afford college. Besides, my family’s all in San Antonio. Who’d help me out with babysitting and stuff if I stayed here?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right.” Thoroughly unhappy all of a sudden, he looked down. And noticed Isabel’s characteristic ring-twisting motion.
Only there was no wedding band on the third finger of her left hand.
As his heart took an acrobatic leap, he tried to think logical thoughts. She’d probably taken the ring off to get it resized. Or she had an infection on that finger.
He was not going to ask her, and he wasn’t going to get his hopes up. After all, she’d just told him in no uncertain terms she still planned to leave Del Rio.
But he sure couldn’t help wondering.
“Well,” he said, “how about lunch and birthday cake? There’s a pretty spectacular picnic area not too far from here.”
“You brought a birthday cake?”
“Well, it’s not anything fancy, but yeah, I picked one up on the way over here this morning.”
To Eli’s astonishment, Isabel reached up and took him by the back of the neck, pulling his head down to her level. She gave him a smacking kiss on the forehead.
“Wh-what was that for?” He felt his face scorch.
“For being so adorable,” she said, face alight. “Come on, I’m starving.”
Isabel took off for the parking lot, leaving Eli to follow like a man who’d been hit by a bus.
Adorable?
Isabel couldn’t wait to get home. Only five more minutes before they pulled into her driveway.
She knew she shouldn’t have kissed him. For the rest of the afternoon, every time she’d looked at Eli, he’d flushed scarlet, making those ice-blue eyes, by contrast, a study in panic.
Undoubtedly she’d taken his gesture of friendship entirely the wrong way. She could just bang her head against one of those painted cavern walls for her stupidity.
In total silence they’d finished the sandwiches he’d packed, and gone on to cut thick slabs of gooey chocolate cake without meeting each other’s eyes.
How embarrassing. Now what was she going to say to him? There were only so many ways to say thank you without sounding like a fool.
When he stopped the Jeep in front of her house, Isabel grabbed for the door handle. “It looks like Owen’s home with the kids.” Well, duh. His pickup sat in the driveway.
“I’ll just come in and make sure he didn’t let ’em tear the house down,” Eli said easily. He seemed to have regained some of his composure during the forty-five-minute drive home. “Sit tight for a sec.” He got out and loped around to the other side of the vehicle, then he opened her door with a smile.
Isabel blinked. She wasn’t used to such small chivalrous acts anymore. She stepped out and looked up at him, feeling the ground shift beneath her feet. He wasn’t moving away.
“Eli, thank you again—”
“Isabel, will you stop that?” He sounded mildly impatient. “I’ve been wanting to take you someplace special for a long time. I told you, you deserve it.”
Her eyes widened. Oh. It was about his ridiculous guilty conscience. “The debt’s paid,” she said stiffly.
He frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “Maybe Owen was right.”
“Owen? What’s he got to do with anything?”
“Not much,” he muttered, then took a deep breath as if considering some momentous decision.
Fascinated, confused and suddenly twitchy, Isabel stood under Eli’s blue-eyed regard. She needed to get inside the house before the neighbors started wondering what was going on. Mrs. Peterson across the street liked to look out her front window. But something about the way Eli’s gaze moved over her face made her stand perfectly still. An intent stare that she recognized in some fundamental way, but couldn’t have explained.
“I need to…” she began, and couldn’t finish the thought. Eli was leaning down, one hand on the open door, the other on the roof beside her
“Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right.” Thoroughly unhappy all of a sudden, he looked down. And noticed Isabel’s characteristic ring-twisting motion.
Only there was no wedding band on the third finger of her left hand.
As his heart took an acrobatic leap, he tried to think logical thoughts. She’d probably taken the ring off to get it resized. Or she had an infection on that finger.
He was not going to ask her, and he wasn’t going to get his hopes up. After all, she’d just told him in no uncertain terms she still planned to leave Del Rio.
But he sure couldn’t help wondering.
“Well,” he said, “how about lunch and birthday cake? There’s a pretty spectacular picnic area not too far from here.”
“You brought a birthday cake?”
“Well, it’s not anything fancy, but yeah, I picked one up on the way over here this morning.”
To Eli’s astonishment, Isabel reached up and took him by the back of the neck, pulling his head down to her level. She gave him a smacking kiss on the forehead.
“Wh-what was that for?” He felt his face scorch.
“For being so adorable,” she said, face alight. “Come on, I’m starving.”
Isabel took off for the parking lot, leaving Eli to follow like a man who’d been hit by a bus.
Adorable?
Isabel couldn’t wait to get home. Only five more minutes before they pulled into her driveway.
She knew she shouldn’t have kissed him. For the rest of the afternoon, every time she’d looked at Eli, he’d flushed scarlet, making those ice-blue eyes, by contrast, a study in panic.
Undoubtedly she’d taken his gesture of friendship entirely the wrong way. She could just bang her head against one of those painted cavern walls for her stupidity.
In total silence they’d finished the sandwiches he’d packed, and gone on to cut thick slabs of gooey chocolate cake without meeting each other’s eyes.
How embarrassing. Now what was she going to say to him? There were only so many ways to say thank you without sounding like a fool.
When he stopped the Jeep in front of her house, Isabel grabbed for the door handle. “It looks like Owen’s home with the kids.” Well, duh. His pickup sat in the driveway.
“I’ll just come in and make sure he didn’t let ’em tear the house down,” Eli said easily. He seemed to have regained some of his composure during the forty-five-minute drive home. “Sit tight for a sec.” He got out and loped around to the other side of the vehicle, then he opened her door with a smile.
Isabel blinked. She wasn’t used to such small chivalrous acts anymore. She stepped out and looked up at him, feeling the ground shift beneath her feet. He wasn’t moving away.
“Eli, thank you again—”
“Isabel, will you stop that?” He sounded mildly impatient. “I’ve been wanting to take you someplace special for a long time. I told you, you deserve it.”
Her eyes widened. Oh. It was about his ridiculous guilty conscience. “The debt’s paid,” she said stiffly.
He frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “Maybe Owen was right.”
“Owen? What’s he got to do with anything?”
“Not much,” he muttered, then took a deep breath as if considering some momentous decision.
Fascinated, confused and suddenly twitchy, Isabel stood under Eli’s blue-eyed regard. She needed to get inside the house before the neighbors started wondering what was going on. Mrs. Peterson across the street liked to look out her front window. But something about the way Eli’s gaze moved over her face made her stand perfectly still. An intent stare that she recognized in some fundamental way, but couldn’t have explained.
“I need to…” she began, and couldn’t finish the thought. Eli was leaning down, one hand on the open door, the other on the roof beside her
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