The New Baby. Brenda Mott
Читать онлайн книгу.
He halted. Held his breath. “Yeah?”
“I love barbecue.”
He looked at her, certain his ears were playing tricks on him. “You do?”
“Yes. It’s my favorite.”
He nodded. “Good. Pick you up at five-thirty, tomorrow evening?”
“I work until four. Better make it six.”
“Six it is.”
He headed for the woods, no longer worried about snakes. The one that had kept a choke hold on his emotions had uncoiled about three lengths.
He glanced back over his shoulder, but Amanda was gone.
CHAPTER FOUR
BJ’S BARBECUE STOOD surrounded by a thicket of trees in the west end of Boone’s Crossing. From a smokestack in the roof of the rustic building housing the restaurant, wispy gray tendrils feathered upward, carrying with them enticing aromas of hickory and barbecued meat. Amanda inhaled as she accepted Ian’s outstretched hand and climbed down from his four-wheel drive pickup. She closed her eyes in pure bliss. “Mm-mmm. If the food tastes half as good as it smells, I’m already sold.”
“You won’t be disappointed,” he said.
She looked at him and smiled in an effort to calm her nerves. She’d come close to calling Ian’s welding shop and telling him she’d changed her mind about going out with him. But then she’d remembered the way his eyes had looked when he’d told her about the son he’d given up, and she’d put the phone down. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was nice to have someone to reach out to. Someone to talk to who wasn’t personally involved. She hadn’t had a date in over a year, and told herself to quit being silly. Tonight’s outing was all in friendship.
So why had she taken such care with her appearance, going through one outfit after another in rapid succession, until she’d finally decided on black jeans and her favorite peach blouse? She’d curled her hair and put on some makeup. With her feet in a pair of sandals, toenails painted a tame coral, she’d felt comfortable—until Ian had pulled up in her driveway. Instantly, her stomach had been seized by a case of the jitters that had calmed only marginally on the drive to BJ’s.
Dressed in blue jeans, a maroon western shirt and cowboy boots, Ian looked twice as yummy and tempting as anything she expected to find on the menu. He had on a black ball cap, but he’d taken it off earlier to swat a wasp that had found its way inside the truck. Amanda couldn’t shake the picture from her mind of his light-brown hair that waved slightly and made her want to touch. The combined scents of herbal shampoo and a cologne that reminded her of outdoors and new leather had left her hormones in an uproar.
Ignoring the way her pulse jumped at his touch, she held Ian’s hand just long enough to move away from the truck. She walked with him through the crowded parking lot toward the log building. Her shoes crunched against cedar chips, strewn between the asphalt and sidewalk. Rocking chairs lined the wraparound porch, several occupied by people waiting for a table or enjoying a chat with friends after their meal. Hanging baskets held pansies and petunias in shades of pink, white, red and yellow, and a lifelike mannequin near the entrance clad in bib overalls, a flannel shirt and straw hat gripped a chalkboard menu in its hands, advertising the special. All you care to eat barbecue ribs—$7.99, Amanda silently read.
Her mouth watered all over again, until she focused once more on Ian as he held the door open for her. No way was she going to order something that would leave her with sauce on her face, hands, and likely down the front of her blouse as well.
The inside of the restaurant proved to be as charming as the outside, with tables covered in bright gingham cloth, antique lanterns hanging from the ceiling and rough-hewn log walls. The place was packed, and several people waved or spoke to Ian. After giving his name to the hostess, he led Amanda back out to the porch, where they waited in the rockers until the hostess greeted them and showed them to a table in a corner of the nonsmoking section. She took their order for soft drinks and left menus.
Amanda spotted an offer of barbecued pork on a bun, served with coleslaw and curly fries. “I think I’ll have number three,” she said, tapping the menu with one finger.
Ian gave her a mock frown. “Are you sure? That’s not much of a supper.”
“It’s fine.” Again, she pictured herself with sticky fingers and messy chin.
“Well, I’m not shy,” he said, in tune with her thoughts. “I’m having ribs.”
The waitress returned with their drinks, and Amanda ordered the barbecue sandwich, then sipped her cherry cola. Ian ordered the ribs in a soft drawl that left goose bumps tickling her arms. She could listen to his voice all night and never grow tired of it. Starting guiltily out of her daydream, she realized he’d spoken to her.
“Someone’s trying to get your attention,” he said, indicating with a nod directed behind her and to her left.
Amanda turned to look, then smiled and waved at the towheaded boy who sat at a nearby table. “That’s Delbert Brock. His cousin, Gavin, mows my lawn. Delbert came with him last time and took a liking to that little squirrel I told you about. He got the biggest kick out of feeding him peanuts.” Not until the words were out of her mouth did she realize exactly what they implied. She’d enjoyed having the boys around, unconsciously mothering them with cold drinks and extra sunscreen, and had to admit that their presence wasn’t all that different than having Ian’s scouts in her woods.
Kids were kids, and she loved them every bit as much as Ian did. But the thought of having some of her own left her cold with fear. Maybe it was easier to deal with Delbert and Gavin than it was Ian’s scouts, because they were closer to being grown. Gavin was old enough to drive, hauling his mower and yard tools around in a truck, and Delbert looked about fourteen or fifteen.
Two young men, past the point of needing to be coddled.
Amanda gave Ian a half smile. “Guess your scout troop might like to meet Skippy next time, too, huh?”
He looked at her intently. “We don’t want to wear out our welcome. It’s okay to value your privacy, Amanda.” Briefly, he reached out and folded his hand over hers where it rested on the table.
The gesture was enough to send her heart racing, and she was glad when the waitress brought their order, giving her something to do with her own hands besides squeeze Ian’s in return. She got a kick out of watching him savor his food. He put away his share of the pork ribs and still somehow managed to eat them without making a mess, neatly wiping his fingers on the napkin in his lap.
“Your legs must be hollow,” Amanda teased. “I think I’ve gained five pounds just watching you eat.”
To her amusement, his face flushed beneath his tan and he swiped the napkin across his mouth before answering. “I told you the food here was something you don’t want to miss out on. It’s enough to make me forget my manners and make a pig of myself—no pun intended.”
Amanda laughed and began to relax. “It’s beyond good,” she agreed, polishing off the last of her curly fries. “I’m going to have to walk home to wear off the calories.” The barbecue sandwich she’d eaten had been twice as big as she’d expected, served on a bun so large there was no way to hold it and still maintain good table manners. She’d ended up eating it with her fork.
“I still agree with Papaw,” Ian said, his lips curving enough to make the dimples appear in his cheeks. “You don’t have to worry about calories, but if you’d like to take a walk after we eat, I know a good place to go.”
“All right, you’re on.” What could a walk hurt? She wasn’t so much worried about getting a workout as she was about finding a way to make this date end on a casual note, and exercise might be just the ticket.
A short time later, Ian drove them back toward town, turning down a side street near the nursing home. The road