Free Back Where You Belong by Vonnie Davis Page B

what. Let me take you to dinner Friday night. We can go to the Lonesome Steer, have supper and listen to the Rattlesnakes. Might even be able to dance a slow tune or two by then.”
    “Will you be able to drive? Shouldn’t you rest?” He was asking her out on a date, but could he physically do it so soon after surgery, to say nothing of crutches. “Maybe I should do the driving. I could come to the Star-D and pick you up.”
    “A man does the driving on a date, Sugar.”
    Now wasn’t that the silliest thing? “That’s a rather outdated idea.”
    “I’m an outdated kinda guy. Get used to it. If you call me every night like this, I’ll rest all day Friday.”
    “Was there a promise in that statement, cowboy?” Men like Grandpa and Tyler weren’t ones to nap. A visual of him lying on the sofa covered with an afghan and hugging a teddy bear came to mind. She rolled onto her side, fighting the urge to giggle.
    He sighed and she smiled.
    “Okay, dammit, I promise to rest all afternoon. How’s that.”
    ****
    Tyler never knew the span of time from Sunday, when he last saw Lacy, to Friday would be five months long, or so it seemed. The only thing that kept him sane was their bedtime phone conversations. He’d even taken to emailing her—and he never emailed anyone unless it was business related. Olivia helped him with his texting skills so he could send a text every so often to let Lacy know he was thinking about her.
    She was starting to mean a lot to him. Was that wise? Hadn’t he sworn off women after Anna Beth put him through marital hell? Knowing your wife preferred other men to you did something to a man’s soul and permanently wounded his pride. Would Lacy be the same way? Surely not. As he grew closer to her, he hoped he was laying his faith in the right woman this time.
    Now was a fine time to think about Lacy’s growing importance as he headed north on Interstate 27 in the direction of Route 66 to pick up his date.
    Nervousness warred with excitement. A date. What had he been thinking to ask Lacy out? For one thing, the girl was ten years his junior. For another, he sensed she still believed in the happily-ever-after fairytale. While he’d learned long ago, love was a temporary emotion, a fit of insanity, a heart-itch that needed scratched.
    Yet, Lacy was different from any other woman he’d ever met. She thought she was heavy. What idiot put that thought into her pretty head? Twenty pounds heavy? Her full breasts and rounded hips came to mind, and he hardened, shifting in his seat to relieve the tightness of his jeans. The woman was perfect.
    She looked mighty fine sitting astride her pinto a few weeks ago. He wondered if she still competed. Her name hadn’t been associated with rodeos since she left for college. He’d have to remember to ask her, if there were any awkward silences in the conversation.
    He laughed out loud. Hell, this was Lacy LaRoche he was thinking about. He doubted there was ever much lull in her conversations. There weren’t any in their phone calls. She’d ask him about his day and then fuss when he told her what all he’d done. In addition, he’d tell stories about Olivia. Slowly, he became accustomed to talking to her about anything. Was a damned good feeling.
    All this wool gathering, as his pappy used to say, still had him in the same predicament—on his way to his first date in fourteen years. Fourteen long years that included a baby in the first six months and countless arguments and stresses in the months and years to follow. The night he found out for sure Anna Beth had been cheating on him was almost a relief. His only concern being who got custody of Olivia.
    At the time, he swore he’d never date again. Now here he was, ankle swollen and still sore from the surgery, hauling ass on the highway to get to one blonde, blue-eyed heart stealer.
    Had women’s dating expectations changed during this span of time? His gaze slid to the bouquet of orange roses and yellow