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“Ha-ha. That ain’t happening.”

“Darn. I wouldn’t mind. Honest.”

“Can we quit talking about boobs?”

“We weren’t talking generic boobs. We were talking about your boobs.”

She stared at him open-mouthed for a moment. Then she burst out laughing and so did he. “This is the most ridiculous conversation,” Damaris said after she gained control of herself.

“I think you started it.”

“Yes, and I’m ending it. How about this? You try to discourage other women from er, flirting with you and I’ll try to be more demonstrative so they’ll know I’m—”

“Staking your claim?” he finished for her.

“So they’ll know I’m your girlfriend.”

“We could solve all this by becoming engaged.”

“Your grandma doesn’t even know we’re dating yet, does she?”

“Actually, she does. I stopped by after her beauty shop appointment and she asked me if it was true about you and me. I said we decided to be more than friends and see what happens.”

“What did she say to that?”

“You don’t want to know.” Hell, he wished he hadn’t heard it. Coming from his grandmother, at least.

He put the car in gear and drove to the Walker ranch. “Do you want to come in and have a beer?” Damaris asked.

“Sure.” He wasn’t flying the next day so he figured why not?

Damaris got them both a beer and they sat on the couch to drink them. “I had fun today.”

“Good. I did too.”

“What did Grandma K say when you told her about us?”

He stopped with his beer halfway to his mouth. “You won’t quit asking until I tell you, will you?”

“What do you think?”

“Crap. She wanted to know if we were sleeping together. Which I told her was not her business. Damn, I’m sure I blushed. And that wasn’t all.”

“What else?”

“She said, ‘If you’re not you should be. How else are you going to convince the girl she can’t live without you?’”

Chapter Seven

She took him riding the next day off he had. He’d been riding more and was getting better, if he did say so himself. Damaris didn’t say much except to tell him what he was doing wrong, but he didn’t let that worry him. In fact, he appreciated the help since Damaris had forgotten more about horses than he’d ever know. They ambled along the creek under an amazingly blue sky. Days like this made him want to be in the sky flying, but riding was a nice substitute. Riding with Damaris was even better.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like between us?”

Where had that come from? “It being—”

“Sex.”

“Do I ever wonder what sex would be like between us? I’m a guy, Damaris. Of course I’ve thought about it. But I don’t wonder. I know.”