Fortune's June Bride (Mills & Boon Cherish) (The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country, Book 6) by Allison Leigh Page B
Authors: Allison Leigh
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it served up was long on cheap burgers and a helluva grilled cheese, and way short on ambiance. If a person wanted that, they went to the Hollows Cantina that had opened only last year.
“Half-price wings it is.” He jangled his truck key. “I’m in the employee lot.” They followed in the path of other cast members making their way through the circuitous backstage area circling Cowboy Country’s perimeter. “Your parents left yet on their cruise?”
“Sunday morning,” she told him with a quick smile. “They leave out of San Francisco, so I’ll drop them at the airport in Lubbock tomorrow morning and be back in time for the noon show. They’re pretty excited. Mama especially. She’s always wanted to see Alaska.”
The walkway narrowed between the back of a building on one side and the high hedges blocking off the fence on the other, separating the park from what was supposed to have been a hotel project before it’d been shelved because of construction and design issues, and he waited so she could walk ahead of him. “I’ll bet.”
“They’ll be cruising part of the time, and land-touring part of the time,” she said over her shoulder. “Daddy figures it’s the best of both worlds, because he’s not all that sure he’ll like being cooped up on a boat for nearly two weeks.” Her grin was impish in the dwindling light. “The cruise ship is like a floating city. Probably bigger than Horseback Hollow. Cooped up.” She laughed a little, shaking her head. “What about you? Anywhere you dream of going?”
“To see a Super Bowl?”
She laughed. “Come on. Seriously.”
The path widened out again and he came abreast of her. “I am serious. Where else would I rather be than here in Texas?”
“Football and cows being your ultimate fantasy, I guess.”
“Well, shoot, honey. Didn’t know we were talking
fantasy
,” he drawled before he thought better of it. They were passing beneath another light pole and her cheeks looked as if they’d turned red. Which left him feeling like a jackass and awkward as hell. He cleared his throat. “What about you?” That wasn’t any better. “About Alaska, I mean. Didn’t you want to go?”
“With my parents on a cruise? I love ’em, but no thank you. Bad enough I’m still single and living at home with them.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“At my age?” She made a tsking sound. “Please. How old were you when you moved out on your own?”
“That’s different.”
They’d reached the security gate leading out to the parking lot and she gave him a look as they passed through. “Why on earth is it different?”
He lifted a shoulder, wishing to hell all over again that he’d kept his mouth shut. It’d been easy for him to go out on his own. He was the eldest of seven kids. When he’d left the nest, his mama had still had a half dozen chicks left to fuss over.
Thanks to Mark’s death, Aurora’s parents had only her.
“So where
is
your dream vacation?” he asked instead of answering.
She spread her arms. “Anywhere other than here.”
She’d smiled as she said it, but he could see the truth beneath it. And he remembered good and well Mark laughing way back when about his kid sister’s “big city” dreams. “I remember you went off to college for a few years.” He gestured toward his pickup truck parked at the far corner of the lot. “Where was it?”
“UCLA.”
“Guess you probably got a good taste of city life in Los Angeles.”
She waited while a car passed them. Galen recognized Frank behind the wheel with a few of the saloon dancers in his passenger seats.
“Two years was a pretty short taste, in the span of the rest of my life spent here,” she said.
He studied her profile. The gentle point of her chin. The fine line of her narrow nose that was just a shade too long, making it all the more interesting. And the pale pink lips that he’d pretended to kiss thirty-damn-six times now. “Would you go back to
“Half-price wings it is.” He jangled his truck key. “I’m in the employee lot.” They followed in the path of other cast members making their way through the circuitous backstage area circling Cowboy Country’s perimeter. “Your parents left yet on their cruise?”
“Sunday morning,” she told him with a quick smile. “They leave out of San Francisco, so I’ll drop them at the airport in Lubbock tomorrow morning and be back in time for the noon show. They’re pretty excited. Mama especially. She’s always wanted to see Alaska.”
The walkway narrowed between the back of a building on one side and the high hedges blocking off the fence on the other, separating the park from what was supposed to have been a hotel project before it’d been shelved because of construction and design issues, and he waited so she could walk ahead of him. “I’ll bet.”
“They’ll be cruising part of the time, and land-touring part of the time,” she said over her shoulder. “Daddy figures it’s the best of both worlds, because he’s not all that sure he’ll like being cooped up on a boat for nearly two weeks.” Her grin was impish in the dwindling light. “The cruise ship is like a floating city. Probably bigger than Horseback Hollow. Cooped up.” She laughed a little, shaking her head. “What about you? Anywhere you dream of going?”
“To see a Super Bowl?”
She laughed. “Come on. Seriously.”
The path widened out again and he came abreast of her. “I am serious. Where else would I rather be than here in Texas?”
“Football and cows being your ultimate fantasy, I guess.”
“Well, shoot, honey. Didn’t know we were talking
fantasy
,” he drawled before he thought better of it. They were passing beneath another light pole and her cheeks looked as if they’d turned red. Which left him feeling like a jackass and awkward as hell. He cleared his throat. “What about you?” That wasn’t any better. “About Alaska, I mean. Didn’t you want to go?”
“With my parents on a cruise? I love ’em, but no thank you. Bad enough I’m still single and living at home with them.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“At my age?” She made a tsking sound. “Please. How old were you when you moved out on your own?”
“That’s different.”
They’d reached the security gate leading out to the parking lot and she gave him a look as they passed through. “Why on earth is it different?”
He lifted a shoulder, wishing to hell all over again that he’d kept his mouth shut. It’d been easy for him to go out on his own. He was the eldest of seven kids. When he’d left the nest, his mama had still had a half dozen chicks left to fuss over.
Thanks to Mark’s death, Aurora’s parents had only her.
“So where
is
your dream vacation?” he asked instead of answering.
She spread her arms. “Anywhere other than here.”
She’d smiled as she said it, but he could see the truth beneath it. And he remembered good and well Mark laughing way back when about his kid sister’s “big city” dreams. “I remember you went off to college for a few years.” He gestured toward his pickup truck parked at the far corner of the lot. “Where was it?”
“UCLA.”
“Guess you probably got a good taste of city life in Los Angeles.”
She waited while a car passed them. Galen recognized Frank behind the wheel with a few of the saloon dancers in his passenger seats.
“Two years was a pretty short taste, in the span of the rest of my life spent here,” she said.
He studied her profile. The gentle point of her chin. The fine line of her narrow nose that was just a shade too long, making it all the more interesting. And the pale pink lips that he’d pretended to kiss thirty-damn-six times now. “Would you go back to
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