Page 14

“Do you feel nauseated right now?” Fiona asked.

He smiled when she climbed into the driver’s seat. “No. Really, I feel great.”

“I don’t believe it,” Fiona muttered under her breath. For one thing, he had to have a terrific headache. For another, where the car smacked his body, he had to be feeling some pain.

“Dead guys don’t lie, Fiona.” Again, he smiled at her when she glanced at him.

Emma tried to change the subject. “So you have a strange accent, and Ruric isn’t a usual name. Where are you from?”

“Wales. The name means people of victory in Romania, where some of my people were from. Though some believe I have Celtic heritage. Others say they’re sure I descended from Vikings.”

“Cool,” Emma said.

“Were you at a dance or something?” Fiona asked, this time keeping her eyes on the road.

“Yeah, a dance.”

“What were you doing out in the middle of nowhere?”

When he didn’t answer, she glanced at him. Again, he smiled. “You remind me of a girl I once met. She had a sympathetic way about her. Just like you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were planning to be a nurse someday.”

“Not me. I can’t stand the sight of blood.”

He chuckled.

When she pulled into the lighted parking lot of the Burger Joint, she realized Ruric hadn’t answered her question. What had he been doing in the woods?

Though he could have easily opened Emma’s door for her as he stood closer to it, he took great strides to reach Fiona’s door and opened it instead.

Maybe it was because she reminded him of his old girlfriend. Maybe it was because she hadn’t run him over with the car.

“I don’t want to rush you or anything, but I have to be home soon. Why were you in the woods?” Fiona asked Ruric again.

“My brother was supposed to pick me up, but he had car trouble. One of the guys I know, not very well, said he would drive me home. Except he and his buddies were drinking. I told the driver to pull over and let me out before he got us all killed. So he did…in the middle of nowhere. I saw your headlights and thought I could wave you down. I guess you couldn’t see me.” He tugged at his tux. Even his shirt was black. “It pays to wear white when you’re trying to flag down a car at night.”

“Oh,” Emma said, as they stepped into an order line. “What if he dented Mom’s car?”

“Jeez, Emma. You should be thankful he’s alive and well.”

“Of course, I am. But what if there’s a dent in the car?” Emma asked, her voice on edge.

“I didn’t see any,” Ruric said.

“But it was so dark,” Emma said.

“My night vision’s very good.” He winked at Fiona.

Her body warmed with embarrassment. A total charmer. Just like the other guy. As if they were…brothers. “Is your brother dark-haired, per chance? Wearing a tux tonight also?”

“He’s at home, so he wouldn’t be wearing a tux tonight.”

As much as Fiona was afraid to pose the question, she had to know. “Were you ever in Dallas?”

Ruric’s eyes widened marginally. She took that as a yes.

“At a mall in Dallas, Texas?” she ventured to ask. “About two years ago? Right about this time of year?”

Emma eyed them speculatively. “You don’t know each other, do you? I mean, that could be a good thing if you had been friends.”