In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(67)

Hart hadn't seen anything as beautiful as the T-bone the waitress set in front of him. He dug into it and shut his eyes, savoring every single bite. He liked fish and loved pork, but basically he was a steak-and-potatoes man. He'd never take it for granted again. It rated right along with hot water, flushable toilets, and air-conditioning.

Kate took a bite of the loaded baked potato and actually moaned. Sour cream and butter and bacon-all the things she had missed the past couple of days. When she cut off a chunk of rib eye and put it in her mouth, she knew she'd made the right decision. Louisiana cuisine was wonderful, and she loved it. But she was a Texan at heart and could never change. Give her Angus any day of the week, and she'd be happy.

"Missed it, did you?" Hart asked.

"More than I realized."

"You know I grow steaks on my ranch."

"You flirting with me, cowboy?"

"I might be."

"You don't have to if you've got a never-ending supply of this"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are we in agreement about something?"

"When it comes to food, we just might be."

"Want to see if we can agree on anything else?"

"Maybe"

"I'll pick you up on Saturday night for a real date, then?"

She stabbed a hot roll and buttered it. "They got one of these places close to Breckenridge?"

"You want steak? I can make it at the ranch even better than this one"

"Don't press your luck," she said and smiled.





Kate stole glances at Hart while he drove. The hair around the new scar looked less spiky, and with a little mousse, it might even lie down. Hart needed a haircut again but she liked the curls that formed on his shirt collar.

At one point he felt her gaze and turned her way. "What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"What were you thinking, then? I felt some kind of vibe coming from you"

"Probably that I like that song," she said.

"Me too."

He checked the clock on the dash when the sign said they were ten miles out of Alexandria. It was close enough to three o'clock for the check in time at most motels, and he planned to find one as soon as possible. She might throw a fit, but he was the designated driver and he was tired and needed a real shower with hot water and a shave.

He took the motel row exit off 1-49 and found a Baymont Inn. In his rodeo travels he'd stayed in everything from 1950s style motels to expensive five-star hotels. The Baymont was somewhere in the middle and pretty consistent with its offering of a decent room, plenty of hot water, and lots of air conditioning.

"I'm tired. We're getting a room and I'm going to refuel this gas hog" He pulled into a convenience store.

"Don't call my truck names. You've got one almost just like it."

"And it's a gas hog too. Been thinking about trading it in for a mule and wagon"

She smiled at that visual image. Hart Ducaine coming five miles into town for lunch riding on a buckboard wagon pulled by a couple of ornery old mules.

He filled the tank and picked up a few motel supplies while he was in the store: a bag of corn chips and one of pretzels, a dozen candy bars, and three packages of chocolate cupcakes with those little squiggles of white on the icing. While he was waiting in line to pay, he added anewspaper to his stash.

When he set his purchases on the seat between them, she got a flashback of Maw Maw talking to him in the hallway. They'd cooked this up from the beginning. Had they also planned the swamp trip?

I did that all on my own, yes, Maw Maw's voice inside her head vowed.

He drove to the motel, and she followed him inside. He rented two rooms connected by an inner door and handed her a key. He carried both of their bags to the elevator and waited.

"Supper at six?" he said, when the doors opened.

"Sounds good to me," she said.

Kate tossed her bags on a chair and gasped. A king-size bed with white coverlet and extra pillows. She touched the sheets to find they were as soft as silk. A Jacuzzi in the corner, bathroom with bright yellow-striped wallpaper, and three-way mirrors. Hart did know the way to a woman's heart.

She started water running in the oversize tub and stripped off every stitch of clothing. She stuck a toe in, decided it was just right, and eased down into the warmth. When the water covered the jets, she flipped the switch and let it work magic on her muscles. A rolled-up towel worked as a neck pillow, and she turned off the water with her toes. As the tension eased out of her body, her eyes grew heavy and she dozed.

The cell phone ringtone woke her. She leaned over and fished the phone out of the pocket of her shorts and answered with a groggy, "Hello"

"Am I forgiven for everything in the past?"

"The jury is still out, but it's looking favorable," she said.

"Want to talk?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. I want to talk."

He propped two pillows against the headboard and slung his long, muscular legs up onto the bed. "I'll be waiting right here. The connecting door is open on my side."

She crawled out of the tub with a sigh and applied lotion to her arms and legs before she got dressed. When she opened the door into his room, he handed her a Snickers bar and kissed her softly.