Mr. Duncan’s eyes went to the sack Luckey was holding. “Something smells good. Don’t let me keep you.”
“You’re welcome to eat with us.”
“Thanks, but Ally’s mother and I have already had dinner. I still have work to do out here. Go on inside. I’m sure my daughter’s waiting.”
Chapter Seven
Luckey climbed the front steps and had started to ring the bell when the door opened. “I thought I heard voices out here. Ni hao, Luckey.”
“Laoshi hao.”
With a feeling of déjà vu, he followed Ally into the dining room. She was a vision, as usual, in khaki pants and a white blouse that tied at the side of the waist. She’d done her hair in a loose knot. How her students were able to concentrate when looking at her was beyond him.
“Did you get those tiny orange earrings in China?” he asked her.
“Yes. They make the most delicate enamel jewelry.”
“I like them. In fact, I like all your jewelry,” Luckey said. “I like the way you dress, think, act, eat, smile, walk, ride, look, smell, feel.”
Ally’s cheeks turned pink and she smiled. “Thanks,” she said, looking at the floor and then raising her eyes to meet his again. “How was your day?”
“Like climbing a mountain. I couldn’t decide where to start my ascent.”
She chuckled. “I bet you’ve blazed half a dozen trails up that mountain.”
“You’re close. How did things go at the university?”
“My day was long and busy. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this evening. This smells fantastic.”
“I’m hungry myself.”
He reached inside the sack and put their containers of enchiladas and black beans with rice on the table. She’d set it with place mats and sodas. With the addition of a container of chips and salsa, they were all set. “Mexican is one of my favorite foods,” Luckey told her.
“I think it’s everyone’s.”
“Just so you know up front, I didn’t have time to listen to the disk yet, but I’ve been memorizing the meanings of the tone pairs.”
She ate a chip. “How did you manage to do that while climbing a mountain?”
“On top of Persey.”
Ally broke into laughter. “Better be careful or you’ll turn your palomino into a new version of Mister Ed, the talking horse who spouts Mandarin. I saw a rerun of that old television series a while back. It had some ridiculous episodes.”
They both ate with relish. “The nice thing about a horse is that it doesn’t talk back. It just listens. Persey is very patient with me, especially when I’m frustrated over a case.”
Her smile deepened. “If my horse could talk, what tales she would have to tell. Silver knows all my secrets. Imagine what those two would have to say if they could speak to each other.”
“Who says they don’t have a secret language? Nüshu Texas-style for equine lovers only.”
“Hilarious!”
“He let me know he wants me to bring Silver over ASAP.”
An impish look crept into her eyes. “Maybe they do communicate. When I went out to the barn a little while ago, my horse wanted to know when Persey was coming again.”
“You can tell her it will be as soon as my laoshi wants me to drop by for my next lesson. Maybe if I impress her enough tonight, she’ll take pity on me and invite me over again tomorrow evening.”
Luckey could hear Ally’s mind working. “Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a lighter schedule. Tomorrow, depending on your workload, we could plan to ride around four, then come back to eat and study.”