Page 10 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“You bet. Take care.”
Brad watched Steve leave the courtyard and get into his truck, roaring off faster than the library president would have appreciated.
He considered the wedding and how fun it might actually be to have Steve there as his wingman. He by no means expected to meet anyone there, but who knew? The possibility was enough to make Brad the tiniest bit excited for the event, something he wouldn’t admit to anyone else. Maybe, just maybe, he was ready to get back in the game. He smiled, the first ray of hope shining through as he walked back into the dim lights of the musty library, no longer caring about the dark drive home that awaited him.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Proposal
Sophie sat uprightin her seat at the table, the candlelight flickering on the wall beside her. Chez Moi was a classy French restaurant in Helena that the upwardly mobile frequented. The small handful of times Sophie’d been there, she got the impression it was trying too hard to be a Manhattanite restaurant, both in menu selection and price. It wasn’t worth the stuffy waiters and over-inflated wine costs, but she had to admit, sometimes it did the trick in reminding her that there was a great big world outside of Butte, where she lived with Jackie.
She watched the shadows change form as the waitstaff flitted around her, ducking in and out of view. Her hands were sweaty, a constant annoyance of hers when she was nervous. As if it wasn’t bad enough she was inwardly uncomfortable, her body had to betray her by letting the world know.
She ran her palms across the lace sheath she’d ended up with from her earlier shopping trip with Jackie.God, please don’t let the dampness show on the dress.If one more person asked her if she was “alright,” or wanted “to move to a table for one,” she would dump the remainder of her wine on the offender.
It had been almost twenty minutes since Drew had called to tell her he was running late, he was sorry, that she should order a drink and settle in. Didn’t he know that it was impossible to settle in when she waited on him? Too many times, he’d caught her bent over the table, or slouched in her chair and chastised her with a waving finger and the disappointed look of a stern schoolteacher.
No, she wouldn’t relax, but she’d taken him up on the idea of starting with a glass of wine. Against her normal tastes, she’d ordered a glass of Chardonnay, reasoning that she didn’t want a purple-stained mouth when she smiled and said the emphatic “YES!” she’d practiced in her room the half-hour before dinner.
Most of the way through her second glass of wine, Drew still wasn’t answering any of her texts. She glanced at her phone again, just in case. Nothing.Ugh.
She wrung her hands. If she sent another text she’d look too needy. Surely she could be by herself for twenty minutes in a restaurant without completely freaking out. She was a high-powered lawyer, for goodness’ sake. She could do without the pity-filled looks the servers kept giving her, though. “He’s running late,” she wanted to scream at them, if only it didn’t make her sound about as pathetic as she felt.
Sophie’s phone buzzed on the table and she snatched it up eagerly.
“Hello?” she said into the phone. “Drew?”
When she didn’t hear a reply, she looked down at the screen. Her long, brunette bangs kept falling in front of her face no matter how many times she tucked them behind her ear. She tried one more time in vain, squinting at the phone.
It was a text. Oh boy, she was losing it. A server came by and reached for her empty wineglass, asking if she wanted another, but Sophie waved him off. No more wine for her.
She opened her texts and saw a new message from Jackie.
Any news yet?? I’m dying over here!
Sophie hit reply.
He’s not here yet. Call you later tonight. Wish me luck.
She hesitated before she put her phone down. Should she try Drew one more time? He was almost half an hour late. Just as she was about to call him, a gruff voice from behind her made her freeze.
“Sorry I’m late. Meeting at the office ran over.”
Sophie looked up, her bangs blocking her view again. She blew them out of the way with a puff of air from her mouth. Drew stood over her, his suit impeccable, even after his day at work. Her annoyance slipped away as his hand settled on her shoulder. That is, until he let his hand fall and added with a snap of his fingers, “Damn. I forgot to get you flowers. I meant to do that but got caught up with work. Anyway, are you really on the phone here? That’s a bit tacky, isn’t it?”
“So’s leaving your girlfriend alone in a nice restaurant. And don’t worry about the flowers. They die in a few days anyway.” She put on her best smile, forcing the past half hour behind her.
“Touché. Anyway, I didn’t have a choice. Last minute phone meeting.” He leaned in to kiss her but turned at the last second to brush her cheeks with his lips. “You smell like wine. I take it you had a few before I got here.”
Wow. Was he really judging her for having a couple glasses of wine when he’d told her to relax, have a drink?
“Objection.Two.I had two glasses. At your suggestion, I might add.”
“Okay, Counselor. Let’s not let this ruin our night.” He sat down and snapped his fingers in the air, summoning a server.
“Yes, sir?”
“A dry Grey Goose martini for me, and…” Drew looked at Sophie. She’d relaxed when she first saw him, but now, under his constant scrutiny, she was more anxious than before he’d arrived. How did he manage to always unnerve her?
