His brows shot up and his eyes widened before he ultimately returned her scowl with one of his own. “You think my accent is fake?”
She settled back in her seat and huffed. “Maybe next time you shouldn’t make it so strong. People don’t talk like that even in England.”
“Have you been to England?” he muttered, refusing to drop his accent.
“Well… no… but I’ve seen the movies.” She flushed, having been caught. It shouldn’t matter because she wasn’t the one faking her voice. She was being real. Sophie Clifford was nothing if not an open book.
This time he leaned forward. His voice dropped to something resembling a growl, only not quite as scary. “I was born and raised in a town named Hawes. It’s in the Yorkshire Dales area of England. I’ve been here long enough to figure out the different words you people use here in the states, but alas, my accent isn’t so easy to change. My apologies.”
She blinked several times. A flurry of emotions ripped through her. Embarrassment, frustration, surprise, but most of all uncertainty. “Pippa didn’t tell me you were from England,” she whispered.
“Pippa never asked. Apparently it’s not common for people to question my place of birth.”
The lump in her throat returned and she nearly choked on it. Heat attacked her cheeks and she wanted to melt into the floor. This was why she shouldn’t be going on dates. That was probably what he wanted her to do. And she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
So, she was wrong on one thing. That didn’t mean she was wrong about everything. Fidgeting until she found a comfortable position, she reached for the menu. Sophie pulled her lower lip between her teeth and focused on that rather than the handsome stud in front of her. He didn’t speak until the waitress came to take their orders.
Once the menus were gone and they were once again alone, he broke the silence. “You’re Rob’s sister, right? Now, I could be mistaken, but your accent doesn’t quite fit with the other Texans.” His eyes flashed, still clearly irritated by her accusation from earlier.
Fury returned to her chest and she sat up a little straighter. “The United States is a pretty big country, if you haven’t noticed. I bet there are more dialects here than you can count.”
“Or maybe you’re hiding something, too.”
CHAPTER TWO
Duke couldn’t denythe triumph he felt when he saw her expression falter. He’d hit a nerve. Well, it served her right. This Sophie woman had been ill-mannered, and he wasn’t about to let her get away with it.
He might have relocated to Texas, but he’d been raised right.
Watching her process what he’d said brought him more pleasure than it should have and the triumph was quickly taken out by a sliver of guilt. No longer did he want to lurch to his feet and leave. Even if he wanted to, he figured he wouldn’t be able to. He’d caught sight of Pippa out of the corner of his eye. She was watching their date take place and the last thing he needed right now was for her to report to Rob Clifford that he’d slighted the man’s sister.
He tightened his hands into fists beneath the table as they stared each other down. This whole blind date thing had been a mistake. He should have never agreed to such a thing—and especially not at Pippa’s restaurant.
A smile he didn’t feel like wearing had been slapped to his face but his eyes were likely telling another story.
She huffed. “I bet you think you’resosmart.”
“Actually…” His cheek twitched. “I don’t have to be smart as long as I’m an honest man.”
She made a face at him. Geez, this woman was a handful. He pitied the man who would end up falling in love with her. “Okay, Duke…” she drawled. “That’s an interesting name. Were you named after a family member?”
He couldn’t tell what was going on. The way she said his name set off a reaction in his gut, but that wasn’t the part that put him on his guard. It was like she was trying to catch him on something. His brows lowered, creasing as they pulled together. “It’s not my given name.”
Something flickered across her face. Disappointment? That was an odd reaction.
“My name is Charles. Everyone at the ranch calls me Duke.”
Sophie folded her arms and looked away. “Fine.”
He cleared his throat. “Fine?” He chuckled despite himself. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck then leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. “Look, it’s very clear you don’t want to be here and neither do I.”
Her gaze found his, her interest piqued.
“But Pippa is working tonight and I get the feeling that if we cut this short we’re both going to regret it.”
By the look on her face, he could tell he’d hit the nail on the head. “We might as well finish this date and we don’t have to see each other again.”
She huffed. “Fine,” she said again but didn’t offer any topics of conversation.