“What kind of operation is it?” Delaney asked.
“Mainly rodeo stock contracting, but he had his hand in a little bit of everything. He has some longhorns, a bunch of ranch horses, and some bucking stock. He used to have some decent bulls back in the day, so I’m gonna be gone a lot longer than I thought. My little jaunt just turned into an eighteen-hundred-mile trip.”
“Oh, Zac! I’m so sorry!” Delaney said. “That must be hellish to drive all that way alone.”
“I’ll survive it. It only makes sense to kill two birds with one stone. It saves me six hundred miles to do it in one trip instead of two, but that’s why I called. I’m not gonna make it back for that dinner I promised you tomorrow night. Any chance you’d give me a rain check?”
“You really have to ask?” she said.
“I’ve learned not to take anything for granted when it comes to Delaney McCall.”
“As well you shouldn’t,” she replied with a laugh.
“It’s good to hear you laugh,” he said. “I’m hoping to hear a lot more of it.”
She didn’t know how to reply to that. “So when do you think you’ll be back?” she asked.
“I’ll be in El Paso by suppertime tonight. I’ll probably spend the better part of the day tomorrow shootin’ the shit with those guys before we get down to any business. So I expect I’ll get back sometime Thursday afternoon.”
“Then how about Friday?” she suggested.
“What time?” he asked.
“How’s six?”
“Sounds good to me. You just gave me something to look forward to.”
“Ditto, cowboy. See you Friday.” Delaney hung up the phone with a lingering smile.
She spent a second restless night, thinking about all that had passed between her and Zac McDaniel. She still didn’t understand his doggedness. Was he the type to stick it out, or would he get tired of waiting? That possibility stopped her in her tracks.
She didn’t understand how or when it had begun, but something was growing between them. It wasn’t just the physical attraction that she’d been fighting all along, but something warm and genuine. Zac didn’t judge her life or actions. He just seemed to “get” her when nobody else ever had. She was in real danger of falling hard for Zac McDaniel, but if she were to let go, would he really be there to catch her?
True to his word, Zac called two days later. “Are you back already?” she asked.
“Yeah. Got in early this morning,” he replied, sounding exhausted. “Are you still free for that dinner tonight?”
“Don’t you at least want some time to rest?” she asked.
“I wish I had that luxury, but I don’t,” he said. “I have to drive to Vegas tomorrow to meet with Ty. That’s why I drove through the night . . . in hope we could spend some time together.”
His invitation couldn’t have come on a busier day, but Delaney wasn’t about to refuse. “I’d like that, Zac,” she replied. “Is six still good for you?”
“Works for me,” he answered.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
The rest of Delaney’s day was a whirlwind of activity, beginning with the ranching co-op and ending with a trip to Duncan to pick up Romeo from the vet clinic. By the time she got home, unloaded her bull, and finished her chores, she had hardly any time to get ready for her date with Zac. Date? She paused. When had it become that? Regardless of what she chose to call it, she applied a touch more makeup than she had the last time and fluffed her hair with a bit of spray. It was more primping then she’d done in ages, but she refused to think too hard about her reasons.
Thankfully, clothes weren’t a hard decision. Jeans were all that filled her closet anymore. She pulled on a pair of butt-boosting Wranglers, and a button-up blouse, then slipped into her favorite boots, a comfortable pair of Ropers.
She was just getting ready to leave when her canine choir announced an arrival. A glance out the window revealed Zac’s black dually. She met him outside as he pulled into the drive. He hopped out of his truck and gave her a once-over with an appreciative smile.
“My, my, Miz McCall, you put the very sun in the shade.”
“I never knew you were a flatterer, Zac.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I just call it as I see it.”
She cocked her head in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t change your mind about dinner, did you?”
“No,” she replied. “I was just about to drive over.”
“Then I got here just in time,” he said.
“In time for what?” she asked.
“To pick you up,” he replied.
Secretly flattered, she shook her head in mock exasperation. “I can drive myself, Zac.”
“I know that, but last I knew, it was still proper protocol to pick a woman up when taking her out.”
“Taking me out?” She shook her head in confusion. “I thought it was just a dinner at home.”
His mouth compressed. “Does the idea of a date with me make you that uneasy?”