Page 52 of A Marriage Pact for the Cowboy

“You.” He smiled. “I’ve never met anyone who affected me the way you do. It’s not just your outward beauty — although you have that in spades — but your inner beauty, too. You light up when you’re talking about something you’re passionate about. I saw that over and over today.”

She glanced down at the table before peeking at him again. “I really enjoyed meeting everyone. I was super nervous, because I don’t really do people. But they were so nice.”

“It helped that you had something to talk about, that you didn’t have to chat about the weather or your move from Kansas or whatever.” Although those things had come up, of course. The conversations simply had an end game.

“Yes, that helped.” She bit her lip. “Thanks for agreeing to come with me today. I know you couldn’t really afford to take the day off.”

“Nothing came up that Jordan couldn’t handle. Yeah, he phoned a few times, but it was all good.” Heather had been with Maxwell long enough that she wouldn’t have bothered him for these minor details. She would have made decisions on her own, and it would have been fine, but Jordan didn’t have her level of experience. Not yet, anyway.

Time to change the subject. He retrieved his hands to open his menu. “Do you like seafood?”

Eryn looked down and toyed with the linen napkin. “I don’t know. I’ve had popcorn shrimp, and it was okay.”

“Right.” Maxwell chuckled. “Kansas isn’t known for great seafood, not that Montana is coastal, either. Game to try some for an appetizer? They have a sampler platter that looks good.”

“Sure.”

“And then what’s your fancy? They have steak, ribs, and chicken. I’ve never eaten here—” the Chuckwagon had a reputation as a date place “—but I’ve heard it’s all good.”

Eryn opened her menu and scanned the entries. “The smokehouse ribs sound yummy.”

Whew, he’d been hoping she wouldn’t turn out to be one of those women who pretended they were overweight and dabbled in salads.

“I’ll have the Caesar and fries for my sides,” she concluded then closed her menu.

“Perfect. I think I’ll have the same.” He placed their order when the server returned with their drinks then leaned back and studied Eryn. “Are you happy you moved to Montana? I need to ask you before winter, just in case stormy weather makes you change your mind.”

Eryn laughed. “Yeah, I think I am glad.”

His eyebrows popped upward. “You’re not sure? Here I thought you were settling in like this was where you were always meant to be.”

“It seems presumptuous to say that when I lived 28 years in the same house a thousand miles away.”

Maxwell wanted to know everything about her. “When’s your birthday?”

Her gaze flew to meet his. “April fourth. Yours?”

“Uh…” He should have thought that question through. “November 18.”

“Just a few weeks away.” Eryn eyed him thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it, I do remember you being one of the older kids in our class.”

“Yeah.” There had been pros and cons to that. Time to cut to the chase. “Eryn? I like you a lot. Would you be willing to go out with me?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

Wait, was that a tiny smile playing at the edge of her mouth?

He groaned. “Woman, you’re killing me. Yes, that’s what we’re doing right now, but what I’m asking is if you might consider me your boyfriend. This sounds all high school, right? Eryn, would you go steady with me?”

“No one ever asked me that before.”

“I haven’t asked anyone before.”

She peeked up at him. “I find that hard to believe. You seem to have everything together. You’re cute, you’re confident, you’re…”

“Wait, you think I’m cute?”

“Yes?” She peered through her eyelashes.

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