Page 10 of Heal Me
“Kate, we’re just having lunch, that’s all. Nothing more, okay?”
Kate looked at his hand, which was so much larger than her own. His powers of perception were amazing. Ric’s touch was gentle, hypnotizing, and she felt calm enough now to laugh a little. “I’m sorry. I’m being silly. It’s just that I haven’t been out with anyone in a long time.” She bit her bottom lip in trepidation. “Not since my fiancé passed away.”
Ric’s eyebrows went up and then a look of sympathy crossed his face. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
He withdrew his hand and she wished he hadn’t. “It’s okay. It was eighteen months ago.”
“I lost a woman I loved eight years ago and it still hurts sometimes. I know how you feel, but I’m sure it has to be worse for you,” Ric said.
“How so?”
His mouth curved a little in a sad smile. “She didn’t love me back.”
Kate’s heart hurt for him. At least she knew that Phil had loved her. Unrequited love was a terrible thing to endure. “Well, I don’t really know you, but something tells me that she was a fool.”
“Thanks.” His smile reached his eyes this time. “I’m glad we got all of that out of the way.”
Kate was surprised how relieved and lighter she felt. “Me, too.” Why had she felt so comfortable in confiding in him so quickly? She decided not to examine it.
Ric shifted a little. “Kate, you need to know that I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m going back to New York as soon as my ankle is healed enough. I head up the Horizon Enterprises division there. But you’re a beautiful, kind, intelligent woman and I’d like to get to know you better.” He sent her a charming, confident smile. “I think we could have some fun before I leave, perhaps we could both do with some fun?
Fun.Kate couldn’t remember the last time she’d had any real fun. She gone out a few times with her best friend, Robert, to a couple of bars, but that was only because he’d kept pestering her. Besides, she had heard all about Ric’s reputation with the ladies. The High School Jock had been quite the heart breaker and from what she knew of his life in New York that had not changed.
But Kate reminded herself she wasn’t looking to give her heart to anyone any time soon. Her body… now where would be the harm in that.
Looking at Ric, whose eyes held a wicked gleam, Kate could well imagine what sort of fun he was talking about. Heat suffused her body and the Diner suddenly seemed overly warm. Her stomach tightened with a sensation she hadn’t felt in so long. Desire. Pure, hot, desire.
Recklessly, Kate said, “I could stand to have some fun. I don’t want anything serious, either.”
His smile broadened. “Perfect. Nothing heavy, nothing but two people enjoying time together.”
It certainly sounded perfect and Kate wondered again what was so different about Ric that she’d agreed to something like that so eagerly? That impulsive voice in her brain told her reasonable side to shut the hell up and Kate listened to it.
“Exactly. Now, what are you going to have to eat? I’m starving and I have a full afternoon,” she said.
Ric picked up his menu, looked at it for two seconds, put it down, and gave her a cheeky grin. “I knew what I wanted before I came in here.”
Kate couldn’t resist his playful behavior. “I’ll just bet you did. I’m afraid to ask.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You naughty girl, Dr. Donoghue. I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but I was talking about an open-faced roast beef sandwich with gravy fries and apple pie.”
“Well, well, Mr. Stanford, you even know what you want for dessert already.”
“I never kid around about dessert. That’s serious business.” He picked up his menu and pretended that it was a sheaf of papers, which he straightened. “Now, I picked the apple pie because it’s very American, which is very important when you’re trying to convince an American veterinarian to engage in an enjoyable lunch with you.”
Kate folded her arms. “What if I was British?”
“I’d still choose American because the British secretly love Americans. Canadians, however, hate us,” Ric said.
“Canadians hate us?”
Ric nodded. “With a passion. I know a guy who used to work at a call center for a heating company that had a bunch of franchises in Canada. If the Canadians figured out that he was American when they called to set up service calls, he got ripped a new one. Most of the time, the customers demanded to talk to whatever Canadian supervisor was around.”
Kate laughed. “What did he do?”
Ric grinned. “What could he do? He put the customer on hold and came back after a minute and pretended to be Canadian.”
“How do you pretend to be Canadian?”
