Chapter Ten #4
“Caysen?” She tilted her head in mild confusion.
He shook his head, gaze drifting from her face to the hem of her dress and back again. “I’m afraid if I come in, we won’t leave. That dress…” He swallowed, then looked into her eyes.
“You like it?”
“Yes. I do. Here, this is for you.” With a grin, he extended the rose.
“I love roses,” she said as she put it against her nose and inhaled its scent .
“Then I’m glad I got you one.”
“Are you ready?”
She reached for her coat on the stand, but before she could put it on, he took it from her and held it while she slipped her arms inside. She grabbed her small overnight bag; he took it, then locked the door behind them, accepting the keys as she handed them over.
Outside, snow drifted across the porch, turning the world crystalline and hushed.
Caysen opened the passenger door, helping her in before settling behind the wheel.
The cab was wrapped in the comforting scent of his aftershave.
She tucked her coat closer, feeling his heat through the fabric of the seat between them.
He eased the truck onto the road, headlights cutting through the falling snow. Sydney looked out the window, watching frosted flurries swirl in the amber glow. “I’m glad Ezra shoveled a path, or I never would have made it to the truck in these heels.”
Caysen chuckled. “I suppose I would have had to carry you or given you a piggyback ride, just like Creed did on his first date with Abbie, who is now his wife.”
“Damn. I shouldn’t have had Ezra do that.” She looked at him. “Is Creed an MDOL agent?”
“Yes. He and Abbie went out to dinner and she told him her feet were already killing her, and she didn’t know how she’d get to the door, so Creed said he asked her if she wanted a piggyback ride, and she motioned for him to turn his back to her, and she jumped on, and he carried her inside.
” Caysen laughed. “He told us that he thought for sure she wouldn’t do it. ”
“I like Abbie,” Sydney said .
He chuckled. The drive was quiet but for the soft hum of tires on sno w‐ packed asphalt. When they reached The Hartland, the restaurant’s warm lights were a beacon in the winter gloom.
Parking was a challenge until a car finally backed out, leaving a spot just wide enough for his truck. He slid in with a satisfied nod. “I think Grant needs to expand his parking lot.”
Sydney peered at the jam-packed lot. “It’s always like this.”
He killed the engine and stepped out to open her door, offering her his hand. Night air bit at her cheeks as she climbed out, and he brushed the snow off her coat before leading her inside.
The restaurant was a sanctuary of polished wood, flickering candles, and the rich aroma of seared steaks.
A hostess led them through aisles of tables to a corner booth framed by a single glowing lantern.
Caysen hung her coat on a nearby rack, then slipped off his own coat and his hat, placing them neatly on the seat before sliding in across from her.
Sydney traced her finger along the grain of the dark wood tabletop as she opened the menu.
Every dish sounded more tempting than the last; sizzling ribeye, garlic-butter filet, rosemary-roasted vegetables with truffle mash…
She glanced up to find Caysen’s eyes locked on her. A slow heat gathered in her cheeks.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured, voice low enough that only she could hear. Her pulse ratcheted higher.
“Thank you.” She dipped her head. “And you look very handsome.”
He grinned, that smile that always set her pulse racing .
“Do you know what you want?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. I know exactly what I want.”
Sydney’s eyebrows shot up. “For dinner?”
He leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper. “You have to know how much I want you, Sydney.”
Her breath caught. She pressed her bottom lip between her teeth. The candlelight danced in his eyes, making her skin tingle. “Not as much as I want you.”
He inhaled sharply. “If I wasn’t so damn hungry, I’d say let’s skip this and go to my place.”
“Patience is a virtue,” she teased, flicking her gaze to the menu as casually as she could.
“I lost my patience a long time ago when it comes to you.”
Her heart pounded; she could almost feel his need like a tangible thing between them. Then a new voice intervened.
“Case.” They both looked up.
“Hud. Sydney, this is my brother, Hud. Hud, Sydney Wright,” Caysen rose and extended a hand.
“Ms. Wright, it’s nice to meet you,” Hud said, offering Sydney a warm smile that mirrored his brother’s intensity but lacked the same raw magnetism to her.
“Please, call me Sydney,” she replied, shaking his hand.
“And this is Gina Langley.”
Gina inclined her head gracefully. “It’s lovely to meet you both.” Hud wore a blue dress shirt, the shoulders of his coat still dusted with a few snowflakes. Gina in a deep green dress stood at his side, her brown hair coiled into a loose chignon.
“Alright, we’ll head to our table now,” Hud said with a wink at Caysen before he took Gina’s elbow and guided her toward another table. Sydney watched as he helped Gina out of her coat and drew out her chair. Judging by the way he attended to her, she knew he had manners as Caysen did.
Once Hud and Gina were seated, Sydney turned back to Caysen. He was already unfolding his napkin, his gaze warm. She closed the menu with a soft snap.
“I think I’ll get the ribeye.”
He smirked. “I’ll have the T-bone. I’m starving. Today was a long day.”
“I’m so glad you got my horse back,” she said, lifting her eyes to his.
He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Rachel, the girl who’d bought her, paid a thousand dollars for her.
Ryder Wolfe practically gave her away because the mare was seven years old and no one else wanted her.
” He shook his head in disbelief. “Kelsey felt sorry for the girl and nudged him to sell it that cheap.”
Sydney’s heart squeezed for Rachel. “That mare meant everything to her.”
“It should have never been surrendered,” Caysen agreed softly. “But she’s yours now.”
They ordered, the server whisked away their menus, and soon the scent of sizzling steak drifted across the table.
Their conversation ebbed and flowed, work, friends, quiet laughter between them, and every time Sydney met Caysen’s eyes, a spark seemed to flare between them.
She resisted the urge to reach across the table and pull him closer.
“Is Gina your brother’s girlfriend?”
“I told you that Hud’s never been the settling-down type,” he said. “Forty-four, never had a serious relationship.”
“He’s handsome,” Sydney commented, slicing into her steak. “But not as handsome as you. Have you ever been in love?”
He paused, chewing. Finally, he swallowed and said, “Twice. Both times I had to choose between them and my job. I chose my job; I’m not giving it up.”
She reached for his hand. “You shouldn’t have to.”
He laced his fingers between hers. “They said they hated waiting at home to hear I’d been shot. But every day’s a risk. I love what I do with MDOL, it matters.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Life’s dangerous anyway.”
When their plates were empty and the check settled, Caysen stood first and offered his hand.
She slipped from the booth into his waiting arms, he helped her into her coat, then shrugged his own on, with his hat in hand, then they stepped into the crisp night air.
He guided her to the truck, climbed into the cab, and within moments the engine rumbled to life.
As they pulled away, the golden glow of the restaurant receded, but between them, something bright and crackling had only just begun.