by Elle James
Jane’s heart swelled. For the past seven years, she’d watched women her age and younger getting married and posting pictures of their husbands and babies on social media. Jane wanted all of that. The adoring husband, the swollen belly and the resulting chubby-cheeked babies.
She glanced down at her bikini-clad, thin body and sighed. She was ready to give up the perfect skin and body for all of that. She wanted to be a bride, but it had to be for the right man. Unless she put herself out there, she’d never meet him.
“Okay,” Jane said. “What do we do next?”
Leslie laughed. “I give him your profile, and he decides from there whether he’s interested enough to email you for a date.”
Jane’s heartbeat thudded against her eardrums. “What if he doesn’t like my profile?”
“The program’s algorithms matched you two. He’s going to like what he hears. Let me get going on this. Hopefully, he’ll contact you soon.”
“Okay, thanks.” Jane ended the call and set her phone down in a haze of panic.
The man sounded amazing. He liked what she liked, and he wanted what she wanted. They sounded like a match made in heaven. What could go wrong?
Everything.
Jane left her lounge chair and walked out into the afternoon sun. The Texas heat beat down on her exposed skin. She barely felt it she was so deep in her thoughts about her match.
She paced back and forth along the edge of the pool. No matter how much she paced, she couldn’t slow her heartbeat, and she was getting hotter by the minute. With every nerve stimulated and her pulse racing, she had to do something to burn off the adrenaline generated by the mere thought of going on a date with a stranger.
The water beside her beckoned.
Jane dove into the pool and swam from one end to the other, up and back. After several laps, she got her breathing under control and her pulse moving to a more normal pace for someone swimming. When she rose out of the pool, she felt more in control. Raising her face to the sun, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
Dating was nothing to get into a panic about. Like any other business decision, she needed to approach it with logic and determination. If she wanted a family of her own, she had to pursue it with her eyes wide open and all the facts laid out before her.
She had to meet the man and get to know him to determine if he was going to be her husband and the father of her children.
No pressure. She could do this.
With that internal pep talk, she toweled dry and lifted her cellphone to calmly check her email.
She scrolled through her usually business-related missives from her agent, marketing firm and accountant and the usual spam. When she saw the email forwarded through BODS, she sank back onto the lounge chair, her heart racing and her legs shaking uncontrollably.
Was this it? Would it be from her match? Was he asking her out? She hesitated, her finger hovering over the link. Finally, she touched the email and it came up.
Hi, Jane, my name is Max.
Jane’s heart skipped several beats. Max. His name was Max. It was a good name, strong and sexy. Butterflies kicked up in her belly and a slow burn coiled lower. Okay, so far so good. She took a deep breath and read on.
By now, you know BODS thinks we’re a match. If you’re like me, you’ll withhold judgment until we’ve had a chance to meet in person and get to know more about each other.
Yes. He was right. They needed to meet. Profiles only told them so much about each other. Talking in person, seeing body language and facial expressions would tell much more than a list of likes and dislikes.
I’d like to take you to dinner, but not at the usual fancy restaurant.
Okay…. Jane’s brow furrowed.
If you’re up for adventure, I’ll pick you up at six tomorrow evening. Wear jeans and close-toed shoes suitable for hiking. Hat and sunglasses are recommended. If you need character references that I’m not a serial killer, talk to Leslie. She knows me.
All I need from you is a yes or no and where to pick you up.
Jane sat back in her lounge chair.
Adventure? Jeans on a first date? Hiking? Her head spun as she scrolled through her recent calls and hit Leslie’s number and put her on speaker. While it rang, Jane switched back to the email from Max and reread every word.
Leslie answered on the first ring. “Did he email you?”
“Yes,” Jane responded, her voice too breathy for her liking.
“And?”
Jane shrugged. “I’m not sure what to think.”
“You’re killing me,” Leslie cried. “What did he say?”
Jane stared at Max’s words. “He wants to take me on an adventure?”
“Huh?”
“If I say yes, he’ll pick me up at six tomorrow.”
“And he said he was taking you on an adventure?”
Jane read the email out loud. “What do you think?”
Leslie laughed. “I think he’s going to take you on a different kind of date.”
“What do you know about…Max,” Jane asked.
“I’ve vetted all my clients. As he said, he’s not a serial killer. He’s actually a good friend of a friend of mine. If my friend trusts him, I trust him.”
“So, what do you think? Should I go?”
“Do you like adventure?”
“I don’t know. It might depend on the kind of adventure.”
“Do you like spontaneity?” Leslie probed.
“Sure,” Jane said. “When I’m the one being spontaneous, and I know what I’m about to do.”
Leslie laughed. “You said you were ready to start dating.”
“I was wrong.” She added in a softer tone, “Frankly, I’m scared.”
“What do you have to be scared of?”
“That he won’t like me for me.” Jane sighed. “I’m not just the model with the fancy hair and makeup. There’s a real person beneath all that. I want to be loved for me, not the mask I put on every day.”
“Then show him you,” Leslie said. “Forget all the makeup. Wear your hair how you do on your days off. Wear the jeans he suggests—”
“Holy cow,” Jane interrupted.
“What?”
“I’m not sure I own a pair of regular jeans.”
Leslie laughed. “I’d offer you a pair of mine, but they’d be too short for your long legs. And I’m sure they’d be too big around the hips and waist.”
“I’d give my eyeteeth for your figure,” Jane said. “You’re petite, curvy and beautiful.”
Leslie snorted. “And you’re tall, svelte and incredibly gorgeous. With or without makeup.” She paused. “So, you’re going to say yes, aren’t you?”
Jane drew in a breath and let it out. “Yes.”
Leslie’s squeal erupted through the speaker.
Jane laughed. “You’d think you were the one going on this ‘adventure date’.”
“What can I say?” Leslie chuckled. “I get excited when BODS brings people together.”
“We’re not together yet,” Jane cautioned. “He might think I’m a dog when he sees me without makeup. And jeans do nothing for my figure.”
“I’m sure he’ll look past all that. He sounds like he only wants to get to know you. Not the clothes you wear.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t played outside since I was a kid. What if I can’t keep up with him on this adventure? I noted that I was in good shape, but that’s all on my personal trainer. And all of that work is done in the gym.”
“You’ll be able to keep up. As my mother always said, Don’t borrow trouble. Go with the flow and get to know the guy.”
“Yes, Mom,” Jane said, feeling only slightly better after talking with Leslie.
“Go. Answer his email and get to a shop to buy those jeans.”
“Do you know how hard it is to buy jeans for a woman who’s five-feet-eleven?”
“As hard as it is to find jeans to fit a curvy woman who’s five-feet-two-inches t
all?”
“Touché.” Jane could only imagine being that tiny and precious and cute.
“I want all the details after your night out with Max,” Leslie said.
“I’ll let you know. Right now, I need to answer his email. He wrote so much. What should I say?”
“Yes!” Leslie answered. “And where he can pick you up.”
“Ooo.” Jane tapped her chin. “I don’t want him to know everything about me, at least not yet. I used my real name instead of my modeling name on the profile. I don’t want him to know I’m loaded.”
“I’m sure he won’t care,” Leslie assured her. “You could meet him in a neutral location like a coffee shop.”
Jane nodded. “I know a coffee shop a mile away from my house.”
“Perfect,” Leslie said. “Good luck and have fun!”
After ending the call with Leslie, Jane pulled up the address of the coffee shop, then copied it and pasted it in her response to Max with the word Yes.
She didn’t give herself time to second-guess her decision. Without hesitation, she pressed send.
The email blasted off into cyberspace, and she couldn’t take it back.
How long would it take for him to read it? Would he respond?
Jane pushed to her feet, holding her cellphone out in front of her, willing an email to come through acknowledging hers.
She waited.
And waited.
A minute passed.
Then another.
“This is ridiculous,” she murmured and set the cellphone on the table beside her lounge chair and turned her back on it, debating diving back into the pool for another eight laps.
She’d taken one step toward the edge of the pool when her cellphone chirped the sound indicating a new email had arrived.
Jane spun, grabbed for the phone and knocked it to the ground.
It slid beneath the lounge chair.
Jane dropped to her knees and reached for it, her heart racing and her breath coming in ragged gasps.
When she finally had the phone in her hand, she brought up the email application and stared at it.
Her laundry was ready for pickup at the local dry cleaners.
Her shoulders sank and she shook her head. “Am I really that desperate?”
The answer was yes.
She chuckled at the picture she must make…on her knees, clutching her cellphone like a magic wand that would transform her humdrum life into a fairytale.
Then her email application pinged again, and an email came up from the BODS exchange.
See you tomorrow at 6:00. Max.
Chapter 4
Max drove around the block several times, not wanting to arrive at the coffee shop too early. He didn’t want to appear too anxious to meet his match. And the jury was still out on whether or not this woman was his match.
He hoped he’d recognize her when he saw her. And he should. Not many women were five-feet-eleven. And she’d be wearing jeans if she’d gone along with his suggestion.
He pulled his truck into a parking space and dropped down out of the driver’s seat. His pulse ratcheted up as he locked the truck.
It’s just a date, he reminded himself.
But if this date went well, it could be his last first date for the rest of his life.
The pressure was on.
From the start, he’d approached this match as a test the woman would have to pass. If she was the one he was destined to marry, it was kind of a…bride test. Would she pass? Would she be the woman he would promise to love, honor and cherish until death?
But as he’d driven to the designated location, he began to realize it was as much a test he’d have to pass from her point of view.
Would he be the kind of guy she’d want to love for the rest of her life? Would he pass her test?
At that point, he wasn’t quite as sure as he had been about taking her on an adventure date. Not that it would be all that adventurous. He wasn’t going to ask her to go rock climbing or hang gliding.
But he did want to make sure she was into the outdoors and liked nature and animals. After years playing football, and now, looking forward to spending much of his time outside on the ranch, he wanted someone to share his love of sunshine and nature.
As he pushed through the door of the coffee shop, he held his breath and prayed she had come and that she really was the woman he was dreaming of.
His gaze went to the first woman he saw, a petite brunette sitting with her laptop open, going through her social media as if her life hinged on it.
Not her.
Jane’s profile said she was tall and blond.
His gaze moved on to the next booth. Someone with short blond hair sat with her back to the door.
Max started that way, his palms suddenly sweating. This was it. It had to be her.
He was just reaching out to tap her on the shoulder, when someone tapped him on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
“Excuse me,” a feminine voice said from behind him. “Are you Max?”
The person in the booth turned, revealing a young man with a blond mustache.
His cheeks burning, Max spun to face a tall, slender woman wearing sunglasses and a floppy hat. Her hair was pulled back behind her head. Since it was covered with the hat, he couldn’t tell exactly what color it was. “Yes, I’m Max.”
She held out her hand. “I’m Jane.”
He took her hand in his. Her fingers were long and slender, and her skin was smooth and silky against the calluses on his palm.
A surprising shock of electricity touched his nerves and rippled up his arm into his chest.
She gave his hand a firm shake. Not too hard, not too soft, but firm.
He liked that he didn’t have to look way down to see her face. Other than the tall drink of water Sean had fixed him up with, Max hadn’t dated many tall women.
Trying not to be too obvious, he swept her with his gaze from tip to toe.
A little too thin, and her jeans looked too new, making him glad he’d dressed in one of his newer pairs. He’d almost opted for his favorite pair that he loved to work in, but they were stained and had a couple of holes worn through a knee and near his back pocket. Yeah, he’d have to throw them in the trash soon and break in another pair.
“Nice to meet you, Jane,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said softly.
Her voice was melodic, not high-pitched or screechy.
So far, so good.
He wished she’d take off the sunglasses and hat so he could see more of her. But then, he’d recommended them, and it would appear too obvious if he asked her to remove them.
“Ready?” he said.
She nodded. “I think so. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of an adventure.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t be over the top. We’re not going rock climbing. We’re going to visit a ranch.”
“A ranch?”
He nodded. “Ever been on one?”
She nodded. “Briefly.”
“Then you know what to expect.”
Her answering nod was slower.
“Do you ride?”
“Ride what?” she asked.
This was going to be harder than he’d thought.
“Horses.”
“I don’t know. I never have.” She smiled, her pale lips spreading wide to display perfect white teeth. “But I’m willing to learn.”
He nodded. She didn’t ride horses. Max tried not to chalk up a mental strike against her, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He’d hoped he’d find someone who loved riding horses as much as he did. At least, she was willing to learn.
“Your profile says you like animals.”
“I do,” she said.
“Good. Because there are a lot of animals on the ranch.”
She nodded. “I look forward to seeing them.”
He led the way out to his truck and opened the door for her.
She stepped on the runni
ng board and easily climbed up into seat, settling back into the contoured leather.
Max closed the door and rounded the hood to climb into the driver’s seat. Nothing was more awkward than a first date, and he was feeling it. And based on how stiffly she sat beside him, she was feeling it, too.
With his hand on the start button, he paused. “Look, this doesn’t have to be hard.”
She turned toward him, her brow puckering. “What do you mean?”
“We don’t know each other, but it doesn’t have to be hard. We’re just two adults going to visit a ranch. No expectations of anything other than getting out in the sunshine and breathing fresh air. I promise not to make any moves, and I don’t expect anything from you, other than, I hope you’ll enjoy the meal I had prepared.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”
She nodded and placed her hand in his.
That same current of electricity zapped him and spread up his arm and throughout his body.
What the hell?
“Deal,” she said with a smile. “I have to admit, I’ve never been on a blind date.”
His lips twisted. “I have, back in college.”
She shot him a glance. “Not good?”
“Let’s just say, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She turned to face the front windshield. “Couldn’t have been easy to agree to another.”
He touched the start button. “Leslie assured me her program was fool-proof.”
Jane laughed nervously. “She did, didn’t she?”
“I guess time will tell, right?” He glanced her way.
She bit down on her full, bottom lip. She wasn’t wearing lipstick or any makeup for that matter…that he could see beneath the sunglasses.
He was really beginning to wish he hadn’t suggested the hat and sunglasses and was beginning to hope for some clouds on this sunny afternoon. If all went according to his plan, they’d be out after sunset, and she’d have to take off those darned glasses. He wanted to see her eyes, the rest of her face and her hair.
Not that any of that mattered, he reminded himself. Hadn’t he said looks weren’t what he was most concerned about? Her mind and her personality were more important.