to a nice place for dinner. The king of burgers and the clown of kid’s meals were nice enough for her. But Lisa had to admit, the man had style.
Efrem showed up in charcoal-gray slacks, light-gray shirt, and a black satin vest. In honor of her profession he wore brand new, shiny black cowboy boots. The vest showed off his broad chest and shoulders, tapering in to emphasize a narrow waist. Her heart beat take-me-take-me-take-me inside her chest, making the filmy material of her new dress flutter ever so slightly.
“Whew! You look good enough to eat.”
He laughed and hooked an arm tight around her waist. “That’s later, darling.”
“Promise?”
She turned to catch his eye and share the joke. But there was nothing amusing about the look they shared. Afraid of the intensity of that look, she slipped from his grasp and headed out the door. She distinctly heard, but chose not to acknowledge, “Coward.”
He stepped around her and held the car door for her. Tucking in her legs, she let him close the door.
“Whew,” she said again once she was alone in the car. She took a deep breath and managed to greet him with a smile as he got in and started the engine. The knowing look he gave her said a lot, but she didn’t respond.
The Shack was situated on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon. Moonlight tipped the gentle waves, which didn’t distract the large crane standing motionless in the water. He stared at the water with one gimlet eye, the other turned toward the dark sky. She figured they’d be eating long before the crane.
Along with their drinks came easy conversation. They talked about things people do when they’re getting to know each other.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“What about college?”
“What brought you to Florida?”
“Who’s Trey?”
She chuckled. “You’re not going to let me slide on that one, are you?”
“Nope.”
She sighed. “Okay, the short version.”
“Unless I have questions.”
Narrowing her eyes, she said, “You’re getting pretty demanding all of a sudden.”
He narrowed his own eyes. “Not any more than when you’re lying under—”
“To start with, Trey is Dan’s nephew.”
He chuckled. “That I know.”
“Stanley Hightower is a lifelong friend of my grandfather. He’s the executor of the will which put him in charge of the ranch until I turn thirty.”
“But you’ve been working the ranch since your grandfather died, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Uncle Stanley doesn’t even like getting his shoes dusty never mind covered with…well, you know.”
He grinned. “I do know. First hand.”
She smiled and reached across the table for his hand. He turned his palm up and accepted her touch. “At least you had a soft landing place.”
“Cost me a pair of hundred-dollar jeans.”
“I told you to buy Levis.” Smiling, she scratched a pattern on her napkin. “Thank you. You’ve been a big help.”
“What did I help you with?”
Studying the pattern she was tracing on her linen napkin, she debated how much to say. “I don’t feel alone anymore.”
“Lisa. Look at me.”
She lifted her gaze, wondering if he was going to push her.
“Who, or what, was Trey to you?”
He’s gonna push. How much to tell.
“Tell me everything.”
She repressed a shiver. Everything would take hours.
“Trey and I were lovers.” There, get it all out in the open.
“I know that.”
Startled, she lifted her eyes to his. “How do you know that?”
“There’s hurt in your eyes whenever you mention his name. I figured he broke your heart, so you must have been lovers at some level.”
“You’re right.” She couldn’t look at him while she talked, so she stared at the big crane still posing in the water. “Trey said he loved me. And I loved him. At least I thought I did.” Stop right there. “Anyway, he was the restless type. A few weeks on the ranch and he had to take off for a week or two. To shake out the willies, he said.” She
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