Page 21 of Falling For Her Cowboy
“Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your night,” the waitress said, leaving their table again.
Melah placed her card back inside her purse, turning back to him.
“So…why is there no Mrs. Harvey?” Melah asked again.
Ridge ran a hand along his jawline and didn’t have any other answer but the truth.
“Just haven’t met the right one yet.” He jerked his chin to her. “How about you? Why isn’t there a mister out there somewhere?”
“There almost was, but then he showed me whohe truly was.” She reached for her drink and finished it off.
He was now even more curious about the woman. What man would fumble her? Whoever he was, Ridge would have to one day thank him.
He blinked. Did he want to pursue her? He took one look at her again and knew without question that he wanted her.
“Have any room left?” He wasn’t ready for the night to be over.
Her face relaxed again, and her small smile returned. “What do you have in mind?”
“Ice cream. There’s a place not too far from here that has the best ice cream, and this would be my treat,” he said.
“Lead the way, Doc.”
Chapter Seven
“Idon’t think I need to eat for the next three days.” Melah groaned, sat back in Ridge’s truck, and rubbed her belly.
After dinner, he’d taken her for ice cream and, as promised, it was the best she’d ever had. She’d been brave and asked for two scoops, and their scoops were monstrous. She was even tempted to undo the top button of her jeans but resisted.
“I tried to tell you the scoops were large.” He chuckled.
He had warned her, but usually when people said big scoops, they really weren’t that big. The amount of ice cream they’d given her should have been a crime.
But she’d eaten it all.
There was no way she was going to let ice cream go to waste. They also had donuts at the shop. She’d grabbed a plain glazed for Daisy. She planned to check on her before she headed in for the night.
“Whatever.” She hid her smile.
Ridge had been a gentleman and helped her eat some of her ice cream. Tonight had been wonderful. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed herself so much. Everyone in town appeared to know Ridge. He’d stopped and chatted with random people, then introduced her to them. Not that she was going to remember any of their names, but everyone knew Dr. Harvey. He’d even encouraged a few of them to call his office for some issues they had with their animals.
“You want me to drop you off at the bunkhouse or do you want to go check in on Daisy?” he asked.
He’d given her a side-eye when she’d purchased the donut, but when she’d explained it was for Daisy, he hadn’t said a word. Her horse loved a sweet treat, too, and after not being able to work today, Melah figured she’d treat her girl to a good donut.
“You can take me to the barn. I want to give Daisy her donut. I also need to check in on her foot and dressing.”
“I can do that if you want while I’m here,” he offered.
“Hmmm…I want to do it, but would you mind watching to make sure I do it right?”
Daisy was her responsibility, and she wanted to make sure she could do it. She couldn’t have Ridge changing it all the time. He had plenty else to do on the ranch and with his practice.
“I don’t mind overseeing.” He pulled onto the dirt road that led to the barn.
They fell into a comfortable silence. It was amazing to her that even though she’d only known Ridge for a short time, she felt completely relaxed around him. That usually did not come right away. After her ordeal with Theo, she’d been leery of new people, but for some strange reason she couldn’t explain, Ridge was different.
He drove up to the barn and killed the engine.
