Gina took another paper napkin from the stack on the table and wiped the last of the barbecue sauce from her fingers. She had given up on using a fork and knife after two bites into the delicious ribs. “Mmmm. That was great. I wish I had discovered this restaurant three weeks ago.”
Brady reached across the table and touched his thumb at the corner of her mouth. “All clean.” He smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. The Rib House has been here since I was a kid. It’s a landmark in Valley Oaks. People come from miles around.”
She smiled back at him. The place was down-home, just like Brady. No frills, no extensive menu, no breathtaking views unless you counted the four windows that looked out on the highway and silos beyond that. It was a room full of square tables, each with four chairs and paper placemats. But the food was homemade, tasty, and the real thing. The place was packed on Saturday nights, but he had managed to get them in without a reservation. She watched a dish of apple pie à la mode go by and she groaned.
“Want some?” he asked.
“Most definitely.” She folded her somewhat sticky fingers together and met Brady’s gaze. The way he looked at her was unnerving. His eyes seldom strayed from her, and they danced as if he smiled at some secret. The corners of his mouth often slipped into his easy grin. She hadn’t been able to think straight all day.
Of course that was partially due to Ruby. The horse’s situation had blasted her fear to smithereens, leaving a return to confidence in its wake. It was an ecstatic high, unlike any joy she had ever known. This attraction to Brady only intensified it, creating something akin to an emotional explosion that made her head spin. How could she love a farmer in Podunk, Illinois? She didn’t know. She didn’t know what it meant or where it would lead. What she did know was that she didn’t want to come down from her present mountaintop.
But they had to make plans. “Okay, let’s plan the week.”
“The frog choir will be in full swing tonight. Let’s go back to my place and sit on the porch.” He winked. “There’s paper and pen at the house so you can write it all down, Miss Organizer.”
She rolled her eyes.
A portly, balding, middle-aged man approached the table. “Brady!” His tone made the salutation sound like a command. “Need to talk.”
“Hi, Chuck. I’d like you to meet—”
“It’ll take just a moment.” Ignoring Gina, he leaned toward Brady, supporting one hand on the table, the other on the back of the chair, and spoke in low tones directly into Brady’s ear.
She watched, amused at the thought that she had met—or almost met—her first rude Valley Oaks citizen. Brady didn’t look amused. He lowered his eyes from hers, listening intently. The tips of his ears reddened and his forehead crinkled. He nodded. His entire face turned crimson.
The man straightened, then nodded curtly in her direction. “Sorry for the interruption.” He walked off.
Brady’s lips were pressed together. He lifted a hand, signaling to the waitress.
“Who was that man?”
“Village board president. Can we take a rain check on the apple pie? I have black raspberry cobbler at home.”
The man’s words had obviously distracted him. He was ready to leave. “Sounds perfect.”
He counted bills out for the check and stood abruptly. “Ready?”
They made their way through the crowded room. A few people called out a hello to him. Once inside the truck, Gina slid across the bench seat and sat close to him. “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.” He swung his arm up and around her shoulders, pulling her nearer and steering with one hand. His color had returned to the normal tan, though his narrow jaw still appeared clenched.
She’d pry later.
“Let’s talk about plans.” He kissed the top of her head. “How I’m going to treat you like a princess all week.”
She snuggled against his shoulder. Brady and Valley Oaks were getting under her skin, no doubt about it. Her future plans and this week’s plans were not on the same continuum. They had absolutely nothing to do with each other, had nothing whatsoever in common. It seemed God had given her something she asked for and something she hadn’t asked for. And the two were diametrically opposed. “Brady, maybe I should try it your way for a few days. Just wing it.”
He glanced down at her. “What got into you?”
She shrugged. “Tired of being a control freak, I guess.”
“Ah, giving God more room to work. I like that.” They rode in silence for a few minutes and then he chuckled. “I like that a lot.”
Later they sat side by side in the dark on his screened-in porch. He had moved the couch so that they faced directly out onto the pond. Moonlight reflected off of the water and a few stars were visible through the treetops. As he predicted, the bullfrogs’ deep-throated song filled the entire outdoors.
Gina mimicked the noise and laughed with Brady until her sides hurt. She agreed with him that they were easily entertained. Tucking her legs up on the seat, she turned to him and stroked the crease in his cheek. His blond hair shone in the soft light. How could she feel so at ease with this man she barely knew? “Will you tell me about that man who made you so angry?”
“It’s not important.”
“Brady, I only have a few days to get to know you. Is it about your land?”
He nodded. “The board wants me to resign. They say that as chairman of the Zoning Committee I have a conflict of interest and am doing a disservice to Valley Oaks by my stubborn refusal to vote yes on zoning your dad’s property as residential.”
“It’s not my dad’s.”
“Sorry. You know what I mean.”
“I know. So are you doing a disservice to the town?”
“I told God you were a thorn in my side.” His grin softened the words.
“A thorn?”
“When we first met. I mean, you were a pain to talk to and, with all the wedding business, I knew we had to spend time together. I wasn’t exactly pleased with the idea.”
“Hmm. Well, the feeling was mutual, you know.”
“It was? I had no idea.”
“Liar,” she laughed. “Come to think of it, roses have thorns. Maybe they’re a good thing?”
“They’re annoying.” He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. “But they force you to pay attention.”
“I’d say you’re diverting attention from the question at hand.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath. “Yes, I might be getting in the way of Valley Oaks’ growth. I know growth is inevitable and necessary for the town to survive. I just don’t want all that growth adjacent to this place. There are plenty of other suitable areas for building homes. Two subdivisions are going up east and south of town. What we lack is a plan to preserve the history of the Crowley homestead, not to mention green space.”
“From what I can tell, it’s all green space between Valley Oaks and Rockville. Miles and miles of farm land. Lots of green corn and soybeans.”
“That’s not the same. I mean wildlife refuge areas. We have a state park up the river a ways. A zoo 90 miles away in Chicago. Nothing else in a 100-mile radius. These prairies used to be teeming with all kinds of animals. Hey, do you want to see some buffalo? There’s a farmer nearby who raises them.”
“Buffalo? Really? I’d love to.”
“We’ll put it on our to-do list.” He leaned toward her.
“We’re not making a to-do list.”
“Oh, that’s right.” He kissed her gently. “We’ll just meander over there some time soon.”
Her thoughts floundered for a moment. “Uh, back to the subject at hand. Make this a wildlife preserve. Can you zone it for that?”
“We have the power, but there just isn’t much interest. And since I own the land, I can’t bring that idea to a vote. That’s a definite conflict of interest. But if we did that, we’d have to provide access to it, declare the whole road and then some as part of the preserve.”
“Don’t move.” Gina hurried into the kitchen and fished a dollar bill from her purse, then plopped back down beside him. “Here.” She stuffed the money into his shirt pocket and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll buy your land. Now go zone it for wildlife and stop complaining.”
With an absentminded gaze on his face, he smoothed her hair. “This isn’t going to work.”
“What’s not going to work?”
“This.” His whispery voice was lower than usual. “Us. Kissing while the frogs sing.”
Her stomach knotted. “Did I miss something here?”
“It’s just that…” He caressed her cheek, then withdrew his hand and slid away to the other end of the couch. “You fit too perfectly, Angelina. You fit in my house, in my woods. You fit in my head, in my heart. You fit in my arms. And I want you to spend the night.”
Her head swam. Was he serious? She scrambled for a flippant tone. “Well, that ain’t gonna happen, mister.”
“I take it back. You don’t fit perfectly if you can say ‘ain’t’ without gagging.”
“It’s in the dictionary.”
“But it’s not acceptable.”
“Who says? I’d use it in Scrabble. Shall we play Scrabble?”
Brady jumped to his feet. “It’s definitely time for Scrabble. I’ll get the board.”