and probably already sorry she’d agreed to this. He’d have to change that. “Okay, you can come inside with me, but you can’t change your mind about dinner until the next stop.”
He grabbed some fancy cheese and crackers, then ordered fried chicken and macaroni salad from the deli counter. Because he’d never been an organized shopper, they wandered through the store looking for wine and ended up in the pet aisle.
“Are you a dog person?” Melissa asked curiously.
He looked at the cans of dog food and tried to decide how to answer. He wasn’t much of an animal person, plus in his previous life—which hadn’t been that long ago—he’d traveled extensively, researching for his books, which ruled out having a pet. He’d loved that globe-trotting lifestyle but it had lost much of its appeal, so he didn’t do it anymore. Yet he still hadn’t amassed any animals.
But his neighbor, the woman who’d pulled him out of his car only seconds before the wreck had blown sky-high, now she was most definitely an animal person.
He’d told her he owed her, that he owed her big. He’d told her that he’d do anything, anything at all to help her when she needed it.
And damn if Rose hadn’t cashed in on that rash promise. Damn if she didn’t want him to help her get close to her daughter. Rose had told him how she’d put Melissa into the foster-care system because she was intent on finding a better life for the both of them. Rose had to get away from her abusive boyfriend and strict parents—parents that would in no way let their unmarried daughter bring a child out of wedlock into their house. She’d always planned on going back for Melissa, but it turned out to be harder than she had thought to go back. Rose knew that asking for forgiveness of Melissa, and properly explaining herself while she was at it, would probably be the best route. But it was difficult, because Melissa harbored deep feelings on the matter.
As a result, Rose believed her only way into Mel’s heart was through the animals her daughter loved with all her heart.
Which meant Jason was most likely going to have to go through an entire menagerie before this was over in order to plead Rose’s case for her.
It was a long shot, both Rose and he knew that. But as he watched Melissa smiling at the posters of puppies advertising dog food, he had to admit, Rose might have been on to something. Only suddenly he didn’t want to be on to something at all, but out on a simple dinner date with no ulterior motive except for maybe getting a good-night kiss. Sorrier than hell that he’d ever agreed to Rose’s crazy plan, he hitched his head toward the next aisle. “Come on, we’re not quite finished.”
She followed him to the cookie section. “Dessert,” he said. “Pick one.”
A little laugh escaped her. “If I’d have known I was going to watch you go food shopping, I’d have grabbed a cart for myself.”
“Just tell me what kind of cookies float your boat.”
“I don’t eat cookies. They’re bad for you.”
“Sure, that’s what makes them so yummy.” He dumped some fudge cookies into the cart, then looked over their bounty and decided they were good to go. “Ready?”
“For what exactly?”
“You’ll see.” When he reached for her hand, she pulled it back.
“I’m not big on surprises,” she said.
And she wasn’t big on touching, either. He wondered if he could change both.
He paid for the groceries, loaded them and Melissa back into his truck and drove through town. He went past the second and then the last stoplight, and then went past the turn to get onto the main highway.
And he kept going, heading directly toward the still green and beautiful rolling hills.
“Where are we going?”
“I promised you dinner.”
She gazed at the wide-open scenery, but said nothing. As far as the eye could see there was nothing around but gentle hills lined with occasional fencing, holding in horses and cattle. They turned onto a dirt road that rose and twisted like the gnarled oak trees they’d passed.
And then they finally came to a small lake. Jason had been born and bred in this area, and though he’d spent the past twelve years away, he still had fond memories here. Once upon a time while still in high school, he’d come here to make out. Not that he had any hopes for that tonight.
Melissa watched him guardedly. “What’s