Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Tess hadn’t spent much of her life in dresses, but tonight’s dinner with Mac seemed to require one.
She didn’t want to wear anything too fussy, not when the late-afternoon temperature had topped out at a hundred and five.
She ended up choosing a sundress with daisies on it because she knew Mac liked daisies.
As she stood in front of the mirror wondering if she needed jewelry, she remembered the single teardrop pearl on a gold chain that Mac had given her as a high school graduation present.
She’d been touched that he’d bought something so delicate and feminine, considering the rough-and-tumble nature of their friendship.
Because she saved the necklace for special occasions, she seldom took it out of the black velvet box it had come in.
Tonight seemed like the perfect time to wear it.
Once she was ready, apprehension hit her again. If Mac had willingly fallen in with her plan, she would have been calmer at this point. Her project was nerve-racking enough even if Mac agreed to help. If he continued to drag his heels, she’d need to gather her self-confidence to stay on track.
Her rented bungalow wasn’t far from the center of town, so she decided to walk the two blocks to the Nugget and work off some of her anxiety.
She slipped on her sunglasses, hooked the strap of her purse over her shoulder and started out.
A block into the walk, she knew she’d made a mistake.
She’d arrive at the restaurant more cooked than the meatloaf.
Mac pulled into a parking spot in front of the Nugget as she passed the drugstore two doors down from the café.
As she walked, she watched him climb out of his white pickup.
Although the truck was dusty from a day spent on ranch work, Mac wasn’t.
He’d obviously changed into a clean shirt and jeans, and he was wearing a dove-gray Stetson she’d never seen on him before.
He looked damn good, with his cowboy-slim legs encased in crisp denim and his broad shoulders emphasized by the cut of his gray plaid western shirt.
Every so often in the years they’d known each other, she’d paused to notice that her best friend was a hunk, but she hadn’t done that lately. She was noticing it now.
Maybe all her reading was affecting her. She suddenly wondered what sort of lover Mac would be. Then she quickly put the thought out of her mind. Mac was like a fifth brother to her. She shouldn’t be having such thoughts about him. He’d be horrified if he knew.
As if sensing her eyes on him, he glanced in her direction before going into the Nugget. He paused. “Did your car break down?”
“I decided to walk.”
He scratched the back of his head as he stared at her. “But it’s June.”
“So I discovered. I have to admit I’m a little warm.”
Up close she could smell his aftershave and noticed there was no stubble on his square jaw. For some reason the fact that he’d showered and shaved for this dinner made her stomach fluttery.
He looked her up and down from behind his sunglasses and then shook his head. “I thought I taught you better than this. Now after that hot walk you’ll hit that cold air-conditioning. It’s not good for your system.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You sound like my mother. Could you at least mention that my dress looks nice? I wore it because you like daisies.”
“Your dress looks nice. And you’re going to catch your death of cold in that restaurant.”
It wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. As her irritation grew, she realized she’d secretly hoped he’d be dazed and delighted by her appearance, the way guys in movies reacted when a tomboy type like her showed up in a dress. “Let me worry about that.”
“Fine. Just don’t come crying to me when you catch a summer cold.”
“I promise it won’t be your responsibility.”
“I’m glad to know at least something’s not my responsibility.” He held the door open for her and the brass bells hanging from the handle jangled.
She stayed where she was. “Look, if that’s going to be your attitude, maybe we should just forget the whole thing.”
“And then what?”
“In or out, you two!” called Janice, a waitress who’d been working at the Nugget ever since Tess could remember. “We don’t aim to air-condition the entire town of Copperville!”
Mac let the door swoosh closed again and turned back to Tess, his expression impassive. “What’ll it be?”
She didn’t really want to call the whole thing off. She needed Mac to help her, and besides, he’d shown up for dinner all shaved and showered. It would be a shame to waste that effort. “Let’s have some meatloaf,” she said.