Western Pleasure (The Texas Two-Step Series, a Novella) (7 page)

The best course of action would be to keep her options open. She'd meet Lonely-Texan for coffee and see if there were any sparks. If not, she'd lay her cards—and her heart—at Jim's feet.

* * *

When she arrived home that night, Ellen immediately changed into her pajamas. The trip to the Stockyards had been a lot of fun, but every time she'd seen a cowboy, her thoughts had flown back to Jim and how good he looked in form-fitting jeans. She took a seat on a recliner in her family room. Lily's advice had been sound and Ellen intended to steel up her courage and do as suggested.

The family room seemed eerily quiet and uncomfortable. What was different?

Jim wasn't there. She missed his boots on her tile floor, his presence by her side, his low manly tone whenever he spoke. Yep. She missed him.

This so wasn't a good sign. She had to pull herself together and stick to her plan. She flipped open her laptop, ready to tell Lonely-Texan she'd meet him.

Her courage flagged, and she wondered if she should put off the email until morning. Her phone rang, sparing her from having to make the decision just yet.

The caller ID revealed it was Jim.

"Hi, traveler. Are you back from Germany?"

"Just got in late last night."

Just the sound of his voice thrilled her. Though a tinge of weariness laced his throaty-toned voice. "Was it a good trip?"

"I accomplished a lot, but the long flights were tiring."

"I can just imagine." Words danced on the tip of her tongue to tell him how she felt, right now, over the phone. A coward's way out. She owed it to him to do it in person if she were going to do it. And he did sound extremely tired.

"I was just calling to check on you. See how your online dating thing is going."

"I suppose it's going about as well as can be expected. I've chatted back and forth with a couple of men."

"No dates?"

"Not yet, but I'm thinking about having coffee with one of them." She probably shouldn't be telling him all this. He couldn't really want to know. If he was interested in her, it would hurt him, and if he wasn't, he'd find it all very boring.

"If you do meet any of them, just make sure it's in a safe place. Somewhere busy. Somewhere you can leave easily."

Ellen smiled. Leave it to Jim to look after her safety first and foremost. "I'll do that. Thanks."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely. I won't go meeting any strange men in dark alleys or untoward locations. At least not on a first date."

He laughed and Ellen relaxed.

"Are you up for another home-cooked meal? I'm trying out a new cupcake concoction and I need a victim to test it out on for dessert."

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, sounding a little less weary.

She had no doubt he truly enjoyed her cooking. No matter what the outcome of her telling him how she felt, she hoped he'd still be up for her home-cooked meals in the future.

After they made arrangements for him to come over on Sunday night, Jim said, "Sweet dreams."

"Same to you. See you soon."

After ending the call, she opened her laptop and began to type. With any luck, Lonely-Texan would be willing to meet for coffee on Sunday morning.

Chapter 9

Following the early Sunday service and a quick cupcake drop-off at the homeless shelter, Ellen jumped back in her car.

Her pulse quickened at the thought of her date with a complete stranger. Yes, it was only for coffee. And yes, she probably would have to let the man down gently if he didn't let her down first. But still.

A date.

She checked her appearance in the visor mirror. Not too bad for a woman of her years, and at least her make-up wasn't smeared. She dabbed on some lip gloss.

Next she checked the time. She had nearly forty-five minutes to make the twenty-minute drive, but one never knew about Dallas traffic. She could get to the coffee shop in fifteen minutes or fifty, depending.

Next she checked the bars on her cell phone and decided to plug it into the charger.

Then she checked to make sure she had enough gas.

Next she turned to check something, anything. The need to fidget nearly drove her wild.

She hadn't been this nervous in a
very
long time.

She unplugged her phone from the charger and dialed Lily's number for the third time that morning. As soon as Lily answered, Ellen blurted, "I can't do this."

"Sure you can. Go have a cup of coffee. Meet the man. Don't forget, he knows how to make you laugh. Breathe and try to have fun."

"Okay. Okay." Ellen ended the call and started her car.

Time to get the show on the road before she chickened out.

The drive took exactly the twenty minutes she'd guestimated and she found a good parking spot on the first try. Obviously her luck was in.

Riveted to her car seat, she sat to watch the coffee shop entrance.

The place bustled with people coming and going. A mother and teenaged daughter entered as two businessmen exited. So far so good.

Ellen took a deep breath, then exited the car. She stood for a minute inside the coffee shop entrance, then made a beeline for the front counter. Not wanting to seek out her blind date just yet—if he had even arrived so early—she inspected the board featuring daily coffee and beverage specials.

She placed an order for a crunchy caramel frappé. It wasn't coffee, but with the way her nerves jangled, she didn't need any caffeine. It didn't take long for the barista to complete the order.

Ellen picked up her beverage, then turned to look for the best place to sit.

If she sat near the back, she could size up Lonely-Texan before he even reached her table. If she didn't like what she saw, she'd claim an emergency and leave immediately.

She spied a small booth at the back of the place. Perfect.

She took a few steps in that direction. Then she saw something—someone—sitting in that booth. Someone she knew well.

Jim.

Why was he here? The coffee shop was nowhere close to either his home or office.

Had he come to make sure she'd be safe? But how could he have known where and when she was going to meet Lonely-Texan?

Had he followed her? She'd been so busy placing her order, was it possible he could have slipped in behind her?

She approached the booth. "Hi, Jim. What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her, but rather than answering, he pushed a sheet of paper toward her.

She picked it up and read. It was the last email she'd sent to Lonely-Texan. How had he gotten it? Unless—

Her stomach did flip-flops and triple somersaults. Surprise and delight churned through her. Was it possible? "Are
you
Lonely-Texan?"

He nodded. The worry lines on his forehead indicated he felt pretty unsure of himself. He ought to, playing a trick like this on her. But she couldn't be upset with him. He was too dear to her.

Ellen took the seat across from him. "And here I thought I was coming here today to let you down gently."

"You were?" The worry lines grew fainter for a moment, but then furrows creased between his brows.

"Well, you see, Mr. Lonely-Texan, I wasn't sure how impressed I was by your profile."

"Oh?"

"I had no good picture to go on."

His jaw clenched. "I see."

"You described yourself as a cross between George Clooney and Matthew McConaughey."

"Was I so far off?"

"Way off."

His expression turned glum.

"You're much more handsome. But that doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?"

"There's another man I'm already interested in."

A mix of emotions flashed across Jim's face: fear, hope, dread. "Another man?"

"Someone I've known for years. Someone who's stood by me when I couldn't move one foot in front of the other on my own."

A smile slowly transformed his face, and lit up his eyes. "Are you saying...?"

She nodded, unable to get out any more words for the life of her.

"Thank heavens," Jim said. He exhaled and sucked in another breath. "Thank heavens."

Now her heart did a little dance of thrill and excitement.

"Ellen, I never wanted to rush you, but I've been in love with you for so long it hurts."

He was in love with her? She had always known he cared, but his admission brought tears of joy to her eyes.

He reached across the table with one long sun-tanned hand and took hers. "Will you go out on a real date with me?"

"I'd like nothing better." Ellen beamed at him. "I was planning to tell you how I feel at dinner tonight. I don't think I should wait."

"Nor do I."

The warmth of his hand holding hers promised wonderful times to come, and the tender affection in his gaze brought more happy tears to her eyes.

Jim pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.

After dabbing her eyes, she said, "I suspect I've been in love with you for a very long time, too. I just didn't know it until that night at the charity ball when you asked me to dance the Western Pleasure."

"We never did have that dance." He gently tugged her hand as he rose to his feet.

"Right here? Right now?"

"This piped-in music is as good as any."

The moment she stood, he swept her into his arms and swayed.

"Ellie, I knew I loved you all along." He paused just long enough to give her a soul-stirring, toe-curling kiss.

She melted into him. "You don't know how long I've wanted you to do that."

"Not nearly as long as I have," he whispered into her ear.

Ellen wondered if life could get any better. Jim holding her in his arms as if he was never letting go. Jim, offering the promise of a joy-filled lifetime together.

And there, dancing right in the middle of the crowded coffee shop, he led her into a gentle spin. "Now this is my idea of true Western Pleasure."

The End

Want more from Kathy Carmichael?

Page forward for an excerpt from

MY SOUTHERN BRIDE

The Texas Two-Step Series

Book Four