Page 20 of Seaside Cowboy's Fairy Tale

A line appeared between his eyebrows. “Are you a criminal?”

She should shift back in her leather seat. She absolutely had to get away. Yet she stayed in her place. “No. But if I was, I wouldn’t have told you, would I?”

“Good point.” He chuckled, but his blue eyes remained intensely locked on hers. “I don’t want this to be goodbye.”

Neither did she.

Chapter Six

TEX COULDN’T REMEMBERwhen he’d been this nervous before going on a date. If ever.

Except for his first date with Madison. His hand stilled on his tie, the familiar pain a grim toll echoing inside him. No, it was best not to remember.

For two daysandfive hours, he’d almost lost hope, but Cinderella called today. After much persuasion on his part, she’d agreed to see him for lunch. The new information about the stolen necklace he’d promised to divulge might have tipped the scales.

His heart stuttered, the tempo beating out his anticipation. His assistant Jennifer had dropped her folder when he’d told her he was going out for lunch, and no, it wasn’t a business lunch.

How could a guy be this smitten with a woman whose name he still didn’t know? A person he knew close to nothing about? He didn’t let anyone close without knowing their background. And even then, he let very, very,veryfew people close. He had to be careful. Plenty of people tried to scam him out of his fortune. Including Madison.

But the only thing he knew about Cinderella for sure was that she made his heart beat faster. Maybe that mystery was part of the fascination. She wore a forbidden air as if it were a dress—or a shoe, for that matter. Even when she’d flirted, challenge and defiance flared like a golden fire in her hazel eyes.

He discarded his tie, then did the same with his diamond cufflinks. Judging by where she’d picked for lunch, she was more into casual food and clothes. He settled for a dressy shirt and ironed black slacks.

Two hours later, he sat on a restaurant deck overlooking the ocean and pier in his hometown. Large white umbrellas provided a welcome shade from the sun that made the ocean sparkle. It was still too early for the lunch hour, so only one other person occupied one of the wooden tables painted aquamarine blue, a white-haired man who stooped over a table, his cane braced against his chair. No wonder she had chosen this time. And the location was worth the drive to Port Sunshine and constantly checking the rearview mirror for a tail. A breeze brought salty damp air from the ocean that mixed with the faint scent of the biscuits the other patron bit into.

What a beautiful day to be alive and to meet with a fascinating woman. Tex winced and looked around. Nothing suspicious had happened since the almost-shooting incident, but he remained vigilant.

A middle-aged waitress with hazelnut-brown hair in a bun and crimson-red lipstick crossed the deck. “Hello. I’ll be your server today.” She handed him a menu and placed another one on the table. “What would you like to drink?”

“Thank you.” He took the menu, which brought back a deluge of memories. How many times had he eaten or helped out at the Bay and Basin as a teen with his brothers? His brother Kai had been sweet on the proprietor’s oldest daughter then and finally married her this year. “I’m waiting for someone and will order when she arrives.”

“Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything.” She strode inside the restaurant, leaving him staring at the exterior’s tall windows and whitewashed wood. The crisp benches along the deck wall and railing were painted white, as well.

Now, the only sounds were the screams of the seagulls and the whisper of the ocean. Well, and that of his heart beating out its anticipation of seeing Cinderella. Then the loud squeals of twin girls with pigtails interrupted that silence as they ran to a table and climbed onto the benches.

Their tired mother followed and slumped onto the bench nearby. “Could you please be quiet?”

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