Midnight Diamonds by Cynthia Hampton Page A

walked down a short hallway lit by small glass sconces into a large waiting area where they were greeted by a young woman dressed in a floor length, black gown.
    “Good evening, and welcome to The Crystal Cowboy. You’ll be dining in the Art Room. Nice to see you again, Mr. Rivers.”
    “You, too, Natalie. How’s that son of yours?”
    “Growing so fast, Neil and I can’t keep track.”
    Silver smiled at the easy exchange of words and glanced around the reception lobby. A server stepped into the room and gestured toward one of eight doors.
    “This way, sir.”
    Justin put his hand on the small of Silver’s back as the hostess escorted them to a small private dining area. Several wait staff stood along one wall.
    “Wow,” she whispered.
    Smoked glass wall scones hung tastefully among paintings signed by Remington, Catlin, Blacklock, and other prominent artists. She didn’t care for western art, but these were exquisite, as were the various pieces of sculptures resting on carved wooden shelves. Even Dale Chihuly’s delicate glasswork graced the decor. No wonder it was called the Art Room.
    One table, covered in cream-colored damask with two place settings, had been centered in the room. In the middle of the table sat a crystal cowboy hat.
    Justin pulled out a chair and waited for her to sit down as a server poured chilled water into their glasses. “Does everything meet with your approval, Miss Madison?”
    Silver nodded and reached for her napkin only to find it had already been placed in her lap. When had that happened? “This is the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever seen.”
    Two servers approached them, each carrying two salads. Justin pointed.
    “You have a choice of house salad or Caesar.”
    “I’ll have the house salad.”
    Justin took a Caesar salad while one of the servers set a silver basket of warm bread covered in a damask napkin on the table. As they started eating, he told her about his family, and in particular, his brothers.
    “Kade is the oldest. He’s a jazz musician, always carefree, laughing, loves being around lots of people. The youngest, Hunter, is a free spirit and helps out at our ranch while he figures out what to do with his life.”
    “Is Kade as talented as you?”
    “Not as good as me, no,” he teased. “But the talent definitely runs in the family, that’s for sure.”
    “I’d love to meet them sometime,” she said. “Since I’m an only child, I always wanted brothers and sisters.”
    “What should I know about you?”
    She grinned. “What else do you want to know?”
    He grinned back. “Everything.”
    Silver laughed. “Favorite colors, music, vacations as a child? You asked for it. I’ve been teaching for five years at GaGa. Yes, I love my job. No, I’ve never been married. You’ve met the ex-fiancé up close and personal. I’ve been to England, and I don’t want to see Paris. My parents divorced when I was fourteen. My favorite color is powder blue. And I don’t care what my sign is because I don’t believe in astrology.”
    “Miss Madison,” he teased. “I believe you left out something.”
    “My blood type?”
    He put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t you like being called darlin’?”
    Chewing slowly, she considered her answer. “It’s silly, but I hate nicknames. Sweetie. Babe. Bunny. Sugar bug. Darlin’. Why not use a person’s name?”
    “Sugar bug?” He exaggerated a shudder. “Try ‘honey bear’ or ‘cuddle socks.’”
    Laughing, she reached for her water glass and found white wine had also been poured, so she opted for that instead. “You’re proving my point.” She took a sip of the wine and found it subtly sweet. Delicious.
    “So if I call you gorgeous, you’d find it offensive?”
    Setting down her glass, she shook her head. “Not offensive. Maybe a fallacy.” When he frowned, she raised her eyebrows. “What?”
    He put one hand over hers, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. “You