Page 63 of Winter Vows

Oh well, he thought. There was time enough for her to get used to the idea. He didn’t intend to bring the subject up until he could show her the house he’d built for the three of them.

“Hey, darlin’,” he greeted Trish as if his conversation with Willetta had been about no more than the weather. “I brought you a milk shake, but this customer of yours stole it away from me.”

“Is that so? Guess I’ll just have to take this one, then,” Trish said as she nabbed his drink right out of his hand in a move so smooth the slickest pickpocket would have admired it. She regarded him triumphantly as she took a long, slow swallow.

Hardy shook his head with exaggerated regret. “I had no idea the women in this town were nothing but a bunch of sneak thieves.”

Willetta stood up. “Guess I’ll be going now. Looks like you two have things to talk about.” She patted Trish’s shoulder. “Thanks for the visit. You just let me know anytime you want me to baby-sit.”

“Absolutely,” Trish said, then fell silent as Willetta left them alone.

Hardy noticed that she seemed vaguely uneasy as she waited for him to say whatever was on his mind. Obviously she was expecting him to jump straight into a marriage proposal. She should have known he had more finesse than that. He’d also learned a whole lot about timing through his dating years. He knew when to make his move and—up until Trish, anyway—he’d always known when to make his exit. “Something on your mind?” he inquired, regarding her with lazy curiosity.

“Me?” She stared at him blankly. “No. I thought... I mean, Willetta...” Her voice trailed off.

“Eavesdropping?”

“Of course not!” She sighed heavily. “What brings you into town? You haven’t been around for quite a while now.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Really? Grandpa Harlan says he hasn’t seen much of you at the ranch, either.”

“The two of you spend much time talking about me behind my back?”

“Of course not.”

He grinned at her vehemence. “Tell the truth, darlin’. Were you missing me?”

“No. I just wondered, that’s all. I told him you probably had a new girlfriend.”

Despite her oh-so-casual tone, she looked mad enough to spit at the prospect of him being with another woman. Maybe what they said about absence was true. Maybe it did make the heart grow fonder.

“Would it bother you if I did?” he asked innocently.

“Absolutely not,” she said just a little too hurriedly. “You’re free to do whatever you like.”

“That’s the way I see it,” he agreed. Because she was beginning to look as if she might haul off and pummel him, he decided maybe he’d tormented her long enough. “There’s no other woman, Trish.”

“Did I say I cared?”

He chuckled. “You didn’t have to. It was written all over your face.”

“Well, you can hardly blame me for jumping to that conclusion, given your track record.”

“I’m a reformed man. I thought you knew that.”

He stood up and took a step toward her. She went absolutely still.

“Come here, darlin’,” he coaxed softly.

Fire flashed in her eyes. “Why should I?”

“Because you know you want to.”

She frowned at that. “I do not want to,” she retorted emphatically.

“Once you’re over here, you can decide then if you’d rather kiss me or smack me,” he pointed out.

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