* * * * *
Reese was a bundle of nerves, which she thought ridiculous for her age. But she hadn’t been on a date with a man other than her husband in eleven years. And though this wasn’t technically a “date”, because she and Caleb were having dinner at the B&B, she still couldn’t help but think of it as one.
She’d gone all out, which literally screamed of her apprehension—and contradictory exuberance. Albert Landry, the butcher, had been kind enough to give her a discount on filet mignon. He’d packaged up the specialty cuts in brown paper and had handed the meat over with a knowing look in his eye. But he was too decent a man to say he’d heard she’d been out on the town with Caleb the night before, which was what she suspected the twinkle in his gaze was all about.
When Reese had approached the asparagus display at the farmers market, Tabitha Moore had personally inspected every fresh bushel she’d brought to the market to ensure Reese had the best cut and the heartiest stock. This gave Reese pause, but she’d had no time to question Tabitha’s sudden interest in personalized customer service—when she was usually standoffish, always haughtily insisting every stem was of the highest quality—because Libby Martin had dragged her off.
Libby’s husband was a potato grower and Libby had selected two large, plump potatoes for baking. And then she’d winked at Reese.
Slightly daunted, Reese had moved on to collect the ingredients she needed for the homemade hollandaise sauce she’d spent years perfecting. And then she’d stood next to Luanne Dunham at the boxes filled with imported Georgia Freestone peaches as they’d both tested the weight and texture and firmness of each piece of fruit.
Luanne had handed two over and said, “Put these in your basket with the others. They’re just right.” She’d given Reese a smile and had added, “You make the best peach cobbler in Hill Country.” Then she’d turned away to continue her own shopping.
Curious.
Though her neighbors weren’t typically unfriendly—not by any stretch of the imagination—Reese found it fascinating they were so interested in her dinner ingredients. Clearly the fact she was cooking for two had them all wanting to lend a hand. Was it possible the residents of Wilder were trying to help her in the romance arena, following her public disgrace?
The thought had warmed her heart.
She’d returned to the B&B and had made preparations. Then she’d gone upstairs to primp and change into jeans that didn’t have hollandaise and peach flesh on them. She added a pale-pink sweater that sat slightly off the shoulders. Her stomach twisted with tension, but the more significant sensation coursing through her was exhilaration. Caleb’s blue eyes and sexy grin had flashed in her mind more times than she could count as she’d shopped, cooked and baked. And when she heard his Range Rover pull alongside the house by the courtyard, her pulse spiked.
She’d shaved her legs and bikini area… Just in case. Thoughts of sex with Caleb had lingered at the forefront of her mind since she’d made her indecent proposal the previous evening. A notion that made her snicker. Reese Middleton making a bold move like that…who would have guessed?
But he inspired her in ways that had lain dormant for too long. Not that she hadn’t done everything in her power to hold Tommy’s interest, but after being shot down so many times, at some point, a woman had to give up. Reese had no idea what had caused Tommy to lose interest, other than the fact that perhaps she’d just made life too easy for him, never asking for anything in return.
She wanted something in return this time. Respect. Intimacy. Mutual admiration.
Deep within her, she honestly felt she might have met a man capable of giving her those things. He might also be the one to restore some of the pride she’d lost because of Tommy—whom she refused to let spoil her good mood this evening.
Bounding down the stairs, she was more than happy to leave her jangled nerves behind and embrace the potential that lay before her.
Except that when Caleb came through the front door, she drew up short and gripped the post at the bottom of the staircase for support as her knees practically knocked together.
“Whoa,” she said, the breath leaving her body on a hard rush of air. He carried in his strong arms a huge bouquet of flowers, all in white and soft, buttery yellow, with greenery as accents, to complement the decor of her B&B. “What the hell?”
He laughed. “I was informed Ryan Bain had ordered the most ostentatious floral arrangement ever delivered to a Wilder woman. Now, really? You think I’m going to be outdone when it comes to romance?”
Reese recalled Jess’ last over-the-top ensemble. This one
beat it by leaps and bounds. “Holy Moses.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “No one’s ever brought me flowers like that.”
Tears stung the backs of her eyes at a more painful thought. No man had cared for her enough—or had wanted to impress her enough—to go to the trouble of such a grand gesture.
Caleb grinned. “Well, you know, I just wanted to make the point that you should expect flowers like this from a date. You deserve them.”
He set the glass vase on a large, round end table. Then he reached behind him, extracting something from his back pocket. He handed over a pretty, fuchsia-colored Gerbera daisy.
“I saw this when I was walking out of Jess’ shop. It seemed more like your style than anything else.”
She sighed, then smiled. “It is my style.” Taking the stem from him, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. “The bouquet is beautiful, but you don’t need to impress me with extravagance. You know that, right?”
His blue eyes shimmered under the golden light of the foyer chandelier as he said, “I realized that when I saw the daisy. But I still wanted you to have the big arrangement. You should never doubt you make a man want to do something ridiculous just to bring a smile to your lips or a tear of joy to your eyes.”
She brushed away the drops on her cheeks. “I haven’t done anything yet to warrant a gazillion dollars worth of flowers.”
He sniffed the air as the scent of hollandaise sauce and peach cobbler wafted from the kitchen. “Oh really?”
With another smile, Reese told him, “I need a little more time to finish dinner.”