you ever been wildly in love?”

She didn’t know why, but the question brought a stinging heat to her cheeks. “Uh, no. Not that I remember. When I was about twenty years old, I had a crush on a bull rider.”

His jaw dropped. “A bull rider? You don’t seem the sort to go for that kind of guy.”

Laughing, she shrugged. “Well, he had the swagger in his walk and wore his hair a bit too long to be conventional. And guys just naturally look sexy in a pair of spurs.”

“What happened?”

This time her short laugh was brittle. “Nothing. He never knew I existed.”

“Hmm. What about high school? All girls at that age think they’re in love, don’t they?”

She shook her head. “Not me. There wasn’t really any guy I could hang my starry gaze upon. You see, back then I was a little plump and my complexion was a mess. The only thing I didn’t have was braces. But that was only because my mom couldn’t afford them.” She gave him a wide enough smile to expose her teeth. “See, my right front tooth has a tiny lap over the left one. But it doesn’t bother me. None of us are perfect, right?”

“Not at all.” He leaned closer, his eyes focused on her mouth. “And I happen to think your teeth look natural and nice.”

She was an idiot for letting his words thrill her. He was simply giving her a friend’s opinion. But it wasn’t often a man like Zach Dalton ever bothered to give her a compliment and the feeling was empowering.

“Thank you.”

He took a long drink from his glass, while she peeled a straw and jammed it into her iced tea.

“Tell me if I’m being too personal, but are you hoping to get married? Have children?”

Even though they shouldn’t have, the questions stung. Still, she mustered a casual voice. “Oh, back in those days of the bull rider—when I was twenty and everything about life looked fresh and wonderful—I dreamed of having a family. I expect most women do. But it just never happened. Now that I’m older, I suppose I’ve quit thinking so much about it. Someday I might find that perfect guy. But until then I’m content to stay busy at the Gazette.”

His gaze scanned her face and Lydia wondered what it would be like to have him look at her with love shining in his eyes. Would any man ever look at her with such devotion? He’d be faking it if he did. That was what her mother would say.

He tossed her a teasing grin. “So you’re not thinking about advertising for a husband?”

She laughed. “I think I’ll wait and see how things work out for you before I go that route.”

He rested his broad shoulders against the back of the booth. “I’m sure you’ve heard about my cousin Travis getting on reality TV.”

“Oh sure. Everyone in town has been talking about The Great Roundup! I haven’t missed an episode. It’s so fun watching people I know on TV.”

“I’ve been watching the episodes at the Ace in the Hole,” he said. “I have to admit it seems a bit surreal seeing Travis on TV. But so far he’s hanging strong with the competition.”

“I’m excited to see how the contest unfolds. Things are getting a bit nasty with some of the contestants. I hope Travis and Brenna are on the lookout for saboteurs among the group. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them might go as far as to cut cinch straps on saddles or deliberately spook a contestant’s horse.”

He nodded. “My same thoughts. Last week when that big burly cowboy with the handlebar mustache got bucked off his mount, I wondered if someone might have planted a burr or something sharp beneath his saddle pad. Some folks will do anything for money. Especially the prize of a cool million dollars.”

“Sad, but true,” she said, then offered him a bright smile. “But Travis is a tough guy. He might just be the one bringing the million dollars home. And a new wife, too. I think everyone was a little shocked over his sudden proposal to Brenna O’Reilly.”

Frowning, he picked up his tea glass. “I doubt anyone was more shocked than me,” he admitted. “Proposing marriage isn’t something a guy should do on impulse. But then Travis always was the reckless sort. I only hope he hasn’t set himself up for a miserable fall.”

“Well, from what I’ve seen on The Great Roundup, I get the sense there’s a real connection between him and Brenna. That’s the important thing.”

“Lust or love. With my cousin, who knows? I’m still trying to figure out if his proposal to Brenna was real or just a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

Lydia tapped her fingers against the tabletop as she mentally weighed Zach’s comments. “So you don’t believe picking a wife from a newspaper ad is impulsive?”

Thankfully, he wasn’t offended by her question. Instead, the faint grin on his face said he found it amusing. “I haven’t proposed yet, Lydia. Whenever I do, it will be after a lot of careful consideration.”

He sounded like a man weighing the appeal of a bologna sandwich against a rib eye steak. If he was truly in love, he shouldn’t need to “consider” anything, Lydia thought. His heart would know who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But that wasn’t her worry.

To her relief, the waitress suddenly arrived with their meals, and the interruption allowed their conversation to move away from love and marriage.

Once the flirty waitress made certain Zach had everything he needed, she left them to enjoy their burgers and fries.

“Mmm. This tastes great,” Zach exclaimed after he’d swallowed a hefty bite of the thick burger. “I’ll have to remember this place.”

“I’m glad you approve. Being close to the Gazette makes it easy for me,” Lydia said. “I can walk here.”

“How long have you worked for the newspaper?”

“About six years. When I applied for the job, I didn’t have much experience. Actually, the only experience I had was the work I’d done on the college newspaper. But at that time, the boss of the Gazette was nice enough to take a chance on me. Since then I’ve worked my way up to assistant manager. My main job is graphic design and I also do the cartooning for the paper, along with anything else that needs to be done. Like taking classified ads, answering the phone and—”

“Fixing the plumbing,” he finished for her.

Surprised that he remembered, she chuckled. “That’s right. I do know how to handle a crescent wrench.”

His eyes sparkled. “I’ll try to remember not to make you angry. A woman that can handle a crescent wrench can be dangerous.”

Laughing softly, she dipped a french fry into a pool of ketchup. “Don’t worry. I can hardly bring myself to swat a fly.”

* * *

By the time Zach and Lydia finished the meal, her lunch hour was nearing its end. After taking care of the bill, Zach walked her back to the Gazette, then drove straight to the Circle D.

As soon as he parked his truck near the barn, he spotted his brother Cole pushing a wheelbarrow filled with horse manure and dirty shavings toward a pile of compost.

Expecting he was going to catch hell for being gone part of the morning, Zach left the vehicle and walked over to his brother.

“What’s going on? Cleaning horse stalls?”

“Where have you been?” Cole demanded. “Have you forgotten there’s work to be done around here? Yeah, I’m cleaning stalls—all by myself, I might add. Shawn and Booker took off on horseback to go round up a bull. He crashed through a fence at the back of the property. So that leaves me and you to finish the dirty chores here in the ranch yard.”

“Sorry,” Zach apologized. “I had to go into town.”

Which was partly true, he thought. He couldn’t leave personal mail lying around the newspaper office.

“To see one of your prospective brides, no doubt,” Cole said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

“Actually, I did have lunch with a woman,” Zach admitted. “But she’s not in the running for my wife.”

Cole’s expression took on a look of exaggerated shock. “You mean she wasn’t that impressed with you? Wonder of wonders.”