me from under her eyebrows.
“Sorry I missed dinner.”
“Everything alright?” my dad casually asks as he flips over his newspaper.
“Yes,” I confirmed, feeling like I’m walking on a cloud while I pour myself a large mug of coffee.
“What’s going on?” Mom places a plate in front of me on the table, skepticism seeping from her interested eyes.
“Wha—can’t I wake up in a good mood?”
“Of course, you can. This one, though, smells different.”
“Smells?” I giggle, regarding my dad with a look and he smirks, amused. “Is this your sixth sense talking?”
“You tell me. How accurate is it?”
“Pfft.” I take a sip of coffee. “C’mon, Mom.”
“Come on you.” She raises her eyebrows and sits across from me, arms crossed on the table in a position that tells me that she insists to know.
“Well,” Dad suddenly sets down the paper, “love to hear how this pans out, but I promised to give Bill a hand at his garage today.” He stands up, savoring the last of his drink and picks up a sandwich. “Thanks, love.”
He gives Mom a kiss on the cheek, winks at me with a grin, and walks out.
I know I’m cornered now.
“So?” She turns to me with one eyebrow up. “What’s with the dress?”
“What do you mean?” I giggle, popping a piece of toast into my mouth. “Wha—I can’t look decent now?”
“You always look decent. This is… glowing. And I know what it means.” She gives me a meaningful look.
“Fine, okay.” I roll my eyes, tittering. “I met a guy.”
“Mhm?” She places her elbow on the table, propping up her chin on one fist.
“Jake. He’s a rancher just outside of town.”
“A rancher?” She straightens up, pulling her chair closer as she prepares to eat. “Like… what, a cattle herder?”
“Like a ranch owner?” I enunciate, my eyes staring dead into hers.
She’s chewing on a bite and her eyes grow wide with surprise.
“Hold on,” she swallows quickly, “you wanna tell me that you just happened to run into some rich hunk somewhere while riding yesterday?”
“Well,” I lower my eyes, briefly wringing my hands before picking up my mug, “I kind of trespassed on his property.” Scrunching my nose, I smile in embarrassment.
“I knew you were trouble!” she hisses, half-joking, half-concerned. “Then what happened?” she urges me on.
“He… fell off his horse, knocked him right out.”
“My God!”
“He hadn’t seen me yet. Then, I woke him up with water from my bottle, and…” I shrug, reluctant to tell her about the kiss.
Grinning, she waves with her fingers in the air. “And?”
“He wasn’t exactly mad that I was there, as you can imagine.”
“Mmhmm?” She continued staring at me.
“Then, he invited me for coffee at his place. It’s a huge place, Mom.” I can’t contain my fascination.
“Good for you!” She draws it out with a bubbly tone. “So, I’m guessing… this dress. You’re seeing this man?”
“His name’s Jake.”
“You’re seeing him today.”
“Look, yes. I promised to drop by and see if he’s doing okay. He refused to see a doctor about that bump on his head.”
“And you can’t just call a doctor and have him visit?” She enjoys teasing me.
“Stop it?” I quickly shake my head. “I don’t know. I do like him, and he’s gorgeous.”
“Well,” she takes a sip of coffee, her other hand fiddling with the food on her fork, “if he’s all you say he is, then maybe it’s not a bad idea after all. Just be careful going over there, in the middle of nowhere.”
“He’s not like that. He’s a gentleman.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“The kind that opens doors for you.”
“Oh.” Her hand lands on her heart while her face makes a dreamy expression.
I tilt my head, forging a fake scowl.
“Sweetie, you’re good with people and I trust your judgment. Besides, you could do a lot worse than marry a rich rancher.” She winks.
“Mom!” My pitch hikes up. “You’re way ahead of yourself.”
“I’m just saying, honey.” She reaches with her hand to touch mine. “You’re beautiful and smart and funny. Any man would be lucky to have you. It’s just your luck that you were born here.” She titters. “You’re a catch, Belle. Believe me.”
“I guess it would be nice.” My eyes wander off, gazing out through the kitchen window to the blue sky. “Y’know, to have someone.”
“Yes. Yes, it would be.” Her voice suddenly becomes serious, carrying a great deal of understanding.
I don’t want to disclose that her thoughts of me marrying Jake are igniting a whole other level of interest in my head.
I don’t want to admit a lot of things… like how much I