A Country Affair(66)

“The beef burgundy is good,” a resonant male voice said from behind her.

Kate turned to face a tall, friendly-looking man with flashing blue eyes and a lazy smile.

“Eric Wilson,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

“Kate Logan,” she said, her heart racing as they exchanged handshakes. It was all Kate could do not to tell him she’d been talking about him only minutes before and that she’d learned he was possibly the only single prospect in town—other than Luke, of course. How bizarre that they should run into each other almost immediately afterward. Perhaps not! Perhaps it was fate.

“The Salisbury steak isn’t half-bad, either.” As if to prove his point, he deposited both the beef burgundy and the Salisbury steak frozen dinners in his cart.

“You sound as though you know.”

“I’ve discovered frozen entrées are less trouble than a wife.”

He frowned as he spoke, so she guessed that his divorce had been unpleasant. Sally would be able to provide the details, and Kate made a mental note to ask her. She’d do it blatantly, of course, since Sally would spread Kate’s interest in the transplanted lawyer all over the county.

“You’re new in town, aren’t you? An attorney?”

Eric nodded. “At your service.”

Kate was thinking fast. It’d been a long time since she’d flirted with a man—if you didn’t count the way she’d behaved at the wedding. “Does that mean I can sue you if the beef burgundy isn’t to my liking?”

He grinned at that, and although her comment hadn’t been especially witty, she felt encouraged by his smile.

“You might have trouble getting the judge to listen to your suit, though,” he told her.

“Judge Webster is my uncle,” she said, laughing.

“And I suppose you’re his favorite niece.”

“Naturally.”

“In that case, might I suggest we avoid the possibility of a lawsuit and I buy you dinner?”

That was so easy Kate couldn’t believe it. She’d been out of the dating game years, and she’d been sure it would take a while to get the hang of it again. “I’d be delighted.”

It wasn’t until Kate was home, high on her success, that she realized Eric, as a new man in town, was probably starved for companionship. That made her pride sag just a little, but she wasn’t about to complain. Within hours of declaring that she wanted to start dating, she’d met a man. An attractive, pleasant man, too. It didn’t matter that he’d asked her out because he was lonely or that he was obviously still embittered by his divorce. A date was a date.

Kate showered and changed into a mid-calf burgundy wool skirt and a rose-colored silk blouse. She was putting the last coat of polish on her nails when her father strolled into the kitchen. Even from her position at the far side of the room, Kate caught a strong whiff of his spicy aftershave. She smiled.

“You look nice, Dad.”

“Thanks,” he said, tugging on the lapels of his tweed jacket, then brushing the sleeves.

“Do you want me to wait up for you?”

A flush worked its way up Devin’s neck. “Of course not.”

Kate loved teasing him, and as their eyes met, they both started to laugh.

“You’re looking awfully pretty yourself,” Devin commented. “Are you and Luke going out?”

“Eric Wilson is taking me to dinner.”

Devin regarded her quizzically. “Who? You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“No.” She gave him a warning frown. “Eric’s new here. We met in the frozen-food section at the grocery store this afternoon and he asked me to dinner.”

“And you accepted?” His eyes were wide with astonishment.

“Of course. It beats sitting around here and watching reruns on television.”

“But...but what about Luke?”

“What about him?”

“I thought... I’d hoped after Clay’s wedding that the two of you might—”

“Dad, Luke’s a dear friend, but we’re not in love with each other.”

For a moment Devin looked as if he wanted to argue, but apparently decided against it. “He’s a good man, Princess.”

“Trust me, I know that. If it wasn’t for Luke, I wouldn’t have survived the last couple of months.”

“Folks in town have the impression that you two might be falling in love, and I can’t say I blame them after watching you at the wedding.”

Kate focused her attention on polishing her nails, knowing that an identical shade of red had crept into her cheeks.

“Luke and I are friends, Dad, nothing more,” she repeated.

“I don’t mind letting you know, Kate, that I think very highly of Luke. If I were to handpick a husband for you, it would be him.”

“I...think Luke’s wonderful, too,” she said, her words faltering.

“Now that he’s buying the ranch, well, it seems natural that the two of you—”

“Dad, please,” she whispered. “I’m not in love with Luke, and he doesn’t love me.”

“That’s a real pity,” came Devin’s softly drawled response. He reached for his hat, then paused by the door. “I don’t suppose Luke knows you’re going out tonight, does he?”