Page 15 of More Than a Blind Date

She pushes open the door, then takes measured steps and looks around as she enters. “This is a nice house. We should put kitty in the bathroom while we’re gone. I don’t want him to mess anything up.”

“That works. Guest bath is better. It doesn’t have my stuff everywhere.”

She makes a sweep of the bathroom, making sure it’s kitty-proof. Then, after the litter is set up and food and water are put out, we release Floofy from the carrier. He’s curious about his new digs and overall seems pretty happy.

I’m grateful he doesn’t hate it here because I don’t have another solution.

As we walk back to my truck, Rose slips her hand into mine. It’s unexpected because there is no one around us. No one around for us to fool. But she’s had a rough day and probably craves the emotional support. So I don’t pull away or give her a funny look.

I open her door, and before climbing in, she hugs me.

“You okay? Floofy is safe, and I promise to take good care of him until you find a place.”

She climbs into the seat and shifts to face me. “You were amazing. Calm and authoritative. It was easier to be brave and stand up for myself with you beside me. So thank you.”

“I’m just glad the pound was closed so that I didn’t have to make a bigger scene. And while your mom probably hates me now, she’d never believe this is fake. I think we were pretty convincing.”

“Totally. You almost had me convinced, and I’m the one who concocted this whole plan.” Before I can step back, she hugs me again.

This woman is too young and way out of my league. I really should put a stop to the hugging, but on the other hand, I need to get comfortable with it since we’re pretending to be engaged.

I hurry around to my side of the truck and slide in. I don’t want to risk bumping into my aunt, so I pick a place that’s not too close, hoping to avoid any surprise encounters. “I guess we should start trading details. While I drive, tell me five things about you that I absolutely need to know.”

“My best friend is named Daphne. She’s the best, and you’ll love her. Also, if any of your friends are single, maybe we could go on a double date or something.”

“All the other ranch hands are married or about to be married. Only single cowboy I know is Colt. And I can ask him if your friend likes younger guys.”

“How much younger?”

“He can legally drink as of about a month ago.”

Rose crinkles her nose. “That might be too young for Daphne. She’s older than I am, and I’m not sure younger guys are her thing.”

“Okay. So continue. What are the four other things?”

“I have an older brother. His name is Sage. He’s engaged to Cara. My parents and Cara’s parents have been friends since forever, and my mom thinks it would be perfect if Cara and Richard married into our family. I don’t blame Sage for falling in love with Cara. She’s an amazing person. But I have zero feelings for her brother. Zilch. None. Nada. In fact, after hearing the way he’s spoken to some women, my interest dips into negative numbers. My mom thinks I’m being dramatic and delaying the inevitable.”

“And that’s where I come in.”

“Exactly.” She rubs my arm. “Anyway, I’ve totally lost count, so you may get more than five. My dad and mom own two floral shops. And they are about to open a third in Stadtburg. I’m hoping they’ll let me run that one. Right now, I work with my dad at one of the stores. Mom runs the other one.”

“Is Sage part of the family business?”

“Nope. He didn’t go along with Mom’s perfect plan in that regard. He became a lawyer. I didn’t have the sense to choose something different. But I love flowers, and I love working at the shop. I mean, ideally, if the world were a perfect place, I’d grow a field of flowers and have my own little shop. But I don’t have the kind of money it takes to start a business. And it seems a bit rude to compete with my parents.”

“I’m sorry your mom has made life so rough.”

Rose nods. “It’s not bad when I’m doing what she wants. And saying that there was a problem instead of telling the deputy to leave probably means that Mom will object to my running the new store, but I’m hoping I can talk my dad into it.” She holds up crossed fingers. “But even if I don’t get the store, I’m still happy about standing up for myself. I need to be better about doing that.”

Without thinking, I hold my hand out to her. “When you do, I’ve got your back.”

Smiling, she laces her fingers with mine.

The next few months will be rough. Pretending to be her fake fiancé will be easy. But reining in my attraction will be tough. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why I’m feeling this way. I’ve been pretty starved of women’s attention and here is this beautiful ray of sunshine smiling at me like I matter to her. It does things to my insides.

I arrive hometo find a very loud and lonely kitty. After making a quick pass through the living room and kitchen and closing all the other doors, I let Floofy out of his confinement.

“Hey, little guy. Rose isn’t here, so you’re stuck with me for a bit.”

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