But he had work to do, andlunch with girlfriendhad not been on his schedule for today. Neither hadcounsel April. Ordeal with Duke. Orbe super social during a meal.
In short, he was exhausted, running behind, and irritated.
Never a good combination for him.
Caroline spilled out of the house behind him, still exchanging pleasantries and promising to tell Momma how the chili quesadillas were received at her house. She finally made it outside, and the door closed, sealing everyone else in. Thankfully.
She grinned from ear to ear and said, “They’re so great.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She looked over to him, pure sunshine pouring from her. “Thanks for inviting me.”
Dawson nodded and walked with her to her SUV. “Listen,” he said, the word vomit about to come up. Perhaps all he’d eaten for lunch would too. “I do want to go out with you.” He gestured wildly behind him with one arm. “In case I’m theonlyone who hasn’t said so today. So…what do you think? Dinner this weekend?”
Then she wouldn’t randomly show up on the ranch and blow up his schedule. He didn’t say that out loud,because he had more practice than April in schooling his tongue.
Caroline put the food containers in the back seat of her SUV, really torturing him by not answering right away. She faced him, her smile soft and bright at the same time. “I’d like that,” she said.
“Yeah? You’re not going to cancel last-minute?” He wasn’t sure why he didn’t believe her. “I mean, it would just be easier if you said you couldn’t go. I get it.”
“I didn’t say I’d go,” she said coolly. “I said I’d like to go to dinner with you this weekend.”
He glared at her. “You know what? I’ve had enough games for one day.” Enough teasing. Enough swoops of his stomach from embarrassment or frustration. “I have to get to work.” He turned away from her to find Ruffin waiting like the trusty pal he was. And dogs never made fun of him, which suddenly became the biggest plus for them.
“Dawson,” she said, latching onto his arm quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”
He turned back to her, finding worry in her eyes. “Really,” she said. “I’d like to go out with you this weekend, and yes, we’re going to make that happen.” She swallowed hard, looked at her hand, and yanked it back as if just now realizing she touched him. “I am going to talk to Belle.”
“I’ve heard that before,” he said quietly, and in thesoftest tone he could muster in his current mood. “So it really would be easier if you just said no. Then, if the time is ever right and you do ever talk to Belle, we can go out.”
“I’m going to talk to her tonight.” She lifted her chin. “I’ve tried a couple of times, but I’m really going to do it this time.”
“Okay,” he said.
“It took me four attempts at a conversation with my ex-husband before I was able to tell him I was leaving.”
Dawson froze, his gaze suddenly searching all over Caroline’s face for answers. She looked past him, though, her way of protecting herself. He reached out and took her hand in his. “Okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”
That got her to step into his arms. Dawson could hold her for hours and hours. He loved the shape of her in his life, and despite his irritation of only moments ago, he simply knew she belonged with him.
So he could be patient.
He pressed his lips to her lower earlobe, and then moved down a couple of inches to her neck. She smelled like fresh cotton and dirt and a little bit of chili, and he was instantly drunk on the scent of her skin.
He pushed her hair back and kissed her neck right above the collar of her shirt. “Okay,” he said, sliding lower to her collarbone. “Whenever you’re ready. Whenever Belle’s ready.”
She tilted her head back, and Dawson swept a kissup to her chin, getting dangerously close to her mouth. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kiss her in front of his parents’ house, with likely everyone in his family watching.
Especially April.
So with blood burning like fresh lava, he straightened and looked at her. Her gaze had heated considerably too, and he simply nodded at her and pushed his cowboy hat lower over his eyes.
“Dinner,” she said. “Friday night. Six?”
“I can make six work,” he said in a strangled tone.
“So can I.”