Page 83 of Hot to Trot

"I was born ready," Miguel Two said.

She looked up and Adam glanced at her. ''Are you ready?"

He seemed to be talking about more than the play.

She studied him as he stood beside men who had once mistrusted him. It had taken them several rehearsals, but finally they had come to an understanding. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies. Adam looked out of place with his erect carriage, golden skin, and hair. His green eyes were steadfast, his jaw strong. So damned handsome. Was there any other man in Texas as good-looking as this one?

Not to her.

But the former gang members had figured out a way to tolerate Adam.

"Yeah," she said, with a smile. "I think I am."

He smiled. "Good."

The undercurrent was broken, and the guys began to rehearse. When it came time for Adam's character, he read the part with exactly the right emotion and emphasis. Scarlet had no role beyond providing the mysterious voice of the magpie. She read her lines with an upper-crust British accent, which amused the guys greatly.

They went through the scenes three times, then Scarlet called an end to practice.

As she stepped onto the porch with Adam, she paused to appreciate the evening. It was that magical time - the time when night chased the daylight away. Fingers of orange and pink clutched the horizon as the stars made their appearance almost one by one.

"Beautiful night," Adam said,

“Mmm,” Scarlet shouldered her canvas bag, “You sure like to talk about the weather a l0t.”

He gave a soft chuff. “Ingrained habit from my mother.”

"She a meteorologist?”

“No, she just likes to avoid talking about problems.”

“And I’m a problem”

His smile was warm. "Haven't you been since I first laid eyes on you? From the very beginning, you pecked at my defenses. I had no recourse but to surrender."

"I don’t want to be the woman who tears you down, destroying who you are. You make me sound like a plague, and I'm not, I'm a woman. I'm not defined by anything other than that."

"Nope, you're, not."

''And I’m not a job, You can't pick who you'll fall in love with, like it’s from an applicant pool.”

"No, you can’t.”

She narrowed her eyes. "You're being awfully agreeable."

''Because I'm done with fighting what I feel for you. And I no longer want to hold on to my idea of what life should look like. I’ve sorta set an expectation that can’t be met.” He nudged her with his elbow. "Come on. I’m trying to go with the flow here. That’s hard for me.” He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a paper. "I got this today.''

He held it out to her.

She took it. It was a court document. She quickly scanned the missive. "I'm done?"

"I signed off on the paperwork this afternoon. The judge got a call from the Texas State Trooper's office about your visit to the hospital, and it seems your unsolicited community service warmed her heart enough to shorten your sentence. You've already completed twenty hours and the rest was suspended."

The enormity of that hit her. "l can leave Oak Stand?"

"If that's what you want." Something flashed in his eyes. He didn't want her to go.

She should go.

---