Page 7 of More Than a Blind Date

Then he posts the same image with the caption of “She said yes!”

It likely isn’t a coincidence that all his friends look at their phones at the same time. I hope I haven’t put him in a bad spot.

I set my phone down as Tanya approaches with our desserts, and while we indulge in the sweets, my phone buzzes repeatedly.

I’ll deal with the fallout of my decision after I’ve said goodbye to Dallas, and I’m really hoping that goodbye includes another kiss. I’m still confused about how the rose moved from the suit guy who wasn’t my type to this cowboy who so very much is my type. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. However, I will absolutely kiss him on the mouth every chance I get.

CHAPTER 4

DALLAS

Ilinger at the table, chatting with Rose until my friends are finished with dessert. It would be cruel to interrupt that part of their dinner. Because when I walk out that door with Rose, these guys will be asking for the check.

And I’ll be spending the rest of the evening answering questions while we play poker.

Tanya stops by our table and asks, “Ready for the check? I bet your phone is blowing up! That pic is so adorable. Y’all are the cutest.”

I glance at Rose. “Want anything else?”

She shakes her head.

“We’re ready for the check, and will you bring me the check for that table please?”

“The cowboys? Which check? They are all separate.”

“All of them.” I intended to cover dinner for the guys because of the bachelor party, and I won’t let the unexpected twist in the evening derail that plan.

“I’m sorry I pulled you away from your friends. Is it a special occasion?”

“See the tall guy who keeps looking this way? That’s Anderson. He’s getting married on Saturday. Oh, wait. The rehearsal is on Friday. What time is the engagement party?”

“The party is the next Friday. Not in a week. After that.”

“Okay. Perfect. Since we’re engaged, would you like to be my date on Saturday?”

“Sure. Of course. But isn’t it too late to RSVP?”

“Nah. I’ll just let Anderson know you’re coming with me. Anyway, this dinner is his bachelor party. The first part of it. After this, we’ll head back to the ranch and play poker for hours.”

“Please tell them thanks for allowing you to spend all this time with me. I’m grateful, and I had fun.”

“I’ll let them know. And I enjoyed myself. For real. Not just pretend.”

Tanya brings the receipts for me to sign, and after I do that, I reach for Rose’s hand. “Ready? I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Awesome. Thanks. And if I shuffle a bit, it’s because my shoe fix is a tad too loose, and it’s a struggle to keep it on my foot.”

“We’ll go slow.”

I walk Rose to her car. Without an audience, there isn’t any reason to kiss her for show, which shockingly, I have mixed feelings about.

It’ll be better all around if we keep the kissing to a minimum, but that’s like stopping at one cookie. And in all the years I’ve been eating Ava’s chocolate chip cookies, I have never had only one. I expect kissing will be the same.

Rose stops beside a silver Camry. “This is mine.” Instead of opening the door, she inches closer to me and rests a hand on my chest. “Last chance to change your mind. I won’t hate you if you do. You don’t even have to give me a reason. Just walk away and I’ll never bother you again.”

It’s been a very long time since a woman has touched me this way. And if she’s paying any attention to my heart rate, she’s probably figured that out.

I lean into her hand. “Have you changed your mind?”

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