A Town Called Valentine(100)

When they were seated and opening their menus, Emily whispered, “So was the hostess a Sweet as well?”

“Yep, Theresa, Joe’s niece. She’s pretty involved with every aspect of the inn. I think they’re grooming her to take over someday.”

After giving their order to the waitress, Emily put her chin on her hand and studied Nate. “You look pretty good for a cowboy,” she said in a low voice.

He glanced down at his casual slacks and button-down shirt. “Uh . . . thanks.”

“You fit right in here, even though I could swear some of these elegantly dressed people came up from Aspen for the day. I think I’ve seen that woman over there in a movie.”

He smiled and took her hand, and the usual thrill zapped right up his arm and seemed to burn in his chest, a comforting warmth sometimes, a blazing inferno of desire at others.

She gave him a bright smile, and said, “So tell me more about Joe. If he was someone my mom was attracted to, what would drive her away?”

“You mean besides being pregnant at eighteen?”

“Besides that,” she answered wryly. “If Joe really is my da—biological father, why do you think she didn’t tell him? She had to feel so alone, so frightened. And apparently he’s not a mass murderer or anything.”

“For one thing, your mom seemed like a rebel, according to you. Joe’s family has been here over 130 years. Some people consider them our leading citizens.”

“That’s a lot to live up to,” she mused. “And something that Delilah wouldn’t have wanted. She valued her independence.”

“Even when there was a baby involved?”

She hesitated. “Even then. She liked to do things her own way. She only married once, even though I know she received several proposals in her life.”

“She told you that? Seems like it would be getting her little girl’s hopes up.”

“I was a teenager before she mentioned those kinds of things, and by then, too cynical about her wild ways. I was relieved each time she declined. She would have been miserable having someone to answer to.”

“Were you?” he asked quietly.

She blinked at him. “Miserable about answering to someone? No, not often. Greg wasn’t demanding of me. And I trusted him—my mistake.”

Emily seemed relieved when the sommelier approached to pour their wine, and Nate let the topic go. He hadn’t meant to start it anyway. Then the waitress arrived with appetizers they hadn’t ordered.

“Compliments of Mrs. Sweet,” she explained, smiling at Nate.

“Give her my thanks,” he said. “Is Joe around tonight?”

“Sorry, I haven’t seen him.”

Emily shook her head after the girl had left. “You’re a charmer even with the older women, but then I’ve seen that with the widows.”

He smiled and saluted her with his wineglass. After taking a sip, he said, “Since it looks like you might be disappointed again about Joe, I have an idea. I’m going to book a room.”

“Oh, no, Nate, we can’t do that.”

“Then you can explore to your heart’s content as a guest and not feel like you’re intruding. You’ll meet more of the family.”

She opened her mouth, then slowly closed it, as if she were considering the idea.

“And if you’re going to protest about money again, I don’t want to hear it. The rooms are all priced differently, and some are small but reasonable, especially since it’s still early in the season. The front desk can get us anything we need, like toothbrushes—and you won’t be needing anything to sleep in.”

He realized that making her happy was truly important to him, which was why he was so worried about doing something to hurt her. He finally had to admit that this was more than dating—he found himself wanting to tell her things about himself he’d never confided in another woman. He trusted her—but that didn’t mean he trusted himself.

Before he realized what he was doing, he told her about forgetting to order stock for the rodeo.

“So Josh thinks I’m overextending myself,” Nate finished tiredly. “And before you get all worked up, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. He’d been bugging me about this long before you came to Valentine Valley.”

She smiled briefly. “Whew. Guess you know me well enough by now to know I’d be worried about just that. But okay, if it isn’t me, then you need to look at yourself. If Josh believes you’re overextending yourself, then that means you’re doing more work than he does. So he’s a slacker?”