“Definitely,” he said moving past her toward his room. “I know just the place. Give me five minutes and we’ll be out the door.”
“Sounds good,” she said, just as he pulled off the towel and gave her an eyeful of his excellent back side. Rori never would have guessed it, but Luke Foster was a tease. And she liked him better for it.
Chapter 18
Without the Cannons around, things were back to normal between Rori and Luke. Thank God! Rori had nearly started to believe that she’d imagined the last two weeks. But with Mike working and Kris golfing with her boyfriend, Rori and Luke had a beautiful day all to themselves.
He drove her about an hour out of town, not giving her a hint as to where they were going until the road signs made it clear that they were headed somewhere called Antelope Island. The area was green and lush, surrounded by the stinky lake the city was named for. They finally stopped in front of a horse ranch of sorts where two horses were brought out to them and they’d been left to explore the island.
Rori couldn’t have asked for a more perfect afternoon. Beautiful views, exposure to the local fauna and exotic animals, including a herd of buffalo. This was the Luke she had agreed to marry, not some guy who hid in his basement and played video games like Kris had claimed.
As they crested one of the lower ridges, Luke gestured toward the lake. “Somewhere out there is a big sculpture thing,” he said. “It’s called the Spiral Jetty. Some dude built it years ago with a tractor. It’s like a snail shell, but bigger.”
Rori hid a smile, wondering if anyone had ever described any of her work with such ineloquence.
“We could find it, if you want,” he added. “I’m sure the guys at the ranch know how to get there.”
“That would be fun,” she said, curious now. “But not if it cuts into our time here. This is beautiful, Luke.”
“I know, right?” He leaned back in his saddle, bringing his right foot up to lay across the shoulder of his horse. “Haven’t been here in a while. I used to come here with the Cannons.”
Of course he had. And while Rori was sure that he had good memories and all, she really didn’t want to talk about his neighbors.
“You handle a horse quite well,” she said, pleased to have him surprise her yet again.
He grinned her way. “Yeah. There used to be a lot of farm land around my neighborhood when I was growing up and people had horses. I didn’t ride all the time, but I learned how to take care of a horse. It was way fun.”
“Sounds like a good way to grow up,” she said, her tone diplomatic. She wasn’t ready to talk about where they would live. The day was going much too well for them to interrupt it with a disagreement. He wanted to live here. By the Cannons. Rori could feel it. She also knew that if she lived two doors down from the Cannons, she would slowly go insane.
“Totally,” he agreed, and just when she thought he might take the discussion further, he added, “We should get pizza on the way home. Best. Food. Ever. I think I could eat it for a week straight.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had American pizza.”
“What?”
“Pizza, yes,” she amended. “But never while I was in America. I know it is certainly different in Italy, although I would guess the Pizza Hut chains are similar in Europe and I’ve had that as well.”
Luke grimaced. “Italian pizza? That’s like glorified crackers with toppings. For real pizza you need dough, sauce, and cheese upon cheese. Man, I’m totally taking you to The Pie. You need to start out with Grade-A stuff, not franchise crap. Oh, this is going to be epic!”
His enthusiasm got her smiling even as warning flags went off in the back of her mind. Here they were in a picturesque location on a perfect day, leisurely exploring on beautiful horses, and yet he wasn’t making any moves to bring them any closer. In truth, he was talking to her as if she were just another guy and they were just “hanging out,” as Americans like to put it. They were engaged. And while Rori wasn’t expecting the usual frills, she did think that they needed to talk about things a