Theodore.â
âSorry. Wrong era.â
She grinned. âTalk about living in the dark ages!â
He shrugged. âI was raised by my grandmother and my uncle. They werenât forthcoming about womenâs intimate apparel.â
âWell, I guess not!â
âYour uncle John was the same sort of throwback,â he remarked.
âSo we both come by it honestly, I suppose.â She noted his immaculate dark suit and the spotless white shirt and blue patterned tie he was wearing with it. âYou look nice, too.â
âI bought the suit to wear to John Callisterâs wedding,â he replied. âI donât often have the occasion to dress up.â
âMe, neither,â she sighed.
âI guess we could go a few places together,â he commented. âI like to hunt and fish.â
âI do not like guns,â she said flatly.
âWell, in my profession, theyâre sort of a necessity, Jake,â he commented.
âI suppose so. Sorry.â
âNo problem. You used to like fishing.â
âItâs been a while since I dipped a poor, helpless worm into the water.â
He chuckled. âEverything in life has a purpose. A wormâs is to help people catch delicious fish.â
âThe worm might not share your point of view.â
âIâll ask, the next time I see one.â
She laughed, and her whole face changed. She felt better than she had in ages. Theodore didnât think she was a lost cause. He wasnât even angry that sheâd gone cold at his kiss. Maybe, she thought, just maybe, there was still hope for her.
His black eyes were kind. âIâm glad you arenât wearing high heels,â he commented.
âWhy?â
He glanced down at his big feet in soft black leather boots. âWell, these arenât as tough as the boots I wear on the job. Iâd hate to have holes in them from spiked heels, when you step on my feet on the dance floor.â
âI will not step on your feet,â she said with mock indignation. She grinned. âI might trip over them and land in a flowerpot, of course.â
âI heard about that,â he replied, chuckling. âPoor old Harris Twain. Iâll bet heâll never stick his legs out into the walkway of a restaurant again. He said you were pretty liberally covered with potting soil. You went in headfirst, I believeâ¦?â
She sighed. âMost people have talents. Mine is lackof coordination. I can trip over my own feet, much less someone elseâs.â
He wondered about that clumsiness. She was very capable, in her own way, but she often fell. He frowned.
âNow, see, youâre thinking that Iâm a klutz, and youâre absolutely right.â
âI was wondering more about your balance,â he said. âDo you have inner ear problems?â
She blinked. âWhat do my ears have to do with that?â
âA lot. If you have an inner ear disturbance, it can affect balance.â
âAnd where did you get your medical training?â she queried.
âI spend some time in emergency rooms, with victims and perps alike. I learn a lot about medical problems that way.â
âI forgot.â
He shrugged. âIt goes with the job.â
âI donât have earaches,â she said, and averted her eyes. âShouldnât we get going?â
She was hiding something. A lot, maybe. He let it go. âI guess we should.â
âA Latin dance club in Billings.â She grinned. âHow exotic!â
âThe ownerâs even more exotic. Youâll like him.â He leaned closer. âHe was a gun runner in his wild youth.â
âWow!â
âI thought youâd be impressed. So was I.â
âYou have an interesting collection of strange people in your life,â she commented on the way to his truck.
âGoes with theââ
âJob. I guess.â She grinned