Page 43 of Wyoming True

She cocked her head, pondering that.

His dark eyebrows drew together. “No mind reading.”

She held up both hands. “I know nothing.”

“I’ll bet,” he murmured under his breath, because she was the most perceptive female he’d ever known.

“No, really, I know nothing.” Her blue eyes twinkled. “You might decide to take me home before the oysters get here, if I open my mouth.”

That provoked him out of his brief bad mood and he chuckled. “Point taken.”

“THESEARE...UNBELIEVABLYDELICIOUS,” she moaned as she dipped a second delicately fried oyster in red sauce and popped it into her mouth. “Even better than the ones in Galveston, and those were out of this world!”

He grinned. “I told you so.” He was eating his own with as much gusto as she was. “The owner could open a franchise if he wanted to. The spices are a very old family recipe, and he has a deft hand with breading, which he does himself. But he’s very content to carry on here.”

“A happy man,” she replied. “And very lucky.”

He drew in a breath and sipped cappuccino. “Happiness is a rare thing.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

He studied her while she ate, his eyes going from the deep circles under her blue eyes to her long-fingered hands.

“Is my hair on crooked?” she asked after a minute, both eyebrows arched.

He laughed out loud. “No. I was just noticing the dark circles under your eyes,” he said honestly. “You don’t sleep much, do you?”

She grimaced. “It’s a little unnerving,” she said finally. “Bailey made some pretty bad threats.” She looked up. “He doesn’t really threaten. He does what he says he will.” She shivered a little, remembering some of them.

Jake winced, but he didn’t let her see. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“Oh, yes, but everybody has problems,” she replied and smiled. “Mine are no worse than someone else’s. You just put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”

“Sound advice.”

They finished the oysters and had a second cup of coffee with a delicate little torte that was one of the specialties of the house.

“What is this?” she exclaimed when she’d taken a bite of it. “My goodness, it’s awesome!”

“Almond torte,” he chuckled. “It’s good, isn’t it? Mack makes these himself, too. He has a cook, but the man spends a lot of time twiddling his thumbs. Mack loves his kitchen.”

“You know him,” she guessed.

He nodded. His face hardened. “He was overseas with me, when we went into Iraq the second time.”

She grimaced, because that hard face was briefly vulnerable. “I’m so sorry.”

His eyes lifted to hers and he scowled. “About what?”

“Bad memories,” she said quietly. “They show.” Before he could pull up an angry retort, she added, “I have them, too.”

Which curtailed the hot words on the tip of his tongue. He drew in a breath and laughed. “You have a knack for disarming me.”

“I’ve been through the wars, too, even though I’ve never been in combat. It...hardens you,” she said after a minute.

He could have retorted that it had only made her more vulnerable. She saw deep inside him. He wasn’t sure he liked it. Most of his dates, with the exception of Mina, had been shallow women, with eyes for diamonds and high living. None of them had Ida’s ability to feel the emotions of people around her. It was a true gift. He wondered if she even realized it.

AFTERLUNCHIDAexpected him to head for the airport. Instead, he caught her hand in his and walked her out to the beach behind the strip mall.