Page 9 of Heal Me
A frown passed over Tucker’s face in response to Ric’s inquiry about his niece. “So-so, I guess. She’s trying to move on after that bitch, Roxie, broke her heart. I don’t normally believe in hitting women, but in Roxie’s case, well, I’d be sorely tempted.”
Ric nodded. “I completely understand.”
Tucker regarded him seriously. “I’m glad you and Ty patched things up. You’ve been friends for too long not to. It takes a big man to admit that he’s wrong and apologize for it.”
“It was hard for a while. Emily’s my baby sister and no one screws with her, you know? Not even my best friend.”
“I hear ya. But you seem like it worked out the way it was supposed to,” Tucker commented.
“Yeah.” Ric looked at his watch. Kate was almost fifteen minutes late and he had the sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to make it.
“Uh oh. Your filly late?”
Ric nodded. “Yeah. She most likely got held up.”
“Who is it?”
Along with being the best mechanic in Cooper’s Creek, Tucker was one of the nosiest people Ric knew. Still, there was no point in keeping the identity of his date a secret because he knew that it would be all over town anyway. There were times when Ric found the anonymity of New York a huge relief. You could go days without seeing anyone you knew if you didn’t want to. Not so in Cooper’s Creek.
“Kate Donoghue.”
Tucker leaned over the table conspiratorially. “The sexy vet?” He let out a low whistle. “Holy smokes. She must really like you.”
Ric frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Word around town is that she doesn’t date.” Tucker finished his coffee and stood up. “Well, I gotta get back to the shop. Hope she doesn’t have to cancel on you. Good seeing you. Don’t be a stranger, Ricky.”
Ric promised not to be and Tucker sauntered away. Taking out his phone, Ric contemplated calling the vet clinic since he hadn’t gotten Kate’s number from her the other day. He could text Emily for it, but he didn’t want her to know that Kate was late. Or maybe she wasn’t going to show up at all.
Her hesitancy hadn’t been lost on him and he wondered if he’d come on too strong. Sitting his phone on the table, Ric decided to give her a little more time.
*****
Her truck radio blared Miranda Lambert as Kate sat paralyzed behind the steering wheel. Parked just up the street from the Diner, she couldn’t make herself shut off the ignition and go meet Ric. It was just lunch, but suddenly it seemed like more than that.
And, in a way it was, because it would be the first time since Phil had died that she’d be sitting down to a meal with a single man. What did that signify? Was she ready to move on? Judging by the way she was trembling, it didn’t feel like it.
Why did I agree to this? Stupid!Anger surfaced as she berated herself for being scared.
“It’s just lunch! Get the hell in there!”
She wrenched the ignition off, grabbed her purse, and got out of her blue F150. Decisively, she shut and locked the door. Kate threw her keys in her purse and walked swiftly towards the restaurant. Going inside, she looked around, but she didn’t see Ric at first. Then she spotted an arm waving and her gaze collided with his.
All of the oxygen seemed to have been sucked out of the place, making it hard to breathe. His dimpled smile and piercing blue eyes almost turned her into a puddle right on the spot. She waved back and gave him what she was sure was a goofy smile before forcing herself to start towards him. Her heart throbbed painfully under her ribcage as she neared him.
He looked like a cross between a sexy lumberjack and a walking advertisement for L.L. Bean. The blue-and-black checkered flannel shirt he wore emphasized his broad shoulders and brought out the color of his eyes even more. His blond hair was attractively tousled in a way that made her want to run her fingers through it.
“Hi. Pardon me for not standing.”
His deep voice washed over her like a warm ocean tide and Kate wanted to get pulled into the undertow.
Kate smiled at his joke and sat down. “I’ll forgive you this time.”
“Thanks. How are you?”
The way he said it told Kate that he was genuinely interested. “I’m good, thanks. Busy. It’s been busy. I guess that’s good, though. Job security.” Suddenly, she felt panicky and wanted to flee.
She jumped a little when Ric put his hand over hers where it rested on the table and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
