A Country Affair(94)

“All right,” he shouted, “I’ll stop! You asked me not to bring up the distasteful subject of marriage and I agreed. It’s just that—” He clamped his mouth shut. “We’re better off dropping the subject entirely,” he finished stiffly.

“I hate when we argue,” Kate said.

“So do I, Princess.”

Although his tone was light, Kate heard the distress in his voice. It filled her with regret, and she longed for something comforting to say, something that would ease this awkwardness between them, and restore a sense of balance to their relationship.

“Do you need anything, Kate?”

“No. I’m fine,” she rushed to assure him. She might occasionally date the wrong men and take foolish risks in snowstorms, but she could manage her own life!

Luke glanced around the room, then slowly nodded as if accepting the truth of her words.

“It was kind of you to stop by... I mean, it’s good to see you and I really am grateful you wanted to clear the air, too.”

“Are you saying you missed me while I was away?”

She had, terribly, but until that moment, Kate hadn’t been willing to admit it, even to herself. Unconsciously she’d been waiting for Thursday, hoping to hear from Luke—but not really expecting to. For the past few days, she’d worked frantically to unpack her things and make her apartment presentable. And all along it had been an effort to prove to Luke how efficient and capable she actually was. After falling on her face so many times, she wanted this transition from the ranch house to her first apartment to go off without a hitch. It was a matter of pride.

They were like polite strangers with each other. Kate couldn’t think of a single clever remark or probing question to reduce the tension between them.

“Have you eaten?” Luke asked brusquely. “I thought I’d take you to dinner. I realize I’m not giving you much notice and I read somewhere that women don’t like a man to take things for granted, so if you don’t want to go, I’ll understand.”

He sounded as though he assumed she’d reject his invitation. “I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said, unable to hide a smile.

Luke seemed shocked by her easy acquiescence.

Kate stood up, stretching luxuriously. “If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll freshen up.” She couldn’t keep the happiness out of her voice.

Luke rose then, and his presence seemed to dwarf her small living room. Only a few scant inches separated them. With one finger, he tilted up her chin and looked deep into her eyes. “You honestly missed me?” he whispered.

For some reason, her throat squeezed shut and Kate was forced to answer him without words. She cradled his face between both hands and gazed up at him, nodding fervently.

Luke’s eyes darkened and she thought he meant to kiss her. Just when she was prepared to slip into his arms and raise her mouth to his, he pulled loose from her light grasp and stepped back. Kate swallowed her disappointment.

“I was thinking about that pizza parlour in Riversdale,” he said gruffly.

“Pizza would be wonderful,” Kate said.

“Then it’s settled.”

Kate didn’t bother to change clothes, but ran a brush through her hair and refreshed her make-up. A few minutes later, she was ready to leave. Luke stood at the door, and as she approached him, his appreciative look sent small flutters of awareness through her body.

Companionably they drove the thirty miles to Riversdale. By unspoken agreement they avoided any subject that would cause them to disagree.

The restaurant, Pizza Mania, was known throughout the county for its excellent Italian food. The room was dimly lit, and the wooden tables were covered with red-checkered cloths. Since it was a weeknight, the restaurant wasn’t especially busy.

Luke guided her to a table in the middle of the homey room. Service was prompt and they quickly placed their order for a large sausage-and-black-olive pizza. Kate also ordered a raw vegetable platter with yogurt-herb dip, and she laughed at the disdainful expression on Luke’s face. Then she laughed again.

“What’s so funny now?”

“I was remembering the last time I ate pizza from here. It was when Rorie had just arrived, and she and I were making dinner for Clay and Skip. I made a lemon meringue pie and Rorie spent the entire afternoon preparing this fancy seafood dish.”

“Where does the pizza come in?”

Kate told Luke about the disastrous dinner, and he smiled slightly, shaking his head. “Rorie must’ve been devastated.”

“Actually she was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. We called Pizza Mania, ordered two large pizzas that Skip offered to pick up, and afterward we sat around the piano for a while.”

That night was when she’d realized how hard Clay was fighting not to fall in love with Rorie. All evening he’d tried not to even glance in her direction. Then, later, when he drove Kate home, he’d said barely a word and gently kissed her cheek after he’d walked her to the door. A peck on the cheek, the way he’d kiss a younger sister.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.

“Nothing.” Kate summoned a smile. “What makes you ask?” She was relieved at the appearance of their vegetable appetizer, immediately reaching for a carrot stick.

“Your eyes looked kind of sad just now.”