“Are you seeing someone?” He handed her the towel.
She dried her hands and threw it over his shoulder. “No, and I’m not looking to be either. I was married at one time and I loved that man with my whole heart. When the marriage ended, my nerves were shot. It’s a long story and it’s sure nothing to do with you but…”
“Guess I got mixed signals. Can we at least be friends?”
“I don’t know, but I…”
Two buts in less than a minute. Two women chasing him, ready and waiting for his call and the one that had buts at the end of every sentence was the one who turned him inside out with a simple kiss. God hated him!
“Hey, it smells good in here.” Deke appeared in the doorway rubbing his hands together. “Blake, why don’t you hire Allie to give this place a facelift while her business is slow?”
In a couple of long strides, Allie was behind her chair, her hands gripping the back where her coat hung.
“That’s what we’ve just been talking about,” she said.
Deke pulled out a chair and sat down. “Well, I’m going to be cutting wood if Blake was serious about the mesquite. I can make more at that than helping you, but I will miss the dinners.”
“If you are willing to clear mesquite, I will gladly provide dinner. You can eat with me and Allie every day,” Blake said.
Deke glanced over his shoulder toward Allie. “You okay with that since I’m not going to be helping you?”
“Yes, of course,” Allie said. “It’s Blake’s house and his food, not mine. Besides, I’ll look forward to seeing you every day.”
Allie was surprised that her voice sounded completely normal. Every nerve was humming loudly in her body. She pulled out the chair and sat down, glad to be off her weak knees. What in the hell had she done?
You took another job and Deke won’t be there and you kissed that cowboy just like I knew you would. It was Lizzy’s voice, no doubt about it, fussing at her. Allie hoped that when Lizzy did something stupid that she heard Allie’s voice in her head telling her all about it.
Suddenly Deke touched her on the shoulder. “Earth to Allie,” he said.
She was amazed to see that a disposable pan of fried chicken and one of potato casserole had been set on the table. Both Deke and Blake were looking at her like they expected her to say grace or do something.
“What?”
“Blake is going to say the blessing. Bow your head,” Deke said.
A cowboy who said grace?
Her chin went down and she peeked out of one eye. Blake’s long lashes rested on his cheekbones and that slow drawl sounded sincere when he said a quick blessing over the food.
“Now, let’s eat,” he said.
Allie picked up the potato casserole, helped her plate, and sent it to Deke. “It smells really good. I’m sorry about awhile ago. I was thinking about the ceilings. Do you want drywall, or would you like a framework and panels? That way a panel could be removed and replaced if it got messed up and you wouldn’t have to do the whole ceiling. They make the framework now to look like wood so it’s not so modern looking.” She was talking too fast and talking business when what she really wanted to do was curl up in the rocking chair in her room and think about that kiss.
“Bullshit! You weren’t thinking about ceilings at all. Your eyes were all dreamy and soft so you were off in Cinderella land. Did the prince ask you to dance yet?” Deke laughed. “But if that’s your story, I’m sure you’ll stick with it. Besides you are talking too fast and about work too much so I know you aren’t telling the truth. You want a chicken leg or a breast or a thigh?”
She nodded. “Leg is fine.”
“Who won?” Deke asked.
“Won what?” Blake asked before Allie could answer.
“Allie was fighting with herself again.” Deke forked out a wing and a breast to lay on his plate. “She does that a lot. Lizzy or you? Who won?”
Allie managed a weak smile. “It was a tie this time.”
“What were they arguing about?” Blake asked.
“Friday night.” She answered honestly but kept her eyes on her food.
Blake passed a container of marinated vegetables to her. “What about Friday night?”
It didn’t help that his fingertips brushed hers in the transfer. Thank goodness there was food in her mouth, giving her a minute to think before answering.
“Her sister, Lizzy, the one you met at the feed store, is getting married this spring,” Deke said. “Her boyfriend is Mitch and his cousin Grady is the best man. Lizzy is trying to fix Allie up with him while he’s in town this weekend. Why were you thinking about that Allie? Did you change your mind?”
She shook her head. “Not in a million years.”