Hmm. Spend time with Dusty? Have her beautiful face and luscious body near him? He could live with that. Even with ugly Diablo as their chaperone. It was an excuse to be close to her without having to date her. Sounded like Christmas.
“Okay. You got a deal, Gold Dust.”
“And stop calling me Gold Dust. You make me feel like a little kid.”
“Oh, you’re no little kid.” He settled his gaze on her chest, caught himself, and looked up to her face. She was staring at him. He remembered how he used to scare her, telling her his blue eye would melt her brain. “Do my eyes bother you?”
She reddened, looking down at the table. “No, not at all. I…like them, actually.”
“Oh?”
“They look good on you. They work. They give you a mystical look, like you can see inside a person.”
Zach’s insides warmed. “You’re the first person who’s ever said anything like that to me.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. In high school I didn’t have a lot of luck with the girls. My eyes freaked them out.”
Dusty looked at him, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe that. Have you looked in a mirror? You’re…” She flushed and looked away.
“I’m what, darlin’?” His tone was teasing, but inside he was ecstatic she found him attractive.
“Nothing.”
“In college and grad school I wore a brown contact. But after that I said what the hell.”
“And since then? Any problems with women?”
He gave her his best devil-may-care grin. “Nope.”
Dusty looked down. “Didn’t think so.”
“There isn’t anyone right now though.” He hoped this revelation pleased her. “I was engaged for a while, but she broke it off last year.”
“Oh.”
“What about you? Are there any men in your life?”
“None but my brother”—she smiled impishly—“and Diablo.”
“Ah-ha, so you do want to date my bull,” he joked.
“I’ll settle for a little quality time, with you as my chaperone of course.” Her giggle echoed like chimes. What a pleasant sound. She continued, “Where did you go to college?”
“Harvard.”
Dusty’s brown eyes widened, and her mouth dropped into an oval. “No way.”
“Yeah, for undergrad and for my MBA.”
“You have an MBA?”
“Don’t look so surprised. We McCrays have brains, you know.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. But you’re a rancher, Zach. A cowboy.”