Two days later, with Elizabeth and Ryan safely buckled in the backseat of his truck, Acton was driving to Paws and Claws with one thing on his mind—seeing Stephanie again.
“Why do we have to go to the animal clinic first, Uncle Acton?” Ryan asked. “I’m hungry now.”
Elizabeth made a smirking face at her big brother. “You’re always hungry. And you can eat any ol’ time. We’re going to look at the cats first. Mom says if I see a cat I like I can bring it home. ’Cause we don’t have Tinker anymore.”
“She didn’t say that!” Ryan insisted, correcting her. “She said maybe.”
“You’re lying! She said yes! Not maybe,” Elizabeth countered.
“Okay, you two, if you don’t be nice to each other, I’m going to turn the truck around and take you both home,” Acton warned. “There won’t be any cats or burgers or anything else for either of you.”
The interior of the truck went silent and a glance in the rearview mirror showed the pair exchanging stunned looks.
“Okay,” Ryan mumbled. “If Elizabeth will be nice, I will be, too.”
The girl pursed her lips together, and for a moment Acton thought she was going to reach over and bop her brother over the head, but then she smiled to signify all was forgiven.
“I’ll be nice, too,” she promised.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Acton told them. “Because I want you two to be on your best behavior.”
“How come?” Ryan asked.
“Because you’re supposed to be well-behaved and I have friends at Paws and Claws. I don’t want them thinking my sister has raised a pair of heathens.”
Puzzled, Elizabeth looked at her brother. “What’s ‘heathens’?”
“Aww, Lizzie, you know. It means somebody like Mikey Walters.”
Elizabeth nodded as though that explained everything. “Oh, so a heathen is a bully and a creep.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Acton told her, while trying to keep a straight face.
He wheeled the truck into the parking lot of the new Paws and Claws building and after giving the kids one last list of rules to follow, ushered them through the front door of the facility.
With only an hour to go before closing time, there were only two patients left in the waiting room. Both were leashed dogs, who appeared as bored as their owners.
Carla, a young woman with brown hair wrapped into a ballerina bun, waved from behind the check-in desk. “Hi, Acton. Can I help you?”
With a hand on each child’s shoulder, he nudged them forward. “This is my niece and nephew. They’d like to look at the cats you have up for adoption.”
The attractive receptionist shot him a dazzling smile, while at the desk down from her, Sheri was loudly clearing her throat.
“Dayna might be free at the moment,” Sheri said. “Want me to call her?”
Before Carla could make any kind of response, Acton asked, “What about Stephanie? Is she around?”
“She is,” Carla said. “But she’s assisting Dr. Neil out back with a large animal. A bull with a bad horn or something.”
Acton couldn’t imagine delicate Stephanie anywhere near a bull. But she’d probably put the same charming hex on it like she’d used on Seymour, he thought.
He was about to tell Carla that they’d wait for Stephanie when the door leading back to the examining rooms suddenly opened and a big burly man with a crumpled straw hat and muddy boots entered the room with Stephanie following close behind him.
“There she is now,” Carla said. “If you and the kids would like to wait—”
“We will,” Acton said before she could finish, then guided his niece and nephew to the nearest couch.
Once the man had dealt with his bill and was leaving the office, Acton hurried the kids over to where Stephanie remained at the checkout desk.
As soon as she spotted him, she smiled and Acton felt something in the middle of his chest melt like a chunk of ice on a hot sidewalk.
“Hello, Mr. Donovan,” she said, her gaze encompassing the children standing next to him. “Who are your friends?”
Acton nudged the children slightly forward. “This is my niece, Elizabeth, and my nephew, Ryan.”
The smile on her face deepened as she politely shook hands with both children. “Hello, I’m Stephanie. I took care of your uncle’s dog for him the other day.”
Ryan grinned naughtily. “You mean Seymour? Bet that was a big dogfight.”
She arched an eyebrow at Acton. “This boy must spend a lot of time with you.”
Acton chuckled. “Everyone says he takes after me. Much to my sister’s disappointment.”
“Uncle Acton is going to take us to eat. But we want to see the cats first,” Elizabeth told her. “The ones that people can take home with them.”
Stephanie glanced at Acton again and as he looked at her lovely face, he realized that somehow during the last two days, he’d forgotten just how vibrant her eyes were and how her hair was the color of a red-gold sunset.
“You want to adopt a cat?” she asked him. “That’s wonderful.”
“Uh, well, not me. I mean, I love cats. I think they’re super. But Gina—that’s my sister—has promised the kids they can have another cat. The cat they had went missing.”
Realizing Ryan was tugging on his sleeve, he looked questioningly down at the boy.
“What about the dogs, Uncle Acton?”
Acton shot Stephanie an apologetic smile. “Sorry. He wants to see the dogs, too. But if you’re too busy—”
“Not at all. Dr. Neil just finished with his last patient,” she assured him. “You three, follow me.”
With Stephanie leading the way, they walked to a room located near the back of the building.
“This is what we call our cat room,” she said as she gestured for them to step inside.
“That took some real original thinking,” Acton joked.
The room was filled with scratching poles, gym sets and other feline furniture. Stuffed mice, small rolling balls and other toys littered the floor.
“Well, I suppose it could be called the feline room.”
“Wow! This is cat heaven, Uncle Acton!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “May I go look in the cages?”
“Of course,” Stephanie told her. “But I wouldn’t try petting the cats that are running lose. Sometimes they get frightened of strangers and scratch.”
“I won’t,” Elizabeth promised, then rushed over to a cage where a calico mother with a litter of four was housed. Ryan followed close on her heels.
Acton said, “Thank you, Stephanie. This means a lot to the kids, especially Lizzie. She cried for days over her missing Tinker.”
“Aww. I can only imagine. I have two cats, two dogs and a rabbit. If any one of them went missing, I’d be devastated.”
Surprised, he looked at her. “After working here all day, you go home to five pets? You must really love animals.”
“I do love them. When I was a child I couldn’t have pets because of my mother’s health issues. Since then I’ve made up for it.” A tentative smile played at the corners of her lips. “So how is Seymour? You didn’t bring him with you today, so I’m assuming he’s doing better.”
Acton nodded. “I don’t think he’s scratched once since I took him home. Yesterday he helped us round up cattle, so he was a happy dog. Today he’s resting.”
A look of interest brightened her face. “Seymour is a working dog?”
“Why, sure. You don’t think I’d keep a mutt like him around just for the company, do you? Damn dog would just as soon snap my hand off as look at me.”
She responded with a soft laugh and the sweet sound nearly knocked Acton off his feet.
“What’s so funny about that?” he asked, while savoring the fact that he’d somehow managed to make her laugh.
“You thinking Seymour is cranky. He knows how you feel about him. That’s why he treats you like—”
“A dog,” Acton said, finishing for her. Then he grinned to soften his words. “That’s okay. He and I understand each other. And I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”
“Uncle Acton, come look at this cat! He has stripes that go sideways!” Ryan called out. “Can we have him?”
“But I want this white one!” Elizabeth interjected as she gazed into a separate kennel. “Her ears have black on the tips. She’s beautiful!”
Acton glanced at Stephanie. “I think I hear an argument coming on.”
“Perhaps their mother would let them have both?” Stephanie suggested. “It would be good for the cats to have a companion.”
He contemplated the idea for a moment before he said, “I have a feeling you could talk Gina into it. If I get her on the phone, would you mind speaking to her?”
“I’d be glad to,” Stephanie told him.
Acton pulled out his cell phone and punched in his sister’s number. To his relief, she answered after the first ring.
“Gina, there’s a very nice lady here at Paws and Claws who’d like to speak with you,” he told her, then immediately passed the phone to Stephanie.
While the two women discussed the cats, Acton went over to the children. So far, neither had given an inch as to which cat they wanted to take home.
“Uncle Acton, why should Ryan get to choose? He didn’t even want to look at the cats. All he’s been talking about is dogs!”
“Well, I like dogs, too,” Ryan said, attempting to defend himself. “But Mom won’t let me have one until we get a yard fence. So a cat would be the next best thing.”
Acton rubbed a hand on top of each child’s head. “Okay, kids, no arguments, remember?”
They both nodded soberly and Acton kept his smug smile to himself.
“I got a little surprise,” he announced. “Miss Stephanie is on the phone right now trying to talk your mother into allowing you both to have a cat. How’s that?”
“Oh, that’s cool!” Ryan exclaimed.
Elizabeth jumped up and down. “Wow, wow! Triple wow!”
Both kids were hugging Acton’s waist when Stephanie walked over and handed him the phone. From the stoic look on her face, he had no idea how the conversation with Gina had turned out.
“So what’s the verdict?” he asked.
Stephanie suddenly encompassed all three of them with a happy smile. “She’s agreed to letting you have both cats. Only because I told her that you two looked like responsible children who will take proper care of your pets. Am I right?”
“Yeah!” Ryan answered enthusiastically.
Her little features suddenly serious, Elizabeth said, “We’re responsible, Miss Stephanie. We’re not heathens.”
Acton watched Stephanie’s mouth fall open just before she covered it with her hand. Whether she was shocked or laughing at Elizabeth’s remark, he couldn’t tell. He hoped it was the latter.
“Uh, that’s a new word she learned,” Acton explained.
Turning away from the children, Stephanie dropped her hand, and he was immensely relieved to see she was smiling.
“I wonder where she might’ve heard it.”
The shrewd look on her face very nearly made Acton laugh, and he suddenly realized that Stephanie Fortune was a whole lot more than a pretty face and a shapely figure. Just being in her presence and listening to her soft voice was a pleasure he’d never quite experienced before.
“They’re seven and nine years old, and I still haven’t learned that they pick up on everything I say,” Acton admitted, then gestured toward the caged cats. “I realize it’s nearly closing time for the clinic. It might be better to come back tomorrow evening to pick up the cats. That way I can take the kids to the pet store and buy whatever supplies they’ll need.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “I’ll have Sheri fill out the adoption papers tomorrow and meanwhile we’ll tag both cats so that no one else can take them.”
Acton explained the plan to the kids and though they were initially disappointed that they couldn’t take the cats with them this evening, neither put up a fuss.
“Does this mean we can go eat now?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t want to eat,” Elizabeth said. “I want to go to the pet store.”
Acton shook his head. “No pet store tonight. We’re going to eat.”
The girl suddenly looked at Stephanie. “Will you come eat burgers with us, Miss Stephanie? It would be more fun if you would come, too.”
Stephanie looked awkwardly over at Acton and his heart skipped a hopeful beat. Did he honestly have a chance in talking her into joining them?
“I wasn’t invited,” she told Elizabeth.
Tilting her head to one side, the girl said, “I’m inviting you.”
“Yes, and that’s very nice. But your uncle hasn’t invited me. And I—”
“I’m asking you now,” Acton interrupted. “Would you like to join us? We’re only going down the street to the burger place. The one with the kiddie playground in the front. That is, if you don’t have other plans.”
For a long moment she appeared to consider his offer, then a slow smile tilted her lips. “Actually, the only plan I have is to go pick up my baby.”
Stephanie expected her announcement to surprise Acton, but his friendly expression didn’t change. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was actually thinking. That she was an unwed mother or a divorcee with a child, or even a widow?
It didn’t matter what he was thinking, Stephanie scolded herself. Acton Donovan was just a guy offering her a hamburger, not a red-hot affair.
“You, uh, have a baby?” he asked. “As in a little human baby? Not an animal baby?”
Stephanie couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Linus is a real little human baby. He’s a month old and I’m his foster mother.”
He smiled. “Foster mother? Oh, that’s, uh, great. Real great!”
Great for her, or Linus, or the both of them? Stephanie wasn’t sure what he meant, but at least the news that she had a baby, even on a temporary basis, hadn’t sent him running out the door.
“Yes, well, I really need to pick him up before I could join you three. Unless a baby would bother you,” she added, while carefully trying to gauge his reaction. If Linus wasn’t welcome, then she’d decline his invitation.
“Bother me? Shoot, no!” He gestured to Elizabeth and Ryan. “I’ve been around these two since they were a day old. I’m an old hand with babies.”
Honestly? He looked more like he was an old hand at creating babies rather than caring for them, Stephanie thought. But she could be wrong about the man. And it wasn’t fair for her to be judging him without really knowing him.
She pushed back the cuff of her thin sweater. “It will be a few more minutes before the clinic closes and I can pick up Linus from day care. Elizabeth and Ryan might not want to wait for me.”
“We don’t mind,” Ryan said.
Elizabeth bounced joyfully on her toes. “We won’t eat without you, Miss Stephanie. Promise!”
The grin on Acton’s face said he didn’t mind waiting, either, and the idea that he might actually want Stephanie’s company made her feel light hearted and foolishly romantic.
“The kids want you to join us and so do I. Waiting isn’t a problem. We’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. I’ll see you there.”
He gathered up the children and ushered them out of the cat room. As the door shut behind the trio, Stephanie felt like she’d just encountered one of those Texas whirlwinds she’d heard about. Had she just agreed to a date with Acton Donovan? The gorgeous hunk that made the whole staff at Paws and Claws swoon?
No. It isn’t a date, Stephanie. It’s sharing some fast food with new friends. A man like Acton will never want a real date with you. So quit daydreaming. You have work to do.
Galvanized by the taunting voice in her head, Stephanie hurried down the hallway to where Dayna was straightening shelves in the supply room.
The woman gave her a sly look. “Sounds like you made a score with Acton.”
“What?” Stephanie blurted.
Had her coworker already heard that Stephanie was meeting Acton later? She hoped not. She was hardly ready to start fielding off a bunch of silly questions.
“The cats,” Dayna explained. “Acton told us the kids are adopting two of the cats. Good job, Steph.”
Stephanie felt a blush sting her face. “I really had nothing to do with that. The cats sold themselves.”
Dayna hardly looked convinced. “Carla said when Acton and the kids first came in he was purposely asking for you. Wonder why?”
Stephanie refused to make a big deal over Acton’s attention. Especially when she knew his interest would quickly wane. “Probably because he thinks I have some sort of mystical powers with animals.”
Dayna laughed. “You do.”
Relieved that Dayna accepted her theory, Stephanie quickly changed the subject. “Are all the patients cleared out?”
“Dr. Neil finished with the last one a few minutes ago,” Dayna answered. “Let’s finish tidying up so we can get out of here.”
It took Stephanie another thirty minutes to finish her work at the animal clinic, pick up Linus and drive back to the fast-food restaurant.
When she stepped inside the busy eatery with the baby tucked safely in her arms, she was acutely aware of her stained work jeans and limp hair. She didn’t need a mirror to tell her she looked washed out, even though she had taken the time to swipe on a bit of pale pink lipstick.
She was glancing around the room, trying to spot Acton’s brown Stetson among the sea of heads, when Elizabeth and Ryan raced over to meet her.
“We’re sitting over here by the window,” Ryan told her. “Uncle Acton is saving our table.”
Elizabeth grabbed Stephanie’s elbow as she stared up at the bundle in her arms. “Is that Linus? Can we see him?”
“Wait until we sit down,” Ryan scolded his sister.
Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him, but didn’t argue.
Stephanie patted the girl’s head. “It’s okay. You can see Linus as soon as we get settled,” she promised.
Grinning from ear to ear, the girl skipped ahead of them to the booth, then gestured to the side of the table where Acton was sitting.
“You can sit there, Miss Stephanie. By Uncle Acton,” she said.
Before Stephanie reached the booth, Acton stood up and reached for the baby. “Here. Let me hold the little guy while you take a seat.”
Acton hardly seemed like the daddy type. Yet here he was with two young children and offering to help her with the baby. Could Dayna and the others be wrong about the man? she wondered.
She handed the baby over to him, then slid onto the smooth bench seat. “Thanks for your help,” she told him. “And I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”
“No problem.” Still standing, he peeled back the blanket covering Linus’s face and peered down at the baby. “Hey, he’s cute as a button.”
Stephanie said, “I think so, too.”
Grinning, he gazed at Linus a moment longer, then gently handed him down to Stephanie.
“Okay, it’s time to take orders. Who wants what?” He glanced at Stephanie and winked. “And don’t be bashful. Order anything you want.”
From you or the menu?
The naughty thought came out of nowhere, shocking Stephanie with its implications. She wasn’t setting her eye on this handsome cowboy. Not in the least!
Thankfully, the children diverted her attention as they gave him their complicated requests. Once they were finished, Stephanie followed with her choice of a fish sandwich and fries.
Acton left to go put in their orders and Stephanie comfortably positioned Linus in the crook of her arm. Across the table, Elizabeth and Ryan leaned eagerly forward to get a closer look at the baby.
“Boy, he’s really tiny,” Ryan said, then wrinkled his nose. “Reckon I was ever that little?”
“Probably,” Stephanie told him.
“His eyes are open,” Elizabeth said. “Can he see us?”
“Yes, just not in the same way you and I can see,” Stephanie explained. “He’ll be able to see you better when he gets a few weeks older.”
Elizabeth’s head tilted curiously to one side as she regarded Stephanie. “Uncle Acton said you were a foster mother. Is that like our mother?”
The child’s innocent question sent a pang of regret through Stephanie. “Not exactly. But I love and care for baby Linus just like she loves and cares for you two.”
Thankfully, that explanation seemed to satisfy the girl, and before any more questions could be asked, Acton returned to their table carrying a tray laden with food.
After taking a seat next to Stephanie, he passed the food around the table and helped the kids situate their meals and drinks.
Stephanie was thinking how good he was with the children when he asked, “Would you like me to hold Linus while you eat? It’s kind of hard trying to hold your food with only one hand.”
“Thanks, but I’m used to it,” she told him, while secretly surprised that he was being so thoughtful. Was this guy too good to be true? “I have a carrier in the car, but I prefer holding him. And he seems to like it better this way.”
“Well, if you get tired just let me know,” he told her.
For the next few minutes as they ate the casual meal, the children plied her with questions about the cats and other animals that she helped treat.
Stephanie enjoyed their chatter. But it wasn’t enough of a distraction to draw her attention from Acton. With his tall, lanky frame sitting only inches from her, she could practically feel the heat exuding from his body and smell the faint masculine scent emanating from the green plaid Western shirt he was wearing.
“We’re finished eating, Uncle Acton,” Ryan suddenly announced. “Can we go to the playground?”
Acton glanced toward the glassed-in area designated for children’s play. “Okay. But be sure and watch out for your little sister. And don’t be picking on any of the other kids.”
Ryan looked properly insulted. “I’m not like Mikey Walters.”
Acton waved the kids on and they wasted no time racing to the playground. Once they were gone, the table seemed incredibly quiet.
Acton slanted her an apologetic look. “I know they’re noisy, but they’re basically pretty good kids,” he said.
“I think they’re lovely. Do you spend much time with them?”
“Probably more than I should. Gina constantly accuses me of spoiling them. I just like to make them happy.”
“So you like children? Or just your niece and nephew?”
Now why had that question come out of her mouth? She wasn’t sizing him up for fatherhood, or anything close to it.
He nodded. “I’ve always liked kids. Probably because my brothers say I’m just a big kid myself. And I guess that’s partly true. I like to have fun. But they forget that I’m a grown man now.”
He was definitely that, Stephanie thought. At least, on the outside.
Linus squirmed and she glanced down to see he was chewing on his fist. “So are Elizabeth and Ryan the only niece and nephew you have?”
“My two older brothers are still single—like me.” He gestured to Linus. “It’s probably none of my business but how did you happen to be this little guy’s foster mother?”
She pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag she’d carried with her and offered it to Linus. He latched on with a hunger that made her smile.
Glancing at Acton, she said, “I’m surprised. I thought everyone around town had heard about the baby being left at Rambling Rose Pediatric Center.”
Acton’s mouth fell open. “You mean Linus is that baby?”
“So you did hear about it?”
He nodded. “Mom was talking about the incident at dinner one evening. Anytime something happens involving a baby she gets all teary-eyed. You know how women are.”
“Yes, I know,” she said, finding it an effort to keep a straight face. “In case you failed to notice, I am one.”
Ruddy color washed over his face. “Oh, damn. Sorry, Stephanie. I wasn’t thinking. I mean, I’ve noticed. I’ve definitely noticed you’re a woman.”
She smiled at his flustered apology. “I couldn’t help teasing you a bit,” she said. “As for me fostering Linus, I just happened to be the first eligible person that was available to take him. And I’m very glad I was. He’s a joy to me.”
“So what about his parents? Mom said the mother ran off and can’t be found?”
“That’s true. After she left the baby at the pediatric center, she disappeared. How or why, no one seems to know.”
“I assume the authorities are trying to locate her?” he asked.
Stephanie sighed. “Well, it’s all a bit complicated. You see, there’s a thing called the Safe Haven law that legally protects a parent from leaving a child at a safe house. Which, in this case, was the pediatric center. So that means they can’t track her down for child abandonment. But if the mother is considered ill or in danger they can search for her.”
Nodding, he said, “Sounds as though the law officials have to walk a fine line with this sort of case.”
“Exactly. But so far there’s been no news from anyone regarding Laurel’s whereabouts.”
He shook his head with dismay. “That’s tough. So what now? Are you going to keep on being Linus’s mother?”
Nodding, she said, “If his biological mother shows up, naturally that will end my role as Linus’s foster parent. If she’s never located, I’d love to legally adopt him.”
“What about the dad? He has to be somewhere—unless the guy is dead.”
Stephanie grimaced. “From what the mother implied, the man wasn’t a part of their lives. Even so, I think there’s an effort being made to find him, too. Just in case he might want to make a legal claim of Linus. But locating him might prove difficult. Laurel didn’t share any valuable information about the man.”
“What a loss. For both parents.”
Acton obviously considered a baby to be a precious blessing, which was more than Stephanie could say for the guys she’d dated. Most of them would have bolted at the sight of a baby. Was she beginning to see a sign hanging around Acton’s neck with the word good written on it?
“Well, for now I’m going to do my best to make sure Linus knows he’s wanted,” she said.
He sipped his cola, then shifted around on the seat so that he was facing her. “I’m glad you agreed to have dinner with us, Stephanie.”
“I’m glad, too.” Without even trying, Acton lifted her spirits and reminded her that she needn’t be serious all the time. “On weekdays my brothers often work late, so usually I’m eating alone. It’s nice to have company.”
“So you live with your brothers,” he mused. “How does that work out for you?”
“It’s good. Our house is spacious enough for me to have my own suite of rooms. Which is especially nice now that I have Linus. That way we don’t disturb my brothers.”
His blue eyes were studying her keenly and she figured he was thinking she led a boring life. And compared to his, it probably was.
“It’s good that you have your own space. I’m just now learning what that’s like.”
“You don’t live on your family’s ranch?” she asked.
“I do live on our ranch, the Diamond D. Just not in the big ranch house. A couple of months ago I moved into my grandparents’ old house. You see, Grandmother Hatti has had a few health issues. Nothing serious, but she’s not quite as spry as she used to be, so my parents persuaded her to move in with them. I moved out so that she could have my room and everyone wouldn’t be so crammed in.”
“That was generous of you.”
She watched his lips take on a guilty slant.
“Not really. I got the whole house to myself. Unless Shawn or Danny—my brothers—get the bright idea to move in with me. And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“You like living on your own?”
“Most of the time. Other times I miss the hustle and bustle in the big house. And to be honest, I’m not fond of cleaning up after myself. But I try to keep things tidy.”
“Who does your cooking?”
He tapped a finger against his chest. “I do all my own cooking. In fact, I’m the only one of my brothers who knows how to cook. Just to prove it, I’ll fix supper for you one night. As long as you don’t ask for gourmet dishes. I’m not into that kind of stuff.”
Supper at his place? With no one else around? That would be a risky temptation—for her. For him it would probably be no more than having a friend over to share a meal. “I might take you up on that...someday,” she told him.
Seeing Linus’s mouth had gone slack around the bottle’s nipple, Stephanie placed the baby on her shoulder and gently rubbed his back until he burped.
“Who does your cooking?” he asked.
Though it shouldn’t have, his question caught her off guard. Mainly because she didn’t like admitting that her family had Manny, the ranch’s caretaker who also did most all the cooking. It bothered her to think the people of Rambling Rose might look down on the Fortune family for being so wealthy.
She said, “We have a great guy who cooks for the family. Which is a good for me. I’ve never been very good in the kitchen. The best I can do is a couple of Cuban dishes. That’s what I liked to eat when we all lived in Fort Lauderdale. Since we moved here I’ve fallen in love with Tex-Mex food.”
As she talked, she’d noticed the look in his eyes hadn’t changed to boredom. He still appeared to be actually interested to hear about her life. The idea definitely warmed her. Most of her past boyfriends would’ve already turned the conversation back to themselves.
“There’s nothing better,” he agreed.
He plucked up a leftover fry and dipped it into a pool of ketchup. Stephanie found herself studying his hand, with its long tanned fingers. When she’d shaken hands with him the day he’d brought Seymour to the clinic, she’d felt hard calluses on his palm. Now she wondered how it would feel to have that work-worn palm rest against her cheek. To have it slide over her bare skin. To have it—
“Do you like living here in Texas? In Rambling Rose?”
The questions pulled her out of the erotic trance and she prayed he wouldn’t notice the wave of heat rushing to her face.
Clearing her throat, she said, “I love it. Rambling Rose is just the right size. Not too big or too small. And I especially like the people.”
To her surprise, he reached for her hand and folded it inside his.
“I hope that means you like me, too,” he said gently.
Stephanie’s heart couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to skip or do a wild jig.
“I... Of course I like you,” she finally said. “And your little niece and nephew, too.”
His eyelids lowered while the corners of his lips curved into a sexy grin. Just looking at his face so close was causing heat to roar through her like flames in the wind.
Oh, Lord, she needed to free her hand and put some sensible space between the two of them. But how was she going to do that without looking like a prude?
Stephanie’s dilemma was suddenly solved as Elizabeth and Ryan came rushing up to the table. Acton released her hand and turned his attention to the kids.
“We want ice cream, Uncle Acton,” Elizabeth said. “Can we have some?”
“It’s ‘may’ we, Lizzie, not ‘can,’” Ryan corrected her as though he was an expert on grammar.
The girl crossed her arms against her chest as she sneered at her brother. “Know-it-all! You ask for the ice cream! And if we don’t get it, it’ll be your fault!”
With a covert wink at Stephanie, Acton said, “There’s no cause for this kind of commotion. You both ate everything you asked for, so I’m going to say yes.”
He pulled out his wallet and handed a bill to Ryan. “You’re in charge of the money, Ryan. But let Elizabeth order whatever she wants. The money that’s left over you can split evenly between you. Okay?”
“Yeah!” Ryan exclaimed.
Elizabeth gave Acton’s neck a huge hug. “Thank you, Uncle Acton!”
The two kids took off in an excited rush and Stephanie gave him a pointed smile. “I think Gina has a point about you spoiling them.”
His grin was shamelessly guilty. “You’re supposed to have fun when you’re a kid. Come to think of it, you’re supposed to have fun when you’re a grown-up, too. Are you having fun yet, Stephanie?”
Without thinking, she burst out laughing. “I’m having loads of fun, Acton.”
And as the sound rolled out of her, she realized it had been a long while since she’d felt this carefree. And even longer since she’d enjoyed the company of a man.