to get to know everything about her. He intended to get to know her real well.
“How was your day?” he asked when they were finished with dinner and now sharing a small apple pie with French vanilla ice cream for dessert.
“Not bad.” Then she shook her head. “Well, it wouldn’t have been as good this morning if a man hadn’t saved me.”
Wyatt frowned. “What happened?”
“When I was leaving the general store in Patagonia, my SUV wouldn’t start,” she said “It’s under warranty and I thought I might have to have it towed back to Tucson. But a guy asked me if I needed help and he discovered that one of the battery cables was loose and there was some corrosion that he cleaned up. I took him to lunch to thank him.”
Wyatt nodded. “What’s his name?”
She wrinkled her nose and looked like she was trying to recall it. “Derrick… Derrick Harper.”
A wave of heat hit Wyatt and he ground his teeth before saying. “Sabrina, you need to stay away from that man.”
A look of surprise crossed her face. “Why? He was really nice and helpful.”
I’ll be he was, Wyatt thought to himself. “Trust me,” he said aloud. “You don’t want to get involved with him in any way. He is not good people and not a guy who anyone likes for very long. There are all kinds of stories about him. Even if only a few are right, it shows what kind of man he is. Let’s just say you should avoid him.”
She just looked at him like she was trying to figure something out and the moment felt awkward for the first time that night. Maybe she thought he was jealous. The best thing he could do was hope that she listened to him and stayed away from Harper.
He had to turn things back around in their conversation. “How’s your visit going with Carly?”
She smiled. “So far it’s been relaxing. Carly is the perfect vacation mate. Fun but let’s me have downtime which I desperately need.”
“School a bit much this semester?”
“Something like that.” There was that touch of sadness again and she took another drink of her margarita, as if to keep from having to talk anymore about it.
Wyatt reached out and put his hand over hers. “I’ve had a great time tonight.” He squeezed her fingers. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me.”
“It was most definitely my pleasure.” Her smile was brilliant. “I have had a terrific time talking with you and getting to know more about you.”
He moved his hand from hers. “Let’s dance.”
She glanced in the direction of the bar then back to Wyatt. “All right.”
They both stood and scooted out of the booth. He touched the base of her spine as he guided her toward the bar. Her blouse was soft but he imagined her skin was softer.
When they reached the bar, he swept her onto the dance floor. This time he held her closer than he had at the Stampede. She seemed a little less skittish than she had then. And when they danced a slow tune, it was almost like she was cuddling up to him.
Desire slammed into him and he hoped she wouldn’t notice the effect she was having on him. He didn’t see how she couldn’t, but she didn’t move away.
One hour blended with the next. He’d stopped at two drinks since he’d be driving, but she had four before the night was through. She wavered a little when she walked and she giggled a lot when she got tipsy.
He couldn’t help grinning at how cute she was. Her inhibitions and fears seemed to slip away and she didn’t have that same sadness about her that she had been showing every now and then. Sabrina seemed to be even more fun, outgoing, and friendly, as if a little alcohol let her be who she really was when she wasn’t weighed down with whatever it was that had affected her so badly.
“Are you ready to go?” Wyatt said after their ninth or tenth dance.
She nodded. “I think I’ve worn out the heels on my boots. You might have to carry me out.”
With a grin he left some bills with the ticket and stood. “It would