“Thanks, Jen.”
Jenny looked up, her face flushing darker as she met his gaze. She wet her lips with her tongue, and Sam felt a small jolt of awareness pass through him, watching her, wondering what it would be like to—
She straightened her finger to draw it back gently from his. “Maybe I like you better teasing than serious…”
He chuckled to cover up the direction of his thoughts, taking a long sip of beer. “Does that mean I don’t have to watch myself? Teasing is okay now?”
She smiled back at him easily and shook her head. “I wouldn’t try it if I were you. A deal’s a deal.”
“Such moral high ground from the person suggesting white lies!”
“Are you teasing me?” she demanded playfully.
“Just an observation.” Huh. She could be pretty fun when she wasn’t being so prickly. Smart. Quick. Before he found himself roped into washing her car or walking her dog, he decided they should get going on that e-mail. “Okay. We’ll say Judge Hanlon left early for ‘Yeller’ and I was running a little late. The two circumstances left us without an option, and we’re headed back on Monday to get married instead.”
“To get them married instead.”
“Of course. That’s what I meant.” He took out his iPad and pressed the “on” button but nothing happened. He pressed it again and then it dawned on him. He had tried to use it to map himself an alternate route from Bozeman to Livingston while behind the snowplow and must have forgotten to turn off the roaming signal. The battery had died sometime during the afternoon. “Shoot!”
“Oh, no! Dead battery?”
He shook his head back and forth. Could he get nothing right around this woman? He perpetually looked like an unprepared student! It was maddening.
She smiled and shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll just send them an e-mail from my laptop after dinner.”
Sam mulled this over in his mind. Of course he trusted Jenny to send something completely appropriate, but as he checked her out across the table he realized he didn’t want their evening to end so soon. “Mind if I come along and we write it together?”
“Don’t trust me?” She asked crisply, her owl eyes widening to capture his.
“No, it’s just—”
“It’s fine!” She put her palms up and turned her face away from him in a huff, muttering, “Big-city ways.”
Okay. If that’s what it takes, go ahead and believe that. But he was sorry their playful mood had taken a little dive. He thought about telling her the truth, that he didn’t want to go back to his cold, dumpy hotel room when he could possibly spend some time with her in what he was sure would be a warm, homey apartment. He pictured somewhere cozy and bright with—
Wait a minute, brother! What’s going on with you? She’s a prickly little schoolteacher from a tiny town in Montana! Why exactly are you plotting ways to spend more time with her? Are you interested in her, Sam?
She was looking around the bar with that pinched expression back on her face. Interested in her? No! No way! She’s just the only amusement in a one-horse town. And we need to write that e-mail. That’s all. Interested? Please. No way.
Tess returned with their pizza and licked her lips at Sam, her tongue lingering on the corner of her mouth. She sure was trying hard, but she simply wasn’t his type. “Enjoy, sugar.”
Jenny stared at Tess humorlessly until she turned and strutted away, then she helped herself to a slice while he did the same.
“So, you grew up with Ingrid?”
She nodded. “Ing’s family moved here from Wyoming when she was a baby. I don’t ever remember a day of my life without Ingrid in it. We were in the church nursery together, pre-school. I was homeschooled, but she always told me about the goings-on at public school: which boy liked which girl, anyone who got in trouble…” She chuckled lightly. “Even if it was Ing.”
“You were homeschooled?”
“Me and Erik, my youngest brother. Well, not the youngest. I’m the baby, but he’s the youngest of my three older brothers.”
His eyes shot up to her face. The younger sister of three brothers? No wonder she had such a strong backbone. He could only imagine!
“Cheers to you, Jenny.” He raised his beer to her and took a big gulp. Her disapproving glance at his glass was not lost on him. “You’re a teetotaler?”
She tilted her head to the side, considering his question. “It’s just not for me.”
“Religious reasons?”
“My church is important to me, yes. But, it’s not forbidden or anything. Really, it seems like liquor just causes problems.”