Page 9 of Heart of the West

“When the ambulance took her away. Jeffries hasn’t updated us yet.”

Buck and I stay while Dave does his thing. We tape off the residence and leave. I climb back into the truck and head home. Buck will fill Trixie in. What a cluster fuck of a day.

Chapter 5

Ruby

I’m downstairs in the lobby fifteen minutes before seven, waiting for Dustin to pick me up. Nervous, I pop into the hall half-bath and check my appearance one last time. I went with a nude lip and smokey eyes tonight. I’m more than a little giddy. I haven’t been on a date since I was in highschool. How crazy is this? Butterflies dance in my stomach. I do the breathing exercise my therapist taught me. A few deep breaths later, I’ve calmed my nerves enough to leave my hidey hole.

Dustin is standing in the foyer, a single rose in his hand. He smiles when he sees me.

“You look amazing," he says, handing me the rose.

“Thank you.”

I take him in. He’s dressed in crisp black jeans and a black, long sleeve, pearl button snap shirt with turquoise trim. With it, he wears a silver and turquoise bolo tie and a black jacket. Boots and a matching hat complete his outfit. His long hair is in two braids with silver and turquoise fasteners near the end.

My mouth waters a little, taking him all in.

“You look pretty amazing yourself,” I add.

He smiles. “Thank you. I hope you’ve brought your appetite. They have the best steak in the West, in my humble opinion.”

“I had a busy day. I’m starving.”

Dustin places his hand in the small of my back and guides me outside to his truck. He helps me up like last time, closing the door before getting into the driver’s side. The drive doesn’t takelong. Dustin keeps the conversation light. So far, so good. When he parks, he comes around and opens my door, helping me out of the truck.

As before, he places his hand on the small of my back and guides me into the restaurant. The hostess takes us to a booth and leaves our menus.

“Would you like a starter?” Dustin asks.

“Only if you choose. It all looks good and you’ve been here before.”

He chuckles. “Fair enough. How about seared diver scallops and smoked buffalo sausage?”

“Sounds amazing.”

When our server comes, Dustin orders appetizers and a bottle of Malbec. I love red wine. I choose a chop salad and sauteed spinach to go with my buffalo ribeye. Spotted Horse has beef, buffalo, venison and wild boar. Along with chicken and seafood. Dance music is playing. There are a few couples on the dance floor. Maybe later, after dinner, I’ll see if Dustin wants to take a spin or two around the dance floor. It’s been ages since I’ve been dancing.

My salad is superb with bacon, chopped eggs, tomato, blue cheese and sharp cheddar cheese. The buffalo steak, my first time having one, is sheer perfection.

“How did you pick Wolf Creek, Oklahoma, of all places?”

I blush. “I, uh, actually threw a dart on the map and landed in northeast Oklahoma. From there, I did a little research and found the bakery.”

“Have you always wanted to own a bakery?”

“For the longest time. Roger didn’t like his wife working outside the home. He said it made him look cheap. Like he couldn’t afford to pay for everything himself.”

“No offense meant, but your husband sounds like a dick.”

“No offense taken. He is that’s why he’s a soon to be ex. I’ve never wanted Christmas to get here this much since I was a little girl.”

“His loss is Wolf Creek’s gain.”

“What made you decide to become a realtor?”

“My aunt is in the business. I started working with her company before starting one of my own. She still has the company down in Edmond.”

---