her heart skip a beat. She hadn't embellished any of her memory of John Gatlin. He was all that she'd remembered and more.
She stepped back so he wouldn't catch her watching, then hurried to the door to wait for his knock. When it came, she had to make herself wait just a little—just long enough to hide the fact that she wasn't standing there with her hand on the knob. Then she took a deep breath and opened the door.
The look on his face did not disappoint.
"Gracie...you look beautiful," he said.
"And you're looking fine for a guy your age," she said.
John blinked. "Uh..." And then the grin on her face gave her away, and he laughed. "You got me. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," she said, and grabbed her purse from the little table beside the door and then turned to set the security alarm as she stepped out onto the landing, forgetting at that moment about the scars.
But it was a moment John would never forget. He didn't know what the hell had happened to her, but it didn't matter. Hopefully, one day soon, she would tell him when it mattered to her.
By the time she turned around, he was already talking as if he'd noticed nothing.
"The stairs are too narrow to go down together, So I'm going down first, and you follow. That way, I can catch you if you fall."
He gave her hand a quick squeeze then turned around and started back down, leaving Gracie to follow with his words still echoing in her heart.
Catch you if you fall.
The stuff heroes are made of, she thought, and followed him down, measuring the width of his shoulders, eyeing the way his hair grew in a swirl at the crown of his head.
She was already falling for him.
He waited for her at the bottom of the stairs with a ready smile and his hand out. She wasn't unsteady on her feet, but it was a good excuse to touch him.
Lucy was out on the veranda at the back of her house, having a glass of wine and watching the birds. She'd seen John drive up, and she'd watched them coming down together. There was something brewing between them. Witnessing love bloom was a gift, even if it was happening to someone else.
Then John saw her and waved.
She waved back. "Have a good time. Do something fun for me!" she said.
John gave her a thumbs up, and then they were in the car and driving away.
"We're going to the Saltgrass Steak House here in Branson. It's one of my favorite places, and since you're starting your new job tomorrow, I didn't want to keep you out late.... this time."
"I like a man who's always looking toward the future," she said.
He smiled. Gracie had wit and wasn't afraid to use it.
It was the dinner hour in Branson. Traffic was heavy, so he focused all his attention on driving.
By the time they reached the steakhouse on Branson Landing, they'd talked about everything except family. He'd keyed in quickly that was a topic she didn't intend to address.
Gracie was having such a good time, that she didn't realize she'd telegraphed her tension about it. John was fun and funny, and she had lost her nervousness about the evening.
As they were waiting to be seated, Gracie soon noted that John had a large circle of acquaintances. Some, she learned, were customers, while others were just people he knew from years of living here. And every time someone he knew saw him, he introduced her.
"This is my friend, Gracie Dunham."
The words echoed in her heart by the time they were seated. She tossed her hair back as she sat and picked up the menu. As she did, she caught the last few words from a woman seated at the table behind them.
"...all those hideous scars."
She glanced up. John was glaring at the people behind her. She laid her hand on his arm and then laughed.
"There's no accounting for ignorance. Some people were raised by wolves. Ignore them. I do."
John saw the reaction on the woman's face and realized she'd heard everything Gracie said, including being laughed at.
He took a deep breath.
"Yes, ma'am. Now...how do you feel about appetizers?"
"I feel kindly toward appetizers," Gracie said.
He chuckled. "As do I."
Gracie smiled. "You choose, please. I like surprises and remember I'm from Texas. Hot and spicy are my friends."
"Then Range Rattlers, it is," John said, and gave the waiter their drink and appetizer orders.
After that, the awkward comment