“The next time you visit the Silver Moon, I’ll teach you,” he said, unable to wipe what he was sure had to be a sappy grin from his face.
Her eyes held a warmth that stole his breath. “I’d like that, Travis. Thank you.”
The thought of Fin coming back to his ranch for a visit had his heart pounding like the bass drum in a marching band. But it was the slight blush on her porcelain cheeks and the warmth in her pretty green eyes that caused the region south of his belt buckle to tighten. She remembered what happened between them when she visited his ranch last month, the same as he did.
“Would the lady like something to drink before ordering dinner?” Henri asked, returning to their table with Travis’s beer.
For reasons Travis didn’t want to dwell on, the man’s appreciative grin when he looked at Fin irritated the hell out of Travis.
“Just some water with a slice of lemon, please,” Fin answered the prissy little guy. As he moved away to take care of her request, she asked, “Where’s Jessie? I was sure she’d be here by now.”
Travis shook his head. “I don’t know. She said something about going with Cade to pick up airline tickets for their honeymoon after they got off work. But that was a good three hours ago. Surely it doesn’t take that long to…”
His voice trailed off when he felt Fin’s soft, delicate hand touch his. “I’m sure she’s fine, Travis. I overheard her and Cade talking about a stop at the jeweler’s to pick up gifts for their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Maybe it took longer than they had anticipated.”
As he sat there trying to force words around the cotton suddenly coating his throat, Henri placed a glass of water on the table in front of Fin. “Sir, you have a phone call. If you’ll follow me, you may take the call at the hostess’s desk.”
When Travis glanced at Fin, she smiled. “It’s probably Jessie telling you that she’s held up in traffic.”
“I hope you’re right.” He briefly wondered why his daughter hadn’t called his cell phone, until he remembered that he’d turned it off when he entered the restaurant.
Excusing himself, Travis quickly made his way to the front of the restaurant.
Even though Jess had been living in New York City for the better part of a year, it still made him nervous to think of his little girl on the mean streets of a big city. He’d relaxed a little after meeting her fiancé, Cade McMann, and being assured that the man had every intention of keeping her safe and making her happy. But if something had happened to her, Travis would have Cade’s head on a silver platter for not taking better care of her.
When the hostess handed him the phone, he was relieved to hear his precious daughter on the other end of the line. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Where are you, angel? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to meet you and Fin for dinner this evening.” There was a short silence before she added, “I’ve, um, got a headache and I think I’ll turn in early. You don’t mind having dinner alone with Fin, do you?”
“Of course not, princess.” Travis glanced over at the beautiful woman waiting patiently at his table. He’d have to be as crazy as a horse after it got into a patch of locoweed to mind spending time with her.
“Good. I’m sure you’ll both enjoy yourselves. The Lemon Grill has great food.”
Jessie’s voice was a little too enthusiastic and she didn’t sound the least bit under the weather. “Please give Fin my apologies and tell her that I’ll see her at the office tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll do that, angel.” She wasn’t fooling him for a minute. Jess had been after him for the past couple of years to get out more and revitalize his social life, as she put it. And unless he missed his guess, his little girl was trying to play matchmaker between him and her biological mother.
“Oh, don’t forget, Daddy. We’re supposed to meet for lunch tomorrow, then go to the men’s store to have you fitted for your tux.”
“You’re still going to make me wear that monkey suit, are you?”
“You’ll be the best looking monkey at the wedding,” she said, laughing. “I love you, Daddy. See you tomorrow.”
“I love you too, Jess.”
Handing the cordless phone back to the hostess, Travis walked over to the table where Fin sat waiting for him. “Looks like it’s just the two of us for supper tonight,” he said, settling into his chair.
She gave him a questioning look. “Jessie isn’t coming?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “She said she has a headache and intends to go to bed early.”