Page 8 of A Chance at Forever
The brief contact with her blue-gray eyes electrified him. His heart slammed into his chest and pounded a marathon.
She turned back toward Hilda who was saying, “Of course not. We’re huge animal lovers around here.”
The woman’s smile lit her face with a warm glow. “In that case, I’ll take fries with that cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake.”
She went outside and hugged her dog, whose wagging tail caused his entire body to shake. In spite of the bandage around one hind leg, the golden retriever jumped out of the car with surprising alacrity. He followed his mistress into the diner, and without looking around, zeroed in on Rusty and plopped down on top of his feet.
“Oh, Bud, no!” the woman exclaimed. Two bright spots of color appeared in her cheeks. “I’m sorry, sir. Bud, come!”
He didn’t budge, only huffed out a contented sigh.
Rusty chuckled. “It’s quite all right, miss.” He indicated the empty seat across from him. “I’m Rusty Sinclair.” He held out his hand, and she took it after she slid into the booth. Her soft hand sent tingles running up and down his spine.
“Hi, I’m Victoria Lockridge.”
She dropped his hand and left him bereft of its warmth. The lilting sound of her voice enthralled him. Up close, he saw her natural beauty without makeup. Dark eyelashes framed those incredible blue-gray eyes that regarded him with a slight wariness. Loose tendrils of her hair teased the delicate lines of her face and neck. She radiated an air of innocent wholesomeness, like the girl-next-door, that attracted him.
“Victoria Lockridge.” He repeated her name and frowned. “Why does your name sound so familiar to me?”
Her wariness turned guarded. “There’s no reason why it should. I’m passing through on my way home.”
“Where’s home?”
He watched her ponder whether or not to share that information with him. After a moment, she replied, “California.”
Rusty thought it best not to tell her he was headed there himself in a couple of weeks. Home to Marysville where he coached the Marysville High School Bears football team and taught chemistry and biology. He didn’t want her to bolt for the nearest exit thinking he was a deranged stalker, and why that mattered to him, he couldn’t say.
“So, I heard you tell Hilda that Bud had a rough day. What happened to him?”
Hilda interrupted them to serve Victoria’s cheeseburger and fries and milkshake. She set a plate with two plain hamburger patties, cut into small pieces, on the floor for Bud. “Can I get you anything else?”
“I’d love a piece of apple pie with ice cream.”
“With coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
“What about you, Rusty? More pie and coffee?” Hilda offered a knowing smile.
“Sure. Why not?” It would give him an excuse to linger in the company of the pretty woman sitting across from him.
As she ate, Victoria explained how she found Bud wandering along the highway on the outskirts of Denver. “I can’t believe someone dumped him. He’s such a good dog.”
Rusty reached beneath the table to scratch Bud behind his ears. “He sure is. Hey, I have an idea. Would you like to take Bud for a walk in the park across the street? I need to work off some of these calories.” He patted his stomach.
The wary expression returned to her face. “Oh, I don’t know. I should get back on the road. I’m anxious to get home.”
“You don’t need to be afraid of me. Hilda’s known me most of my life. I’m a good guy, right, Hilda?” he called toward her.
“The best.”
Victoria still looked dubious. “All right. I need to stretch my legs anyway.”
She objected at the cash register when Rusty offered to pay for her meal. “I appreciate your chivalry, but no thanks.”
The park didn’t require dogs to be on a leash, but Victoria expressed concern about Bud running away from her. She clipped the leash to his collar, and they crossed Main Street into the park, shaded with oak and maple trees. They strolled along a concrete path winding its way through the park and watched kids tossing frisbees, swinging, and having fun on the playground equipment. A dozen boys and girls were playing a game of touch football, and Rusty paused to give them pointers.
“You know the game,” Victoria commented.
