by Jillian Hart
He put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb. He still couldn’t quite believe it. He was on a date with Katherine. She’d agreed to come with him. Not only had she agreed, but she also looked happy about it. Talk about his lucky day. Jack had been prepared for flat-out disappointment when he’d dialed her number. When she’d answered, knowing he was her blind date, she’d sounded pleased.
This was so much better than the rejection he’d braced himself for. Still, the evening was early; he might as well remind her of that up front. “I’ve never been on a first date that didn’t have some kind of disaster, so in that spirit, I have to tell you. Chances are, something’s gonna go wrong tonight. I’m praying it isn’t too major.”
“I’m thinking positively.”
“Thinking isn’t enough. You’re with me, Katherine. You gotta learn. Prayer is the only hope—and divine intervention. Otherwise, disaster is an iron-clad guarantee.”
That made her smile, really smile, with her whole face and all the warmth of her heart. “Let’s just take it a step at a time. The road is clear, there’s hardly any traffic. There’s no tornado warning, just a few drops of rain.”
“I didn’t know you were such a perky and optimistic type.”
“You’re leaving the sole burden of positive thinking to me and that’s a scary thought. I’m struggling as it is.”
He felt his heart turn inside out. A worse sign than any physical catastrophe that could happen. He slowed to a stop, waiting for a red light; they were the only ones at the intersection. “Okay, positive thoughts. We’ll lighten the mood. Tell me the funniest thing that happened on a first date.”
She relaxed back into the seat while they waited for the light to change. “My cousin set me up with a friend of his. In fact, he’s some kind of manager at the steakhouse. Maybe we’ll see him tonight. Through the entire date, he kept calling me Caroline. I kept saying to him, ‘No, I’m Katherine McKaslin.’ And he would interrupt me and say, ‘Oh, that awful Katherine McKaslin.’ And then I’d say, ‘But I’m Katherine McKaslin,’ and he’d say, ‘Caroline, I don’t want to talk about her.’ This went on and on. Finally I gave up trying to explain.”
“Did he ever figure it out?”
“No. He wasn’t a very good listener, apparently. He called me up a few days later and said, ‘Caroline, would you like to go to church with me?” I turned him down.”
“Surprising. Did you ever figure out why he thought you were awful?” Because in his opinion, she was nothing less than perfect.
“I think he confused me with one of my cousins. That was the only explanation I could come up with. I mean, this man didn’t know me.”
Jack knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. She was so fine…so perfect. There was that word again. How was it possible that he could fall even harder for her?
“Uh, Jack? The light’s green.”
Good going, Jack.
He headed into the intersection, watching the rain pound down a little harder. Wind gusted through the tall trees siding the road. Old maples that were a good thirty feet or more. He kept a sharp eye out for falling limbs. He wasn’t taking any chances. He had this one shot tonight, and he wasn’t going to blow it.
If Katherine didn’t enjoy the evening, if she didn’t feel cared for and safe, then he’d be like the steakhouse guy. Out of luck for date number two.
Talk about pressure.
“Okay, I told you mine,” she said. “You tell me your funniest first date.”
“Third place would go to the woman who stole my car.” Since they’d gone another quarter mile without mishap, he relaxed some. “We were driving to this great Tex-Mex place and on the way there we came on an accident. One of the injured passengers had called on her cell, but no officers had responded yet. I helped with what initial care I could until the EMTs showed up. I turned around and my Lexus was gone. It couldn’t have been more than four minutes, tops, from the time I pulled over at the accident site.”
“Was she mad at you for waiting, or did she really steal it?”
“She stole it. Apparently, the fact that I was a cop didn’t stop her.” A half mile to go, he thought, and still no disaster. It looked like smooth sailing ahead. So what if the rain was turning torrential? This was Montana, not Arizona. They didn’t have monsoons and flash floods.
He relaxed some more. “The second funniest date I ever went on was—”
An explosion boomed like gunfire and rocked the vehicle. The SUV listed to the side and the telltale thud, thud, thud jolted through every inch of steel chassis. He pulled to a stop on the shoulder. “So much for positive thoughts.”
“And prayers.” Her gaze locked on his with a sincere apology. “I think you have a flat tire. As far as disasters go, it’s not too bad. Except for the rain.”
“Exactly.” Jack steeled himself. Katherine was right. This wasn’t even a blip on his radar. “I’ve got a spare. It’s no big deal to change a tire. It’ll take a few minutes and believe this or not, we should still get to the restaurant early. Can I plan, or what?”
“You’re good, Jack. Did you want me to help?”
She was kidding, right? Not on his life. “You stay here. I’m the man. It’s my job.”
Katherine just smiled at him and wisely didn’t say anything else, like how she’d taken a car-repair class for women that covered the basics, for safety reasons. The heavens chose to open up at the exact moment Jack stepped out of the vehicle, the poor man.
Lightning stroked through the sky above and thunder crashed so hard, the SUV rattled from the shock wave. Icy cold poured through the back when Jack opened up. Poor guy. Already he was drenched, but he was a man who handled mild disaster well. He still had a grin on his face and there wasn’t a trace of stress in his voice.
“I must have run over some nails or something in the road. Both the front and back tires on my side are flat. It’ll take a few minutes longer than I projected, but we’ll still make our reservation.” He had to shout to be heard over the deafening rain hammering down like hail.
“You think of everything.”
“I try.” He lifted up the back carpet and froze. The smile drained from his face. “Uh-oh. Two flat tires. But I’ve only got one spare. I’d consider driving on the rims, but we’d never make it. The closest building is half a mile away and it’s the restaurant.”
She unzipped the side compartment on her purse and hauled out her cell. “I’ll call one of the tow services. Ask them to bring a tire.”
“I got mine,” he said, managing a half grin, not defeated yet as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell. “I’ll just call Darryl over at his garage…” He stopped and stared at his screen. “No reception. Must be in a dead zone.”
“Of course we are.” Katherine flipped her phone on, too, thinking maybe, by some luck of the cell phone waves, she had reception. Nothing. “We can walk.”
“Are you kidding? You’ll get soaked. You’ll get cold. Besides, I will not let this date turn into a disaster.” At that moment lightning flared. Sparks exploded from a telephone pole half a block ahead. Thunder detonated like cluster bomb. “On second thought, maybe I’ll get in and wait for this to pass over us.”
“Good idea.” She felt much better when Jack was in his seat, dripping rainwater like a wet dog.
Poor man. He was still half smiling, though. There was a silver lining. It was good to know just how a man you were dating handled it when things didn’t go as planned. She was surprised he was as flexible as he was; she wasn’t surprised he was as capable. His broad shoulders were as straight as ever.
Lightning blinded them. Instantaneous thunder hit with a force that rocked the SUV. Rain turned to hail, hitting with jackhammer force.
“This is a fun date so far, don’t you think?” Jack quipped.
“It’s certainly unique.”
His grin turned into a full-fledged smile, making dimples dig into his lean cheeks and those laugh lines crinkle handsomely in the corners
of his eyes. “The storm’s moving behind us. I’m going to jog up the road a ways and try to get reception. You aren’t going to run off on me?”
“Unlike some women, I never run off until after dessert.”
He laughed softly. “That’s a relief. And I know you can’t drive off with the car.”
She laughed, too, and he was gone, jogging off through the downpour. There, a big substantial man, and then the veil of hail closed around him and he disappeared.
She’d never felt so sorely alone. Things were not going well, but it didn’t seem so bad. Because it wasn’t the string of unfortunate events that mattered, not compared to the feeling of simply being with him. It was like a fire crackling in a fireplace at night. Like being home, safe and warm, and glad to be there. Being with him was easier now that her nerves had faded. She really liked how he handled problems, how he tended toward humor, how he made her soul feel bright.
When he ran back into sight, even more drenched and bedraggled, gladness filled her. She’d officially moved out of the hesitant stage and landed with both feet into the uh-oh phase. She couldn’t stop her heart from opening right up, hopes and fears and worries and everything exposed. Almost completely vulnerable.
This was not a sensible phase to be in. Not sensible at all. It was all feeling, all heart, and when he smiled at her and opened the door, she fell for him a smidgeon more.
“Apparently every tow truck in the county is out on a call,” he explained as he dropped behind the wheel and pulled the door closed against the gusting wind. “But I got hold of Jonas. He’s got a spare in his rig he’ll bring right over. He’s on his way now. So we’ll be a few minutes late, but not out of the ballpark. They’ll hold our reservation. I called.”
Oh, and it was impossible not to fall even harder for a man who was so organized. “You just think of everything.”
“So far, so good.” Headlights cut through the rear window as a pickup pulled onto the shoulder behind them. That would be Jonas to the rescue. “Sit tight, and we’ll be on the road before they can give our reservation away.”
“That would be a real disaster,” Katherine teased. “After going through all this for no food.”
That made him laugh, the deep rumbling sound she loved so much. For a moment their gazes met, and the impact rolled through her like joy. She felt his smile in her heart before he hopped back into the cold hail and angry wind and shut the door, leaving her with adoration filling her soul.
Did he dare to hope that this was all the disaster he was going to have to face for the evening? Even though he was soaking wet from the storm, Jack felt cautiously confident as he drove the last quarter mile. The road crested, and there was the restaurant, tucked in a corner of a small mall up ahead. Bright lights of the steakhouse glittered on the wet pavement, now that the precipitation had stopped.
“Wow, they’re really busy,” Katherine commented as he pulled into the mall.
He eased into place behind a long line of taillights glowing in the dark. He counted ten cars lined up ahead of him waiting to get into the restaurant’s parking lot. He checked his watch. It was ten minutes after seven. Now he was glad he’d called the hostess. She’d promised to hold their table. Now, the challenge was to find parking in the jammed lot.
Luck was with him when a car backed out of a spot, and he cut down the back row to slide into the vacated spot. Mission complete. After he’d helped Katherine from her seat, he tucked her hand in his, and it felt good. It felt right, with her at his side.
“Everyone in Bozeman must be here,” Katherine said. “Look at the crowd.”
“It’s a good thing they’re holding our reservation.” Or they would be out of luck, he thought, studying the shivering couples standing beneath the awning, apparently willing to put up with the temperatures to wait for a table.
This place really must be good, he thought, eyeing the jammed vestibule. The waiting area was standing room only. He made eye contact with the woman behind the hostess’s stand but she ignored him, grabbed a menu and sauntered out of sight. She wore an apron, clearly a waitress and not the hostess he’d talked to.
When he saw a man settle in behind the stand, a bad feeling hit him head-on. He felt Katherine’s hand squeeze his, smelled the soft sweetness of her shampoo as she nudged close. “That’s the guy I told you about.”
What happened to the hostess? Jack planted his feet, determined to ward off the sense of doom settling over him like a thunder cell.
The man behind the stand smiled wide. “Caroline! It’s good to see you again. Do you have a reservation?”
“Hi, Alvin. It’s nice to see you, too.” Katherine answered, polite as always. “I believe we do have a reservation. The name is Jack Munroe.” She caught Jack’s eye for confirmation.
His chest cinched so tight with powerful affection for her, he couldn’t speak. He managed a nod, seeing nothing but her, and the seconds stretched into forever. It was a scary thing, how hard and fast he’d fallen in love with her.
He hadn’t minded changing both tires in the storm; he didn’t feel cold although he was wet to the skin. Usually, something like two flat tires in a hailstorm would rank on his worst-date-disaster list, but how could anything be bad when he was with Katherine? She smiled, and his soul brightened.
He didn’t care what he had to take on. Any hardship would be easy as long as he was with her.
Alvin’s voice broke into Jack’s thoughts. “I’m sorry, Mr. Munroe, but we had to give your reservation away. We have a two-hour wait, and you’re late.”
Okay, Jack thought, hopes sinking. This is a disaster of humungous proportion. A full ten on the Richter scale. A category-five hurricane.
He had a lot on the line. How in heaven’s name was he going to be able to salvage this?
Chapter Twelve
Why wasn’t she surprised? Katherine watched the hostess give Alvin a headshake and a “this is typical” sigh.
“You never listen,” the hostess said. “I told you to hold the table.”
“It’s too bad. They were late anyway.” Alvin pulled rank. “Caroline, would you like me to add you and your date to the waiting list?”
Katherine glanced around her at the crush of people. More hungry customers had arrived and were standing behind her and Jack. She heard a woman directly behind her whisper to her husband, “What? Did he say a two-hour wait? No sense getting on the waiting list. Let’s get out of here.”
Sounded like a good idea to her. She caught Jack’s gaze and without words she knew what he was thinking. He crooked one brow. She nodded. “We won’t get seated until nine. It’s too long of a time to wait.”
His hand tightened gently around hers; it was like a connection of the spirit. “There’s another restaurant at the other end of the mall—”
“It has a ninety-minute wait,” a man said, standing to Jack’s left. “The wife and I thought, forget that, and came over here, and look what that got us. But by the time we drive back over to the other place and wait, it’ll be nine o’clock either way.”
“Thanks.” Jack turned to Katherine. “What do you want to do?”
He made it sound as if anything she said would be okay. Like they were in this together. “At this point, I’d be happy with fast food from a drive-through that we eat in the car.”
Jack leaned closer. “Why don’t we see if we can order here to go? Eat in the car? It might not take that long, and we’d get a good steak out of the deal.”
“I vote yes.”
“Then let me grab some menus, Caroline.” He moved away from her, leaving her laughing.
She liked him. Way too much. She knew she was watching him with her heart, seeing not with just her eyes, as he exchanged some words with Alvin, who didn’t look too happy but handed over two menus.
As she studied her menu, practically crushed against Jack’s chest in the crowded waiting area, she hardly noticed the words before her. All she could see was Jack. See there were new layers to hi
m she never would have guessed existed on the first night they’d met. He was resourceful and solved problems sensibly. Even standing in a fine restaurant wet and windblown, he still had a sense of humor.
“I’ve got my mind made up,” he said, snapping his menu closed.
“Me, too.” She wasn’t referring to the menu choices, but the man towering over her.
When the hostess was ready, they gave their orders. Jack ordered a couple of appetizers so they could have immediate sustenance. Katherine followed Jack’s lead through the waiting room, the jammed vestibule and onto the sidewalk. The storm clouds tore apart to reveal a half moon shimmering like platinum, lighting their way back to the SUV.
“This wasn’t what I had in mind for our first date.” Jack apologized as his hand came to rest between her shoulder blades, not exactly hugging her as much as a gentle pressure guiding her. It felt protective and nice.
She definitely felt safe with Jack. “This isn’t what I envisioned either, but it could be worse.”
“We both know that from experience. I don’t want to end up like Alvin. Get turned down for a second date and then wind up on your worst dating list.”
“The jury’s still out.” She couldn’t help teasing him. “We’ll see what other disasters are lurking in the next few hours before I decide if you merit a place on my list. You never know, maybe it’s smooth sailing ahead.”
“I like your optimism, Caroline.”
He paused to open the back passenger door, his hand a branding presence on her upper back. She looked down, afraid her feelings were on her face. What if he could see through her too easily? She accepted a hand up onto the back seat.
“I’ll be right back with those appetizers,” he promised, handing her the keys.
“You must really trust me to give me these. I could drive away.”
“I know where you live.” He winked, pressed the door shut and ambled away with that confident, athletic stride of his.
She watched him go, feeling the sigh rising up from the bottom of her soul. I’m in so much trouble. I’m falling in love with him.