For the next hour they sipped wine and watched the stars, pointing out constellations they recognized and enjoying easy small talk about the people in town and ranch life in general.
They didn't discuss Candy's murder or the attacks on her. Nothing negative entered the conversation at all, and Lizzy felt more relaxed than she had since the last attack on her.
The wine bottle was nearly empty when Daniel placed an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her closer against him. She stiffened for a moment and then gave in, relaxing into his warmth and comfort.
"It would be nice if I left here with some answers," she finally said, and she wasn't sure if she was reminding him or herself that she would be leaving town soon.
"I'd like to have those same answers." His breath was warm across her cheek and smelled of the fruity, fragrant wine they'd almost polished off. "I'd like to find the bastard who hurt you and give him a little Oklahoma justice."
"'Oklahoma justice'? Is that synonymous with getting him into a dark alley and punching his lights out?"
"Something like that," he agreed.
She had more than a little bit of a buzz from the wine, but not enough to make her silly. She just felt a warm glow, and she wasn't completely clear if it was from the alcohol or the setting or the man.
"This is probably the best mountaintop I'll ever find in the whole wide world," she said softly.
His arm tightened slightly around her shoulder. "So, you can cross that off your bucket list?"
She turned to look at him and smiled. "Yes, I think that's exactly what I will do." Her smile faltered as she saw the soft expression on his face, the familiar spark in the centers of his eyes. The glow inside her intensified as she realized he was going to kiss her.
Even though she knew it was wrong, she wanted his kiss more than anything else in the world at that moment. His lips descended on hers, and she welcomed him with parted lips of her own.
It was a kiss of sweet tenderness. Their tongues whirled together not with wild passion but with a languid, simmering sensuality that spoke not just to her hormones, but to her very heart. And she knew at that moment that even though he didn't realize it, this was her goodbye kiss to him.
Chapter 11
"How about dinner at the café tonight?" Daniel asked Lizzy the next afternoon.
"That sounds great," she agreed. She was seated on the sofa in the living room and didn't take her gaze off the afternoon talk show she'd been watching.
She'd been distant all day, and Daniel had felt her slipping away from him with each moment that passed. He'd felt the distance the moment they'd left the hayloft the night before, and it had continued into today.
He felt a sick desperation, the scent of heartache rife in the air. She'd brought him back to life, to love, and now she was going to leave him, and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
He'd somehow hoped that by giving her the mountaintop and the stars she'd fall into his arms and profess her love for him, her need to stay there in Grady Gulch and continue their life together. He'd fantasized that she'd tell him she didn't want to finish her bucket list anywhere but there with him.
But that hadn't happened. The kiss they'd shared had lasted only a few seconds and then she'd told him she was tired and ready to go back to the house.
Once they got back inside she'd gone to bed, and when she'd awakened that morning there had been a frightening distance in her eyes, an aloof, almost impersonal manner in the way she'd interacted with him.
He was somehow hoping that by taking her back to the café tonight she'd be reminded of all the wonderful things, all the good people she loved in Grady Gulch and all the people who loved her.
By six-thirty they were ready to leave. Lizzy looked stunning in a pair of jeans and a brown-and-gold blouse that enriched the whiskey tones of her eyes. She'd pulled her long hair up in a ponytail that accented the pretty bone structure of her face, and tiny gold earrings hung from her dainty ears.
She was a bit more animated on the drive into town, talking about all the people she hoped to see during their meal. "I need to thank Mary for the apple pie she brought by day before yesterday, and I also want to see how Courtney is doing living in the motel."
"Doesn't she have parents someplace who could help her out?" Daniel asked.
"From what she told me her parents are some kind of social muckety-mucks from Evanston, and they basically disowned her when she got pregnant."
"Wow, unbelievable in this day and age," Daniel replied. The small town of Evanston was only a thirty-minute drive from Grady Gulch. It was a shame Courtney and her young son didn't have the support of parents who lived so nearby.
"What about the father of her boy?" Daniel asked.
"Not around," Lizzy replied. "And from what Courtney has told me, she doesn't expect him to ever be a part of her life or Garrett's." She sat up straighter in her seat as he pulled into the Cowboy Café parking lot. "Oh good, it looks like Courtney is working tonight," she said as Daniel spied Courtney's beat-up car in the lot.
They parked and left Daniel's truck, and when they entered the café Lizzy was instantly greeted by dozens of people. Even George Wilton, the town curmudgeon, managed to give her what appeared to be almost a smile.
Adam and Sam Benson waved from across the room, and Courtney hugged Lizzy gingerly as if afraid to hurt her. "I'm so glad to see you up and around," she said. "Everyone has been asking about you. When I heard what happened to you, I was sick."
"You okay at the motel?" Lizzy asked her.
Courtney nodded. "We're doing fine. They've given me a good rate so I can afford to be there until I find something more permanent."
"Good," Lizzy replied.
Junior Lempke lumbered toward her, a wide childish smile on his broad face. "Hi, Lizzy."
"Hi, Junior," she replied.
Junior's gaze didn't quite meet hers as his cheeks reddened with a blush. "Hi … okay," he said and turned and went back to the table he'd been clearing.
Dana Maxwell and Shirley Cook, fellow waitresses, gathered around Lizzy as Daniel stepped back, giving the women space to greet each other and have a moment of girl talk.
Surely Lizzy felt the love in the room for her. It was so warm and vibrant in the entire place. How could she walk away from this place that had embraced her so completely? How could she walk away from him? His heart crunched at this thought.
It took at least fifteen minutes before they finally made their way to a table. He consciously steered her away from the booth that had been his place of misery and guilt. He wasn't that man anymore, and even if Lizzy left him he would never go back to being that man again.
Janice and Cherry's accident had been a tragedy, but the responsibility of that car wreck no longer weighed him down with guilt. He would always be sorry that two beautiful, vibrant women died that night, but he was done feeling responsible for all of it. The night had been a combination of flared tempers between him and Janice, but Lizzy had been right, Cherry had been driving recklessly fast, as well.
"Everyone is being so nice to me," she said to him once they were seated at a table for two.
"I told you before, Lizzy, this whole town has embraced you." He picked up the menu even though he knew the contents by heart. He was afraid at that moment if he looked at her he'd tell her that he loved her.
"I'm starving," she said. "And the Wednesday night special is always chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. That's definitely what I'm going to have."
He closed the menu. "That sounds good to me, too."
Dana Maxwell appeared at their table, her order form in hand. "Can I start you guys off with drinks?"
"Iced tea for me," Lizzy said.
"Make that two," Daniel added.
"Be back in two shakes for the rest of your order," she said as she left the table.
"She's a nice woman," Lizzy said as she followed Dana's progress back to the counter.
"I know, I've known her all my life."
Lizzy looked back at him. "Then you know she was divorced years ago and has been alone for a long time. She has pretty hair, too, and a great sense of humor."
Daniel stared at her with narrowed eyes. "Are you trying to match-make for me, Lizzy?"
Her cheeks grew pink. "I just don't want you to go back to the man you were when I first met you. When I leave here tomorrow, I want to know that you're going to live your life to the fullest and hopefully find a woman who will make a wonderful wife for you and give you a house full of children."