Free North Dakota Weddings by Elizabeth Goddard Page A

ate.
    “Yeah? What’s up?”
    “I don’t feel like eating dinner alone tonight, especially in the dungeon. How about I take you and Elisa somewhere? Where’s a good place to eat?”
    Andi stood speechless.
    Elisa leaned out of the truck. “The Rhubarb Festival. They have food there.”
    Talk about selective hearing. “Elisa,” Andi hissed. She hadn’t even accepted the invitation yet.
    “Come on, Andi. We can make it a business meeting, discuss the work you’re doing.” He pulled his glasses off and hung them from the corner of his lip—a mannerism that was beginning to grow on her.
    Why did she always have to like smart guys?

Chapter 7
    V ance held his breath. Would she agree? He wanted a replay of the Andi he’d seen this morning—lively and flirtatious, especially after the day he’d had. He wanted to see a flash of her hundred-watt smile.
    Instead, she cocked her head. “You’re the boss,” she said, then climbed into her old pickup.
    “Stellarific.” Vance grinned, though her words didn’t hold much encouragement. Still, it was hard to keep a guy down amid the prospect of having dinner—even at a rhubarb festival—in the company of a beautiful woman. Add to that, coming above ground into the real world for a change was almost like watching a meteor impact on Jupiter—a rare, celebratory event even for astronomy geeks.
    Truck started and rumbling, Andi rolled down the window and leaned out. “The festival should have a lot of your kind of food, though mostly rhubarbrelated, including pies, a carnival, and competitions between the longest stalk and the largest leaf. What more could you want?”
    “Rhubarb, huh?” He’d eaten strawberry-rhubarb pie once. Made him sick.
    “I don’t suppose you know where the Rhubarb Festival is, do you?”
    “I’ve been out of the dungeon and around the block a few times, but can’t say that I do.”
    “Follow me.”
    “I’m right behind you.” Vance pulled his keys out of his pocket and locked the entrance to Ground Zero.
    He climbed into his car as Andi turned onto the main road and sped away like she was running from the law. One thing about this part of North Dakota—it was so flat you could see someone coming for miles. He chuckled as he climbed into his car and followed Andi from a distance for several miles and then into town.
    He teased her, pulling next to her when the road allowed, and waved. Only Elisa responded. Waiting behind Andi’s truck at a red light, he noticed Andi watching him through her rearview mirror.
    He’d told her it could be a business dinner—a small twist of the truth. During his day of writing slightly malicious code to slow the misuse of his algorithm, Andi had permeated his thoughts. When he needed to concentrate most, he couldn’t shake her smile or her earlier playfulness, though it had lasted all of fifteen seconds. As far as talk of remodeling the missile site, whatever it took to keep her company. Maybe he was only focused on her because she was his primary human contact throughout the day.
    Nah. There was more to it than that.
    Vance followed her into a parking lot filled with cars. People headed toward what looked like a pavilion-enclosed farmer’s market and a small carnival. He waited as Andi and Elisa got out of their truck. Andi gave a tight smile, giving him the impression she’d rather be anywhere else. Or had she and Elisa been at it again?
    “How long does this festival last?” he asked.
    “Through the weekend. Today’s the first day,” Elisa said, as they headed toward the pavilion.
    There was a small entrance fee of three dollars a person. Vance paid for all three of them despite Andi’s protests. They visited several booths featuring various rhubarb recipes, jams and jellies, bread and cookies, and surprisingly, pork roast, stir-fries, and potpies.
    Andi bought two slices of pie, one each for her and Elisa, and offered Vance a bite of hers.
    The memory of the last time he’d eaten anything